Daily Update: Mayweather vs. McGregor, Dixie Carter, big weekend

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NEWS

AUDIO

This is a crazy weekend of events. For polls, we’ve got two, UFC 213 tomorrow night and WWE Great Balls of Fire on Sunday night, 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 looking for reports today from WWE in Madison Square Garden, PWG in Reseda, CA, NXT in Jacksonville, FL and for tomorrow’s RevPro show in Walthamstow, UK to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com. 

UFC FROM THE T MOBILE ARENA IN LAS VEGAS TONIGHT

Fight Pass at 6 p.m. Eastern

  • Juliana Lima (115.5) vs. Tecia Torres (115)
  • Teruto Ishihara (145) vs. Gray Maynard (145.5)

FS 1 at 7 p.m. Eastern

  • C.B. Dolloway (205) vs. Ed Herman (205.5)
  • Tom Galliicchio (170) vs. James Krause (170)
  • Angela Hill (114.75) vs. Ashley Yoder (115.5)
  • Brad Tavares (186) vs. Elias Theodorou (186)
  • Jared Cannonier (204) vs. Nick Roehrick (205.5)
  • Marc Diakiese (154.5) vs. Drakker Klose (155.5)
  • Dhiego Lima (170.5) vs. Jesse Taylor (171) in TUF championship bout
  • Michael Johnson (155) vs. Justin Gaethje (155.75)

NEW JAPAN ON AXS (TAPED FROM SUNDAY) AT 8 P.M. EASTERN TIME

  • Jushin Liger & Kushida & David Finlay vs. Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu & Yoshitatsu
  • Kenny Omega vs. Jay Lethal in U.S. title semifinal
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr. in U.S. title semifinal
  • Dragon Lee & Titan & Volador Jr. & Juice Robinson & Jay White vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Bushi & Seiya Sanada & Hiromu Takahashi
  • War Machine & Michael Elgin vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa & Hangman Page
  • Young Bucks vs. Rocky Romero & Baretta for IWGP jr. tag titles
  • Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay & Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Cody & Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale & Marty Scurll
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Billy Gunn for IC title
  • Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii for U.S. title

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

  • Silueta & Princesa Sugehit & Jarochita vs. Dallys & Zeuxis & Seductora
  • Blue Panther & Rey Cometa & Pegasso vs. Sam Adonis & Misterioso Jr. & Virus
  • Rush & Pierroth & Ripper vs. Shocker & El Terrible & Vangellys
  • Block B of the Universal championship tournament of champions with Mistico, Diamante Azul, Marco Corleone, Soberano Jr., Ultimo Guerrero, Mephisto, Niebla Roja and Ephesto

PWG TONIGHT FROM RESEDA, CA

  • Rey Hours vs. Sammy Guevera
  • Shane Strickland & Jason Cade & Dezmond Xavier vs. Dave & Jake Crist & Sami Callihan
  • Keith Lee vs. Trent Baretta vs. Lio Rush
  • Ricochet vs. Trevor Lee
  • Young Bucks vs. Michael Elgin & Brian Cage
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Chuck Taylor for PWG title

Saturday has WWE Raw in Waco, TX, SmackDown in Corpus Christi, TX, Revolution Pro in Walthamstow, UK at Assembly Hall, Evolve in Charlotte and NXT in Largo, FL. We’re looking for reports on all of those shows to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

REVOLUTION PRO WRESTLING FROM WALTHAMSTOW ASSEMBLY HALL IN WALTHAMSTOW, ENGLAND AT 6 P.M. SATURDAY

  • One-night British J Cup tournament: Jushin Liger, Kushida, Will Ospreay, Marty Scurll, Kyle O’Reilly, Josh Bodom, Ryusuke Taguchi and Tiger Mas
  • Chris Brookes & Travis Banks vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Bushi
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Matt Riddle

UFC 213 ON SATURDAY IN LAS VEGAS AT THE T MOBILE ARENA

Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. Eastern

  • James Bochnovic (201) vs. Trevin Giles (204)
  • Cody Stamann (145) vs. Terrion Ware (145)
  • Rob Font (135) vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade (134)

