Adam Cole won the ROH World Championship last night after an awesome match with Jay Lethal in the main event of ROH’s Pay Per View Death Before Dishonor XIV. Lethal had held the title for well over a year. The match was tremendous with Lethal at one point doing five topes to the floor, but in the end it was ADAM COLE BAY BAY who got the win clean in the middle after an Ushigoroshi, a shining wizard and another Ushigoroshi. After the match, Kyle O’Reilly ran in an delivered a clothes-line and a brain buster to Cole to set up a potential match at All-Star Extravaganza at the end of next month. Dave Meltzer has the complete run-down of the show. If you’re in the Las Vegas area tonight, ROH will have their monthly TV taping at the same building as the PPV. It starts at 6pm local time.

ROH TV TAPING 6:00 P.M. PDT SAM’S TOWN LIVE, 5111 BOULDER HIGHWAY, LAS VEGAS, NV 89122

ROH World TV Championship: Shibata will face the winner of the Mark Briscoe vs Bobby Fish match from Death Before Dishonor. Tickets.

UFC 202 ON SATURDAY FROM THE T MOBILE ARENA IN LAS VEGAS

Fight Pass at 6 p.m. Eastern

Alberto Uda (185.5) vs. Marvin Vettori (185.5)
Colby Covington (171) vs. Max Griffin (170.5)
Lorenz Larkin (170.75) vs. Neil Magny (171)

FS 1 at 8 p.m.

Cortney Casey (116) vs. Randa Markos (116)
Chris Avila (146) vs. Artem Lobov (144.5)
Raquel Pennington (135.5) vs. Elizabeth Phillips (134)
Cody Garbrandt (136) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (136)

PPV at 10 p.m.

Sabah Homasi (170.5) vs. Tim Means (171)
Hyun Gyu Lim (171) vs. Mike Perry (169)
Donald Cerrone (170) vs. Rick Story (171)
Anthony Johnson (205.5) vs. Glover Teixeira (205.5)
Conor McGregor (168) vs. Nate Diaz (170.5)

NXT TAKEOVER FROM THE BARCLAYS CENTER IN BROOKLYN SATURDAY AT 8 P.M. EASTERN ON THE WWE NETWORK

There will be prelim matches that will air on NXT next week starting at 7:30 p.m.

Ember Moon vs. Billie Kay
Austin Aries vs. No Way Jose
Bobby Roode vs. Andrade Cien Almas
Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson vs. Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano for NXT tag titles
Asuka vs. Bayley for NXT women’s title   
Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for NXT title 

SUPER J CUP FROM THE ARIAKE COLOSSEUM IN TOKYO ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT 2 A.M. EASTERN/11 P.M. PACIFIC ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

David Finlay (NJPW) & Eita (Dragon Gate) & Yuma Aoyagi (All Japan ) vs. Bushi (NJPW) & Kaji Tomato (K-Dojo) & Guruken Mask (Ryukyu Dragon))
Quarterfinals of the New Japan Cup
Jushin Liger (NJPW) vs. Taichi (Suzuki-Gun)
Kushida (NJPW) vs. Kenou (NOAH)
Ryusuke Taguchi (NJPW) vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (NOAH)
Matt Sydal (NJPW) vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW)
Semifinals and finals are later in the show
Volador Jr. & Caristico & Titan vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero & Euforia
Daisuke Harada & Atsushi Kotoge vs. ACH & Taiji Ishimori for GHC jr. tag title
Young Bucks vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley for IWGP jr. tag title

SUMMER SLAM ON SUNDAY STARTING AT 5 P.M. EASTERN ON WWE NETWORK/PPV

Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton
Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler for WWE World title
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor for WWE Universal title
John Cena vs. A.J. Styles
Rusev vs. Roman Reigns for U.S. title
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte for women’s title 
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson for tag titles
The Miz vs. Apollo Crews for IC title
Sheamus vs Cesaro in match one of best of sever series
Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens
Carmella & Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Natalya & Alexa Bliss & ?
Neville & Sami Zayn vs. Dudleys (preshow match)
Jason Jordan & Chad Gable & Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley & Usos vs. Tyler Breeze & Fandango & The Ascension & Vaudevillains (preshow match)

Raw will be live from the Barclays Center on Monday night.

