Daily Update: Faber’s retirement, Hell in a Cell, FloSlam

THE ROUND-UP

The latest from the F4W Staff

Faber bids farewell to UFC

NEWS

AUDIO

Raw is tonight from Minneapolis featuring the return of Brock Lesnar, plus Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho vs. Seth Rollins in a three-way non-title. Enzo Amore vs. Karl Anderson and New Day vs. Sheamus & Cesaro in a non-title match.  It’s the go-home show for Hell in a Cell. We’re looking for live reports with any Superstars matches or dark matches to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com. We’re also looking for reports on the Smackdown brand house show tonight in Dubuque, IA, headlined by A.J. Styles vs. Dean Ambrose for the WWE title.

Bryan and I will be up later today with Wrestling Observer Radio tonight covering Raw, Urijah Faber, FloSports and all the rest of the latest news. For tonight’s show, the only questions we’ll be going into are those related to FloSports, so if you’ve got questions on that topic, you can send them to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com

We’re looking for reports on these shows from the weekend to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com

*WWE Smackdown from Saturday night in Sioux City, IA

*WWE Raw from last night in Rochester, MN

Smackdown will be Tuesday in Green Bay.  A.J. Styles vs. Dean Ambrose in a non-title match and Kane vs. Bray Wyatt in a no DQ match are announced for the show.  Becky Lynch returns to television on Tuesday. 

Figure Four Weekly 10/17/2016: More on the deregulation of pro wrestling in California – To pick up where we left off last week, in 1989 deregulation of pro wrestling was put before the State Assembly and passed. Here’s how it was discussed in the minutes for the October 20, 1989 meeting of the California State Athletic Commission (emphasis ours): “Assembly Bill 1040 was signed by Governor Deukmejian and, except for the 5% tax on the amount paid for admission, will completely deregulate professional wrestling January 1, 1990… Current 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!

The current situation with TNA’s financial implosion is the lead story in the new double-issue of the Observer.  We also look at the layoffs and changes in UFC and why this is happening, the situation with Georges St-Pierre and his contract, the return of Bill Goldberg and all the plans for him, what exactly happened with Matt Sydal, a look at the Survivor Series card for this year, the latest weekly happenings on Alberto Del Rio and Paige,Wrestle Culture Pro, and a story on El Mongol, a 60s and 70s star who made the Mongolian gimmick famous.  We also look at what is and isn’t true about cord cutting and how many homes the key stations that have wrestling and MMA programming are in, along with the September business rundown for WWE & TNA.

The lead story look at the financial issues of TNA, where the big problems stemmed from and the afternoon that really started the company’s fall, the bad decision making, why The Fight Network would save the company, where this leaves Billy Corgan, and the blow-by-blow of the afternoon that killed the company financially. We also look at different places they owe money to, and the latest on company future plans.

We also look at why UFC fired so many people, who the key people let go were, why even those who weren’t fired have such a bad feeling about working there right now, who the key guys let go were and their roles in building the sport and exactly why such extensive cuts were made.

We look at the St-Pierre contract issues, including why he thinks he’s a free agent and UFC thinks he isn’t, an the way this story is likely to play out.  We also analyze what he is or isn’t worth.

We cover the return of Bill Goldberg, from his interview, to the plans or using him, to the big mistake in his interview, and much more.

We also look at the main event for Hell in a Cell and thoughts on it, The McMahons and Donald Trump, Jerry McDevitt fires back regarding lawsuits against WWE, What would be a good network subscriber number at the upcoming investors call, how much adding the PPV’s adds company cost, plus we look at the lineup for the next NXT Takeover show.

We also look at the deal to bring in Mickie James, as well as The Spirit Squad.  We look at Roderick Strong in WWE, plans for NXT television, New wrestlers starting out in WWE, Cody Rhodes talks about returning or not, Bret Hart apologizes to Michael Hayes, WWE in Japan, who works the most matches in WWE, Jerry Lawler talks about wrestling in WWE and why he’s not doing it, the most popular network shows, plus we look at all the WWE and NXT arena events over the past week with highlights and business notes.     

