Today’s biggest story is the arrest of Jerry Lawler and fiance Lauryn McBride in Memphis. There is a story on the front page on it. Lawler has been indefinitely suspended by WWE pending the completion of the case.
Final bids have been sent in to UFC for a 100 percent sale of the company. The companies have been told UFC is going to look over the bids and make its decision within a few days.
The Warriors-Cavs game last night going against Smackdown did 20,702,000 viewers, which is down from the 23,250,000 viers that the sixth game of the series did last year. The seventh game goes head-to-head with Money in the Bank at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
We’re looking for reports on today’s NXT show in Plymouth, UK and the WWE house show in Salt Lake City (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, A.J. Styles, Dean Ambrose, Alberto Del Rio, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Usos) to NewsTips@WrestlingObserver.com.
For this weekend we have polls for WWE Money in the Bank and New Japan Dominion, so thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for each show to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com.
NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING RETURNS TWO HOUR SHOW ON AXS TV STARTING AT 8 P.M. EASTERN
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tetsuya Naito
Kota Ibushi vs. Togi Makabe
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Doc Gallows
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. A.J. Styles (this was one of the best matches of 2015)
BELLATOR LIVE ON SPIKE TV FROM THE SAVEMART CENTER IN FRESNO, CA AT 9 P.M. EASTERN TIME
Chris Honeycutt vs. Mikkel Parlo
Brandon Halsey vs. John Salter
Thiago Jumbo Goncalves vs. Chidi Njokuani
Marcos Galvao vs. Eduardo Dantas for bantamweight title
WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING LIVE ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK AT 9 P.M. FROM MASHANTUCKET, CT FOXWOODS RESORTS CASINO
Phil Hawes vs. Josh Key
Sheymon Moraes vs. Luis Palomino
John Howard vs. Mike arrant
Jason High vs. Mike Ricci
Blagoy Ivanov vs. Josh Copeland for heavyweight title
SHINE IPPV AT 9 P.M. AT www.WWNLive.com FROM YBOR CITY, FL
Shine vs. Shimmer vs. TNA women’s title, loser of the fall loses title to winner of the fall: Taylor made (Shine) vs. Madison Eagles (Shimmer) vs. Allysin Kay/Sienna (TNA)
Marti Belle & Jayme Jameson vs. Evie & Shazza McKenzie
Kellie Skater vs. Mia Yima (Jade) vs,. Santana Garrett vs. Nicole Matthews
Su Yung vs. Kay Lee Ray
Tessa Blanchard vs. Rachel Ellering
Kellyanne vs. Chelsea Green
Maria Maria & Luscious Latasha vs. Rhia O’Reilly & Viper
CMLL TONIGHT AT ARENA MEXICO AT 9:30 P.M. AT www.clarosports.com/en-vivo02/
Oro Jr. & Soberano vs. Cancerbero & Raziel
Estrellita & Princesa Sugei & Silueta vs. Reyna Isis & Seductora & Zeuxis
Angel de Oro & Guerrero Maya Jr. & Stuka Jr. vs. Misterioso Jr. & Rey Bucanero & Shocker
Marco Corleone & Maximo Sexy & Rey Cometa vs. Negro Casas & Cavernario & Mr. Niebla
Ultimo Guerrero vs. Valiente for NWA Historic middleweight title
Diamante Azul & Mistico & Volador Jr. vs. Euforia & La Mascara & Mephisto
RESURRECTION FIGHTING ALLIANCE AT 10 P.M. FROM THE HAMMOND CIVIC CENTER IN HAMMOND, IN ON AXS TV
Doug Deback vs Adam Ward
Deray Davis vs. Bobby Nash
Shaun Asher vs. Jordan Johnson
Daniel Vizcaya vs. Joseph Gigliotti
Mike Santiago vs. Luis Saldana
UFC ON SATURDAY FROM OTTAWA
Fight Pass at 6:45 p.m. Eastern time
Ali Bagautinov (13-4) vs. Geane Herrera (9-1)
Colby Covington (8-1) vs. Jonathan Meunier (7-0)
Randa Markos (5-3) vs. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (6-2)
Sam Alvey (26-7) vs. Elias Theodorou (11-1)
FS 2 at 8:30 p.m.
