Daily Update: Matt Hardy Hospitalized, Santino married

We’re looking for reports on toady’s WWE show in Huntington, WV with Sheamus, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, The Wyatts, Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Baron Corbin, Alberto De Rio, Kane, Usos and Ryback.  Send to NEWSTIPS

New Japan tag team tournament for today’s show in Ehime is up on New Japan World

Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga

Michael Bennett & Matt Taven vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii

Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin vs Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi

Raw is Monday in Pittsburgh.  Nothing to this point has been announced for the show.

New Japan tag team tournament Monday in Fukuoka

Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Toru Yano & Kazushi Sakuraba

Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil

Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday night in Hershey, PA.

New Japan tag team tournament Tuesday in Fukuoka

Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga

Michael Bennett vs. Matt Taven vs. A.J. Styles & Yujiro Takahashi

Kazuchika Okada & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Toru Yano & Kazushi Sakuraba

It’s Black Friday and that means Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online has a huge deal for you!

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Figure Four Weekly

Figure Four Weekly (11/23/15): Lots of Updates in Hulk Hogan-Gawker case
Lots of news including a win for Gawker, the new police report, the remaining mysteries of the case, what Bubba the Love Sponge is saying, and more.

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

A look at the decision to make Sheamus the WWE champion and its ramifications is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We look at WWE’s options, both the obvious ones and the ones out of the box, different ways to use people, the nature of the decision, the prior identical decision in 2011 and the storyline it was supposed to lead to and why it was made.

We look at the real long-term goal, the note on the ratings, the portrayal of Sheamus leading up to the title change, the plans for the TLC show, what has been messed up, the women’s division, the WWE blaming Charlotte on a bad taste angle, ESPN and WWE, plus match-by-match coverage of Survivor Series with poll results and star ratings.

We look at the TNA deal with Pop TV, both the good and the bad of it, plus the tapings in Bethlehem, the economics of the deal and note on the station.

We’ve got a look at the New Japan tag team tournament, with current standings, goals of the tournament, who probably can’t win the tournament, and coverage of the tournament so far.

We also look at why Genichiro Tenryu is one of the biggest stars of the past 40 years in wrestling, with a look at his career in wrestling, his days in sumo, his early U.S. run, his rise in All Japan, why he left All Japan, how his leaving led to a boom period for All Japan, his deal with Super World Sports, his feud with Riki Choshu  and Jumbo Tsuruta, the real story behind his Tokyo Dome match with Hulk Hogan, the story behind his rise. the WAR days his biggest matches and his final show.

We also have an update on Randy Orton, Cesaro, notes on new WWE signing La Sombra, thoughts on the Sombra signing, how it’s the same and different from the original Mistico signing, WWE week on USA and changes this year, WWE Network shows, Brock Lesnar’s return to Raw, legal briefs filed by WWE, why Stephanie McMahon has been gone from TV and why she’s back regularly, next Takeover special, HHH talks Hogan’s return, John Cena talks his departure, WWE star teases retirement in a few years, Mick Foley upset with creative direction and notes from the developmental shows over the weekend,.

PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: November 30, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Sheamus wins WWE title, Tenryu retirement show

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TODAY’S DAILY UPDATE

  • A.J. Styles didn’t work today’s New Japan show in Ehime.  His next tag team tournament match is scheduled for Tuesday.
  • Matt Hardy was hospitalized last night.  He was wrestling Jeff Jarrett in Winston-Salem and he had a big cut opened up.
  • John Carelli aka Santino Marella was married yesterday.
  • Today is Jerry Lawler’s 66th birthday.
  • One of the biggest wrestling shows of its time, the U-Cosmos show, took place 26 years ago today, on November 29, 1989 at the Tokyo Dome.  The UWF promotion, which had no television, sold out 50,000 tickets in three days for a show headlined by Akira Maeda vs. European judo champion Willie Wilhelm, Nobuhiko Takada vs. U.S. Olympic wrestler Duane Koslowski and there was an undercard match with Minoru Suzuki against future UFC heavyweight champion Maurice Smith (a worked match won by Smith).
  • The annual Mid Atlantic Fan Fest, the one where it’s seemingly always the last year it’ll take place, was just announced for 8/4 to 8/7 in Charlotte at the Hilton University Place. 
  • Tyson Fury, who won the heavyweight boxing title last night over Wladmir Klitschko,was the third most searched item on Google yesterday with 200,000 searches, behind Ohio State vs. Michigan and Derrick Henry.

