Daily Update: Lars Sullivan injury, Jim Breaks charged, UFC Academy

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F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: WWE’s Super Showdown embarrassment

The ending of Super ShowDown brought a scary end to what was an embarrassing night for WWE.

Goldberg vs. The Undertaker reinforced the amount of risk that exists when you put two 50-year-old wrestlers against each other. The match was laid out exactly as it should have been and was on its way to being good, but things fell apart when Goldberg got knocked out.

Goldberg (who already had a mark on his forehead going into the match) got busted open when he went for a spear into the corner and rammed his head into the post less than three minutes in. From there, things only got worse.

WON NEWSLETTER: June 17, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Scary incidents in the ring, NJPW Dominion review

Both WWE and New Japan had major scares in the ring on big shows this weekend.

With WWE, Bill Goldberg appeared to have knocked himself out charging into the post early in his match with Undertaker on 6/7 at Super Showdown Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Goldberg was instantly covered in blood. The usual WWE protocol on television would be to send a doctor out and check on him and clean up the blood. Whether because it was a carefully laid out match and they didn’t want to throw the guys off, or it was Saudi Arabia, or it was a dream match, they just let it go. Goldberg’s legs weren’t under him and when he went for a jackhammer slam, which was supposed to provide a big pop for Undertaker kicking out of it, he lost control of Undertaker and dropped him on his head. Undertaker also tombstoned Goldberg on his head and then they were botching spots, including Goldberg not going up for the choke slam finish.

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THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE

The UFC will be opening its new Academy in Shanghai, China on Monday. The 93,000 square foot Performance Institute will host about 50 fighters in an attempt for UFC to groom and create Chinese superstars.

Jim Breaks, 80, a legend in British wrestling, was charged with killing his ex-girlfriend in a fight in 2017.

The knee injury to Lars Sullivan that kept him off SmackDown Tuesday is worse than originally believed. There are no definitive details until he undergoes an MRI, but it doesn’t look like a small thing and he’ll be back Monday at this point.

AEW All Out tickets go on sale tomorrow at noon Eastern time. 

ESPN has a great story on the AAF’s failed attempt with several XFL and Vince McMahon mentions.

Weigh-in results for tomorrow’s Bellator show in Madison Square Garden are listed below. The main card starts at 10 p.m Eastern exclusively on DAZN, but there are a number of key bouts on the company’s strongest prelims in its history.

Top prelim bouts:

  • Rena Kubota (11.2) vs. Lindsay VanZandt (111.4)
  • Robson Gracie Jr. (168.6) vs. Oscar Vera (168.8)
  • Valerie Loureda (125) vs. Larkyn Dasch (125.8)
  • Heather Hardy (127.8) vs. Taylor Turner (127.8)
  • Aaron Pico (145.4) vs. Adam Borics (145.4)

Main card:

  • Darrion Caldwell (134.6) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi (134.4) for Bellator bantamweight title
  • Eduardo Dantas (145.6) vs. Juan Archuleta (145.8)
  • Ricky Bandejas (136) vs. Patrick Mix (135.6)
  • Dillon Danis (175) vs. Max Humphrey (174.4)
  • Lyoto Machida (204.4) vs. Chael Sonnen (205.6)
  • Rory MacDonald (169.4) vs. Neiman Gracie (169.8) for welterweight title

The GoFundMe for Ashley Massaro’s daughter’s educational fund has reached its $100,000 goal.

MLW had its biggest first day of ticket sales for the upcoming show in Dallas featuring Marshall & Ross Von Erich. They also announced that Tom Lawlor vs. Jacob Fatu for the MLW title will air live on Bein on 7/6 from Cicero, IL, at 9 p.m. Eastern. So they are going head-to-head with not only a major UFC show, but also live G-1 from Dallas on AXS. Konnan also returns on that show.

WWE

  • I was told that Angel Garza, the former Garza Jr., stole the show last night at the NXT tapings. They are taping four more shows tonight.
  • Dwayne Johnson will be getting the Generation Award at the MTV Movie & TV Awards show on Monday.
  • Yahoo Sports has a story on Sonya Deville and coming out.
  • License Global has an article on WWE licensing.

