Daily Update: NXT taping notes, CMLL, 5 Star Wrestling results

THE ROUND-UP

THE LATEST NEWS

THE LATEST AUDIO

We’re looking for reports on tonight’s Raw show in Salina, KS as well as yesterday’s 5 Star Wrestling show in Liverpool to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

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

  • Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho for the U.S. title

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

  • Electrico & Astral vs. Templario & Coyote
  • Audaz & Pegasso & Rey Cometa vs. Kawato San & Virus & Misterioso Jr.
  • Eight team tournament with rivals as partners
  • Ultimo Guerrero & Volador Jr., Mistico & Mephisto, Niebla Roja & Gran Guerrero, Soberano Jr. & Hechicero, Blue Panther & Sam Adonis, Diamante Azul & Pierroth, Titan & Cavernario and Valiente & Rey Bucanero
  • Atlantis & Caristico & angel de Oro vs. Euforia & Cuatrero & Sanson

LEGACY FIGHT ON AXS FIGHTS TONIGHT AT 9 P.M. EASTERN 10 P.M.  

AAA LIVE FROM TOLUCA TONIGHT AT 10 P.M. EASTERN on the new AAA Twitch Channel

Saturday we’re looking for reports from Raw in Lincoln, NE, and NXT shows in Nashville and Largo, FL to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

UFC FROM BELEM, BRAZIL ON SATURDAY

Fight Pass at 7:30 p.m. Eastern

  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Morales

FS1 at 8 p.m. Eastern

  • Iuri Alcantara vs. Joe Soto
  • Polyana Viana vs. Maia Stevenson
  • Damir Hadzovic vs. Alan Patrick
  • Tim Means vs. Sergio Morales
  • Thiago Santos vs. Anthony Smith
  • Douglas de Andrade vs. Marlon Vera
  • Marcelo Golm vs. Timothy Johnson
  • Desmond Green vs. Michel Prazeres
  • Valentina Shevchenko vs. Priscila Cachoeira
  • Lyoto Machida vs. Eryk Anders

Sunday has afternoon shows before the Super Bowl with Raw in Omaha and Smackdown in Little Rock.

Raw will be Monday night in Des Moines.

Smackdown is Tuesday in Kansas City with Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn with the winner facing A.J. Styles for the WWE title at Fast Lane, Bobby Roode vs. Rusev for the U.S. title, Kalisto vs. Lince Dorado and Hideo Itami vs. Roderick Strong in the cruiserweight title tournament plus Jimmy Uso & Naomi vs Goldust & Mandy Rose in the Mixed Match Challenge.

​F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Rousey’s arrival highlights big Royal Rumble Weekend

The most newsworthy week in recent WWE history capped off with Ronda Rousey appearing at the end of the Royal Rumble on Sunday night. Instead of participating in the women’s Royal Rumble match itself, Rousey closed the show with an appearance that initially did little to reveal what’s next for her in WWE. She came out to “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett, her old UFC walkout song, while wearing one of Roddy Piper’s leather jackets. 

WON NEWSLETTER: February 5, 2018 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Rebirth of the XFL, Ronda Rousey signs WWE contract

Coverage of some of what will be the biggest stories of the year is in a giant news double issue of the Observer this week.

Our lead story covers the WWE PPV appearance of Ronda Rousey, the plans for her, her training, why this was the perfect timing for WWE, a look at other fighting celebrities in pro wrestling, where she is most valuable to the company and thoughts on if she’ll be a success or not, including what has to be guarded against.

This issue contains the most in-depth look at the old XFL, Vince McMahon’s new XFL, what went wrong the first time, and whether the 180 degree about-face will work. Also, look at the differences in the landscape between then and now, and what the real keys are to success or failure.

Detailed coverage of the Royal Rumble, including a chart on both Rumble matches, records for the Rumble, business from the Rumble, who put the Rumble together, notes on the surprises, Rey Mysterio and his current situation, changes made the day of the show, plans for Elimination Chamber an updated WrestleMania card, and match-by-match coverage with poll results and star ratings.