Chris Beal (10-2) vs. Joe Soto (15-5)
Krzysztof Jotko (17-1) vs. Tamdan McCrory (14-3)
Mischa Cirkunov (11-2) vs. Ion Cutelebaba (11-1)
Jason Saggo (11-2) vs. Leandro Silva (19-3-1)
FS 1 at 10:30 p.m.
Joanne Calderwood (10-1) vs. Valerie Letourneau (8-4)
Olivier Aubin Mercier (7-2) vs. Thibault Gouti (11-1)
Steve Bosse (11-2) vs. Sean O’Connell (17-7)
Donald Cerrone (29-7) vs. Patrick Cote (23-9)
Stephen Thompson (12-1) vs. Rory MacDonald (18-3)
NEW JAPAN DOMINION AT 3 A.M. EASTERN TIME LATE SATURDAY/EARLY SUNDAY FROM OSAKA JO HALL ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Jay White & Juice Robinson & David Finlay
Togi Makabe & Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan vs. Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi & Adam Page
Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Seiya Sanada & Bushi
Hirooki Goto vs. Evil
Ricochet & Matt Sydal vs. Young Bucks vs. Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero & Trent Baretta for IWGP jr. tag title in an elimination match
Kushida vs. Will Ospreay for IWGP jr. title
Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. Mark & Jay Briscoe for IWGP tag team titles
Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuyori Shibata for Never Open weight title
Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin in a ladder match for IWGP IC title
Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada for IWGP heavyweight title
WWE MONEY IN THE BANK PPV AT 7 P.M. EASTERN TIME FROM THE T MOBILE ARENA IN LAS VEGAS
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for WWE title
John Cena vs. A.J. Styles
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro in the Money in the Bank ladder match
New Day vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Vaudevillains vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass for tag team titles
Rusev vs. Titus O’Neil for U.S. title
Natalya & Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte & Dana Brooke
Apollo Crews vs. Sheamus (pre-show match)
Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin (pre-show match)
Raw will be live on Monday night from Phoenix.
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday night in Tucson, AZ.
We’re also looking for reports on Saturday’s WWE house show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
THE ROUND-UP
Jerry Lawler & fiancee arrested for domestic assault, suspended by WWE
Lucha Underground results: Pentagon Jr & Johnny Mundo thrive in Six to Survive
NXT Bournemouth, England, live results: Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe; Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode
WWE inks deal with China’s PPTV, signs Bin Wang to developmental
Gypsy Joe passes away at 82 years old
The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas takes place during UFC’s International Fight Week from July 7 – 11. EdinSanAntonio has information up on Facebook, or you can email him at F4Wfan@hotmail.com (Apparently Ed has blocked Bryan Alvarez from attendance in response to Bryan blocking Ed on Twitter… LOL) – It’s always a fun time, so hurry up and make your plans to join Dave Meltzer, Bryan Alvarez (yes he’ll be there), Vinny, Granny, and the rest of the group in beautiful Las Vegas this July.
Our “lunch with Granny” is good-to-go at Johnny Rockets (in Excalibur), just like last year, on Saturday July 9th, at 11:30 a.m. local time. We have the “patio area” reserved for us. We’ve also been granted 10% discounts. Just tell the cashier that you’re a part of “Granny’s Gang!” And of course… the star of this event, Ms. Gladys Gibson, just has to show up and be her charming self, and she eats for FREE! See y’all in about three weeks!
If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
Figure Four Weekly 6/13/2016: Gawker files for bankruptcy – Depending on your point of view, Hulk Hogan went one step further towards either succeeding or failing in his lawsuit against Gawker Media last Friday when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the type that allows the company to continue operating.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
READ IT HERE: June 20, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: UFC 199/NXT Takeover reviews, UFC ownership bidding ending soon, more
This week’s Observer has a major story on the gamble of Brock Lesnar in UFC 200, the most in-depth look at the Ariel Helwani situation that you’ll find anywhere, full coverage of NXT Takeover, UFC 199, WWE Money in the Bank, and the details of TNA’s struggle to stay alive, its PPV and its future. There’s also a breakdown on the WWE cruiserweight classic, and monthly WWE and TNA business figures.
