Daily Update: El Santo’s birthday, UFC MSG title match, Cody to TNA

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

Headlines & Columns

Audio Shows

Show Reports

WEEKEND LINE-UPS

We’re looking for your thoughts on yesterday’s Destruction in Hiroshima show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com. Our other weekend poll will be on Saturday night/Sunday’s Destruction in Kobe show.

We’re looking for reports tonight on the WWE Raw brand house show in Moline, IL (all the key members of the Raw roster are there except Chris Jericho) and NXT show in Jacksonville to submissions@wrestlingobserver.com and dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING RETURNS AT 8 P.M. TONIGHT ON AXS TV (one hour earlier than usual)

  • Mascara Dorada vs. Bushi for CMLL welterweight title
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii

INVICTA TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. ON UFC FIGHT PASS AT 8 P.M. EASTERN TIME FROM THE SCOTTISH RITE TEMPLE IN KANSAS CITY

  • Sunna Rannveig Davidsdottir (115.3) vs. Ashley Greenway (115.3)
  • Amy Coleman (144.7) vs. Amber Leibrock (145.1)
  • Julia Jones (104.5) vs. Stephanie Skinner (105.2)
  • Tiffany Van Soest (114.7) vs. Kal Holliday (115.9)
  • Manjit Kolekar (115.5) vs. Kaline Medeiros (115.2)
  • Irene Aldana (135.8) vs. Faith Van Duin (138.5) – Van Duin was fined 25 percent of her purse for missing weight
  • Ayaka Hamasaki (104.5) vs. Jinh Yu Frey (104.6) for the Atomweight title
  • Jennifer Maya (124.7) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (124.8) for the flyweight title

CES MMA LIVE AT 9 P.M. TONIGHT ON AXS TV

We’re looking for reports Saturday on these shows: submissions@wrestlingobserver.com

  • WWE in Chicago (Raw brand house show plus Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton, no Chris Jericho)
  • WWE in Hershey, PA (Smackdown brand house show with John Cena but no Randy Orton)
  • ROH in Duluth, GA

BELLATOR KICKBOXING AT 9 P.M. ON SPIKE TV FROM BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

  • Alexandru Negrea (9-3) vs. Ali El Ameri (42-10-2)
  • Denise Keilhotz (44-3) vs. Renata Lantos (5-4)
  • Raymond Daniels (11-3) vs. Zsolt Benedek (15-3)
  • Karim Ghajii (96-12) vs. Zoltan Laszak (10-2) for the welterweight title

CMLL TONIGHT AT ARENA MEXICO AT 9:30 P.M. EASTERN

  • Oro Jr. & Star Jr. vs. Cancerbero & Raziel
  • Fuego & Soberano Jr. & Pegasso & Oro vs. Virus & Puma & Tiger
  • Angel de Oro & Titan & Johnny Idol vs. Hechicero & Ephesto & Bobby Z
  • Atlantis & Marco Corleone & Stuka Jr. vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Shocker & El Terrible
  • Rush vs. Matt Taven
  • Reyes de Aire elimination match: Mistico, Volador Jr., Dragon Lee, Maximo Sexy, Valiente, Mascara Dorada, Negro Casas, La Mascara, Cavernario, Mephisto, Euforia, and Dragon Rojo Jr.

UFC ON SATURDAY FROM BRASILIA, BRAZIL

Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time

  • Glaico Franca (13-4) vs. Gregor Gillespie (7-0)
  • Vicente Luque (9-5-1) vs. Hector Urbina (17-9-1)
  • Alan Patrick (13-1) vs. Stevie Ray (19-5)

FS 1 at 8 p.m.

