Daily Update: Chandler Biggins passes away, Slammiversary, HHH

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NEWS

AUDIO

FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY: Figure Four Weekly 6/12/2017: Okada and Omega deliver another classic

After shaping the modern New Japan main event scene with his all-time classic series against Hiroshi Tanahashi, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada is now firmly entrenched in his next rivalry which will go down among the greatest of all time. June 11th 2017 might go down as one of those wrestling dates that we just don’t forget.

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WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: June 19, 2017: Conor McGregor/Floyd Mayweather on, Okada/Omega classic, more

The Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight is actually happening, and the story behind it is the lead in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Plus, coverage of Dominion, with Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega II and one of the best shows in recent years, as well as an examination of Demetrious Johnson’s issues with Dana White, New Japan’s future booking, the Long Beach show, G-1, Money in the Bank and more.

Look at the ramifications and stipulations of Mayweather-McGregor and why it’ll be the most talked about fight for years to come, the key to whether it can do record numbers, the price tag, role of the media, and the real question of sanctioning and why it was.

Relive Omega vs. Okada II, the key to the story of the match, the next direction, the story behind Omega vs. Cody Rhodes, booking the finish, and why the circumstances weren’t the best to have a classic match. Understand the background of the match, the business of the match, why New Japan has so many different directions it can take right now, the U.S. title tournament, and when Omega-Okada airs on U.S. television. Check out the lineups for Long Beach, secondary market ticket demand, early thoughts on G-1 as well as the New Japan World shows for the rest of the month and notes on the main events.

Inside, there is match-by-match coverage with star ratings for Dominion, poll results and an amazing stat regarding poll results.

This issue also runs down the Money in the Bank show. Look at the card, what to look for in the show, ticket prices, a new segment added to the show, and also look at Great Balls of Fire and the direction things are headed toward SummerSlam.

Finally, more notes on the build to the Lesnar vs. Joe match, questions about the Cena return, lots of notes about SummerSlam and the top matches on the show, lots of injury updates, Kurt Angle talks former drug addiction, and why Finn Balor wasn’t at Raw.

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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: May 29, 2000 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWF Judgment Day review, Super J-Cup, more

It took a lot of guts in this day and age to attempt a 60:00 match. Nowadays, it’s considered gutsy to put on a 10:00 match on television and you never see anything but PPV main events last more than 20:00. The participants, Rock and HHH, went 36:28 at Wrestlemania. Several times during the broadcast of this show it was noted that both of their longest matches was a 30:04 PPV draw in 1998 which was a ***1/4 match.

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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • SmackDown tonight features fallout from Money in the Bank and the beginning of the build to Battleground. Daniel Bryan will return to television to address the controversy surrounding James Ellsworth helping Carmella win the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
  • Tonight’s 205 Live has Jack Gallagher vs. Tony Nese and Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali.
  • Triple H paid a surprise visit to a police officer who was injured in the London Bridge terror attack earlier this month. Charlie Guenigault was off-duty but ran towards the attackers and tried to stop them. Guenigault is a WWE fan and was wearing a Sami Zayn shirt when the attack happened. Triple H presented him with a championship belt and Zayn recorded a video message for him.
  • Triple H also appeared on Sky Sports News while in the United Kingdom. He discussed the women’s Money in the Bank match controversy and has gotten some criticism for joking that they’re still trying to find out if James Ellsworth is 100 percent a man.
  • Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that Shelton Benjamin is in talks to return to WWE. Benjamin was scheduled to return to the company following the brand split last summer but didn’t end up signing due to a torn rotator cuff that was discovered during the process.
  • There are a few WWE nominees in this year’s Teen Choice Awards. John Cena is up for “Choice Male Athlete.” Sasha Banks and the Bella Twins are also up for the female athlete award, with “Total Bellas” among the nominees in the reality TV category.
  • WWE Shop now has a Breezango “Fashion Patrol” T-shirt.
  • A segment with Goldust and R-Truth for next week’s Raw in Los Angeles was set up last night. Neither has made an in-person appearance on the show since their team was broken up.
  • Rip Rogers was backstage at last night’s SmackDown house show in Indianapolis and tweeted a picture with Randy Orton.

Pro Wrestling

  • AIW co-owner Chris Bryan (who went by the name Chandler Biggins in pro wrestling) passed away last night following a battle with a bacterial infection. Bryan had been in the hospital for months and there had been points where his health was going up and down. Seemingly everyone who knew him has said good words about him. There has been an outpouring of people sending their condolences and thoughts to his family, with Kevin Owens tweeting a message about what Bryan meant to him. AIW posted details on Bryan’s funeral and said that everyone is welcome to attend.
  • Kenny Omega posted an in-character tweet about Kota Ibushi being announced as one of the participants in the 2017 G1 Climax: “So you’ve finally decided to come back… It’s a different world now, Ibutan, allow me to show you just how far behind you’ve fallen. #njpw”
  • Dos Caras will be making an appearance at Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary pay-per-view on July 2nd. Impact announced today that he will be in his son Alberto El Patron’s corner for the main event.
  • Impact’s Bob Ryder tweeted that he’s cancer-free for the first time since 2011.
  • JJ Dillon is debuting a podcast on MLW Radio soon. It will be co-hosted by Rich Bocchini, who was formerly known as Rich Brennan when he was an announcer in NXT.

UFC/MMA

  • Tony Ferguson tweeted a message aimed at Conor McGregor that urged him to defend or vacate the lightweight title.
  • McGregor’s manager said that he is a free agent in terms of his apparel sponsorship and isn’t tied to wearing Reebok for his fight against Floyd Mayweather.
  • John Makdessi will now face Sage Northcutt at UFC 214 on July 29th after stepping in for the injured Claudio Puelles.
  • A GoFundMe campaign to help pay for Tim Hague’s funeral expenses reached its goal within 24 hours.

Today in Pro Wrestling History: WCW Beach Blast 1992

F4W Online / Wrestling Observer Vegas Convention Event Info

August 17-21; All times are TBA; Full information on the group Facebook page; Activites subject to change 

  • Thursday: Meet at the Big Shoot for Bowling at the Link; Party at Carnival Court at Hurrah’s
  • Friday: Kiss Mini Golf tournament at the Rio; Dinner at Texas de Brazil; Suite party (location TBA)
  • Saturday: Burgers with Granny for lunch; Future Stars of Wrestling show featuring Stephan Bonnar & Phil Baroni; NXT viewing party at the Sci-Fi Center
  • Sunday: SUPER CHINA BUFFET DAY at the Wicked Spoon Buffet at 1pm; SummerSlam viewing party at the Sci-Fi Center
  • Monday: Goodbye lunch at Chen Chen at NY NY

Texas de Brazil, Wicked Spoon, NXT and Summer Slam will all be sign up and pre-paid events, prices and collection begin in mid July~!

Pro Wrestling Tees is now carrying our latest line of F4W shirts. Support the Empire~! Grab yours today!

CONTACT INFORMATION

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