Smackdown will be Tuesday night from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT.  

We’re doing five polls starting tonight, with thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]

ROH Death Before Dishonor tonight
UFC 202 tomorrow
NXT Takeover tomorrow
Super J Cup late Saturday/early Sunday
WWE SummerSlam Sunday

The Round-Up

ROH Death Before Dishonor XIV live results: Jay Lethal vs. Adam Cole
EVOLVE 66 results: Cody Rhodes makes his return to professional wrestling
Eva Marie’s wellness policy violation reportedly caused by Adderall 
WWE Main Event results: Rhyno vs. Baron Corbin
UFC 202 DFS Playbook: value picks, who to avoid​

Figure Four Weekly: August 17, 2016; Buff Bagwell sues WWE for unpaid Network royalties – When Rene Dupree’s lawsuit against WWE over WWE Network royalties was quickly dropped a few months ago, the question coming out of it was not if there would be another such lawsuit, but when and with whom as the next plaintiff would be. The answers? August 9th and Marcus “Buff” Bagwell… 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 22, 2016; WWE Summerslam/UFC 202/NXT Takeover previews, G1 Climax review, tons more – The biggest weekend of the summer, featuring one of UFC’s biggest fights in history, WWE’s third biggest show of the year, what theoretically is NXT’s biggest show of the year (although in reality it is its second biggest), as well as the sixth Super J Cup in history, runs from 8/19 to 8/21.

The big event is UFC 202 on 8/20 at the T Mobile Arena, featuring a rematch of the biggest money fight in company history–Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz. Their first fight, held on 3/5 in Las Vegas, did 1.6 million buys on PPV, the largest non-boxing PPV event in history. With Diaz winning, the feeling is a rematch would only be bigger. But for a number of reasons, there didn’t appear to be the excitement level expected… 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]. 
 
Rates for the United States are $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.)

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue, or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

Wrestling Observer Newsletter BACK ISSUE: July 12, 1999; Chris Jericho signs with WWF, ECW to air on TNN, tons more – Details on Chris Jericho signing with WWF, ECW programming to air on TNN, plus tons more… Subscribers click here to continue reading.

SATURDAY NEWS UPDATE

Brock Lesnar did an interview with Sam Roberts at last night’s WWE 2K17 press event, offering profane comments about Conor McGregor and what he’s been saying about Lesnar and WWE.

ROH Supercard of Honor will be on the Saturday night before WrestleMania, on 4/1 in Lakeland, FL at the Civic Center with a 6 p.m. bell time. There will be talent from ROH, CMLL and New Japan on that card. Tickets go on sale next week.

Joey Styles made his first appearance on commentary since being released by the WWE at today’s EVOLVE show in Brooklyn. Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, and Tyler Breeze also were in the crowd for the show but not shown on camera.

Seth Rollins also talked about McGregor’s comments on ESPN’s First Take yesterday, saying that McGregor was trying to get as many eyes on his fight at UFC 202 as possible.

Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens will team up on Sunday. Owen’s gives his thoughts on the match here.

PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

Devon “Hannibal” Nicholson did a full 1.5 hr shoot interview with Great North Wrestling discussing training with Jacques Rougeau, his time Stampede Wrestling, IWA & WWC Puerto Rico, his WWE & TNA experiences and his thoughts on Billy Graham, Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, Terry Funk, Abdullah The Butcher, Lanny Poffo and others that can bee seen at this link.
Today on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling, the fellas were joined by WWE Hall of Famer as well as former Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion the one and only Rikishi. No stranger to wrestling fans, Rikishi’s unique attributes helped propel him to become one of the most identifiable characters of the WWE’s Attitude Era. With his dance moves, trademark blonde hair, sunglasses and “stink face” Rikishi along with his partners Too Cool became one of the most popular groups at that point in pro wrestling and allowed the big man to take his long tenured career to new heights. The show also dig deep into Rikishi’s family lineage and breaks down the Samoan Dynasty as we hear how Rikishi got into the wrestling business and how the Samoan Dynasty still lives on today through his sons Jimmy & Jey Uso. Here is the full episode.
In this clip, Rikishi comments on the history and what is the Samoan Dynasty.