  • Luan Chagas (14-1-1) vs Erick Silva (18-7)
  • Jussier Formiga da Silva (18-4) vs Dustin Ortiz (15-5)
  • Michinori Tanaka (11-1) vs. Rani Yahya (22-8)
  • Mike De La Torre (14-5) vs. Godofredo Pepey (12-4)
  • Thiago Santos (12-3) vs. Eric Spicely (8-1)
  • Paul Felder (12-2) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (20-4)
  • Roy Nelson (21-13) vs. Antonio  Silva (19-8-1)
  • Renan Barao (33-4) vs. Philippe Nover (11-6-1)
  • Cristiane Cyborg Justino (16-1) vs. Lina Lansberg (6-1)

We’re looking for reports on Sunday from this shows: submissions@wrestlingobserver.com

  • WWE in State College, PA (Smackdown crew with John Cena and no Randy Orton)
  • ROH in Duluth, GA at the Infinte Energy Center (Colt Cabana vs. Jay Lethal in 2 of 3 matches with the first match being pinfalls only, second being submissions only and third being a 30 minute Iron Man match; Jay White & Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin vs. Kamaitachi & Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian in a Lucha Libre trios rules match; Jushin Liger vs. Dalton Castle; Silas Young vs. Stevie Richards; War Machine vs. All Night Express; Caprice Coleman vs. Delirious and Lio Rush vs. Jonathan Gresham).

NEW JAPAN DESTRUCTION IN KOBE AT 3 A.M. EASTERN TIME SUNDAY MORNING, MIDNIGHT PACIFIC LATE SATURDAY NIGHT ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

  • David Finlay & Henare & Hirai Kawato vs. Will Ospreay & Rocky Romero & Baretta
  • Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Tiger Mask & Teruaki Kanemitsu
  • Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata vs. Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly
  • Satoshi Kojima & Ricochet & Matt Sydal vs. Young Bucks & Adam Cole for Never trios titles
  • Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii & Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson & Kushida vs. Seiya Sanada & Evil & Bushi
  • Kazuchika Okada & Yoshi-Hashi & Gedo & Jado vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Toru Yano & Atsushi Kotoge & Daisuke Harada in New Japan vs. NOAH
  • Michael Elgin vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IC title

WWE CLASH OF CHAMPIONS ON SUNDAY FROM INDIANAPOLIS

  • Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins for WWE title
  • Rusev vs. Roman Reigns for U.S. title
  • Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho
  • Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley for women’s title
  • Cesaro vs. Sheamus in match seven of the best of seven series
  • New Day vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson for tag team title
  • T.J. Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick for cruiserweight title
  • Alicia Fox vs. Nia Jax (preshow match)

Raw will be on Monday night in Cincinnati. Chris Jericho returns to the tour for that show. There is also a Smackdown brand house show on Sunday in Wheeling, WV with the entire crew including John Cena but not including Randy Orton.

Smackdown is Tuesday night from Cleveland. The main event is A.J. Styles vs. Dean Ambrose for the WWE title. John Cena and Randy Orton are both scheduled on the show.

Figure Four Weekly, 9/19/2016: The Unlikely Story of TJ Perkins (Part I)  – T.J. Perkins being the winner of WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic and first champion of the new version of the cruiserweight division was something of a surprise. It was clear that Zack Sabre Jr. and Kota Ibushi were booked as the stars, but neither signed with the company. Gran Metalik (Mascara Dorada) and Perkins, who both signed… 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, September 26, 2016:Clash of Champions preview, new concussion test, more – The first Raw brand exclusive PPV takes place on 9/25 in Indianapolis, headlined by Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins for the Universal title. There are two business aspects to look at immediately. The first is whether these PPVs lead to a ratings bump, although the Raw the next day is expected to be at near all-time record lows due to the Presidential debate. The second is how it draws. The Smackdown only PPV on 9/11 in Richmond, VA, only drew 7,000 fans, and they were papering heavily… 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 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, August 30, 1999: WWF Summerslam, Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart first match, more – Jesse Ventura’s return to pro wrestling drew the mainstream attention which probably led to a lot of curiosity buys, and WWF made the most of it putting on one of the better PPV shows of 1999. Subscribers click here to continue reading.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

Today would be the 99th birthday of El Santo, the most famous wrestler in Mexico and most of the Spanish speaking world. When you go to google.com and see a Lucha Libre depiction, it is meant as a celebration of Santo’s birthday.

Regarding Cody Rhodes, he will be doing Bound for Glory on 10/2 but is still scheduled for ROH starting with Final Battle on 12/2 and will be working somewhat regularly with ROH in the first few months of 2017. He can’t use the name Cody Rhodes which is why last night on TNA he was just called Cody, but they can call his wife Brandi Rhodes, and she will be wrestling there as well. While Mike Bennett is working with Moose at Bound for Glory, the eventual program is Cody & Brandi Rhodes vs. Bennett & Maria Kanellis, which will probably be pushed at the post-BFG tapings.

