Daily Update: Bray Wyatt, Jimmy Jacobs, Alexa Bliss talks Nia Jax

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NEWS

AUDIO

We’re looking for reports on tonight’s WWE Smackdown house show in Buenos Aries, Argentina, as well as the NXT shows in Macon, Ga and Daytona Beach, FL to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

IMPACT AT 8 P.M. TONIGHT ON POP TV

  • Johnny Impact vs. Chris Adonis
  • Taya Valkyrie vs. Rosemary
  • Andrew Everett vs. Dezmond Xavier
  • James Storm vs. El Texano Jr. vs. El Hijo del Fantasma vs. Eddie Edwards vs Ethan Carter III  

There is a huge weekend of events coming up.

Friday we’re looking for reports from WWE Raw in St. Louis, Smackdown in Buenos Aries, Argentina, NXT in North Charleston, SC and Venice, FL and the ROH TV tapings at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia (War Machine vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley for ROH tag titles, Silas Young vs. Jonathan Gresham, Matt Taven vs. Flip Gordon, Punishment Martinez vs. Josh Woods, Deonna Purrazzo vs. Karen Q plus Bully Ray, Cody and Young Bucks appearing) to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING FRIDAY NIGHT ON AXS TV AT 8 P.M. EASTERN

  • Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada G-1 finals

BELLATOR ON SPIKE TV FROM THE MOHEGAN SUN CASINO IN UNCASVILLE, CT AT 9 P.M. FRIDAY NIGHT

  • Ana Julaton (2-2) vs. Lisa Blaine (1-0)
  • Ryan Quinn (13-7) vs. Marcus Surin 4-0)
  • Heather Hardy (1-0) vs. Kristina Williams (0-0)
  • Neiman Gracie (6-) vs. Zak Bucia (18-8)
  • Gegard Mousasi (42-6-2) vs. Alexander Shlemenko (56-9, 1 no contest)

LEGACY FIGHTING ALLIANCE FRIDAY NIGHT ON AXS TV AT 9 P.M.. FROM OMAHA, NEBRASKA AT THE RALSTON ARENA

  • Dakota Cochrane (29-1) vs. Ciro Rodrigues (21-6)

CMLL FROM ARENA MEXICO FRIDAY NIGHT AT 9:30 P.M. EASTERN TIME

  • Oro Jr. & Star Jr. vs. Sangre Azteca & Disturbio
  • Guerrero Maya Jr. & Pegasso & Rey Cometa vs. Dragon Rojo Jr. & Misterioso Jr. & Polvora
  • Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja & Soberano Jr. vs. Sanson & Forastero & Cuatrero
  • Pierroth & Rush & Sam Adonis vs Negro Casas & Rey Bucanero & El Terrible
  • Diamante Azul &  Mistico & Valiente vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero & Mephisto
  • Caristico vs Volador Jr.

PWG FROM RESEDA, CALIFORNIA ON FRIDAY NIGHT

  • Adam Brooks vs. Mark Haskins
  • Joey Janela vs. Trevor Lee
  • Keith Lee vs. Jonah Rock
  • Ricochet vs. Walter
  • Flamita vs. Sammy Guevara vs. Rey Hours
  • Penta 0M & Rey Fenix vs. Jeff Cobb & Matt Riddle for PWG tag titles

Saturday we’re looking for reports from WWE Raw in Mankato, MN, Smackdown in Santiago, Chile, and NXT in Aiken, SC and Citrus Springs, FL.

NEW JAPAN IN TOGANE AT 5 A.M. EASTERN TIME ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

  • Tomoyuki Oka & Katsuya Kitamura vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Leo  Tonga
  • Shota Umino & Tetsuhiro Yagi & Ren Narita vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi & Desperado
  • Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask & Dragon Lee & Titan vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & ACH & Kushida & Hirai Kawato
  • Toru Yano & Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka & Taka Michinoku
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Kota Ibushi & Juice Robinson & David Finlay
  • Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo & Yoh & Sho vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Seiya Sanada & Bushi & Hiromu Takahashi
  • Yuji Nagata vs. Manabu Nakanishi

