Daily Update: Owens and Zayn, Lucha Underground, Bellator

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NEWS

AUDIO

We’re looking for reports from today’s WWE Raw show in Hamburg, Germany (Sheamus & Cesaro vs. New Day vs. Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose), Smackdown in Milano, Italy (A.J. Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jinder Mahal), NXT in Las Vegas and Ocala, FL to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

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

  • Evil & Seiya Sanada & Bushi vs. Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano & Rocky Romero for Never six-man tag team titles 
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Michael Elgin for Never Open weight title

BELLATOR MMA AT 9 P.M. EASTERN TONIGHT FROM THE 3A ARENA IN DUBLIN, IRELAND ON SPIKE TV

  • Paul Redmond Vs. Sergio de Jesus Santos
  • Josh Redmond vs. Charlie Ward
  • Maria Casanova vs. Sinead Kavanagh
  • Baby Slice vs. Fred Freeman
  • A.J. McKee vs. Brian Moore

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

  • Robin & White Magic vs. Akuma & Templar
  • Sphinx & Pegasso & Oro Jr. vs. The Son of the Sign & Raziel & Nitro
  • Marcela & Lady Wonder & Jarochita vs. Poppy & Reyna Isis & Metalica
  • Niebla Roja vs. Stuka Jr.
  • Mr. Niebla & Negro Casas & Barbaro Cavernario vs. Sam Adonis & The Terrible & Shocker
  • Mystic & Marco Corleone & Valiente vs. Last Guerrero & Sanson & Cuatarero

Saturday we’re looking for reports from WWE Raw in Mannheim, Germany, Smackdown in Padova, Italy, ROH in Fort Lauderdale (Kenny Omega & Young Bucks vs. Dalton Castle & Jay Lethal & Kenny King, Cody vs. Rocky Romero for ROH title, Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley vs. TK O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia for ROH tag titles, Shane Taylor vs. Punishment Martinez, Adam Page & Marty Scurll vs. Baretta & Chuckie T vs. Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian, Matt Taven vs. Flip Gordon, Brandi Rhodes vs Rain) and NXT in Riverside, CA and Fort Pierce, FL to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

UFC ON SATURDAY NIGHT FROM NORFOLK, VIRGINIA

Fight Pass at 6:30 P.M. Eastern time

  • Darren Stewart (184) vs. Karl Roberson (184.5)
  • Jake Collier (205.5) vs. Marcel Fortuna (205.5)
  • Court McGee (170) vs. Sean Strickland (169.5)

FS 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern time

  • Nina Ansaroff (115) vs. Angela Hill (115)
  • Sage Northcutt (155.5) vs. Michel Quinones (155)
  • Tatiana Suarez (115) vs. Viviane Perreira (114.5)
  • Marlon Moraes (136) vs. John Dodson (135.5)
  • Clay Guida (155) vs. Joe Lauzon (155)
  • Raphael Assuncao (135.5) vs. Matthew Lopez (138.5)
  • Cezar Ferreira (185) Vs. Nate Marquardt (185.5)
  • Junior Albini (265.5) vs. Andrei Arlovski (244)
  • Diego Sanchez (170) vs. Matt Brown (171) 
  • Anthony Pettis (155.5)  vs. Dustin Poirier (156)

COMBATE AMERICAS FROM CANCUN, MEXICO ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK AT 11:30 P.M. EASTERN

  • This will feature a one-night eight-man bantamweight tournament

Sunday we’re looking for reports from the Smackdown house show in Florence Italy and ROH in Lakeland, FL (Kenny Omega & Young Bucks vs. Rocky Romero & Baretta & Chuckie T, Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal, Adam Page vs. Flip Gordon, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Shaheem Ali & LSG, Beer City Bruiser vs. Marty Scurll, Mandy Leon vs. Stella Grey).

Raw is Monday from Atlanta. Roman Reigns returns on the show and there will be a three-way with Bayley vs. Mickie James vs. Dana Brooke for the final spot on Team Raw for the Survivor Series.

Smackdown and 205 Live will take place Tuesday from Charlotte. Matches announced are New Day vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin vs. Sin Cara and Natalya vs. Charlotte Flair for the women’s title.

FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY:Figure Four Weekly 11/6/2017: Examining Jericho and Omega’s Tokyo Dome matchup

In a match that seemed impossible not all that long ago and was still pretty shocking when the announcement was made, Chris Jericho will face Kenny Omega for New Japan Pro Wrestling at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th. That was confirmed in a video at NJPW’s Power Struggle event last weekend after Omega had defeated Trent Barreta to retain the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.

Subscribers click here to continue.

WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER:November 13, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Chris Jericho makes surprise return to NJPW, GSP returns, more

The story of how the Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho match came to be, including what is and isn’t true regarding Jericho’s contract with WWE, is one of the lead stories of a loaded up double-issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. This issue also has coverage of UFC 217, NJPW Power Struggle and Impact Bound for Glory, an update on Survivor Series, a look at the career of Manami Toyota, and the last two months of business breakdowns for WWE, ROH and Impact.

