THE ROUND-UP
Ryback returns on NY indie show featuring Hardys, Ricky Steamboat & Jushin Liger – Broken Matt Hardy pinned Vinny Marseglia with a twist of fate. NEW Champion War King Hanson (ROH’s Hanson) def. Donovan Dijak, Jushin Thunder Liger and Jeff Hardy beat Mike Bennett and TK O’Ryan, and RYBACK returns to the ring!
Bellator 160 live results: Benson Henderson vs. Patricio Pitbull – ACE Fontaine follows all the action at Bellator 60 including an appearance by Rory McDonald. Ace gives you his HOT TAKE after each match as well.
WWE Cruiserweight Classic results: Johnny Gargano vs. TJ Perkins – Two of the hottest indy stars compete for their shot at becoming the first Cruiserweight Classic champion. Bryan Rose has you covered.
WWE NXT results: More matches from Brooklyn – NXT didn’t just put on a PPV, they put on a whole evening of awesome matches. Check out what you may have missed as covered by Arya Witner.
WWE SummerSlam 2016: Observer staff preview & predictions – See how all of our writers did predicting the WWE’s Summerslam PPV. It’s usually harder than it seems to predict the whims of a batty old rasslin’ promoter. Thanks again to Bryan Rose for compiling all of our nonsensical ramblings.
WWE Main Event results: Rhyno vs. Erick Rowan – Main Event recapper Kevin Timothy brings you all the action, including the Hype Bros challenging the Vaudvillains and the return of Erick Rowan.
UFC On FOX 21 DFS Playbook: who to target & who to avoid – Interested in cashing in on UFC? R-Fred, Ace Fontaine, and PeachMachine give you their fairy tale prediction line-ups in hopes of cashing in on UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Condit.
Casual fan’s guide to WWE SummerSlam 2016 – World traveling reporter Ryan Pike breaks down everything the layman wrestling fan should know about Summerslam, before firing it up on your WWE Network.
WEEKEND LINE UP
UFC ON FOX FROM THE ROGERS ARENA IN VANCOUVER
Fight Pass at 5 p.m. Eastern time
James Kennedy (155.5) vs. Alessandro Ricci (156)
Thibault Gouti (155) vs. Chad Laprise (159) – Laprise was fined 20 percent of his purse for missing weight
FOX at 6 p.m. Eastern time
Shane Campbell (156) vs. Felipe Silva (154.5)
Alessio DeChirico (185) vs. Garreth McLellan (184)
Enrique Barzaola (145.5) vs. Kyle Bochniak (145.5)
Sam Alvey (186) vs. Kevin Casey (185)
Joe Lauzon (156) vs. Jim Miller (154.5)
Bec Rawlings (115.5) vs. Paige VanZant (115.5)
Charles Oliveira (143) vs. Anthony Pettis (146)
Carlos Condit (170.5) vs. Demian Maia (171)
ROH: Field of Honor ’16
ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FOUR CORNER SURVIVAL: Adam Cole (c) vs Jay Lethal vs Tetsuya Naito vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
ROH World Tag Team Championship – Gauntlet Match: The Addiction (“Almighty” Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian) defend the titles against the winners of a 5-team Gauntlet Match
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin (c) vs Donovan Dijak
Special Challenge Match: Kyle O’Reilly vs Katsuyori Shibata
ROH World Television Championship: Bobby Fish (c) vs EVIL
8 MAN SHOWDOWN: Bullett Club (Young Bucks, Yujiro Takahashi, and Hangman Page) vs Motor City Machine Guns, Lio Rush, and ACH.
KUSHIDA vs Dalton Castle
AAA TRIPLEMANIA FROM ARENA CIUDAD IN MEXICO CITY ON SUNDAY AT 7 P.M. EASTERN
Faby & Mary Apache vs. Averno & Chessman
AAA Cup elimination match: La Parka vs. Elegido vs. Taurus vs. Hernandez vs. Pimpinela Escarlata vs. El Hijo de Pirata Morgan vs. Daga vs. Super Fly vs. Zorro vs. Australian Suicide vs. Mamba vs. ?
Jack Evans & Angelico defend AAA tag team titles against Paul London & Matt Cross, El Hijo del Fantasma & Fenix and Drago & Aerostar
Rey Mysterio Jr. & Prince Puma & Dragon Azteca Jr. vs. Matanza Cueto & Mil Muertes & Marty the Moth Martinez
Pentagon Jr. vs. Johnny Mundo for the Latin American heavyweight title
El Texano Jr. vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Brian Cage for the AAA Mega heavyweight title
Psycho Clown vs. Pagano mask vs. hair
Raw will be Monday night from the Toyota Center in Houston. This will be the first week with a Smackdown Monday night house show, which takes place in Texarkana, TX. The regular Smackdown crew will be there and John Cena is headlining the show.