UFC ON FIGHT PASS FROM GDANSK, POLAND SATURDAY AT 11:45 A.M. EASTERN TIME

  • Josh Emmett vs. Felipe Arantes
  • Aspen Ladd vs. Lina Lansberg
  • Warlley Alves vs. Salim Touahri
  • Andre Fili vs. Artem Lobov
  • Sam Alvey vs. Tamazan Emeev
  • Damian Stasiak vs. Brian Kelleher
  • Anthony Hamilton vs. Adam Wieczore
  • Nasrat Haqparast vs. Marcin Held
  • Oskar Picchota vs. Jonathan Wilson
  • Devin Clark vs. Jan Blachowicz
  • Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Jodie Esquibel
  • Donald Cerrone vs. Darren Till

PWG FROM RESEDA, CALIFORNIA ON SATURDAY NIGHT

  • Matt Sydal vs. Rey Hours
  • Jonah Rock vs. Adam Brooks
  • Joey Janela vs. Marty Scurll
  • Young Bucks vs. Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Haskins
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Walter
  • Chuck Taylor vs. Ricochet for PWG title

Sunday we’re looking for reports from Smackdown in Santiago, Chile and NXT in Johnson City, TN.

WWE HELL IN A CELL FROM THE TARGET CENTER IN MINNEAPOLIS SUNDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ON THE WWE NETWORK

  • Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins vs. Kane & Braun Strowman & The Miz & Cesaro & Sheamus in a TLC match
  • Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
  • Kalisto vs. Enzo Amore for the cruiserweight title
  • Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James for the women’s title
  • Asuka vs. Emma
  • Rich Swann & Cedric Alexander vs. Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher
  • Alicia Fox vs. Sasha Banks (preshow match)

NEW JAPAN AT TOKYO KORAKUEN HALL MONDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

  • Tomoyuki Oka & Shota Umino vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Leo Tonga
  • Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi & ACH vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Desperado & Taichi & Taka Michinoku
  • Toru Yano & Hirooki Goto vs. Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Togi Makabe & Katsuya Kitamura vs. Kota Ibushi & Juice Robinson & David Finlay
  • Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Seiya Sanada
  • Kushida & Hirai Kawato vs. Yoh & Sho in the first round of the jr. tag team tournament
  • Dragon Lee & Titan vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Bushi in the first round of the jr. tag team tournament

Raw will be Monday night from Green Bay, featuring the return of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman.

Smackdown and 205 Live will be taped on Tuesday in Milwaukee.

FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY:Looking at Neville’s potential post-WWE life

While Neville’s situation with WWE remains unresolved a week after news broke that he wanted out of the company, his potential entrance into the global pro wrestling landscape would provide the most interesting test case yet of how successful someone could be outside of WWE in this era. Neville being unhappy isn’t an isolated incident.

Subscribers click here to continue.

WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER:October 23, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal, Observer Hall of Fame candidates, more

A look at the WWE PPV picture over the next two shows, the championship scene and the TLC show is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer, a double issue that features three back-of-the-book features, one on PED usage and lifestyle changes in pro wrestling, one on the life and times of Bobby Heenan and another of the 2017 Hall of Fame.

The lead story looks at Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal, the return of Kane and some of the new programs.

Look at the ROH Global Wars week, what the business says and doesn’t say, a rundown of the Chicago show, the anti-WWE movement, along with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

Examine WWE drug testing, lifestyle changes among the wrestlers, what WWE talent is and isn’t allowed to do, beating tests, TUE’s, what Dave Palumbo said, what WWE has said in response, just how prevalent are TUE’s in WWE compared to other sports, double standards and rules between office, talent and part-time talent, why WWE drug tests in the first place, why the idea that pro wrestling isn’t a competitive situation is as shallow a thinking as possible and how the business has changed over the years as far as the look to be a star.

Look back at the life outside of wrestling of Bobby Heenan.

Check out the 2017 Hall of Fame ballot and thoughts on the candidates including breaking down most of the candidates on the ballot.

Get updates on WrestleMania ticket sales, Jinder Mahal in India, Austin Aries talks the economics outside WWE, WWE earnings and predictions for PPV numbers, and updates on Neville and Nia Jax.

