by David Bixenspan | davidbix@wrestlingobserver.com | Follow @davidbix
Tonight:
* NXT at 8:00 p.m. ET on WWE Network has Samoa Joe and Tyler Breeze in action in separate singles matches, Enzo Amore, Colin Cassady, Mojo Rawley, and Zack Ryder in an eight man tag team squash match, NXT Tag Tam Champions Blake and Murphy vs. Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins in a non-title match, and all sorts of promos for the big matches at TakeOver since this is the go-home show.
* Impact Wrestling at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Destination America their Turning Point “free PPV” show with Ethan Carter III (c) vs. “Darewolf” P.J. Black for the TNA World Heavyight championship, Mr. Anderson vs. Bram in an “Open Mic Challenge,” and Gail Kim vs. The Dollhouse in a steel cage match.
* ROH at 11:00 p.m. ET on Destination America has Young Bucks vs. Roppongi Vice as the main event plus Moose vs. Will Ferrara and Silas Young vs. Dalton Castle.
No UFC programming n Fox Sports 1 tonight.
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The new issue of Figure Four Weekly is now up for subscribers (subscribe to th site here and get access to Figure Four, the Observer, tons of audio, and more) featuring a chat with Konnan about the state of AAA heading into TripleMania XXIII. We discuss the company’s improvements in production, advantages over WWE and differences in philosophy, how to listen to fans, and much more. Plus, as always, we have all of the usual reviews and international news, including Dr. Lucha’s TripleMania preview.
Last week’s FREE Figure Four Weekly is still up with a look at the crazy story of why Gawker thinks the FBI may have helped Hulk Hogan cover up his racist and homophobic comments. A judge has ordered the FBI to turn over the records of their investigation, and what Gawker is saying in court about what has and hasn’t been turned over paints a very interesting picture.
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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A look at the WWE shows next week in Brooklyn is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer. We also have full coverage of the G-1 Climax tournament and how it all builds for the Tokyo Dome and the fall season, as well as coverage of all the G-1 matches this past week. We also have a look at the Teamsters attempting to unionize UFC fighters, the UFC’s letter sent to fighters and morale issues. We also have a look at the AAA TripleMania PPV show, UFC ratings increases, the brawl at the WSOF show, UFC suing Wanderlei Silva and Layla retiring.
The issue is on the site right now at August 17, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Summerslam build, Unions courting UFC fighters
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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.
We look at the WWE events in Brooklyn with three straight full houses and look historically at the only other promotion that has been able to do it historically and the record, as well as updates on the NXT and SummerSlam shows and more details on the NXT card as well as the probable main event stipulation and ticket demand.
We have a complete look at the G-1 Climax tournament, including updates on the last few days, the standings, the Sumo Hall preview and coverage of all the shows this past week with star ratings.
We’ve got a look at the attempts to unionize UFC fighters, the real story behind the attempt, the letter sent by UFC to all of its fighters and why they probably could have written it better, and a look at UFC business.
We also look at the wealth of Vince McMahon, Rosa Mendes being pregnant, WWE injury updates, lawsuits, weird match, Tough Enough, new names, insider trading, Raw advance, Diva search news plus notes on all the weekend WWE & NXT events.
We look at TripleMania, all the problems with the show, what happened with the Spanish language broadcast, mistakes made in booking, how the card had to change from its original plans, the letter AAA sent out after, the retirements and Hall of Fame ceremony, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings.
We also have coverage of this past week’s UFC show, with business notes, the Johnson-Dariush scoring, and match by match coverage with bonuses.
We also look at the brawl at the WSOF show with The Diaz Brothers and Khabib Nurmagomedov, as well as the problems in the Jake Shields vs. Rousimar Palhares fight.
We’ve also got notes on the retirement of Layla from WWE and highlights of her career.
We also look at the lawsuit WWE has filed against Wanderlei Silva for alleging the company fixes fights.
We look at the CMLL Anniversary show, an injury to the best older wrestler in the business, a New Japan star comes to Mexico and a rundown on the main events the past two weeks at Arena Mexico.
We also look at another Rey Mysterio match, as well as the next major Dragon Gate show lineup and highlights from the past week.
We also look at New Japan stars heading to NOAH.