Tuesday night will be Smackdown from Dallas. John Cena, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins are all advertised, but Reigns and Rollins are likely to be in dark matches and Cena may be as well.
REPORTS AND POLLS
We’re doing one poll for the weekend: [email protected]
Sunday’s TripleMania show from AAA
We’re looking for reports from these shows on Friday: [email protected]
WWE in Abilene, TX (Smackdown crew plus Enzo, Cass, Sheamus, Darren Young and Neville)
NXT in Citrus Springs, FL
Northeast Wrestling in Pittsfield, MA at Waconia Park (Cody Rhodes vs. Mike Bennett plus Jerry Lawler, Jeff Hardy, Jushin Liger, Matt Hardy and Mick Foley)
We’re looking for reports from these shows from today: [email protected].
WWE in San Angelo, TX (Smackdown crew plus Enzo, Cass, Sheamus, Darren Young and Neville)
WWE in Puebla, Mexico (Raw crew plus Usos–Bayley is in this tour as well)
NXT in Jacksonville, FL
Northeast Wrestling in Wappingers Falls, NY at Dutchess Stadium in what is traditionally the best attended indie show of the year (Kurt Angle vs. Cody Rhodes, Jeff Hardy vs. Jushin Liger, Jerry Lawler vs. Brooklyn Brawler, Sami Callihan vs. Matt Hardy, plus Maria Kanellis, Mike Bennett, Sami Callihan, Ryback, Jim Neidhart. Hornswoggle, Kamaitachi, Matt Taven and Velvet Sky
We’re looking for reports from these shows on Sunday: [email protected]
WWE in San Antonio, TX (Smackdown crew plus Enzo, Cass, Chris Jericho, Sheamus, Darren Young and Neville)
WWE in Leon, Guanajuato (Raw crew plus Usos)
ROH at MCU Park in Brooklyn (Adam Cole vs. Jay Lethal vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito for ROH title, Michael Elgin vs. Donovan Dijak for IWGP IC title, Kyle O’Reilly vs. Katsuyori Shibata, Young Bucks & Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley & Lio Rush & ACH, Bobby Fish vs. Evil, Kushida vs. Dalton Castle, gauntlet match for tag team titles with Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. War Machine vs. All Night Express vs. Toru Yano & Gedo vs Cheeseburger & Will Ferrara)
Northeast Wrestling on 8/28 in Bethany, CT at the NEW Arena (Cody Rhodes vs. Sami Callihan, Jushin Liger vs. Travis Gordon, Hanson vs. Kamaitachi)
Figure Four Weekly: Figure Four Weekly 8/22/2016: Gawker destroyed by Hulk Hogan – While there had been hints that it could happen, it still came as a shock last week that, thanks to the series of events stemming from Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker Media, the flagship Gawker blog would be shutting down operations a few days later. It all stemmed from the bankruptcy auction for Gawker Media’s assets, where the bidders ended up being Ziff Davis and Unimodia, the subsidiary of Univision that oversees Fusion and its sister sites like The Onion, AV Club, and The Root… Subscribers click here to continue reading.
F4W YouTube Page: Tons of clips and full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
Wrestling Observer Newsletter: August 29, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: UFC sale final, Summerslam results and fallout, more – Lorenzo Fertitta, the CEO and person who historically should be remembered as perhaps the most important figure in making MMA into a worldwide sport left the office for the final time on 8/17.
The UFC staff was all told to come for a meeting, and as it turned out, the guest of honor was busy at first and they had to regroup and come back later. Fertitta, 48, took a $2 million investment in 2001 to a $4 billion sale 15 years later. Aside from making a killing in business, he saved a sport that was on its deathbed in the U.S. The sale was officially completed with the money changing hands this past week, a similar letter to the one above was sent to all company employees, and the new era of UFC began with UFC 202… Subscribers click here to continue reading.
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 Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to [email protected].
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WON BACK ISSUE: July 26, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Governor Jesse Ventura to referee SummerSlam main event, NSAC to evaluate UFC, tons more – With the official announcement of Jesse Ventura’s participation in SummerSlam as the referee for the main event came the expected debate over his involvement… Subscribers click here to continue reading.
