Daily Update: Money in the Bank odds, WWE 2K18, Matt Hughes

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NEWS

AUDIO

We’re looking for your thoughts on Money in the Bank, 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 from today’s Raw house show in Springfield, IL and last night’s NXT house show in Poughkeepsie, NY to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

WWE MONEY IN THE BANK ON SUNDAY AT 7:30 P.M. FROM THE SCOTTRADE CENTER IN ST. LOUIS ON THE WWE NETWORK

  • Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton for the WWE title — At this writing, the odds are not so long where it’s a lock these indicate the results. So keep that in mind. For the last couple of shows, most of the time the smart money comes in later in the day, and plans change by the hour as was noted a few shows ago with Bayley & Bliss. But there are shifts on Saturday that often prove to be accurate. This did happen last night. Mahal is at -900, making him a pretty substantial favorite. For all the reasons that he won, it would make no sense to take it from him here. Plus, the nonsensical WWE rule of wanting to beat people in their hometown also favors Orton losing. Still, with the lack of main event depth, Orton will likely be protected in some form. The question is can they do a usual WWE PPV caliber main event here. The positive for that is that Orton will get a ton of reaction in St. Louis so that will help the match.
  • Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match: A.J. Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin and Kevin Owens — Baron Corbin is a -350 favorite. Given he’s been losing on TV and they are looking to elevate him more than anyone else in the match, that would seem to make sense. If you look at the talent here, this really should be one of the better MITB matches. 
  • Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match: Charlotte Flair, Natalya, Carmella, Tamina and Becky Lynch — There is the strong tease of a sixth surprise entrant. Maria Kanellis and Mike Bennett are in St. Louis so she could be the sixth person in, or at least play a part in the show tonight in some form. WWE sent out a message about a sixth person, then pulled the message, so it was very clear at one point there was to be an addition. Carmella is listed as the -245 favorite. The women are going to go all out to prove their worth here. It’s possible it could be sloppy, but I expect a great workrate and effort because as the first-ever match, they’ve got a lot to prove.
  • Naomi vs. Lana for the Women’s title — Naomi is a -270 favorite to win this match. The presentation of Lana, and her in-ring here, will be the story of the match, not who wins and loses.
  • The Usos vs. New Day for the tag team titles — The Usos are at -180. When the surge came in yesterday, it was on the Usos, but it closed as I guess the general public is expecting a title change. The match should be good. 
  • Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley vs. Colons (pre-show match)

The men’s Money in the Bank ladder match is almost always really good and this is usually one of the better shows of the year. The first Orton vs. Mahal match was okay, but never got to the level of a usual WWE title match main event. Being in St. Louis should help it. I have high hopes for the women’s match and Usos vs. New Day will likely be good. 

Raw TV will be in Evansville, IN on Monday night. There is also a SmackDown brand house show on Monday night in Indianapolis.

NEW JAPAN FROM TOKYO KORAKUEN HALL ON TUESDAY MORNING AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

  • Tomoyuki Oka vs. Tetsuhiro Yagi
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taka Michinoku & Desperado vs. Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask & Shota Umino
  • Yuji Nagata & David Finlay vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Katsuya Kitamura
  • Togi Makabe & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano & Jado
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Hirai Kawato vs. Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi
  • Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Minoru Suzuki & Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Taichi
  • Seiya Sanada & Evil & Bushi vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Juice Robinson & Kushida for Never Open weight six-man titles

SmackDown and 205 Live will be on Tuesday from Dayton, OH. Announced for 205 Live are Jack Gallagher vs. Tony Nese and Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali.

FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY: Figure Four Weekly 6/12/2017: Okada and Omega deliver another classic

After shaping the modern New Japan main event scene with his all-time classic series against Hiroshi Tanahashi, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada is now firmly entrenched in his next rivalry which will go down among the greatest of all time. June 11th 2017 might go down as one of those wrestling dates that we just don’t forget.

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WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: June 19, 2017: Conor McGregor/Floyd Mayweather on, Okada/Omega classic, more

The Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight is actually happening, and the story behind it is the lead in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Plus, coverage of Dominion, with Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega II and one of the best shows in recent years, as well as an examination of Demetrious Johnson’s issues with Dana White, New Japan’s future booking, the Long Beach show, G-1, Money in the Bank and more.

Look at the ramifications and stipulations of Mayweather-McGregor and why it’ll be the most talked about fight for years to come, the key to whether it can do record numbers, the price tag, role of the media, and the real question of sanctioning and why it was.