We update the situation with Matt Sydal and his disappearance from wrestling.

We look at the 2016 Survivor Series with thoughts on the lineup and who is and isn’t likely to be involved with the show.

We look at Alberto Del Rio and Paige being engaged, her injuries, and much more.

We’ve got current of the Wrestle Culture iPPV event.

We also look at the WWC Aniversario weekend and the crazy angle at the end of it as well as a huge match for Puerto Rico that challenges were issued for at the end.

Our big historical feature looks at El Mongol, who just passed away, who was a major star of the 60s and early 70s, particularly in California and Georgia.  We look at the huge names who came later who copied his gimmick, how he got started in wrestling, whose idea El Mongol actually was, his biggest matches, his role in one of the most important matches in Georgia history, and what ended his career.

We also have details on the ratings for all the national shows over the past week, including breakdown of who was watching all of the WWE shows., with

We also have results of the major league arena events held all over the world this past week, as well as notes on the various TV shows.

Subscribers can access the new issue at http://www.f4wonline.com/october-24-2016-wrestling-observer-newsletter-pinpointing-day-lead-tnas-current-predicament-ufc

Web site subscriptions, which include access to both current and older newsletters as well as every audio show on the history of the site are at  http://www.f4wonline.com/member/signup.php

You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to dave@wrestlingobserver.com” target=”_blank”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com

You can also order print issues at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com 

Rates are:

For the United States, it is $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 tomoonsault@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.

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.

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:,WON September 20, 1999: Eric Bischoff fired from WCW, Beyond the Mat review, more – Although wrestlers were singing “Ding, Dong, the Witch is dead,” Friday night in Baltimore, when the word of Eric Bischoff’s re-assignment within Turner (read that as a nice way of saying firing) reached the wrestlers, once the initial happiness wore off and reality set in, the reality is little has changed… Subscribers click here to continue reading.

Monday News Update

The first lineups for FloSlam as far as Evolve goes, which will be the second and third shows on the service, are:

11/12 in Queens, NY at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time

  • Drew Galloway vs. Matt Riddle
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ethan Page
  • Dustin vs. Drew Gulak
  • Chris Hero vs. Tracy Williams
  • Plus matches from Timothy Thatcher, Fred Yehi, Tony Nese, and Darby Allin.

11/13 in Joppa, MD at 7 p.m. Eastern time

  • Drew Galloway & Dustin vs. Tracy Williams & Fred Yehi for tag titles
  • Chris Hero vs. Matt Riddle
  • Drew Gulak vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Plus matches from Timothy Thatcher, Ethan Page, Tony Nese, and Darby Allin

Raw tonight goes against the Houston Texans vs. Denver Broncos, who are both 4-2. The rating should be a little up from usual from the momentum of the Bill Goldberg rating from last week, combined with the three-way main event and Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman being advertised. Next week on Halloween will be tough, but Goldberg will be on the show and he may be strong enough to avert what would have been a bad number.

Added to the Hell in a Cell show officially is Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass, which they had been building.

If Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks is to go on last, they really should push that tonight (really they should have for three weeks), because you can only do it once as far as the first women’s main event on a WWE PPV show. To do it just to do it without pushing it is a wasted opportunity and would be completely meaningless. It would satisfy a fan base that thinks it’s a victory, but if it’s not pushed as it for some time, it really means nothing because we already saw last month what match order means. Because Banks is from Boston, if it had been pushed, and it can still be done now, it can be something pretty big in the building which will translate well. But I hate the idea of a first ever being meaningless marketing wise by squandering the promotion. In other words, if it’s not announced as such tonight and pushed hard, wait to do it to when you’re really behind it and make it mean something. The WWE is pushing that there are three main events which may be a way to claim it’s a main event without it really being a main event. 

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes.  I really appreciate it.