SATURDAY NEWS UPDATE
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT
“I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU…”
Konnor of the WWE tag team the Ascension officiated Sasha Banks’ recent wedding according to Pro Wrestling Sheet.
In a video about his road to recovery after suffering a shoulder injury at SummerSlam, Finn Balor says that surgery was more complicated than anticipated, and that it may take at least six months of rehabilitation to heal.
AJ Styles appeared on Superstar Ink with Corey Graves, adding his daughter to his existing tattoo of his kid’s birthdates.
In an interview with John Pollock on The MMA Report, UFC fighter Paige VanZant confirmed that WWE was interested in her appearing in the squared circle, and said it was something she’d eventually love to do. She made similar comments on SportsCenter in June. “I believe they reached out to my management,” VanZant said. “That’d be something I’d love to eventually venture into I’ve always been a big fan of the WWE. They’re a huge organization and a very successful organization. It’d be great. There have been lots of successful crossovers from Brock Lesnar going back and forth and now CM Punk coming over, it seems like a successful match up and it seems like I would fit really well in that area.” (quote via FloCombat):
PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING
Mark and Jay Briscoe think you should attentd “Supercard of Honor 2017” which will take place in Lakeland Florida at 6pm on Saturday April 1. The earlier start time should allow fans to be able to attend other events after the show, such as the WWE’s Hall of Fame ceremony. Get your tickets now.
Beating any officially licensed WWE version at being first on the market, a new AJ Styles action figure is available for preorder through Figures Toy Company. In a deal inked before Styles joined the WWE roster, this is the second figure of his career with only one previous action figure bearing his likeness from his TNA run. The new Styles figure should arrive in October.
Here’s some notable highlights from Friday’s Northeast Wrestling “Wrestling Under The Stars” event in Pittsfield, MA, in front of 400-500 fans: Jushin Liger teamed with Mandy Leon to beat the heavily booed Kamaitachi and partner Sumie Sakai; Broken Matt Hardy pinned Vinny Marseglia; Jerry Lawler pinned Jake Manning which saw Mick Foley come out at one point to give Manning the mandible claw. It’s Foley’s last non-WWE date for some time; Cody Rhodes (w/Brandi) beat Mike Bennett (sans Maria) in a brawl that went all over the stadium; Jeff Hardy beat Brian Anthony. (Thanks to Patrick Tobin)
Click Here: Kangaroos Rugby League Jersey
UFC / MMA
Appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Dana White downplayed talk of Georges St-Pierre returning to the UFC. White said that he doesn’t believe GSP has the desire and drive in him anymore.
Invicta Fighting Championships announced the eight-fight card for Invicta FC 19, the organization’s return to Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. on Friday, Sept. 23. Six additional bouts join the previously announced flyweight and atomweight title fights at Invicta FC 19, which streams live and exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.
VARIETY
More bad news for the University of Minnesota wrestling coach J Robinson. The University of Minnesota has released the case file detailing the police investigation into possible illegal drug use on the Gophers wrestling team.
Former WWE CWC competitor Sean Maluta was the latest guest on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show, and was grateful for his opportunity to compete in the tournament. Although only 27, Maluta has over a dozen years of wrestling experience under his belt as a result of being groomed by his uncle, WWE Hall of Famer Afa of the Wild Samoans.
Great North Wrestling’s hour and 22 minute shoot interview with “WWE Hall of Famer” and original Four Horsemen member Tully Blanchard is now posted at this link.
Quebecer Pierre talks about why Jacques Rougeau did not like Johnny Pollo/Raven as The Quebecers manager in WWE at this link.
SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR
AUGUST
UFC FIGHT NIGHT, Maia vs. Condit: Vancouver, BC.
27 – ROH: Field of Honor; Brooklyn, NY, MCU Park, ROH World Championship 4 Corner Survival: Jay Lethal (c) vs. Adam Cole vs. Tetsuya naito vs. Hiroshi. Tickets.
27 – Northeast Wrestling: FREE show on 8/27 at 11 a.m. New Windsor Community Day, Kristi Babcock Memorial Park (660 Mt. Airy Road, New Windsor, NY 12553).
27 – Northeast Wrestling “Wrestling Under the Stars 5″: Dutchess Stadium, Wappingers Falls, NY. Bell time is 7 p.m. with an autograph session at 4 p.m. Kurt Angle vs. Cody Rhodes and Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Jeff Hardy, Jerry “The King” Lawler vs. Brooklyn Brawler. Tickets.