There are now predictions that Monday’s Presidential debate will do 80 to 100 million viewers, which is close to Super Bowl levels. As noted on the show Wednesday night, you really should throw out any significance to the rating Raw does on Monday because it probably won’t be indicative of anything if it sets the expected record low. If it doesn’t set the record low, it would be indicative to the bump from the PPV and that the audience left is very loyal.

Matt Sydal has been off all of the New Japan shows this tour with the only public explanation being a flight issue, which would explain missing one show, but not there. Nothing else has been said as of yet but he’s got a major match for the trios title late tomorrow night on the biggest show of the tour. David Finlay filled in for him on today’s show teaming with Ricochet & Satoshi Kojima.

Kurt Angle was on the Dan LeBatard show and claimed at his worst he was taking 65 extra strength Vicodin daily. He noted that everybody was drinking in TNA so he drank and took meds and would save them all for the night, noting it led to four DUI’s in five years. He finally went to rehab in 2013 and claimed until that point that the drug addictions were ruining his life.

Two more fights have been added to the 11/12 show in Madison Square Garden. Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz for the women’s strawweight title was announced today along with Miesha Tate vs. Raquel Pennington. There will be a press conference on Tuesday at The Theater in Madison Square Garden where it is expected most of the show will be announced.

WWE

  • Luke Harper is being advertised for upcoming Raw shows.
  • Regarding the loss of current German TV in March when the contract expires which was covered in the latest Observer, WWE released a statement saying, “WWE is near the end of a positive and transparent bidding process for our flagship programs, Raw and Smackdown, with strong responses from multiple parties.”
  • Randy Orton will be the guest on Booker T’s radio show “Heated Conversations” on Sports Radio 610 in Houston on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. local time (7:30 p.m. Eastern). He’s going to talk about his Tweets on the flag, the national anthem and more.
  • The WWE is putting out Magnum T.A. action figures.  Mattel had negotiated Magnum action figures years ago.  He has a contract with WWE for marketing purposes and being in the video game.  He noted he still follows wrestling, watching Lucha Underground (his stepdaughter, Tessa Blanchard, is the girlfriend of Prince Puma), along with WWE and some TNA.  In a related note, Highspots is doing a documentary called “I Never Quit – The Magnum TA story” which will be out shortly. More on Magnum from Kevin Eck.
  • Ringside Collectibles Ringside Fest on 10/29 at Carolines on Broadway in Times Square will feature Daniel Bryan and Bayley from 9 a.m. to Noon and Finn Balor and Sasha Banks from 1-4 p.m.  
  • A Where Are They Now on Vladimir Kozlov is here.