Relive Omega vs. Okada II, the key to the story of the match, the next direction, the story behind Omega vs. Cody Rhodes, booking the finish, and why the circumstances weren’t the best to have a classic match. Understand the background of the match, the business of the match, why New Japan has so many different directions it can take right now, the U.S. title tournament, and when Omega-Okada airs on U.S. television. Check out the lineups for Long Beach, secondary market ticket demand, early thoughts on G-1 as well as the New Japan World shows for the rest of the month and notes on the main events.

Inside, there is match-by-match coverage with star ratings for Dominion, poll results and an amazing stat regarding poll results.

This issue also runs down the Money in the Bank show. Look at the card, what to look for in the show, ticket prices, a new segment added to the show, and also look at Great Balls of Fire and the direction things are headed toward SummerSlam.

Finally, more notes on the build to the Lesnar vs. Joe match, questions about the Cena return, lots of notes about SummerSlam and the top matches on the show, lots of injury updates, Kurt Angle talks former drug addiction, and why Finn Balor wasn’t at Raw.

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. 

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WON BACK ISSUE: May 22, 2000 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Jumbo Tsuruta passes away, ECW Hardcore Heaven review, more

Tomomi Tsuruta, who started out as an instant sensation and went on to be one of the most enduring stars in pro wrestling history, passed away at 4 p.m. on 5/13, from complications after undergoing a kidney transplant operation in the Philippines. He was 49. Tsuruta was an undisputable Hall of Fame calibre performer. He was a major star in pro wrestling literally from the first week of his career in Japan.

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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Money in the Bank and taking your e-mail questions. For tonight, keep it on current topics if possible, send to mailbag@wrestlingobserver.com. We also have a show up today with lots of news on tonight’s show, news on this coming week of Raw and SmackDown, lots of newcomers, as well as our thoughts on Buddy Wayne, Matt Hughes, yesterday’s UFC, and other topics.

Once again would like to express our deepest sorry to the family of Buddy Wayne, who was very important in the launch of this website and was Bryan Alvarez’s pro wrestling teacher.

The Seth Rollins announcement tomorrow morning on ESPN SportsCenter is that he will be on the WWE 2K18 video game cover. Kind of surprised by that.

The family of Matt Hughes released this statement this morning:“Our family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support. Please understand that there are may false reports out there by people who say they are close to the family. We will post another update here when we have more news. Matt is stable and has no broken bones or internal injuries. He has some minor lacerations and bruising and is currently being weaned from his ventilator. He is not yet awake and not responding as we would like to see, but we see the fight in him. Matt’s strength and determination along with God’s mercy and Grace will bring him through this. We ask that you all continue to pray.”

There will be a segment on the show tonight related to older wrestlers. It probably in some form plays a part in the Orton vs. Mahal match, since Orton has dropped names of old-timers saying they told him not to talk but to have action and Mahal has addressed that. Names we’ve been told as likely appearing are Ric Flair, Bob Orton Jr., Sgt. Slaughter, Larry Hennig, Greg Gagne and Baron Von Raschke.