UFC / MMA

Here are some highlights from the early weigh-ins for UFC 202, not the sham weigh in that airs on UFC Fight Pass. If you’d like to see the whole thing, click here.

At the UFC 202 weigh-ins Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz have to get separated! Watch it here.
Conor McGregor’s Striking Coach, Owen Roddy, talks about the bottle-throwing incident that transpired at the UFC 202 pre-fight press conference between Conor McGregor and Team Diaz, if there is real animosity between Team Diaz and Team McGregor, Conor’s weight and how his physique differs from the first fight, as well as how McGregor beats Diaz in the rematch at UFC 202: Diaz vs. McGregor.
The UFC 204: Bisping vs. Henderson 2 Press Conference video is here.
Jeff Borris and Lucas Middlebrook hold the Professional Fighters Association press conference and address the media on current issues in the UFC and what their plans to overcome them. Check that out here.
At the UFC 202 press conference, Connor McGregor blasts Team Diaz and Nate Diaz Fans!
 
VARIETY

Tomorrow, it’s WWE SummerSlam, and the F4W Empire’s third biggest yearly event, Super China Buffet Day~! To participate, simply visit a Super China Buffet (any buffet will do) with your friends and family in YOUR area and tell us about it in the Empire Get-Together forum on The Board~!
The Card Is Going To Change Podcast takes an unprecedented honest look inside the world of Independent professional wrestling as the promoters of Absolute Intense Wrestling, John Thorne and Chris “Chandler Biggins” Bryan, discuss the trials and tribulations of operating a independent professional wrestling company in the modern era. Episode 11: We Drew Zero Paid.
Topps announced today new WWE Topps Now cards. They do these cards for MLB, UFC, and MLS currently. When an event worthy of a card happens, it goes on sale the next day and remains on sale for 24 hours. After 24 hours it is no longer available and Topps will announce how many are sold, thus making the print run public. The print runs on the MLB cards usually fall in the 300 to 1000 range with several falling outside that range as well. MLS runs have been in the 75 to 250 range while UFC has been in the 85 to 320 range. UFC Topps Now went live with UFC 200, continued at UFC 201, and will have cards as a result of UFC 202 as well.
Here is a piece on U.S. Olympic Wrestler Kyle Snyder. 
In a new interview with Chris Yandek of CYInterview, former NWA World Champion and WWE Superstar Dan “The Beast” Severn reveals he would have never had a career in pro wrestling or the UFC if he would have won the Olympic Gold Medal in amateur wrestling. “People were blown away with what I did early on in my career, but what they don’t realize is I would have retired back in 1984 if everything went the way it should’ve went for my amateur wrestling career. But because it didn’t, it spurred me on, motivated me to excel in other areas. So I always tell people, ‘What you saw in the Ultimate Fighting Championships, basically a 20 year career, you saw Dan Severn, residue.’ You didn’t have 100 percent Dan Severn. You saw residue of Dan Severn. But my residue is better than what most people can ever put forth in the first place.” Dan Severn has just released his new book titled The Realest Guy in the Room: The Life and Times of Dan Severn You can read the highlights or listen to the entire 30 minute interview at this link.

SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR
AUGUST

 UFC 202 – DIAZ vs. MCGREGOR 2, Saturday, August 20, from Las Vegas, NV

20 – ROH: National TV Taping; 6:00pm PDT, Sam’s Town Live, 5111 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas, NV 89122. Tickets. ROH World TV Championship: Shibata will face the winner of the Mark Briscoe vs Bobby Fish match from Death Before Dishonor XIV.
20 – BANG Pro Wrestling with Dory Funk Jr. at 7 p.m. at the Bang TV Sound Stage in Ocala, FL. For ticket info you can call 352-895-4658.
20 – Empire State Wrestling; St. Johnsburg Fire Hall, located at 7165 Ward Road, North Tonawanda, NY featuring Raven. Bell time is 6 p.m. Tickets.
20 – Border City Wrestling, Heatwave: Royal Canadian Legion Col. Paul Poisson Branch 261, 12326 Lanoue Street, Tecumseh, Ontario N8N 1N3. Our regular ticket outlets (P-Jays Variety, Helou’s Sports Cards, & Silver Tee Golf). There will be a professional wrestling seminar before the BCW Heatwave show, with Uncle Zeb Colter himself, Dutch Mantell. The seminar will start at Noon. The cost is $60.
20 – LIVE Pro Wrestling, “Fighting Back 6, Wrestling with Cancer”; Vanier Columbus Club, 260 McArthur Ave, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
20 – Pure Wrestling Association: Carrotfest, Bradford, Ontario; Featuring Brutus the Barber Beefcake. Free 11:30am event. Plus, 2015’s Carrot Cup will be airing in Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, Brantford, Guelph and Stratford on Rogers TV 20 on August 19th at 9pm.
20 – Reality of Wrestling, Summer of Champions 3: Featuring Kurt Angle, from the World Gym Arena in Texas City, TX, the event is preceded by a VIP Meet and Greet session to feature WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, Kurt Angle and Queen Sharmell. Proceeds will be going to the Booker T Fights For Kids Foundation. Tickets.
20 – Best In The West: Fresno, CA, VFW Hall #8900, located at 3585 N Blythe, Featuring Jeff Cobb, Joey Ryan, and Mustufa Saed
20 – NXT, TakeOver: The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Samoa Joe vs Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka vs Bailey, Revival vs Ciampa and Gargano

F4W SUPER CHINA BUFFET DAY! Sunday, August 21

Each year, groups of WWE fans get together in the name of SummerSlam for a Sunday afternoon meal and then continue the fun at a viewing location to watch the WWE’s summer classic. Our own Bryan Alvarez hosts a buffet and viewing party in his area of Seattle, as do many other Empire members all across the globe. Alvarez claims that everyone is welcome, so feel free to show up unannounced. Check out the Empire-Get Together forum to see where your local group is meeting. If there is not any nearby, start your own, and make a post about it! A good time will be had by all.

WWE: SUMMERSLAM; The Barclays Center, Sunday, August 21, Brooklyn, New York 

21 – Pure Wrestling Association: VIEX, Nanaimo, British Columbia
21 – NWX: Live Pro Wrestling at the CWF Wrestling School on 20 Hartzel Rd in St Catharines
21 – SMASH Wrestling: Super Showdown IV; Pickering, Ontario, Pickering Recreation Complex, 1867 Valley Farm Road, Pickering, Ontario L1V 3Y7. Tickets.
21 – Octagon & Tinieblas Jr. vs. Fuerza Guerrera & Pirata Morgan headlines in Houston at the Arena Theater.  
25 – Northeast Wrestling, “Rumble in Rockland”: Provident Bank Park (1 Provident Bank Park Drive) in Pomona, NY, 7:30 p.m. A meet and Greet autograph session with the stars at 4:30 p.m. First-time ever: Jushin “Thunder” Liger and Jeff Hardy team together. Plus, Ryback, Broken Matt Hardy, Michael Bennett, Mandy Leon, and more. Tickets.
26 – Northeast Wrestling, “Wrestling Under the Stars”: Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, MA Bell time is 7 p.m. Autograph session at 4 p.m. Plus, Cody Rhodes with Brandi Rhodes vs. Michael Bennett, Mick Foley, Jeff and Matt Hardy, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, Mandy Leon, and more. Tickets.
26 – We Watch Wrestling, LIVE podcast recording: The Wythe Hotel 80 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249. Tickets.
26 – All Star Wrestling; Cloverdale, BC at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds Alice McKay Building. Doors at 630pm, Cloverdale Fair Grounds. Alice McKay Building, 6050 A, 176 St. Surrey, British Columbia V3S 4E7
26 – Absolute Intense Wrestling; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, 1355 W. 70th St. Cleveland, OH
26 – Conflict Wrestling, Black or White; 7 PM – 10 PM, Moose Lodge, 655 Wabanaki Dr, Kitchener, Ontario N2C 2G3. Tickets.
26 – Bellator 160; The Pond in Anaheim, live on Spike TV, Benson Henderson vs Patricio Pitbull Freire
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. at the 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.
27 – UFC FIGHT NIGHT, Maia vs. Condit: Vancouver, BC.

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.
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.
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

16 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE, 7:30 pm. 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
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

​Please send feedback to [email protected]
Please send show results and news tips to [email protected]
Please send Wrestling Observer Radio questions to [email protected]

​