FS 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern

  • Jordan Mein (170) vs. Belal Muhammad (170)
  • Gerald Meerschaert (184.5) vs. Thiago Santos (186)
  • Brian Camozzi (170.5) vs. Chad Laprise (170)
  • Travis Browne (247.5) vs. Aleksei Oleinik (241.5)

PPV at 10 p.m. Eastern

  • Jim Miller (155) vs. Anthony Pettis (156)
  • Alistair Overeem (253.5) vs. Fabricio Werdum (239)
  • Curtis Blaydes (257.5) vs. Daniel Omielanczkuk (248)
  • Yoel Romero (185) vs.; Robert Whittaker (184.5) for the interim middleweight title
  • Amanda Nunes (135) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (134.5) for womens’ bantamweight title

EVOLVE ON SATURDAY NIGHT IN CHARLOTTE AT 8 P.M. EASTERN

  • Jason Kincaid vs. Caleb Konley
  • ACH vs. Austin Theory
  • Tracy Williams vs. Darby Allin
  • Keith Lee vs. Ethan Page
  • Chris Dickinson & Jaka vs. Anthony Henry & James Drake for tag titles
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Timothy Thatcher no holds barred for Evolve title

Sunday has WWE SmackDown in Hidalgo, TX and Evolve in Marietta, GA

WWE GREAT BALLS OF FIRE PPV ON SUNDAY AT 7:30 P.M. EASTERN AT THE AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER IN DALLAS ON WWE NETWORK

  • Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe for Universal title
  • Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman in an ambulance match
  • Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt
  • Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Hardys for tag titles in a 30:00 Iron man match
  • Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks for women’s title
  • Enzo Amore vs. Big Cass
  • Neville vs. Akira Tozawa for cruiserweight title (preshow mach)

EVOLVE ON SUNDAY NIGHT IN MARIETTA, GA AT 8 P.M. EASTERN

  • Anthony Henry vs. James Drake
  • Jason Kincaid vs. Jon Davis
  • ACH vs. Ethan Page
  • Timothy Thatcher vs. Darby Allin
  • Keith Lee vs. Tracy Williams
  • Trent Baretta vs. Austin Theory
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Fred Yehi for Evolve title

Raw will be Monday night in Houston. Both Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar are scheduled for TV this week. SmackDown’s Monday night house show is in Laredo, TX.

SmackDown and 205 Live will be taped on Tuesday in San Antonio. John Cena returns for that show. No Randy Orton on the show this week.

NXT will be taped on Wednesday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL.

FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY: Figure Four Weekly 7/3/2017: Looking at NJPW’s weekend in the US

When New Japan Pro Wrestling’s weekend in Long Beach was over, Kenny Omega had been crowned as the inaugural IWGP US Heavyweight Champion and the most pressing question was what’s next for the company in the United States. Omega was, as expected, the star of the two G1 Specials.

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WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: July 10, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: NJPW in Long Beach reviewed, TNA becomes GFW, tons of news

New Japan’s expansion into the U.S. with the shows over the weekend in Long Beach is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Look through the business of the show, the positives, the negatives, the complaints about using ex-WWE talent, the U.S. title tournament, views on the U.S. title, as well as the New Japan plans for early 2018 in the U.S.

Read about examples as to why the early success may not lead to long-term success, indications of how well the show did, where the show was the strongest, which wrestlers had the most mainstream interest on the show, the Omega vs. Rhodes dynamic, and all the controversy regarding the announcing is covered. Plus, there is match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results of both the shows.

Check out Impact’s rebranding to GFW, the good and the bad of the Slammiversary show, the interesting politics involved, the debut of DeAngelo Williams as well as match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

This issue talks the WWE security breach reported by Forbes, MSG notes, ideas for big events in 2018 in WWE, new TV show idea, Iron men of 2017 plus who never wins and who never loses, lots of updates on the Mae Young Classic, why Randy Orton will be out for a couple of weeks, experiences of a woman on the WWE writing team, plus the most-watched shows on the WWE Network this past week, WWE company market value, and notes on all the WWE and NXT arena events the past week with highlights and business notes.

Also inside, notes on the pending case against Jim Breaks, the death of his ex-girlfriend, and the details of the case, and notes on the career of Vic Faulkner of the Royal Brothers tag team, who passed away this past week.

Subscribers click here to continue.

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.