WWE

  • Lots of hints by WWE being thrown for Roman Reigns vs. Undertaker at SummerSlam. This isn’t confirmed but it’s definitely something they want you to think. Reigns will be making a SummerSlam announcement tomorrow night on Raw. On the company’s Facebook page, there is a photo of Undertaker’s gear left in the ring with the quote, “You can’t kill a dead man.” But similar photos concerning other wrestlers have been posted over the last week as well, which may have something to do with the WWE 2K18 announcement.
  • Daniel Bryan’s return on SmackDown is supposed to also include a SummerSlam announcement. The company’s plans are to make this year’s SummerSlam really big, to the point that it was acknowledged there was some creative coasting of late so the big stuff starts to happen soon. 
  • Some more interesting notes on the gambling. Paddy Power has it -900 that the women’s MITB winner’s cash in will fail. That pretty much indicates at this moment that is the idea. Other books have suspended voting on it. (thanks to David Taylor for all his help on the odds)
  • Kambi has several betting lines on Observer star ratings. You can get close to even money on *** or more or *** or less for the main event. ****1/4 or is -160. The men’s Money in the Bank match being highest rated is at -250 and any other match is +175. 
  • John Cena will be attending a lunch with Collingwood Football Club when he goes to Australia for a speaking appearance on 7/8. That also means he won’t be at the SmackDown house shows that weekend. He will be doing “An Evening with John Cena” that night. Usain Bolt and Dwayne Johnson have done things with the team in the past.
  • American Grit airs tonight head-up with the PPV. Will be interesting if that has any effect on the numbers. The first episode did poorly, only 1.1 million viewers for a prime time FOX series.
  • Natalya talks tonight’s Money in the Bank match.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Konnan on his podcast said that Jeff Jarrett wants the opponents for LAX to be Aerostar & Drago, who are under contract to Lucha Underground. That’s notable since previously LU had been strong that none of its talent could appear on television for any other promotion, at least under their LU names. He also said that ACH and Sammy Guevara will be getting Impact tryouts.
  • TMZ reported that Sean Waltman back in April was in trouble regarding a potential probation violation from a 2004 DUI that fell under the radar or year. Waltman was brought before Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday, said he was a mess back then, that he’s changed now and the judge didn’t put him in jail, but did extend his probation for two more years and ordered him to attend a three-month alcohol program. 
  • Tommy Dreamer has been doing big crowds for the House of Hardcore shows for the most part in Australia. The Sydney show on Saturday night had Young Bucks over Dreamer & Billy Gunn (called the Old Bucks) in what was reported to be surprisingly good by our longtime friend Dann Lennard, plus MVP beat Matt Cross and Madison Eagles beat Shazza McKenzie.
  • House of Hardcore from last night in Perth, Western Australia before 450 fans ($60 per head): Colt Cabana b Chris Vice, Damien Slater & Gavin McGavin & Aaron O’Malley b Logan Grey & The Shark & Kraven McGavin, Mark Silva b Ryan Nemeth (Silva is the son of Dennis Cometti, a famous Australian rules football announcer, who got involved in the finish, Billy Gunn b Mohamed Ali Vaez, Bull James won three-way over Carlito and Tommy Dreamer, Matt Cross b Andy Phoenix, MVP b Jack Swagger, Young Bucks b Spirit Squad. The Young Bucks left the tour and are flying home today since they have pre-tapes in Massachusetts before Friday night’s PPV show.
  • A story on the new GLOW series on Netflix.
  • Colbey Northcutt, the ripped older sister of Sage Northcutt, makes her MMA debut on 6/23 for the Legacy Fighting Alliance on AXS TV from Houston. The show is being marketed around her match with Courtney King. 
  • Hoosier Pro Wrestling on 7/1 in Columbus, IN at Aaron’s. Admission is free with six cans of good to help fill the local food banks. Bring your own lawn chair to sit on.
  • Stardom from yesterday in Yokohama Radiant Hall before 245 fans: Hana vs. Hina vs. Rina was a 5:00 draw (all three are sisters, Hana and Rina are twins), Starlight Kid & Hiromi Mimura b Hetzza & Ruaka, Hans Kimura won three-way over Natsuko Tora and Rebel (Impact), Konami & Mayu Iwatani b Gabby Ortiz(who got a tour off a recent ROH tryout) & Shanna, Jungle Kyona & Hiroyo Matsumoto & Kaori Yoneyama b Io Shirai & HZK & AZM to win the Artist of Stardom trios titles.
  • There was a story from WFAA regarding Yu Darvish of the Texas Rangers getting advice from his wife, who is a Japanese women’s wrestler (as in freestyle) giving him advice about watching tapes of himself to find out what’s wrong and get out of a slump.
  • World League Wrestling from last night in Troy, MO: Jayden Fenix b Kyle Roberts, Warick Stephans b Superstar Steve Fender, Karim Brigante won three-way over Jack Gamble and Brandon Espinosa, Jon Webb b Ace Hawkins, Orton Creed b Rex Fults, Leland Race b Mark Sterling. Creed was beating down Fults after the match and Vader made the save. (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
  • Lucha Xtreme TV from yesterday in Fresno, CA: Hoss Hogg b Eli Everfly, Anthony Idol b Donnie Suarez, Coa Azul b Sgt. Majors to win title. (thanks to Jon Southerland)
  • NSPW from Friday night in Quebec City before 473 fans: Kickin n Stompin b Handsome JF & Brad Alekxis, Benjamin Tull won three-way over Randy Reign (NOAH) and Maxine Lemire, Frankie Milano b Michael Style, Travis Toxic b Chip Chambers, Jim Harrison won four-way over Tom Leblond Pee Wee and Shayne Hawke, Markus Burke b Matt Angel, Marko Estrada b Pete Dunne-DQ. (thanks to Pat Laprade)
  • Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling from last night in East Carondelet, IL before 250 fans: Dave Vaughn b Keith Smith Jr., Gary Jackson & Bobby D b Ax & Johnny Blade-DQ, Heath Hatton b Big Texan, Moondog Rover NC Curtis Wylde, Flash Flanagan b Marc Houston-DQ, Cliint Poe b Troll-DQ, Ken Kasa DDQ Troll, Chris Hargas b Sean Vincent. (thanks to Larry Matysik)

Today in Pro Wrestling History: CM Punk wins ROH World title

F4W Online / Wrestling Observer Vegas Convention Event Info

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

  • Thursday: Meet at the Big Shoot 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 Baroni; 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

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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