Daily Update: Pontiac Silverdome to be demolished, Alberto Del Rio contract

It’s actually a pretty quiet weekend.  WWE is running one tour since virtually the entire roster leaves either Monday night for a Dublin show on Wednesday or Tuesday night after Smackdown for aThursday show in Cardiff, Wales.  Nothing from UFC until 11/7.  Nothing from ROH until 11/13 in Milwaukee.

We’re looking for reports on tonight’s NXT show in Gainesville, FL and last night’s show in Citrus Springs, FL at Dave Meltzer We’re also looking for reports on tomorrow night’s NXT show in Gainesville, FL.

CMLL has an iPPV at 9:30 p.m. tonight with a Halloween theme for $6 at http://cmll.cleeng.com

Acero & Ultimo Dragoncito vs. Mercurio & Universito 2000

Esfinge & Oro Jr. & The Panther vs. Escandalo & Raziel & Super Comando

Marcela & Princesa Sugei & Vaquerita vs. Amapola & Dallys & Zeuxis

Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero & Euforia vs. Dragon Rojo & Thunder & Bobby Z

Super Parka & Maximo sxy & Valiente vs. Rush & La Mascara & Marco Corleone

Volador Jr. vs. La Sombra for NWA Historic welterweight title

New Japan World Pro Wrestling Returns at 8 p.m. tonight (one hour earlier than usual)

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi for the IC title from last year’s Tokyo Dome.  This was one of the best matches of this year.

WWE has house shows on Saturday in Billings, Montana and Sunday in Casper, Wyoming.  The crew will be Roman Reigns, Dolph Ziggler, Tyler Breeze, Sheamus, Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Dean Ambrose, New Day and Prime Time Players.

AXS Fights at 9 p.m. tonight from Lincoln, RI

The jr. tag team tournament continues on late Saturday night/early Sunday on New Japan World from Korakuen Hall.  The live show starts at 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning Eastern time

Jushin Liger & Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka vs. Tiger Mask & David Finlay & Jay White

Togi Makabe & Captain New Japan & Juice Robinson vs. Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata & Mascara Dorada

Alex Shelley & Kushida vs. Chase Owens & Kenny Omega

Shinsuke Nakamura & Toru Yano & Kazushi Sakuraba & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows & Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga

Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomoaki Honma & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo

Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero & Baretta in the semifinals of the jr. tag tourney

Young Bucks vs. Ricochet & Matt Sydal in the semifinals of the jr. tag tourney

Dragon Gate Gate of Destiny at 3:30 a.m. late Saturday/early Sunday, one of the biggest company shows of the year from the Edion Arena in Osaka at http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv238824025

Super Shisa & Shachihoko Boy vs. Yosuke Santa Maria & U-T

Kzy & Big R Shimizu & Draztick Boy vs. Eita & Lindaman & Kaito Ishida

Cyber Kong & Mondai Ryu vs. Punch Tominaga & Takehiro Yamamaura

Dragon Kid & Flamita vs. Genki Horiguchi & Jimmy Kanda

Akira Tozawa vs. Kotoka vs.. Naoki Tanizaki for the Open the Brave Gate title

Cima & Don Fujii & Gamma vs. Jimmy Susumu & Jimmy K-Ness & Ryo Saito for the Open the Triangle Gate title

Yamato & Naruki Doi vs. Masato Yoshino & T-Hawk for the Open the Twin Gate title

Shingo Takagi vs. Masaaki Mochizuki for the Open the Dream Gate title

Raw is Monday in Denver.  Nobody special is advertised, but as noted, Alberto Del Rio is scheduled for television both Monday and Tuesday for WWE.

Smackdown will be taped Tuesday in Colorado Springs.

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Figure Four Weekly:

Figure Four Weekly (10/26/15): Analyzing some the favorites for the Hall of Fame
A look at some of the favorites to get into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame this year including Brock Lesnar, Carlos Colon, & more.