The lead story details the announcement of Jericho vs. Omega, the video, the twitter feud, where the idea of the match came from and the steps that had to be taken to get it approved. Look at Jericho’s last WWE contract, what the nature of the NJPW deal really is, Omega’s NJPW contract and when it expires and his thoughts on 2018, and why NJPW made the match.

Check out the business of New Japan World, the lineup for the Tokyo Dome and why the matches are taking place, the goals for the Tokyo Dome, the NJPW return to the U.S. and pitfalls of the date and place, as well as a look the upcoming NJPW tag team tournament and full schedule.

Look at the return of GSP, the MSG UFC show, the three title changes, the PPV numbers, the live numbers, TV numbers, and other business notes. Plus, look at the future for the three weight classes impacted by the title changes and the reality of the GSP performance, full coverage of the show with poll results.

Read the update on Survivor Series, the Owens-Zayn incident that resulted in them being sent home, the updated card, ticket sales, and this week’s WWE title change backstory.

This issue has an update on the concussion lawsuit including new claims by attorney Konstantine Kyros about wrestlers who have suffered from CTE and living wrestlers having problems with dementia, more on Ric Flair’s 30 for 30, lots of news on the departure of Austin Aries from WWE, the common theme of those being let go, WWE star gets a new TV non-wrestling show and why this War Games is really nothing like the original.

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: Nov. 17, 1997 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: The Montreal Screwjob, pt. 1 and Nov. 24, 1997 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: The Montreal Screwjob, pt. 2

It will go down in history as the single most famous finish of a pro wrestling match in the modern era. Twenty or 30 years from now this story, more than any famous wrestler jumping promotions, more than any prominent death, and more than any record setting house, will be remembered vividly by all who watched it live, and remembered as legendary from all who hear about it later. Through the magic of videotape, the last minute of this match will live forever, and be replayed literally millions of times by tens of thousands of people all looking for the most minute pieces of detail to this strange puzzle.

Subscribers click here to continue.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

Lucha Underground has been officially renewed for a fourth season. There is a lot to this, but officially the next set of tapings are to be filmed early next year. The talk we’ve heard is March. For some talent, this is good news, but for the talent under contract that wants to sign with New Japan or WWE, this is not good news. This doesn’t make a difference regarding either Ricochet or Rey Mysterio Jr., who are gone from the promotion and their contracts have expired. But it does regarding people like Penta 0M, Jeff Cobb or others.

Tonight’s Bellator show is actually a tape delay and in the Charlie Ward fight, Conor McGregor goes completely out of control. It’s going to be very interesting to see how people have to bend over backwards to figure out a way not to suspend him for a long time based on what happened, including shoving a ref and slapping a member of the Bellator staff.  

Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn will be returning for television on Tuesday in Charlotte to face the New Day.

Don’t blink on tomorrow’s UFC show. It doesn’t have the kind of name talent as last Saturday, but the Norfolk show from an action standpoint looks like one of the best shows of the year as it’s filled with guys like Joe Lauzon, Dustin Poirier, Anthony Pettis, Junior Albini, Marloes Moraes, Matt Brown and Diego Sanchez who are guys that almost always give you great action fights.

The Bellator heavyweight tournament talked about on the front page is right now expected to start on 1/20 at the Forum in Los Angeles, which goes head-to-head with a UFC show on PPV from Boston. That will be a huge, long night. Even if not, the Forum show has Douglas Lima vs. Rory MacDonald for the welterweight title.

Eddy Steinblock, a longtime veteran of the German scene, passed away yesterday at the age of 61. He had his retirement match scheduled for today for the European Professional Wrestling promotion show against Gangrel. He started his career in 1980 during the heyday of the CWA with Otto Wanz, was trained by Rene Lasertesse and was regular with CWA from 1980 to 1998 as a huge heel until he made a face turn. He was a former judo champion and overcame major injuries.

WWE

  • Bryan Danielson talks more about his expected return to the ring later this year.
  • ESPN will be replaying the Ric Flair 30 for 30 on 11/19 at 10 p.m.
  • Dustin Rhodes will be brought to ringside for the War Games match at the 11/18 Takeover show in Houston. Dusty Rhodes invented the War Games match in 1987, although the reality is that he invented and what this match will be are very different and they are really just creating their own new match and using the name of a famous match.
  • The Bill Goldberg 24 documentary debuts after Raw on Monday night.
  • Jeff Hardy will be doing a concert on 11/25 in Greensboro at The Blind Tiger. This will take place after the conclusion of the Starrcade show at the Greensboro Coliseum that night.
  • Pat Laprade talks the Montreal screwjob 20 years later.
  • Sasha Banks talks to India Today about wanting to wrestle Kavita Devi, a woman weightlifter from India in developmental.