Subscribers click here to continue.

ORDERING INFO: 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 Dave@WrestlingObserver.com. 

Rates in 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 moonsault@mediaplusint.com. 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.

WON BACK ISSUE: September 25, 2000 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWF moving to Viacom, WCW Fall Brawl reviewed, more

The Delaware Supreme Court on 9/18 ruled 3-0 not to overturn the Chancery Court ruling that the WWF would be able to accept the Viacom deal, and thus ending its 17-year relationship with the USA Network. The decision was more than one month in the making, which left much of the entire pro wrestling industry, and both networks, paralyzed to an extent, certainly as it pertained to wrestling programming.

Subscribers click here to continue.

THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE

Bray Wyatt is said to be ill and we don’t have any update on his status for Sunday.

Nia Jax is out of action with WWE after the company had been denying it all week. Alexa Bliss, who is her friend, and who wouldn’t do an interview without WWE approval, said to the New York Post that she wouldn’t call it a leave of absence but that Jax is taking some time off, blaming it on the tough WWE road schedule. Bliss said that she took some resets while in NXT but nobody knew about them. 

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has been put on a temporary suspension due to a positive test for a diuretic. The test was taken on 9/27. Nogueira was to face Jared Canonnier on the 12/16 show in Winnipeg.

UFC’s Lyman Good has filed a lawsuit against Gaspari Nutrition as a result of a failed drug test last year. Good tested positive for Androsteindione in a test in October and was suspended for six months after showing that a supplement he was taking from Gaspari Nutrition contained the banned substance and the substance was not on the label. 

The third Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada match, from Sumo Hall in the B block finals of G-1, airs tomorrow night at 8 p.m. on AXS TV. Jim Ross called it one of the greatest matches he’s ever broadcasted. It’s one of the best match I’ve ever seen, and is still only the third best Omega-Okada match of 2017.

Jimmy Jacobs did an interview for Live Audio Wrestling that will air Sunday. He said that he made no mistake in posing for the photo and he’s okay with how everything went down. He said that when he was fired, he was told the photo was the reason. When asked if anything else was part of the reason, he said, “If it was, I’m not aware of any of that. It’s certainly possible but who knows.” 

WWE

  • Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 11 a.m. for the 12/5 Smackdown & 205 Live tapings in San Diego at the Valley View Casino Arena. 
  • The Los Angeles Clippers has a WWE Night on 10/28 with wrestlers at the Clippers vs. Pistons game.
  • WWE will be holding tryouts in Santiago, Chile this weekend.
  • Jim Ross was promoting his book on Colin Cowherd on FS1 today and predicted that at some point, probably for a one-shot deal that Conor McGregor would get a paycheck from Vince McMahon. I think it’s a good bet that some day that will happen. Cowherd said that he didn’t think McGregor would fight for UFC again because there’s more money in WWE. He really said that, and on FS1.