UFC

  • Jessica Andrade vs. Weili Zhang on 8/31 in China for the women’s strawweight title has been verbally agreed to.
  • Tickets for UFC 241, Cormier vs. Miocic II at the Honda Center in Anaheim on 8/17, go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. Pacific time through Ticketmaster.
  • Josh Gross reported that BJJ world champion Rodolfo Vieira (5-0) has signed with UFC and it looks like he will debut against Oskar Piechota on the 8/10 show in Montevideo, Uruguay.
  • Kevin Iole reported Rafael dos Anjos vs. Leon Edwards as the main event for the 7/20 show in San Antonio. The show was needing a main event. Alexander Hernandez vs. Francisco Trinaldo has been added to that show.
  • Paige VanZant had another operation on Thursday on her broken arm. It was her third surgery on the arm.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Beyond Wrestling Americanrana 19 at Foxwood Resorts & Casino on 7/28 has Joey Janela vs. David Starr in an Iron Man match, Chris Dickinson vs. Daisuke Sekimoto, Orange Cassidy vs. RD Evans, plus Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson and John Hennigan. 
  • Robbie Eagles vs. Kai Drake and Shazza McKenzie vs. Ricky South was added to the 6/15 Wrestling Go show in Sydney, Australia.
  • Wrestler Matty Wahlberg of PWA is a cast member of the new season of “Survivor” in Australia.
  • World Series Wrestling in Sydney announced Brody King vs. Mick Moretti on 6/23 in Sydney. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
  • World Series of Fighting has a submission show on 6/15 in Las Vegas at Sam’s Town. 
  • Don Marnell will be calling Southern Showdown for New Japan World.
  • Kevin Kelly isn’t on this current New Japan tour so the weekend shows on New Japan World will have a different announcing crew.
  • Former Bellator champion Zoila Frausto returns to MMA for Combate Americas on 8/2 in Fresno at the Save Mart Center facing Reina Cordoba (9-1). Frausto is fighting for the first time in three years. The show will air live on Univision and Univision Deportes.
  • NFC has an MMA show on 6/29 at 4 p.m. at The Pink Pony in Atlanta.
  • PCW Ultra tomorrow night in Wilmington, CA at the ILWU Memorial Hall has Josef Samael & Jacob Fatu vs. Penta 0M & Rey Fenix as the main event plus champion Mil Muertes vs. Sami Callihan, women’s champion Tessa Blanchard vs. Jordynne Grace, Jake Atlas vs. Trey Miguel, TJ Perkins vs. Adam Brooks,Douglas James vs. Brian Pillman Jr., and Ace Romero & Schaff vs. The One Percent. There will also be a Gail Kim meet and greet.
  • Glory kickboxing on 7/5 at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, FL.
  • Superkick’d tomorrow night in Toronto at the Great Hall headlined by Orlando Christopher vs. Jake Something (Cousin Jake in Impact).
  • Burt Watson’s MMA Live on Saturday at 7 P.M. at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL with Jose Caceres (14-8) vs. Mike Lilly (5-5), who were high school wrestling rivals with Caceres losing every time so he’s looking for his win back.
  • Jeff Bowdren’s book “They call me Booker,” looking back as his Bowdren the Booker columns in the Wrestling Observer in 1990 and 1991 is available from Crowbar Press. The book will be released Saturday. I wrote the foreword for it.
  • Dynamo Pro Wrestling on Saturday night in St. Louis at Ballpark Village as part of the St. Louis Taco Festival. They also run 7/20 at the Gateway Harley-Davidson in St. Louis.
  • Bar Wrestling from last night in Los Angeles at the Bootleg Theater: Yuma & BHK b Andy Brown & Brandon Cutler, Watts b Luchasaurus, Phoenix Star & Zokre b Eli Everfly & Delilah Doom, Scorpio Sky b Tyler Bateman, Ashley Vox & Delmi Exo b Peter Avalon & Ray Rosas, Jake Atlas & Heather Monroe & Dom Kubrick b Joey Ryan & Taya Valkyrie & Sonny Kiss. Next show is their second anniversary card on 6/27 in Baldwin Park,CA at the American Legion with Penta 0M, Rey Fenix, David Arquette, Shawn Spears, Jungle Boy, Brian Cage, Jake Atlas, Luchasaurus and Joey Ryan. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.net)
  • Konnan will referee a Kevy Chevy vs. Roy Gordon mach for CWE on 6/28 in Winnipeg.
  • Dean Malenko will be doing a seminar on 7/21 at the CZW Academy in Voorhees, NJ. Cost is $75 per person.
  • Wrestlerex tonight from Pittsburgh with Bestia 666 & Sam Adonis vs. Super Crazy & Facade and Soberano Jr. vs. Templario airs at 8:30 p.m. Eastern and will stream live and free at Facebook.com/LuchaCentral
  • Royal Flush has interview with John Arezzi.
  • Adam Rose spoke to the Orlando Sentinel about his retirement and his time in WWE: “When they told me [I was going to the main roster], I was petrified. NXT saw Adam Rose at his best; they saw the character grow up, all the way back from when I was [former character] Leo Kruger. Everyone who goes to Full Sail knows how special it is there. For some of us, it’s the best place for us, because once the [WWE] machine eats you up and spits you out, you know it. Nothing prepares you for the day-to-day life on the road. But how many people get the opportunity to have that opportunity?”

Daily Pro Wrestling History: WWF King of the Ring 1993

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