UFC

  • Ariel Helwani on Twitter noted that the most likely replacement for the injured Frankie Edgar in the 12/2 Detroit PPV main event against featherweight champion Max Holloway will be former champion Jose Aldo.
  • Jason Knight vs. Gabriel Benitez has been added to the 12/9 show in Fresno.
  • Thiago Alves, who has been appearing on a lot of episodes of Impact, returns to face Zak Cummings on the 1/14 show in St.Louis. Other fights added for that card are James Krause vs. Alex White and Polo Reyes vs. Matt Frevola.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Evolve has this new documentary in 4K on Keith Lee as WWN champion plus future plans for the title.
  • Pro wrestling returns tonight to the Cow Palace in San Francisco with Rey Mysterio Jr. & Juventud Guerrera vs. Penta 0M & Rey Fenix, Jeff Cobb vs. Jack Swagger and Reno Scum vs. Michael Elgin & Brian Cage as the top bouts. 
  • Austin Aries made his first appearance since his WWE release this past Saturday night for Impact Pro Wrestling, which is not the nationally televised promotion of a similar name. that group has its 20th anniversary show tomorrow night in Algona, IA at the Locker Room Bar & Grill.
  • Defy Wrestling tonight in Seattle at Washington Hall is headlined by champion Shane Strickland vs. Brody King, Tom Lawlor (managed by Bryan Alvarez) vs. Ethan Page and Sami Callihan vs Randy Myers. VICE will be filming the show for a documentary on independent wrestling.
  • Lou Sanchez, a Roller Derby star in the 60s and 70s, passed away on Monday after entering hospice care.
  • Legacy Fighting on 12/8 from Dallas at The Bomb Factory is on AXS TV live that night headlined by Evan Cutts (8-3) vs. Jaleel Wlllis (8-0) at welterweight pus Damon Jackson vs. Thai Clark at lightweight. The company’s final show of the year will be 12/15 on AXS from Prior Lake, MN, headlined by former UFC fighter Chico Camus (18-7) vs. Ricky Simon (10-1) for the bantamweight title and former Bellator star Mike Richman (18-7) vs. Jeff Peterson (8-4).
  • Cleveland Knights Championship Wrestling tomorrow night in Parma, OH at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is headlined by Billy Gunn vs. Joey Ryan plus a match involving the Rock & Roll Express.
  • NWL tonight in Kansas City features a match for the control of the promotion between owner Major Baisden’s team of the Besties in the World & Mike Outlaw & Thor & Jack foster vs. Team Jackson of Ace Steel & Michael Strider & Jeremy Wyatt & Leo & Marco Howlett.  Marti Belle vs. Carolina Rodriguez is also on the show.
  • Action Packed Wrestling on Sunday in Huntington, WV at 7 p.m. and Roll-a-Rama with Jock Samson vs. Progressive Liberal Daniel Richards as the main event.
  • Wrestle Circus announced that Aaron Solow, half of the tag team champions (and the fiance of WWE’s Bayley), has another wrestling commitemnt on 11/18 so he’s off the show in Austin. So there will be no tag team title match. New matches announced for that show on Twitch are Jimmy Jacobs vs. Ethan Page, Jervis Cottonbelly vs. Joey Ryan and a five-way with Rey Hours vs. JT Dunn vs. Jordan Len-X vs. Serpentico vs ACH. Other matches are Brian Cage vs. Keith Lee, Sammy Guevara vs. Matt Riddle, Zack Sabre Jr vs. Andrew Everett, Tessa Blanchard vs. Chelsea Green (Laurel Van Ness), Jimmy Jacobs vs. Ethan Page and Shane Strickland vs. Scorpio Sky. (thanks to Jake Koch)
  • Upstate Pro Wrestling tomorrow night in Rochester, NY at the Eagles Club for a 6 p.m. show headlined by Nick Ando vs. Sean Carr.
  • Diddy’s controversy over the Brother Love name is covered here. (thanks to Chris Cruise)
  • Not exactly pro wrestling or MMA, but this has its connections with Bob Costas talking about what he believes will be a collapse of football after more studies on brains come through. (thanks to Jim Lemond)
  • The Open weight World Judo Championships returns this weekend with Teddy Riner going for a record 10th world title and a record 100,000 euros for the gold medal. Free stream here.
  • Preview of an Erik Watts interview.
  • A story on the late Chris Taylor, an Olympic bronze medalist who got a ton of media pub in the 70s and wrestled for a few years on major shows around the country.
  • Notes on a lot of wrestling with the Jerry Lawler connection in the new Netflix documentary on the making of “Man on the Moon.” with Jim Carrey.

Today in Professional Wrestling History: Eddie Guerrero wins WCW Cruiserweight title

CONTACT INFORMATION

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

​