Read about the Takeover show in Philadelphia, what did and didn’t work, business notes, probable directions coming out of it with match-by-match coverage and star ratings.

Look at the making of the Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic fight and UFC’s plans for as many as three champion vs. champion matches on the July show. Also look at the Cormier/Cain Velasquez dynamic with both men commenting as well as the new season of Ultimate Fighter.

Have a look at New Japan Pro Wrestling, with the Omega-Cody angle, a twist that wasn’t on television in Sapporo, ticket sales for Long Beach and putting that into perspective, an update on Hiroshi Tanahashi and when he’s scheduled to return, the Bullet Club breakup angle, the three different incredible sell jobs of the weekend and how they are different, the business from the two Sapporo events, the lineup for this week’s New Japan World live shows, and coverage of both Sapporo shows, with star ratings and poll results.

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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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: January 15, 2001 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2000 Year End Awards, final ECW PPV reviewed, plus tons of news

In what may have been the swan song of the promotion, ECW promised a “holy shit” surprise, which prompted debates over methods of promotion today as well as if there is any future left with the company in the wake of losing its New York television, cancelling next month’s PPV and not even producing a new TV show in the go-home week before a PPV show.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

The first matches of a Dusty Rhodes tag team tournament will be taped tonight at Center Stage in Atlanta for the second night of NXT tapings. I believe they will be taping shows for 2/28 to 3/14 tonight. It will also have the follow-up to the angle where Johnny Gargano had to leave NXT after losing to Andrade Cien Almas.

Tonight’s CMLL show is more intriguing than usual. For the start, Templario is in the opener and he’s got a lot of promise working with Electrico & Astral who have moved out of the minis. The second match is the debut of New Japan’s Hirai Kawato. Kawato is a natural babyface but working as a rudo here. Next is week one of the three week long Parejas Increibles tournament, where major rivals become partners. After that eight-team tag team tournament in one night will be the main event, with the Dinamitas being moved into the main event position.

John Dodson’s fight on tomorrow night’s UFC show from Belem, Brazil against Pedro Munhoz, which was the No. 2 fight on the show, is off because Pedro Munhoz, his opponent, missed weight by four pounds. Dodson refused the fight at that point. Michel Prazeres also missed weight, actually by five pounds, but his fight with Desmond Green is still on. Prazeres will be fined 20 percent of his show money.

MMA Fighting has a report that even though Dodson made weight, he will not be getting his show money because he refused the fight.

The issue is apparently that the host hotel didn’t have hot water in the middle of the night when people were cutting weight, and part of the ritual is being in a bathtub with hot water. Eryk Anders, for the main event with Lyoto Machida, weighed in at 187.9 at weigh-ins, but was able to hit 186 given more time today so he was cleared without being fined.

Results from yesterday’s 5 Star Wrestling show in Liverpool: PJ Black b Timm Wylie, Jack Jester b Jason Prime, Mark Haskins won over Joey Axl, Nathan Cruz, BT Gunn, and Flash Morgan Webster to become the first 5 Star Tap or Snap champion, Rampage Brown b Moose, Adam Maxted & Charlie Sterling b Chris Masters & Carlito in a tag team title tournament semifinal, Jake Hager b Eddie Ryan, Rey Mysterio Jr. b Zack Gibson-DQ, Jody Fleisch & El Ligero b Dave Mastiff & Big Grizzly in a semifinal of the 5 Star tag team title tournament, John Morrison b Rob Van Dam to keep the 5 Star championship.