VARIETY

  • Wrestlecon announced its 2017 weekend in Orlando with a Q&A with Ric Flair and Sting on 3/30. Some of the names announced include Paul Orndorff, Bobby Heenan, Road Warrior Animal, Madusa, Tito Santana, Bob Orton, Jr. Barry “Windham, Luke Williams, Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Greg Valentine, Vickie Guerrero, Dutch Mantell, Brian Blair, Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner, Vader, and tons of others.
  • The long talked about Liam McGeary vs. Phil Davis fight for the Bellator light heavyweight title was announced for 11/4 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. Davis won a tournament last year in San Jose to earn a title shot and then won a close decision over King Mo to keep it. Also announced for the show are Brennan Ward vs. Saad Awad and Marloes Coenen vs. Talita Nogueira.
  • There will be a Lucha Underground panel on 10/9 at the New York Comic Con at 4 p.m. in Room 1A06 with Rey Mysterio Jr., Eric Van Wagenen (Executive Producer), Ivelisse, Catrina, Taya, Dorian Roldan and others.
  • TNA did 377,000 viewers last night, its best number since the Final Deletion episode on 7/5.
  • Barb Honchak was stripped of her Invicta flyweight title today making tonight’s Jennifer Maia vs. Roxanne Modafferi fight, which was for the interim belt, for the major belt. It’s been almost two years, since November 2014, since Honchak last defended the title.
  • Kevin Eck talks to Jim Ross here.
  • Absolute Intense Wrestling presents a Farewell to Johnny Gargano tonight at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Cleveland. Gargano faces his wife, Candice LeRae, in one of the main events.  Also Josh Prohibition vs. Louis Lyndon, Tracy Smothers vs. Swoggle, Alex Daniels vs. Joey Janela, Tracy Williams vs. Shigehiro Irie, Eric Ryan vs. Shawn Shultz vs Gringo Loko vs. Sonjay Dutt and more. 
  • Mick Karch, the former AWA announcer, will be the announcer for Rob Russen’s new IWA promotion. The company has actually started a Go Fund Me to raise money to start operations.
  • NWC on 10/2 in St. Catharines, ONT at the CWF Training Facility at 20 Hartzel Rd. for a 2:30 p.m. show. 
  • The NFC fight card on 9/30 at Center Stage in Atlanta is sold out, headlined by Warren Thompson vs. Devorious Tubbs.  It was the earliest sellout for the promotion, being two weeks ahead of time.  The next date at Center Stage will be 11/11.
  • ECWA has its 49th anniversary show tomorrow night in Woodbury Heights, NJ at the Woodbury Heights Community Center.  Sean Carr faces Devon Storm for the ECWA title in the main event.
  • CWE tonight in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan at the Midtown Hall is headlined by Nick Aldis (Magnus) defending his GFW title against Dice Steele and Jason Kincaid vs. Monster the Chief.
  • CWE results from last night in Yorkton, Saskatchewan:  Tommy Lee Curtis b Math Magician, Danny Duggan b Wavell Starr, Nick Aldis b Travis Cole to keep the GFW title, A.J. Sanchez b Joey Vendetta, Jason Kincaid & Shane Sabre b Tony Kozina & Orin Vlidt. 
  • Beyond Wrestling on 10/2 in Somerville, MA at the Armory with Ricochet vs. Tessa Blanchard as the main event.
  • Jeff Jones, who was the head of social media and a key office worker in ROH, was let go yesterday. No other details are available.
  • Battlarts Wrestling runs tomorrow night in Mississauga, ONT at the Battlarts Academy featuring original Battlarts star Yuki Ishikawa in the main event.
  • Rock Solid Wrestling on Saturday night in Angus, ONT featuring Crazzy Steve and Rosemary of TNA plus Cody Deaner.
  • IWF Fall Brawl tomorrow night at the IWF Centre in Nutley, NJ.  
  • XICW on Sunday in Warren, MI at The Ritz at 5:30 p.m.
  • Bubba Ray Dudley headlines a show tomorrow night in Watertown, MA for Pro Wrestling Mass at St. James Hall.  Velvet Sky, Matt Striker, Tony Atlas, Booker T and Spike Dudley also appear on the show.
  • A story on the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Wichita Falls, TX is here.

Support The Empire… PODEROSO~!

If you’ve ever wanted to pay someone else’s grandmother to read about her favorite grandson, now is your chance. To get a copy of Granny’s book, THE DAYS IN THE LIFE OF BRYAN ALVAREZ, send $15 US, $17 Can., or $20 intl. to her PayPal, gladiola3@comcast.net, along with your name and address.

The latest NFL offereing from Vinny V is now available in podcast form. Vinny V’s football podcast, LOCKED ON SEAHAWKS, can be heard on audioboom.com. Follow Vinny V and @lockedonseahawks so that you never miss a show.

The Death of WCW by Bryan Alvarez and RD Reynolds is now available as an audiobook through Amazon.com and Audible. Bryan did the narration for the book and it runs almost fifteen hours, so grab yours today!