We also look at the beginning of talks for an international group to return to PPV, as well as a look at the Fire Festival, one of Genichiro Tenryu’s last matches and a set up for an angle with one of the biggest stars of the 80s vs. one of the biggest stars of the 90s.
We’ve got notes on the funeral of Roddy Piper, more on the Hulk Hogan tapes story, Hogan’s first public appearance, two Roddy Piper moves that haven’t come out, one of the biggest stars of the last ten years suffering a major health issue, a former star gets his number retired, a U.K. star returns after cancer, a retirement that probably isn’t a retirement, a Japanese promotion running in October in California, a wrestler having his first match in 20 years, the second oldest living wrestler and his background, big shows in Puerto Rico and news no two different wrestling Halls of Fame.
We also have an update on the status of Lucha Underground, what changes have to be made, the audience watching the show, what to look out for, notes on the contracts the performers have, update on Vampiro and coverage of both weeks of Ultima Lucha.
We also look at the ROH show in Brooklyn, TNA Hall of fame ceremony, and upcoming TNA house shows.
We also look at McGregor vs. Aldo, a big show vs. normal show, Las Vegas vs. Cowboys Stadium, Rousey vs. Cyborg update, Lawler vs. McGregor, UFC financials, how much it costs them every year just in interest on their bond, what kind of profits they are making, lots of ratings into, Rousey business notes, the Aldo drug testing fiasco, Overeem vs. Dos Santos, Punk vs. Pendred, fighter already talking about coming out of retirement, and lots of new UFC 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.
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Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.
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Wednesday Daily Update
As Dave noted earlier, the Minnesota Vikings appear to have let it slip that WrestleMania is coming to the Twin Cities soon, presumably in 2017. It’s mentioned in a video about the new U.S. Bank Stadium.
A statement from WWE on the matter: “Minneapolis is one of the many cities that has expressed an interest in hosting a future WrestleMania. Beyond WrestleMania in Dallas, TX on April 3, 2016, locations for future WrestleMania’s have not been announced. “
Also, UFC 193 in Melbourne is officially going to be at the 55,000 seat Ethiad Stadium. The top two fights will be Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit for the welterwight title and Mark Hunt vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in a rematch of the greatest heavyweight fight in UFC history.
UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Johnson posted this on Facebook, only yo delete it later (thanks to Syndie Jones of WomensMMA.com for the transcription; she also has a screen grabof the post):
To the ugly girl in the gym built like a bag of dry dog food, this is for you.
If you get in my way or any other athlete way again I’ll through your yoga mat across the gym AGAIN.
Who in their right mind stretches where ppl are suppose to lift? Don’t ever run your mouth at me again you won’t win that battle I will. Talking about it was rude that I lifted next to you while you were stretching. You need more than stretching to help that beat up body.
Run to the front desk again crying talking about you feel threaten and gonna go to social media. I really don’t care! I’ve been through worse! That’s a athletes gym not a yoga studio. That fake crying does nothing for anybody btw. Just like the guy said you live in his neighborhood and you exaggerate and overreact all the time…
So one more time don’t run your mouth and don’t do yoga stretching where ppl lift weights or I’ll snatch the mat from under you AGAIN and throw it AGAIN…
Understand? Good girl…
One more thing stop wearing sports bras when your tummy look like a old country red clay dirt road.
Johnson has been accused of domestic violence by three different women and plead no contest in one of those cases. Apparently, he thought it was a good idea to go on the internet and post that he attacked a woman by yanking a yoga mat out from under hr. Also, for what it’s worth, if the gym he’s speaking of is the JACO Hybrid Training Center, the hom of the Blackzillians pro MMA team that he’s a senior member of (and which currently includes four fighters with a history of domestic violence allegations), then their website does say that they offer yoga classes. That said, regardless of whether or not she was supposed to be doing yoga where she was, it doesn’t excuse anything he said or said he did.
On Twitter, when one MMA fan posited this: “People talking to you in a way you don’t like isn’t an excuse to pull a mat from underneath them. Do you think that’s okay?” Johnson’s answer? “yup.” In the past, he responded to a question about his domestic violence histry with :lol” among other comments.
Last night on the new episode of Real Sports, they acknowledge Roddy Piper’s death and showed a clip of the 2003 interview where he talked abut drugs in wrestling and how he wouldn’t make it to 65 years old.
