Daily Update: Greatest Royal Rumble, Sami Zayn, UFC HOF

THE ROUND-UP

THE LATEST NEWS

THE LATEST AUDIO

We’re looking for your thoughts on the Greatest Royal Rumble 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. We’re also doing a poll on the New Japan Wrestling Hi No Kuni show Sunday (late Saturday U.S. time) from Kumamoto, Japan. 

We’re also looking for reports from tonight’s ROH show in West Palm Beach and NXT in Gainesville, FL to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

ROH TONIGHT FROM WEST PALM BEACH ON HONOR CLUB AT 7:30 P.M. EASTERN TIME TONIGHT

  • Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods
  • Kelly Klein vs. Deonna Purrazzo
  • Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Silas Young & Beer City Bruiser vs. The Dawgs vs. Coast 2 Coast
  • Kenny King vs. Marty Scurll
  • Jay Lethal vs. Scorpio Sky
  • Young Bucks & Adam Page vs. Matt Taven & TK O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia
  • Cody vs. Punishment Martinez
  • Dalton Castle vs. Flip Gordon non-title
  • Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley for tag titles

NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING ON AXS TV AT 8 P.M. EASTERN TIME TONIGHT

  • Seiya Sanada vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Juice Robinson

MLW FUSION AT 8 P.M. EASTERN TONIGHT ON BEIN SPORTS

  • Shane Strickland vs. Jimmy Havoc
  • Dirty Blonds vs. Jason Cade & Jimmy Yuta
  • Garza Jr vs. Ultimo Ninja

SHINE IPPV TONIGHT AT 9 P.M. EASTERN

  • Renee Michelle vs. Jessie Bell Smothers
  • Amber Nova vs. Jayme Jameson
  • Leva Bates vs. Dynamite Didi vs. Luscious Latasha vs. Tesha Price
  • Brandi Lauren vs. Aerial Monroe
  • Jordynne Grace vs. Dementia D’Rose
  • Santana vs. Kiera Hogan
  • Candy Cartwright vs. Priscilla Kelly for Shine Nova title
  • Ivelisse & Mercedes Martinez vs. Maria Manic & Penelope Ford for Shine tag titles
  • Rain vs. Stormie Lee street fight
  • LuFisto vs. Kimber Lee for Shine championship

CMLL FROM ARENA MEXICO 62ND ANNIVERSARY OF ARENA MEXICO SHOW AT 9:30 P.M. EASTERN ON CMLL FACEBOOK PAGE

  • Drone & Audaz & Triton vs. Okumura & Virus & Tiger
  • Soberano Jr. & Stuka Jr. & Titan vs. Forastero & Sanson & Cuatrero
  • Seductora vs. Princesa Sugehit hair vs. hair
  • Angel de Oro & Diamante Azul & Niebla Roja vs. Hechicero & Rey Bucanero & El Terrible 
  • Rush vs. Kraneo
  • Atlantis & Mistico & Volador Jr. vs. Cavernario & Negro Casas & Ultimo Guerrero

Saturday we’re looking for reports from ROH in Lakeland, FL and NXT in Largo, FL.

ROH SATURDAY NIGHT IN LAKELAND, FL ON HONOR CLUB AT 7 P.M. EASTERN TIME

  • Flip Gordon vs. Scorpio Sky
  • Shane Taylor vs. Beer City Bruiser vs. Matt Taven vs. Kenny King
  • Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. TK O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia
  • Jay Lethal vs. Josh Woods
  • Coast 2 Coast vs. losers of 4/27 tag title match
  • Adam Page vs. Punishment Martinez
  • Mark & Jay Briscoe (or Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) & Dalton Castle & Silas Young vs. Young Bucks & Cody & Adam Page in champions vs. Bullet club match

BELLATOR ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT 9 P.M. EASTERN FROM THE ALLSTATE ARENA IN CHICAGO ON PARAMOUNT