27 – Battlearts: Summer Heat; 4880 Tomken Road, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 1J8
27 – LuchaTO at the Benelife Wellness Centre, 68 Tycos Drive, Toronto, Ontario, M6B 1V9, with Lince Dorado and a grappling exhibition.
28 – Northeast Wrestling “Thunder”: The NEW Arena (40 Peck Road) in Bethany, CT at 4 p.m. Cody Rhodes vs. Sami Callihan. Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Travis Gordon. War King Hanson vs. Kamaitachi. TK ‘O Ryan versus Brian Anthony. Northeast Wrestling Tag Team Champions The Battles versus So Over. DIJAK and more. Tickets.
28 – Steel City Pro Wrestling: End Game; 222 Queenston Rd, Hamilton, ON L8K 1G6, Canada
28 – Destiny wrestling: Summer Heat; Battlearts Wrestling Academy. Featuring MOOSE!
SEPTEMBER
1 – AAW; Berwyn Eagles Club, 6309 W 26th St Berwyn, IL, 7:30pm Bell Time
2 – MOONSHINE BRANDED WRESTLING: Italo-Canadian Hall, 1101 DiPietro Street, Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. Doors at 6:00pm bell time 7:00pm. Tickets.
2 – 559 Fights has its 50th show in Visalia, CA at the Convention Center.
2 – Rockstar Pro Wrestling iPPV on 9/2 From Dayton, OH at the Rockstar Pro Arena with Sami Callihan vs. Dave Crist, Dezmond Xavier vs. Zachary Wentz vs. Matt Cross and more.
3 – UFC Fight Night: Arlovski vs. Barnett; Hamburg, Germany
3 – UIPW: Los Angels at the Clela Arena at 826 Clela Ave. in East Los Angeles with Teddy Hart & Coa Azul vs. Psicosis & Mariachi Loco
3 – ACE Collision Course: Morgan Jr. Arena, Wallington, NJ, MAIN EVENT: ACE Heavyweight Championship: TJ Marconi (c) vs Archadia
3 – Hoosier Pro Wrestling in Columbus, IN at the 4-H Arena
6 – SMASH-WRESTLING, Oshawa Music Hall, 39 King St E, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 1B2. Tickets.
9 – Chaotic Wrestling & The Lowell Spinners present “A Night of Grand Slams,”Edward A. LeLacheur Park, 450 Aiken St. – Lowell, MA
9 – Glory 33 takes place at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, NJ.
10 – CZW in Voorhees, NJ at Flyers Skate Zone with a doubleheader with a WSU Women’s show at 4 p.m. that day and the men’s show at 8 p.m.
10 – Pure Wrestling Association: COWEX – Duncan, British Columbia
10 – New England Fights 25: HEROES & VILLAINS; Lewiston, MA. Tickets.
10 – Barrie Wrestling: Back to School 3; 49 Ferris Lane, Barrie, Ontario, Canada
10 – UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem; Cleveland, Ohio
10 – Evolve in Deer Park, NY has Gargano vs. Sabre Jr., Galloway vs. Gulak, Dustin vs. Tracy Williams, Jigsaw vs. Fred Yehi, Riddle vs. Tony Nese, Perkins vs. Allin and Page vs. Dan Barry.
11 – Evolve in Woodside, NY at La Boom has Johnny Gargano & Cody Rhodes vs. Drew Galloway & Chris Hero in Gargano’s last Evolve match, Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet, Matt Riddle vs. TJ Perkins, Dustin vs. Drew Gulak, Tony Nese vs. Darby Allin and Ethan Page vs David Starr. Joey Styles will also be appearing.
15 – CCW Parkhill Fall Fair Pro Wrestling, 5:30pm doors, 6:30pm bell time. Cody Deaner vs. Jake O’Reilly for the CCW title.
16 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE, 7:30 pm. Tickets.
16 – AAW: 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL). Tickets.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Lake Cowichan, British Columbia
16 – Smash vs Progress: Uncensored; Oshawa Music Hall, Oshawa, Ontario. Must be 19+ to attend.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Private Event in Ontario
16 – SuperKickd’d Pro Wrestling at 7:30 PM – 10 PM, The Great Hall Toronto, 1087 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H3
16 – All Pro Wrestling on 9/16 in Daly City, CA at the Bayshore Community Center features Sabu vs. The Almighty Sheik, Willie Mack & B-Boy vs Reno Scrum, plus Jody Kristofferson, JR Kratos, Marcus Lewis and Dylan Drake in a four way for the Universal title.