WWE put out a press release today with a schedule of SummerSlam week events. It’s missing the Ultimate Warrior book launch event and maybe a couple other things.
Jonathan Snowden has an extensive article about Brock Lesnar at CNN/Bleacher Repoert. It includes comments from Paul Heyman, Jim Ross, and even myself. Don;t let that last part discpurage you; it’s a great read.
Our friends at Live Audio Wrestling have an interview with Roman Reigns. It includes these commnts on this year’s Royal Rumble: There honestly isn’t a right or wrong way to do anything, this isn’t a “sport” per say. I’m not a nose tackle shaded over a center, there are only so many things a nose tackle can do within the game of football and his techniques and how he plays.
In sports entertainment, professional wrestling, entertainment, storytelling, you can do anything, you can tell any story you want to. It’s difficult to say, especially within what we do, with hindsight. I think there is a lot of things we could have done or maybe thought about, but it is what it is, it really is. It all happened for a reason. Bryan and myself were both hurt we were both coming back around similar times. 100% it didn’t help me coming back around the same time as Bryan, especially with everything he has gone though over the past year, year-and-a-half. People talk about getting through adversity and going through some tough stuff, the stuff that happened to Bryan, the ups and downs, I think everyone was rooting for him (Bryan), I was rooting for him. I still to this day root for him. I want to see Bryan back in a wrestling ring, tearing the house down with myself and all the rest of the boys.
It was just a tough situation, regardless of what happened or how we could have changed that night as far as responses, as far as having the crowd react properly to me, or how we wanted them to, it didn’t. But it helped me, it helped me grow, it left a huge impression on me, you know I thank Philly every day for that. You have to learn fast in this business and I’d like to think I’m doing that, but without that night, that was a huge kick in the ass, that lit a fire under me. If you’ve seen what I’ve done in the past six-months, I think you can tell Royal Rumble definitely helped me.
From a UFC press release: USA Wrestling today announced UFC® as an official sponsor of the 2015 World Wrestling Championships, which will be held from Monday, September 7 through Saturday, September 12 at the Orleans Arena, adjacent to The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The National Post in Canada has an op-ed defending Hulk Hogan. Nothing too surprising: It’s taking the privacy point of viw given the context of where he said what he got in trouble, which it seems like is a factor most people have been sympathetic to. Of course, it did turn out later that he made more racist comments where he knew he was being recorded.
The Star Phoenix tackles various UFC what-ifs, with Dave supplying the potential alternativc scenarios. Fun read.
At MMAFighting, Dave has articles about:
UFC giving fighters title shots off losses.
Fedor Emelianenko, Kazushi Sakuraba, and Frank Shamrock appearing at the next Bellator FanFest.
In Channel Guide Magazine, Scott Fishman does his latest Tough Enough exit interview with Tanner.
At The Sporting News, Brian Fritz also has his own interview with Tanner.
From a Slamdance press release: Slamdance joins forces with the filmmakers behind “The Resurrection of Jake The Snake” for a multi-city theatrical release of the 2015 Slamdance Film festival favorite documentary beginning in Portland, Oregon on September 2, 2015. The Portland Film Festival will host the film’s release with a special event screening and a Q&A session moderated by UFC superstar Chael Sonnen with Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Diamond Dallas Page and director Steve Yu. The event format is a key element of the film’s continuing theatrical release with personal appearances by Jake “The Snake,” filmmakers and special guests.
Upcoming All-Star Wrestling dates:
SEPT 11 Fri
Vancouver, BC @ Scottish Cultural Center
Sep 11 @ 8:00 PM
SEP 12 Sat
Squamish, BC @ Totem Hall
Sep 12 @ 7:30 PM
SEP 25 Fri
Cloverdale Fairgrounds @ Cloverdale Fairgrounds
Sep 25 @ 8:00 PM
OCT 23 Fri
Cloverdale Fairgrounds – FRIGHT NIGHT! @ Cloverdale Fairgrounds
Oct 23 @ 8:00 PM
NOV 13 Fri
Vancouver, BC @ Scottish Cultural Center
Nov 13 @ 8:00 PM
NOV 27 Fri
Cloverdale Fairgrounds – NOVEMBER NIGHTMARE! @ Cloverdale Fairgrounds
Nov 27 @ 8:00 PM