Take a look at Michael Bisping’s unlikely title win, all the ramifications of the Lesnar deal, what it shows about WWE, a look back at the last time WWE risked one of their stars against an outsider without scripting, how Ariel Helwani got to be a star reporter and how that played into what happened last week, and what aspects of the story that are really more important that haven’t been covered or have been overlooked, all covered in this week’s issue.
WWE looks at the possibility of adding PPV shows and the good and bad of that decision-making, and some economics of that decision.
A key WWE musician passes away, more on what Ali learned from pro wrestling, Bryan Danielson attends WWE event, Bobby Roode’s debut, notes on SummerSlam, new WWE executive hire, new WWE announcer, WWE looking for new members of creative, who is expected to return shortly, another animated WWE movie, update on Paul Heyman plus a full rundown on all the WWE & NXT live events this past week and business notes on the shows, in this edition.
Take a look at the background of the NXT Takeover show, the debut of Andrade Cien Almas and what did and didn’t work, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings.
For UFC 199, we look at the state of the middleweight title, how everything lines up, whom Michael Bisping wants next, as well as match-by-match coverage along with pay records for those on the show.
Finally, read how TNA saved its recent TV tapings and PPV, why they were close to not happening, where money came from, and what to look out for in the future. Plus, check out Slammiversary with match-by-match coverage and star ratings.
Current subscribers click here to continue reading.
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Check out the latest online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: May 10, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Fans celebrate life of Giant Baba at Tokyo Dome, PRIDE 5 recap, more. The final chapter in the career and life of Shohei Baba took place on the biggest show he ever main evented and the biggest show he ever promoted–some three months after his death.
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
For those attending our annual convention in Las Vegas from 7/7 to 7/10, the Las Vegas Fight Shop will be offering a 20 percent discount on anything if you are an Observer reader throughout the weekend. They also have Randy Couture signing from 6-8 p.m. on 7/8 and Nate Diaz from Noon to 2 p.m. on 7/9. Both signings require an Affliction T-shirt but you can get 20 percent off as well as a VIP line pass if you are coming in for the convention. For more information on the convention you can go here.
The Cincinnati Gardens, a regular stop for pro wrestling for decades, is scheduled to be demolished this year. The building had been for sale for three years and was finally sold to the Port Authority. The Gardens opened in 1949. It was still the home of a flat track women’s Roller Derby team. It was best known as the home of the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA which featured Oscar Robertson, one of the all-time greats. The plan is to use the area for industrial redevelopment.
TNA has put Tuesday’s show on-line because of the problems with the show airing in its time slot.
TNA’s Ring Transportation manager Bob Rosen suffered a heart attack earlier this week while at the tapings. He wrote on his Facebook after being examined that he had 99 percent blockage. Best wishes to him on a complete recovery.
Spike TV will be appearing a one-hour documentary on Rampage Jackson tonight at 11 p.m. as a preview for his fight with Satoshi Ishii on 6/24 in St. Louis as the main event of Bellator Dynamite 2016.
WWE
2K Sports has added John Cena, Sasha Banks and Ultimate Warrior to the list of characters in WWE 2K17.
Sasha Banks is on the cover of the new Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine.
UFC
In Canada, the UFC prelims tomorrow from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Eastern time will air on The Fight Network. They will also air weigh-ins at 5 p.m. today. The main card will air on TSN5.
Alexander Gustafsson will face Jan Blachowicz on the 9/3 UFC show in Hamburg, Germany in the No. 2 bout on that card underneath the Josh Barnett vs. Andrei Arlovski main event.
Miesha Tate will be appearing on Conan O’Brien on TBS on Monday night at 11 p.m. Eastern time. This will be Tate’s first major late night television show appearance.