  • Dillon Danis (175) vs. Kyle Walker (174)
  • Rafael Lovato Jr. (186.5) vs. Gerald Harris (188)
  • Neiman Gracie (171) vs. Javier Torres (169)
  • Emmanuel Sanchez (145) vs. Sam Sicilia (146)
  • Frank Mir (261.5) vs. Fedor Emelianenko (240) in the heavyweight title tournament 

NEW JAPAN WRESTLING HI NO KUNI FROM KUMAMOTO, JAPAN AT 2 A.M. EASTERN TIME LATE SATURDAY NIGHT ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

  • Yuji Nagata & Ren Narita vs. Tomoyuki Oka & Shota Umino
  • David Finlay & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jay White & Rocky Romero & Sho & Yoh
  • Togi Makabe & Toa Henare vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano
  • Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi & Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Takashi Iizuka & Taichi & Taka Michinoku
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson & Michael Elgin & Kushida vs. Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Will Ospreay & Yoshi-Hashi
  • Bushi vs. Desperado
  • Hiromu Takahashi vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Evil & Sanada vs. Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. for IWGP tag titles
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Tetsuya Naito for IC title

ALL JAPAN CHAMPION CARNIVAL AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN SUNDAY MORNING FROM TOKYO KORAKUEN HALL ON ALL JAPAN STREAMING SERVICE

  • Ryoji Sai vs. The Bodyguard
  • Shuji Ishikawa vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Joe Doering vs. Naoya Nomura
  • Kento Miyahara vs. Yuji Hino 

ALL JAPAN CHAMPION CARNIVAL FINALS AT 5:30 A.M. MONDAY MORNING FROM TOKYO KORAKUEN HALL ON ALL JAPAN STREAMING SERVICE

WWE returns to North America with Raw on Monday in Montreal. Neither John Cena, Ronda Rousey nor Brock Lesnar are advertised for the show. There is also a Smackdown brand house show in Ottawa, ONT, and it will be Daniel Bryan’s first house show back. Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy are not advertised for either Smackdown show this week.

Smackdown and 205 Live will be Tuesday night in Montreal.

​F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Winners and losers of the superstar shakeup

While both shows retained some of their core pieces, the rosters for Raw and SmackDown have been transformed since WrestleMania. The days after WWE’s biggest show of the year saw Bobby Lashley, The Authors of Pain, Ember Moon, and No Way Jose join Raw, while Peyton Royce and Billie Kay debuted on SmackDown and Paige was announced as the show’s new general manager. And that was just the prelude to this year’s Superstar Shakeup, which saw dozens of wrestlers switch brands.

WON NEWSLETTER: April 30, 2018 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: The story of Bruno Sammartino continued

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has more about the life and death of Bruno Sammartino, as well as Motoko Baba’s death, the Greatest Royal Rumble and news out of the Impact tapings, PWG shows and UFC shows.

The lead story goes in depth about the last several months of Sammartino, the nature of his death, his funeral, what was good and bad about the WWE documentary, what was going to be left out because it had to be, as well as details of how Sammartino and WWE got back together in 2012 and 2013 after nearly 25 years of being apart.

Also look at why Motoko Baba may have been the most influential woman in the history of the pro wrestling industry. Read about the heyday of All Japan Pro Wrestling, just who Giant Baba was and his level of popularity and respect, and how the Baba’s first met.

Read about the different controversies regarding WWE doing the show in Saudi Arabia this week, the ticket situation, the promotion of Saudi Arabia by WWE, the ethical issues particularly when pushing the women’s revolution theme, as well as looking at both the Saudi Arabia and the Backlash shows.

There is also more on John Cena and Nikki Bella, WWE gets a restraining order against a crazy fan, Reigns talks next year’s WrestleMania, updates on Dwayne Johnson and John Cena in the movie business, reaction to the death of Bruno Sammartino in WWE, as well as the most watched shows for the past week on the WWE Network.