WWE

  • Natalya & Jim Neidhart have an autograph signing on 12/9 at HMV Underground at 333 Yonge St., in Toronto at 5 p.m.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • A piece on Hulk Hogan and Mr. T from Rocky III
  • A nice story about former pro wrestler and cancer survivor Dennis Stamp, made famous in Beyond the Mat
  • Brad Schwartz, the president of Pop TV, talks Impact
  • A story on Mark Canterbury, who later became Henry Godwinn in WWE
  • Sami Callihan returns to independent wrestling
  • Great North Wrestling from Friday night in Rockland, ONT before 450 fans:  Preston Perry b Bushwhacker Luke, Vanessa Kraven b Jessica Black-COR, Yves Droiun & Michael Van Payton b Paul Rosenberg & Soa Amin, K-Nine b Bret McLeod, Blade b Mystify & Shooter Storm in a handicap match, Freak Nation b Katalyst & Sean MacMillan, Gregory Carpenter b Sami Tokan, Jeremy Prophet became the new Canadian champion in a three-way over Giant Darko and Hannibal when Senator Patrick Bazeau threw something in Hannibal’s eyes an pushed him off a ladder onto the floor. (thanks to Anthony Ambros)
  • Big Time Wrestling on 12/4 in Newark, CA at the Pavilion plus there is a Matt Striker seminar at 3 p.m. that today.
  • Joe Graves won a three-way round-robin tournament yesterday in Gilroy, CA over Timothy Thatcher and Jeff Cobb (Lucha Underground) under rounds rules.  It was a very different kind of tournament as all three matches were grappling oriented, fought in rounds, with judges.
  • Ultimate Championship Wrestling from Friday night in Bay City, MI:  Black Bushido b Malcolm Monroe III, Chelsea Marie b Misfit Mollie, Dave Duponte b TK Parker, Caleb Stills b Jake Something, Nitro & Malice & Chainsaw b Chuck Wagon & Andy Chene & Ray Orndorff, N8 Mattson b Palmer Cruise, Rod Street & Deputy Dave b Zach Gowen & Malcolm Monroe III, Sabu b DBA, Danny Shay b Hakim Zane, N8 Mattson won Battle Royal (thanks to Leonard Brand)
  • Pro Wrestling Phoenix today in Omaha at the Waiting Room Lounge with Arik Cannon headlining.
  • Dynamo Pro Wrestling from last night in St. Louis:  Jake Dirden b Ric Maverick, Evan Morris b Jayson Khaos, Justin D’Air b Varik Morgan, Shorty Biggs & Outtkast won three-way over Rocket Mapache & Jackal and Ozzie Gallagher & Bahamatu, BillyMcNeil b Ace Hawkins, Danny Adams b Brandon Espinosa-DQ, Ricky Cruz NC Kevin Lee Davidson (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
  • UWC has its annual Toys for Tots toy drive on 12/5 in Wrightstown, NJ at Kelly’s Banquet Hall.  Admission is free with an unwrapped toy (suggested value to be an excess of $10).
  • GOUGE Wrestling from last night in Durham, NC:  Popo the Klown b Einsteiner, Chet Sterling b Otto Schwanz, Alas de Angel & Ese Joker b Gato Salvaje & Chicano Power, Jimmy Jack Funk Jr. & Mickey Gambino b Seymour Snott & Waylon Maze and No Direction to win tag titles, Timmy Lou Retton b Ricky Reyes, Mickey Gambino won a turkey on a pole Battle Royal
  • For yesterday, here are the Florida main events over the years thanks to Barry Rose and his friends

1958 – Enrique Torres beat Big Ben Sharpe (West Palm Beach)

1960 – Eddie Graham & Chief Big Eagle beat Mighty Yankees-DQ (Orlando)

1963 – Eddie Graham & Don Curtis & Mark Lewin beat The Assassins (three of them) in a 2/3 fall match (Jacksonville)

1966 – Jose Lothario & Lester Welch beat The Infernos-DQ (Orlando)

1967 – Sammy Steamboat beat Hiro Matsuda (Fort Myers)

1967 – Jose Lothario & Joe Scarpa (Chief Jay Strongbow) beat Tarzan Tyler & Johnny Valentine (Tampa)

1970 – Jack Brisco beat Tarzan Tyler (Miami Beach)

1972 – Jack Brisco beat Paul Jones to win the Florida title (Tampa)

1972 – Bob Orton Sr. & Bob Orton Jr. beat Sputnik Monroe & Norvell Austin via count out (Fort Myers)

1973 – Ron Fuller beat Don Carson via DQ (Fort Pierce)

1973 – Paul Jones beat Buddy Colt via DQ (Miami Beach)

1974 – Dusty Rhodes beat Cowboy Bill Watts to win the Florida title (Jacksonville)

1977 – Lars Anderson beat Pedro Morales (West Palm Beach)

1978 – Harley Race beat Jack Brisco to retain the NWA title (Tampa)

1979 – Harley Race double count out Manny Fernandez to retain the NWA title (Miami Beach)

1981 – Ric Flair beat Jack Brisco to retain the NWA title (St. Petersburg)

1984 – Jim Neidhart & Khrusher Khrushchev beat Mark & Jay Youngblood (Tampa)

  • Pro Wrestling Eclipse from last night in Oshawa, ONT:  Bryan Castle b Jim Nye, Bee Machine won three-way over Green Phantom and Black Bushido, Jewells Malone b Xandra Bale, Phil Atlas b Sexxy Eddy, Tyler Tirva won four-way over John Atlas, Joshua James and Will White, Rage b Buck Gunderson (thanks to Steven Ashe)

ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)

1981 – Faraon beat Ringo Mendoza in Guadalajara to win the Mexican national middleweight title

2000 – Ricky Marvin beat Virus in Acapulco to win the CMLL super lightweight and Mexican national lightweight titles

2002 – Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda beat Momoe Nakanishi & Nanae Takahashi to win the WWWA womens’ tag team title

2009 – Shuji Ishikawa beat Kota Ibushi in Tokyo to win the KO-D open weight title