Michael Bisping was on FS 1 yesterday talking about a fight with Georges St-Pierre. Still no word from St-Pierre if he’s going to come back this year.
SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR
TONIGHT – Wrestlepalooza in Des Moines at 504 East Lucust St. features Colt Cabana vs. Joey Ryan vs. Chuck Taylor in the main event. Scott Hall will also be there.
TONIGHT – Absolute Intense Wrestling at Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH at Tequila Jaxx with Joey Janela vs. Facade, Shayna Baszler vs. Veda Scott, Laredo Kid, & B.J. Whitmer
TONIGHT – AAW “Killers Among Us,” Drago vs. Chris Hero, at 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL) Tickets available.
TOMORROW – Ronin Pro Wrestling is in Pembroke Pines, FL at the Broward College South Campus Gym as Joey Ryan, Candice LaRae and Johnny Gargano.
TOMORROW – MCW “Base Brawl” at the Regency Furniture Stadium, 11765 St. Linus DR in Waldorf, MD. Tickets here. Ron Simmons, Billy Gunn, and X-Pac will be there.
TOMORROW – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
TOMORROW – New England Fights (NEF) returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine with “NEF 24: PROMISED LAND.” Tickets for “NEF 24” are on sale now.
SUNDAY – Steel Pro Wrestling runs at the KoC in Hamilton, ON.
SUNDAY – New Japan Dominion – Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin in a ladder match for the IC title
SUNDAY – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title
June 24 – Isao Kobayashi vs. Justin Lawrence will appear on Spike.com at the Bellator Dynamite show in St. Louis. This is a combo MMA & kickboxing show.
June 24 – Thrash Wrestling “Passion for Smashin” – Schubert Centre 3505 30th Avenue, Vernon, British Columbia V1T 2E6
June 25 – The United Wrestling Coalition returns to Kelly’s Bar/Banquet Hall in Wrightstown, New Jersey for UWC Fan Appreciation Night!
June 25 – PWA Night of Champions – Century Casino Showroom – 1010 42 Ave SE Calgary, Alberta
June 25 – Pure Wrestling Association, Wakas Community Hall, 180 Tsulquate Rd, Port Hardy, BC
June 25 – Great North Wrestling returns to the Pembroke Memorial Centre, featuring Nicolai Volkoff. Tickets available here.
June 25 – The UWC returns to Kelly’s Bar/Banquet Hall, 14 Railroad Avenue, Wrightstown, NJ 08562. More information here.
June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
July 1 – Pure Wrestling Association is proud to announce our 7th year as part of the Canada Day Celebration. Riverside Park Cambridge, Cambridge, Ontario N3H.
July 2 – Stars of Wrestling from Alameda, CA at the Alameda Point Gym has Bobby Lashley, Carlito and The Boogeyman appearing.
July 2 – NWA Cajun Heat in Morgan City, LA at the Municipal Auditorium with Jax Dane vs. Mustang Mike for the NWA title, and an appearance by Kevin Nash
July 7 – Rock Solid Wrestling runs in Sudbury, ON.
July 7-11 The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas, EdinSanAntonio has information up on Facebook, or email him F4Wfan@hotmail.com
July 9 – Acclaim Pro Wrestling presents: Star-Mageddon 6!
July 9 – Smash Wrestling in Fort Erie, ONT at the Native Friendship Center. Chris Hero will headline this fundraising event.
July 17 – Lucha by the Water ft Blue Demon Jr! – Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 231 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2G8, 3-6 pm. Tickets here.
July 17 – Premier Wrestling at the IFDES Lodge and Portuguese Hall in Gilroy, CA with Joe Graves vs. Gabriel Gallo for the Premier. Tickets at www.premierwrestle.com.
July 22 – Ignite Wrestling in Fort Pierce, FL at the National Guard Armory on a show with Lince Dorado, Mr. 450 Hammet, Lio Rush, Martin Stone, Los Ben Dejos, and more
July 23 – Chikara Pro announced a doubleheader event at Toronto’s Franklin Horner Community Center.
July 24 – Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. headlines for Lucha Libre New York at Club LaBoom in Queens, NY
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