This issue covers the last two UFC events with the business notes on both of the shows, including notes on streaming viewership, pay records and more.

Read the run down of the PWG All-Star weekend with match-by-match coverage with star ratings, thoughts on the talent involved, the farewell to Reseda of the Young Bucks, more on the situation with Keith Lee, and where things go from here.

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.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Greatest Royal Rumble, New Japan and the latest news as well as taking e-mail questions you can send to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com.

Regarding Sami Zayn not being on today’s show, WWE said: “WWE is committed to embracing individuals from all backgrounds while respecting local customs and cultural differences around the world.” 

The only thing I’ll say about the show, is when you watch WWE, they are usually not subtle and this was no exception. If you had any question about what this was, they gave you no wiggle room to pretend it was something that it wasn’t. They were paid a lot of money to be ambassadors for Saudi Arabian propaganda. Whether that’s good or bad is your own value structure. 

Art Davie was named to the UFC Hall of Fame today. He was the person who created the idea of the UFC around 1990 and sold the concept to Semaphore Entertainment Group, which led to the first PPV show. In fact, today is the 25th anniversary of SEG’s Campbell McLaren saying that they were interested in the concept, after everyone else in television and PPV had turned Davie down.

“Avengers: Infinity War,” which features Dave Bautista debuted last night and did $39 million in its first night, a Thursday, and has also done another $95 million internationally. It’ll be No. 1 by a wide margin this coming weekend. It is expected to do well over $200 million this weekend. Last night was the fourth largest Thursday night for any movie in U.S. history.

It was 62 years ago today, on April 27, 1956, that Arena Mexico first opened. Tonight’s show is an anniversary show and there is a women’s hair vs. hair match with Seductora vs. Princesa Sugehit, and the show is a little deeper than usual, but other than that it’s not much different from any other Friday night show except it has the anniversary name. Really the best stuff on the show may be the first two matches.

ROH will be hosting a U.S. title match with Jay White defending against Punishment Martinez on 5/11 in Toronto.

WWE

  • As we had noted previously, Dave Bautista at one point was to team with Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania in the mixed tag, and then it didn’t happen. He talked about it in more detail with Chad Dukes.
    “This is all insider stuff, and I usually don’t share. I’m really an old-school kayfabe guy. But they reached out to me earlier this year to possibly come back and do that thing with Ronda. And I said that I would be willing to do it only if we teased something for me and Hunter to go to Mania next year. And they said, ‘Yeah, that would be great. I love that idea.’ And I said, ‘Well, that’s great. I’ll come back a few times during the year, and we’ll tease it, and we’ll work it and we’ll milk it. And we’ll go to Mania, me and Hunter, next year.’ Oh, I love that idea. Let’s do it! And so we literally talked for about like three weeks and then they just stopped calling me. I sent a text to Hunter. I was like, ‘Hey man, I don’t know if you put any more thought into what’s going on. I’m really excited about the possibilities.’ And I literally never heard back from them. They just stopped talking to me about it. Man, I don’t know what else I can do to try to… I want to end my career the right way. I’m faithful and loyal to the WWE. I’m proud of being from there and I want to do good business with them, but they just don’t make it easy. You know, they just don’t.”
  • Bautista goes on to say, if nothing happens by next year, “I’m just gonna officially hang it up.”
  • The release of the movie Fighting With My Family has been moved back to 2019. 
  • Daniel Bryan will be working a pretty much full house show schedule starting this week. The scheduled top Smackdown house show bouts right now are A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Bryan vs. Miz and Jeff Hardy vs. Rusev.
  • The company announced a show on 7/1 in Taipei, Taiwan as part of a Smackdown tour that will also be running Sumo Hall in Tokyo.