UFC

  • Ovince Saint Preux will replace Patrick Cummins in a fight with Corey Anderson on the 11/4 show in Madison Square Garden. Cummins pulled out of the fight with a staph infection.
  • Tickets go on sale to the public tomorrow for the 12/9 show in Fresno at the Save Mart Center, priced from $125 down to $50. Cub Swanson vs. Brian Ortega is the main event. Becky Lynch’s boyfriend Luke Sanders faces Bryan Caraway.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Lance Storm and Don Callis’s Killing the Town podcast today has a special show for the 4th Anniversary of Road Warrior Hawk’s Death, with a tribute to him. Guests are Paul Ellering, Magnum TA, Jim Cornette, Scott Norton, Mick Foley, Rachael Ellering, and Bret Hart.
  • Bellator announced that the first 5,000 fans through the door for the 11/3 show in State College, PA at the Bryce Jordan Center will get Randy Couure Bobbleheads. There will also be a Couture meet and greet at 6:30 p.m. that night.
  • All Pro Wrestling returns to the Cow Palace in San Francisco on 11/10 with Rey Mysterio Jr. & Juventud Guerrera vs. Penta 0M & Rey Fenix, Jack Swagger vs. Jeff Cobb, Joey Ryan & Candice LeRae vs. Colt Cabana & Tessa Blanchard plus Michael Elgin and Brian Cage appearing.
  • Powerbomb.TV and Smart MarkVideo have announced a partnership where Smart Mark Video releases will appear on Powerbomb.tv starting on 11/1.
  • Scenic City Invitational tag team tournament on 11/18 in Chattanooga, TN at Hixson High School at 7:30 p.m. For more info check with DylanWaco@gmail.co.
  • Innovative Wrestling on Saturday night at the Carver Rec Center with a four-way for the U.S. title with Toby Farley vs. Chase Owens vs. Devin Driscoll vs. Jeff  Connelly. New Jack is also on that show.
  • PWE in Oshawa, ONT is tomorrow night, not 10/29 as listed in Monday’s update.
  • Welterweight Wrestling on Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern on FITE TV with Ace Perry vs. Gory, Anthony Henry vs. Jason Kincaid, Ophidian vs. ? vs. Frightmare vs. Ryan Kidd vs. Nate Wings vs. Lee Moriarty vs. Sonny  Vice, Amazing Graysons vs. Cole Radrick & Sage Phillips, Ace Austin vs. Bu Ku Dao, Gavin Glass vs. Sonny Kiss, Tyler Nitro & Eye Candy Elliott vs. Shawn Phoenix & Alex Jordan, Atticus Cogar vs. Cornelius Crummles.
  • Empire State Wrestling on 12/16 in Buffalo, NY at the Riverworks with Braxton Sutter vs. Sami Callihan, Josh Barnett vs. Timothy Thatcher, Allie vs. Sienna, Joey Janela vs. Kevin Bennett, Dave & Jake Crist vs. Team Tremendous and more. They also have a show on 11/25 in Niagara Falls, NY at the Frontier Fire Hall with Matt Sydal.
  • WrestleCircus on Saturday in Austin, TX has Extra Talented vs. Scarlet & Graves and Tessa Blanchard vs. Dave Crist.
  • Combate Americas on 11/11 in Cancun has announced Melissa Martinez (2-0) vs. Gloria Bravo (4-2) which will be appearing on their live TV show on Telemundo that night.
  • Battlarts on Saturday night in Mississauaga, ONT at the Don Kolov Arena.
  • BattleWar on 11/9 in Montreal at Foufounes Electriques.
  • Crossfire Wrestling on Saturday night in Welland, ONT at 4 p.m. at 110 Niagara St. with Kongo Kong vs. Cody Deaner.
  • Ricky Morton has a seminar tomorrow in Amarillo and will be wrestling on Saturday. He also has a 10/27 show in Erwin, TN at the National Guard Armory and 11/5 in Chuckey, TN at 2085 Chuckey Highway. Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson appear as a tag team on 11/11 in Parma, OH.
  • Chaotic Wrestling on 10/27 in Haverhill, MA at the Northern Essex Community Center featuring Ryback vs. Brick Mastone.
  • There will be a press conference at 3p.m. tomorrow in Ottawa, ONT at Curst & Crate for the debut of Impact Pizza.
  • Imperial Wrestling in Shawnee, OK at the Fire Lake Arena on Saturday will be hosting a One Night Only PPV taping for Impact headlined by Eli Drake vs. MontegoSeeka for the GFW title.
  • Former UFC title contender Gabriel Gonzaga makes his pro boxing debut on 10/28 in Worcester, MA at the DCU Center Exhibition Hall. He will face Alejandro Esquillen 
  • Santiago.
  • Black Label Pro Wrestling on Saturday night in Crown Point, IN at the On the Square Sports Academy with Meng & The Barbarian vs. Nick Gage & ? in the main event. Also appearing includes Darin Corbin, Shane Mercer, Shigehiro Irie, Chip Day, Ethan Page, Manny Fernandez (80s star) and Nicole Savoy.
  • Sign Guy Dudley went on Greg Wyshynski and Dave Lozo’s Puck Soup podcast to talk about the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins and expansion Vegas Golden Knights. (thanks to Dennis Gorman)

Today in Professional Wrestling History: WWE No Mercy 2003

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