WWE

UFC/MMA

  • The Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt bantamweight title match that has been long talked about and expected for UFC 207 on 12/30, is now official as UFC revealed the match to ESPN earlier today.
  • UFC announced tickets go on sale Friday to the public for the 12/9 show in Albany, NY, which is a Fight Pass card the night before UFC 206 in Toronto. The show takes place at the Times Union Center with a top fights of Derrick Lewis vs. Shamil Abdyurakhimov, Raphael Assuncao vs. Aljamain Sterling and Patrick Cummins vs. Gian Villante. The show is priced from $140 for ringside down to $30. Fight Club members can get tickets on Wednesday and newsletter readers can get them on Thursday.
  • Shane Carwin has said that he’s accepted a fight with Fedor Emelianenko and now it’s up to Fedor to accept the fight. The hint would be for Rizin.

Miscellaneous

  • There has been a situation involving Marty Wright, the Boogyeman, who was supposed to work on 10/7 for Hope Wrestling and on 10/8 for Pride Promotions in the U.K. Wright was sent $550 as an advance and ended up not coming. He claimed that Hurricane Matthew had devastated his family and he agreed to pay back the deposit on 10/13. As of today, the promotion claims he has not paid the money back and has changed the date several times and now claims he will pay it back on Wednesday after not doing it over the weekend which the previous time frame he had said he would return it by.
  • For Wrestlecon over WrestleMania weekend in Orlando, which takes place from 3/30 to 4/2, including live events from WrestlePro, Revolution Pro (a great U.K. promotion), CZW and others, at the Hyatt Regency, there will be a Q&A with Ric Flair and Sting. The list of guests is endless, in the sense almost everyone in wrestling who isn’t in WWE will be there from Hall of Famers like Bobby Heenan, Road Warrior Animal, Abdullah the Butcher, Ricky Morton Robert Gibson, Vader, to modern stars from every promotion. 
  • Smash Wrestling from last night in Toronto: Tarik b Facade, Well Oiled Machines b Halal Beefcake, John Greed b Albright, John Greed b ?, John Greed b Kevin Blanchard, John Greed b Shane Sabre, Franky TM b Kevin Bennett, Mike Bailey won three-way over Evil Uno and Stu Grayson, Tyson Dux b Cody Rhodes, Brent Banks b Scotty O’Shea.  Rhodes thanked Dux for the match and told fans that he’d be back. 
  • Pro Wrestling Phoenix on Thursday night in Omaha at the Waiting Room Lounge.
  • Best in the World TV from last night in Fresno: Mike Rayne b D Bunny, Suburban Commandos b Sledge & Markus Eriks-COR, Sheik Khan Abadi b Scorpio Sky (thanks to Jon Southerland)
  • Pro Wrestling Eclipse from last night in Oshawa, ONT: Rip Impact b Joshua James, Bobby Sharpe b Phil Atlas, Ryanasaurs Flex vs. Rage vs. Rex Atkins was no contest, Johnny Devine b Buck Gunderson to retain the TV title, Kat Von Heez DCOR Cat Power, Jake O’Reilly won three-way over Shane Douglas and Cody Deaner to win the PWE title. Douglas will return for the next show on 11/26 (thanks to Steven Ashe)
  • Ricochet vs. Lewis Girvan has been announce for the ICW show at the SSE in Glasgow, Scotland on 11/20.
  • Heroes and Legends Wrestling in Fort Wayne, IN: Brutus Dylan b Jorge Bravo, Chase McCoy b Pete Schwanz, Troy Miller b Shockwave the Robot,. Team Legend-Dairy won over Tracy Smothers & Bobby Fulton and Anthony Toatele & Eli McFly, Randi West b Sybil Starr, Brooklyn Brawler b Rod Street, Sugar Dunkerton b Shawn Schultz, Nick Cutler b Kongo Kong, Carlito b Jake Omen, Jack Thriller (managed by Swoggle) b Scott Young, Dru Skillz b Damien Sandow, Ryback b Dru Skillz to win the heavyweight title (thanks to Leonard Brand)
  • The Democratic Underground of all places has a story on Jim Cornette campaigning against Donald Trump

The Death of WCWby 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!

Today in Wrestling History (10/24): Vader vs. Cactus Jack at WCW Halloween Havoc

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