UFC

  • Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens was announced for a show at the Scotia Saddledome in Calgary on 7/28. This card will air live on FOX. This is the first time in Calgary in six years. They want Nicco Montano vs. Valentina Shevchenko on the show for the women’s flyweight title on the show, but that is not a done deal. Alexis Davis vs. Kaitlyn Chookagian, Randa Markos vs. Nina Ansaroff, Dustin Ortiz vs. Matheus Nicolau, Gadzhirmurad Antigulov vs. Ion Cutelaba, Hakeem Dawodu vs. Austin Arnett, Jordan Mein vs. Alex Morono, John Makdessi vs. Ross Pearson and Kajan Johnson vs. Islam Makhachev are also on the card.
  • Ray Borg has pulled out of his match with Brandon Moreno on 5/19 in Santiago, Chile. His infant son, Anthony, developed Hydrocephalus and has undergone two surgeries. Borg vs. Moreno was originally scheduled for Brooklyn but Borg wasn’t allowed to compete due to shivers of glass getting in his eye when Conor McGregor threw a dolly through the window of the van Borg was seated in.
  • Stefan Struve vs. Marcin Tybura and Jerermy Kimball vs. Darko Stosic have been announced for a 7/22 show in Hamburg, Germany.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Lex Luger talked to Sean Mooney on his Prime Time podcast about the death of Elizabeth.
    On getting arrested the night of Liz’s death: “I was sitting out in my front yard and they told me that she didn’t make it. So I remember, when they went through my place, they found all the drugs and alcohol. That was part of my lifestyle back then. They arrested me on drug possession. I remember sitting in a jail cell that night realizing, wow…this is a really dark time. And I’ve shared this a couple of times, I thought about, the only time in my life I thought about that. People talk about what was the low point, because I remember thinking about they take your shoelaces, they take everything from me when you get checked in the jail. I was there on drug possession, on drugs they found. Because there was a lot of big quantities that was a big party house there and uh, they took me in and I was in the jail cell and put me by myself because they didn’t want to put me in general population, because people knew who I was, inmates get all stirred up. So I’m in the jail cell and I actually thought, wow, there’s no camera in here, maybe… I was trying to think of a way to end it. I thought about climbing up, there’s a dividing wall in this little cell I was in by myself that set the toilet off. I thought about maybe if I could climb up on top of that divider wall and put my hands behind my head and fall head first on the cement floor, I could end it all. I didn’t do that, but I sure thought about it.”
    On if that night was a wake-up call: “I went into total self-medication mode and I got high every night – I would pop pills, drink. I mean, I wasn’t trying to kill myself, but I was on the path of destruction for sure. It’s a miracle I didn’t overdose so many of those nights over those next couple years. I ended up moving into a hotel and even isolating myself, I wasn’t going out anymore, I was in a total period of isolation at that point.” 
    On his relationship with Randy before Liz’s death: “They were divorced for what we’re talking about almost 10 years. She had remarried and they were long, no longer a part of each other’s lives at all. Randy and I had traveled together some in WWE, we always got along great, we trained together. From my end, and I never felt anything off Randy, I never felt any issue there whatsoever. Admired, respected him, never felt an issue with Randy.”
    On his relationship with Randy after Liz’s death: “I never met Randy afterwards.”
  • Hulk Hogan, Jason Derulo, Terrell Davis and Shaun White are being inducted into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame on 5/2 in San Diego.
  • A note regarding yesterday’s update. On the 5/26 show in Circleville, OH, it will be Bobby Fulton’s retirement match and a celebration of 40 years in the business.
  • The Santino Brothers have a show on 5/18 in South Gate, CA at the American Legion Hall with Brody King vs. Ruby Raze for the championship and Douglas James vs. Zokre in a submission match.
  • A podcast about the dark comedy of people on Twitter.
  • An article about the end of the NWL promotion.
  • A story about former Bellator fighter Alexis Vila arrested recently for a 2011 murder, who also was a 1996 Olympic bronze medalist.

Daily Professional Wrestling History: Austin Idol defeats Jerry Lawler in a hair match

CONTACT INFORMATION