WWE

  • WWE sent out a questionnaire with questions about why people weren’t coming to New Orleans for WrestleMania, asking for reasons. What was notable is that in the questionnaire they outright asked fans if they want to see Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka win the titles.
  • Ric Flair made a surprise appearance at the Wing Bowl in Philadelphia. He came out of a Lombardi Trophy float and put over the Eagles and talked about how he started coming to Philadelphia in 1979. Well, it was a few years after that when he started appearing regularly. (thanks to Bill King) The Charlotte Observer also covered it. Another story is here.
  • A story on Titus O’Neil speaking to kids. (thanks to Barry Werner)

UFC

  • There is a report out on Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Luan Chagas on the show just announced yesterday on 4/21 in Atlantic City.
  • Arjan Bhullar, the world class wrestler from Canada will face Adam Wioeczorek on the 4/14 show in Glendale, AZ.
  • A story on Josh Emmett, who faces Jeremy Stephens in the main event of the next FOX show on 2/24.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • SoCal Pro Wrestling’s 11th anniversary show is 4/14 in Oceanside, CA at the Oceanside Boys and Girls Club. Penta 0M and Juventud Guerrera will be wrestling on the show. There will also be Southern California Hall of Fame inductions.
  • AAW tomorrow night in LaSalle, IL at the Knights of Columbus with Rey Fenix vs. ACH for the AAW title.
  • Stardom announced they would be hosting two matches in ROH’s Women of Honor tournament on 2/24 in Osaka, with Mayu Iwatani vs HZK and Kagetsu vs. Jenny Rose.
  • Jon Horton, also known as Craig Johnson, who was a former wrestling announcer with the Global Wrestling Federation on ESPN, is working games with reader Graeme McPhail this weekend at the Roller Derby World Cup.  
  • An NWA produced video on whether Tim Storm will now retire.
  • Innovative Wrestling on 2/24 in Morristown, TN at the Talley Ward Rec Center.
  • Pro Wrestling Phoenix from last night in Omaha: Branden Juarez and Devin Carter co-won Battle Royal, Dalton Lee Roth b El Bigote, Willy Sweet b Zac James, Con Artiest & Purple & Carson Rockwell b Robert Storm & Joey Daniels & Paul Daniels, Moonshine Russell & Duke Cornell b Lars Metzger & Johnny Ruckus, Pat Powers b Anthony Bennett, Brandon Juarez b Devin Carter. Next show is 3/7 in Omaha.
  • CCW March Madness on 3/10 in Chatham, ONT at the Wish Centre.
  • A story on Bud Carson shutting down his pro wrestling store in Allentown this weekend. (thanks to Chris Cruise)

Today in Professional Wrestling History: The Midnight Express win NWA Tag Team titles

WRESTLING OBSERVER / F4W – WRESTLEMANIA 34 in NEW ORLEANS

Here we go again! It’s back to New Orleans for Wrestlemania 34 and a huge weekend of spectacular professional wrestling related fun and wackiness. EdinSanAntonio Productions along with the Wrestling Observer / Figure Four Empire~! is proud to present the annual Wrestlemania weekend trip details. This huge weekend includes a number of website “members only” events. Below are the two events currently scheduled. Click here for full event details.

WOR Podcast Taping:Purchase TICKETS for the Wrestling Observer Radio LIVE MAILBAG~!

  • WHAT: Wrestling Observer Radio LIVE Podcast Recording with Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez
  • WHEN: Friday, April 6th, 2018 – 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (Doors open at 8:45 a.m. for VIP ticket holders and at 9:15 a.m. for general admission)
  • WHERE: The Bourbon Room, Royal St. Charles Hotel in downtown New Orleans; 135 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70130

WO/F4W Brunch:Purchase TICKETS for the Wrestling Oberver BRUNCH~!

  • WHAT: All you care to eat brunch buffet on the morning of Wrestlemania 
  • WHEN: Sunday, April 8th, 2018 – T11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
  • WHERE: The Court of Two Sisters restaurant in downtown New Orleans; 613 Royal St., New Orleans, LA 70130

CONTACT INFORMATION

Support the Empire~! with F4W shirts. Grab yours today!

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