WON BACK ISSUE: June 12, 2000 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Paul Heyman meets with ECW talent, PRIDE 9 results, more

Paul Heyman, who hadn’t appeared at an ECW event since the Hardcore Heaven PPV, surprisingly, after missing the TV taping on 6/2 in New Orleans, flew to Pensacola, FL for the house show for a lengthy ECW team meeting. The one hour long meeting was largely a pep talk, since most of the wrestlers hadn’t even spoken to Heyman in a month, and with smaller crowds, slightly declining ratings and late checks, morale had hit a new low.

Heyman went through a story about where he saw the wrestling business in the U.S. headed. The theory he had was that WWF and USA Network would settle their lawsuit before going to trial because both have so much dirt on the other that would come out in court that both sides stock prices would drop and suffer public embarrassment. 

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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

Bryan and I will be back for the next five nights doing shows, tonight covering UFC, as well as Austin Aries being released and the latest wrestling news. We’ll have a Saturday night show covering UFC 213, then Sunday covering Great Balls of Fire. You can send questions to the show to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com.

Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor will be all over the news this coming week. They are doing a number of press conferences. They have one on Tuesday afternoon at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to kick off their tour. The tour will continue on Wednesday in Toronto at the Sony Centre for Performing Arts, Thursday in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center and Friday in London at SSE Wembley. All four events are open to the public. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. in Los Angeles with the live show starting at 2:30 p.m. In Toronto, the live show starts at 7 p.m. In Brooklyn, the live show starts at 7 p.m. and in London, the live show starts at 7 p.m.

One thing notable when it comes to the promotion of Mayweather-McGregor is that the promoters are listed as Showtime, Mayweather Promotions, McGregor Sports & Entertainment and the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and not UFC.

Dixie Carter was interviewed for the WWE 24 special on Kurt Angle that airs on Monday night.

For this weekend, neither John Cena nor Randy Orton will be at the SmackDown house shows. Cena will be at TV Tuesday night in San Antonio. Orton is right now scheduled to return a week from Tuesday as he’s filming a movie this week.

Nick Jackson has been limping all week since the show on Sunday in Long Beach.

WWE

  • WWE will report its business numbers on 7/27, so that will have the WWE Network subscriber number as of 6/30 as well as a full rundown of the WrestleMania financials.  
  • Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that the reason Primo Colon hasn’t been around is because he needs knee surgery.
  • There is a great story on Braun Strowman.
  • Pat Patterson and Gene Okerlund will be at the Montreal Comic Con this weekend at the Palais des Congres tonight as well as on Saturday and Sunday. Also appearing will be Too Cold Scorpio. 