EVENTS CALENDAR

Friday 9/23 – Sunday 9/25

Saturday 9/24: Ring of Honor, Reloaded Tour; Duluth (Atlanta), GA 7:00 pm

Friday 9/23

  • MCW Pro Wrestling presents “Ringside with Jim Ross & Jim Cornette at Jimmy’s Famous Seafood in Baltimore. Showtime 8:00PM, 6526 Holabird Ave, Baltimore, MD 21224. Tickets.
  • Big Time Wrestling in Raleigh, NC at Dorton Arena features Flair and Steamboat together at Dorton Arena for the first time in 28 years, plus Jeff & Matt Hardy, Cody Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ivan Koloff, Jimmy Valiant, Gangrel and Shane Helms with the meet & greet at 6 and show at 8.
  • Invicta FC: Live from Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. Interim Flyweight Champion Jennifer Maia Defends Against Roxanne Modafferi.
  • Absolute Intense Wrestling: A Farewell to Johnny Gargano – 1355 West 70th St. Cleveland, OH. Tickets.
  • Pure Wrestling Association: Parksville, British Columbia.
  • Pro Wrestling Eclipse takes a short trip to downtown Oshawa and visits the Oshawa Mason Temple. All tickets purchased on July 24 that list the venue as the Oshawa Legion will be honoured.
  • All Star Wrestling: Cloverdale, BC, 7:30 PM, Cloverdale Fairgrounds Alice McKay Building, 6050 176 St
  • Surrey, BC V3S 4E7, Canada. LIVE EVENTMEET & GREET.

Saturday 9/24

  • ROH: Reloaded Tour; Duluth (Atlanta), GA 7:00 pm. Tickets.
  • East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA), 49 ANNIVERSARY SHOW, Woodbury Heights Community Center, 741 Helen Ave, Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097. Tickets.
  • EWA Evolution: World War Z at Tall Cedars Hall (2501 Putty Hill Ave.) in Parkville, MD. See the double ring, 5 vs. 5 Ladder War! Bell time is 7:30 pm. Tickets are $15 front row and $12 general.
  • IWA Midsouth Wrestling presents the Hybrid Cup, at PRIDE Bar in New Albany, IN.
  • Ignite Wrestling in Vero Beach, FL at the IG Center features Dave Crist.
  • UCW, September 24th 7:30 PMBay City,MI UCW Champion Hakim Zane vs MVP, plus appearances by Ron Simmons and Fred Ottman.
  • Big Time Wrestling in Spartanburg, SC at the Memorial Auditorium with the meet and greet at 5:30 and show at 7:30 with Flair, Steamboat, Hardys, Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Gangrel and Trevor Lee.
  • MCW Legends Convention at the MCW Arena in Joppa, MD at 10 a.m. featuring Bret Hart, Jimmy Hart, Howard Finkel, Honky Tonk Man, Hillbilly Jim, Paul Orndorff, Greg Valentine, Jim Ross, Bill Apter, Brutus Beefcake, Bob Orton, Tito Santana, Jim Neidhart, Tammy Sytch, Magnum T.A. and even Dennis Stamp.
  • Rock Solid: Anarchy in Angus 14: A Nightmare on Mill Street, 7pm – 10pm, Angus Recreation Centre, 8527 County Rd. 10, Angus, Ontario. Tickets.
  • Pure Wrestling Association: Campbell River, British Columbia.
  • NXT in Kitchener, Ontario at The Air.
  • Elite Canada Championship Wrestling: New Westminster, Sapperton Pensioners Hall.
  • Main Event Pro Wrestling in Longview, TX at Pine Tree High School, 5pm, Big Daddy Yum Yum and others. Tickets.
  • All Star Wrestling: Maple Ridge, BC, 7:30 PM, Ridge Meadows Seniors Centre. LIVE EVENT.
  • ElkMania 4 Press Release: Charity Professional Wrestling, in Beverly, MA. Beverly/Salem Lodge of Elks, 39 Bow Street, Beverly, MA. Doors at 6:00pm with a 7:00 pm bell time. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time at Silver Moon Comics & Collectibles located inside the Museum Place Mall in Salem, MA (1 Church Street, Salem, MA).

Sunday 9/25

  • Join NECW & Meet The Stars and Celebrate The Grand Opening of Nick’s Comically Speaking! Meet Swoggle and JTG from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. For more info call (978) 304-0396.
  • Canadian Wrestling’s Elite: Nick “Magnus” Aldis defends the GFW title against Matt Hart of the Hart Family in Calgary.
  • Rizin: Former K-1 kickboxer Minoru Kimura will make his MMA debut against former Pride fighter Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett (29-30-2).

​Daily Pro Wrestling History (09/23): Angle defeats Austin for WWF gold

CONTACT INFORMATION

​