17 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Lockport (Buffalo), NY, 7:00 pm. Tickets.
17 – NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling on in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Alpine Club, Kitchener, Ontario
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Courtenay, British Columbia
17 – UFC Fight Night, Poirier vs. Johnson: Hidalgo, Texas, State Farm Arena
17 & 18 – SMASH VS PROGRESS: Smash Wrestling welcomes our friends from Progress Wrestling. Mark Haskins and Jack Gallagher (Cruiserweight Classic), Zack Sabre Jr. Mark Andrews and more will be part of the Progress Wrestling team in a Smash vs. Progress Canada vs. UK show in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Center.
18 – Pure Wrestling Association: Gold River, British Columbia
18 – Alpha-1 Wrestling presents #Matrats2
22 – NXT; Toronto, Ontario at the Mattamy Athletic Center (the former Maple Leaf Gardens)
22 – All-Star Wrestling: 7:30 PM, Abbotsford Arts Center, 2329 Crescent Way, Abbotsford, BC V2S 3M2, Canada, tickets.
22- Big Time Wrestling in Morganton, NC at the Collette Rec Center features a meet & greet at 6 p.m. before the live show. Appearing are Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Cody Rhodes, Magnum T.A. and Trevor Lee.
23 – Big Time Wrestling in Raleigh, NC at Dorton Arena features Flair and Steamboat together at Dorton Arena for the first time in 28 years, plus Jeff & Matt Hardy, Cody Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ivan Koloff, Jimmy Valiant, Gangrel and Shane Helms with the meet & greet at 6 and show at 8.
23 – Invicta FC: Live from Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. Interim Flyweight Champion Jennifer Maia Defends Against Roxanne Modafferi
23 – NXT; St. Catherines, Ontario at The Meridian Centre
23 – Absolute Intense Wrestling: A Farewell to Johnny Gargano – 1355 West 70th St. Cleveland, OH – Tickets.
23 – Pure Wrestling Association: Parksville, British Columbia
23 – Pro Wrestling Eclipse takes a short trip to downtown Oshawa and visits the Oshawa Mason Temple. All tickets purchased on July 24 that list the venue as the Oshawa Legion will be honoured.
24 – UCW in Bay City, MI features MVP, Ron Simmons and Fred Ottman (Tugboat).
24 – Ignite Wrestling in Vero Beach, FL at the IG Center features Dave Crist.
24 – UCW, September 24th 7:30 PMBay City,MI UCW Champion Hakim Zane vs MVP, plus appearances by Ron Simmons and Fred Ottman
24 – Big Time Wrestling in Spartanburg, SC at the Memorial Auditorium with the meet and greet at 5:30 and show at 7:30 with Flair, Steamboat, Hardys, Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Gangrel and Trevor Lee.
24 – MCW Legends Convention at the MCW Arena in Joppa, MD at 10 a.m. featuring Bret Hart, Jimmy Hart, Howard Finkel, Honky Tonk Man, Hillbilly Jim, Paul Orndorff, Greg Valentine, Jim Ross, Bill Apter, Brutus Beefcake, Bob Orton, Tito Santana, Jim Neidhart, Tammy Sytch, Magnum T.A. and even Dennis Stamp.
24 – Rock Solid: Anarchy in Angus 14: A Nightmare on Mill Street, 7pm – 10pm, Angus Recreation Centre, 8527 County Rd. 10, Angus, Ontario. Tickets.
24 – Pure Wrestling Association: Campbell River, British Columbia
24 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Duluth (Atlanta), GA 7:00 pm, tickets.
24 – NXT in Kitchener, Ontario at The Air
24 – Elite Canada Championship Wrestling: New Westminster, Sapperton Pensioners Hall, 318 Keary St, New Westminster, BC, 7:30pm Bell Time, doors at 7pm. Tickets.
25 – CWE: Nick “Magnus” Aldis defends the GFW title against Matt Hart of the Hart Family in Calgary.
25 – Rizin: Former K-1 kickboxer Minoru Kimura will make his MMA debut against former Pride fighter Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett (29-30-2)
25 – Pure Wrestling Association – TBA – British Columbia
30 – ROH: All-Star Extravaganza Weekend Day 1; Lowell (Boston), MA, Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 9:00 pm (PPV)
Daily Pro Wrestling History (08/27): Hart Foundation win WWF tag titles
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