UFC

  • Aspen Ladd was pulled from tonight’s UFC show due to an illness at the last minute. She was to face Jessica Eye.
  • The Fight Network will be airing the prelims tonight in Canada starting at 7 p.m. Eastern. The Fight Network also airs Enfusion Live from Halifax, Nova Scotia on Saturday night at 8 P.M.
  • The company announced a multi-year partnership agreement with Legends Hospitality, LLC. Legends will manage UFC retail shops at all of their events and fan experiences at every show both domestic and overseas.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • With the injury to Atlantis, which is actually pretty serious, he is off the ROH 8/17 to 8/20 tour of the U.K. Titan, who was at the Long Beach shows, will be his replacement on the shows which are 8/17 at York Hall in London working with Revolution Pro, 8/18 at York Hall in London, 8/19 at the Olympia in Liverpool and 8/20 in Edinburgh Scotland at the Com Exchange.
  • All Pro Wrestling streams live tonight at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time from Daly City, CA, headlined by Cody Rhodes vs. Willie Mack and Jeff Cobb vs. Luster the Legend.
  • Last night on the Impact show, Josh Matthews talked about how Paige, using that name, was at ringside when Alberto won the title on Sunday night. They used her WWE name. (thanks to Rene Ochoa)
  • Appalachian Pro Wrestling, which got national pub all week, in particular Wednesday night on HBO, runs Saturday at 12:30 p.m. for a free show in Kingsport, TN at the Village Fest at the Calvary Baptist Church and at 6:45 pm. for a free event at Gray Block Party at the Appalachian Fairgrounds in Gray, TN.
  • Nova Pro Wrestling on 7/14 in Fairfax, VA at the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia with Matt Cross vs. Sonjay Dutt, plus a ladder match, Tim Donst vs. David Starr, MMA fighter John Kermon vs. Rory Gulak and more.
  • Future Stars of Women’s Wrestling debuts on 7/15 at 5 p.m. at the FSW Arena in Las Vegas with former UFC fighter Gina Mazany, Laura James, Katarina Leigh (Winter in TNA/Katie Burchil in WWE) and Desi Derata who just had a WWE tryout and made her MMA debut in recent weeks.
  • NWA Mid South tonight in Ripley, TN with Matt Riviera vs. Sharknado.
  • There will be a TV pilot shot tomorrow night at the Herb Welch Wrestle Plex in Dyresburg, TN with Rodney Mack, Jazz, Rachael Ellering, Tim Storm, Damien Wayne and others.
  • MLW has produced a mini-documentary on Kevin Sullivan.
  • Robbie E is doing a seminar on 7/19 for Pro Wrestling Phoenix in Omaha. The cost is $40.
  • AAW on 7/15 in Merrionette Park, IL at 115 Bourbon Street has Sami Callihan vs. Keith Lee for the AAW title, Rey Fenix & AR Fox vs. Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Went for the tag titles, Eddie Kingston vs. David Starr in an I Quit match, ACH vs. Myron Reed, Samantha Heights vs. Scarlett Bordeaux, Penta 0M & Shane Strickland vs. Trevor Lee & Garza Jr., War Machine vs. Dave & Jake Crist, Mat Fitchett vs. Matt Riddle plus Colt Cabana, Jeff Cobb, John Morrison, Chuck Taylor and more.
  • CWE will present a Tribute to Smith Hart on 8/10 in Calgary with his son, Matt Hart headlining the show in a six-man tag match. The show is at the Marlborough Community Hall.
  • Kyra Batara vs. Vanessa Rico was added to Combate Clasico, a 10-match Combate Americas show on 7/27 from Miami. The show will air on ESPN 3 and Aztec America in the U.S. and ESPN LATAM in Latin America and TV Azteca in Mexico on a one-day delay. This will be the first MMA show on an ESPN platform.
  • Black Label Pro on 9/23 in Crown Point, IN at the On the Square Sports Academy has Tom Lawlor vs. Matt Riddle plus Keith Lee vs. Super Crazy vs. Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevera.
  • NFC returns to Duluth, GA on 7/22 at the Infinite Energy Center for a 14-fight card starting at 5 p.m.
  • Pride of Wrestling on 9/2 at the Don Kolov Arena in Mississauga, ONT headlined by Dan Severn vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr, plus appearing will be Bobby Heenan, Chris Masters, Rene Dupree, Sylvan Grenier, Tyson Dux, Josh Alexander and more. There will also be a Smith Hart Memorial Battle Royal on the show.

Today in Pro Wrestling History: The NWO forms at Bash at the Beach 1996

F4W Online / Wrestling Observer Vegas Convention Event Info

August 17-21; All times are TBA; Full information on the group Facebook page; Activities subject to change 

  • Thursday: Meet at the High Roller for Bowling at the Link; Party at Carnival Court at Hurrah’s
  • Friday: Kiss Mini Golf tournament at the Rio; Dinner at Texas de Brazil; Suite party (location TBA)
  • Saturday: Burgers with Granny for lunch; Future Stars of Wrestling show featuring Stephan Bonnar & Phil Baron, and co-main events: 3-way match with Leva Bates vs. Mia Yim vs. Hudson Envy, and “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Thomas Santell (f.k.a. Antonio “The Promise” Thomas); NXT viewing party at the Sci-Fi Center
  • Sunday: SUPER CHINA BUFFET DAY at the Wicked Spoon Buffet at 1pm; SummerSlam viewing party at the Sci-Fi Center
  • Monday: Goodbye lunch at Chen Chen at NY NY
  • All website members will also receive a 15% discount on any purchases from the Las Vegas Fight Shop for the entirety of the convention

Texas de Brazil, Wicked Spoon, NXT and Summer Slam will all be sign up and pre-paid events, prices and collection begin in mid July~!

Pro Wrestling Tees is now carrying our latest line of F4W shirts. Support the Empire~! Grab yours today!

CONTACT INFORMATION

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