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Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Check out the latest issue:  Wrestling Observer Newsletter October 26, 2015: Raw ratings woes continue, More Eric Bischoff notes

The lead story is how the Alberto Del Rio deal went down, with full details, including financials that even blew away those in WWE and those who used to negotiate these deals.  We look at how in demand he was, including by organizations you wouldn’t even know, an angle he shot for MMA that was kept secret and will never probably see the light of day on television, and how this affects AAA, where he is their world champion.

We look at the ramifications of this on WWE, AAA, how the deal was put together, how he positioned it to AAA, how AAA has taken a huge talent hit, when the deal was really put together, how Del Rio was scheduled to main event AAA’s next major show against what top U.S. star in a hair match, and his dates advertised in Mexico.  We look at other promotions that wanted him, Konnan talking about how the Myzteziz and Del Rio situation affects AAA, the Zeb Colter deal, how Lucha Underground and Del Rio fell apart as well as his huge money MMA offer just recently.

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

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CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • A note on the report in this week’s Observer regarding different sources listing a $1.45 million downside guarantee for Alberto Del Rio in returning to WWE.  According to other sources with knowledge of exactly what his contract entails, while he may very well make that much over the next year in WWE, he was not given a guarantee close to that.  It appears from here that when the Lucha Underground deal fell apart, that he wanted to go back to WWE and that’s really it.  As noted before, he will be at TV Monday and Tuesday and then he’ll be leaving after Tuesday night for the entire European tour, so AAA being told he was going to work their TV’s on 11/7 and 11/15 isn’t happening and one questions if they’ll even get him back for a date.
  • The Pontiac Silverdome — home of Wrestlemania III — is coming crashing down and it hurts inside.
  • Paul Heyman will be on the FS 1 pre-game show for the World Series shortly after 7 p.m. tonight.  No word on his role.
  • While there will be a full crew for Raw on Monday, Smackdown will be a skeleton crew.  Those leaving for Dublin after Raw, thus not scheduled for Smackdown, are right now listed as Seth Rollins, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, Big Show, Kane, Cesaro, New Day, Dudleys, Bella Twins, Alicia Fox, Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Paige.  All of this is always subject to last minute change.
  • WWE stock started bouncing back, up 44 cents per saher today to $17.83
  • Alexa Bliss, Blake & Murphy have been added to the WrestleMania party in Dallas.
  • Friend of the site and Fight Network/LAW Radio star John Pollock recently interviewed Bubba Ray Dudley. Bubba said he’d be up for reviving his TNA heel character in WWE if asked, and would be interested in having an arrangement with the 3D Wrestling and WWE NXT/, given they are 20 minutes apart.
  • The Bellas talk about Dr. Tom Prichard’s reaction to them watching the Jumping Bomb Angels.
  • Here’s a retro look by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on WWE Hall-of-Famer Bruno Sammartino following his broken neck suffered at the hands of Stan Hansen. There’s some cool pictures in here.
  • WWE talent talks about who they wish was in the 2K 16 video game, including The Jumping Bomb Angels, Lou Thesz, Dick Murdoch, Terry Funk, Pat O’Connor (Daniel Bryan’s pick apparently and probably for good reason) and more
  • This is the WrestleMania seating chart

UFC/MMA

  • Here’s the full conference call audio for UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm featuring the women’s bantamweight champion hanging up after being asked about Travis Browne. The awkwardness afterward is quite something.
  • As alluded in today’s post on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s injury, Edson Barboza is taking the Russian’s place to fight Tony Ferguson at the 12/11 UFC Fight Night show in Las Vegas, NV.
  • The New Jersey Athletic Control Board will be hosting a Combat Sports Medicine Symposium on 11/17 on the topic of concussions and head injuries, standard of care and clearance for both combat sport and contact sports athletes.  The symposium will give findings for the past 18 months of work of Dr. Sheryl Wulkan and medical colleagues in sports medicine.  It will free of charge and open to the combat and contact sports communities but registration is required at 609-341-5038 or sacbwebinfo@lps.state.nj.us and takes place at 10 a.m. at the Richard Hughes Justice Complex 4th floor in Trenton, NJ.

Other Wrestling

  • Trailer for new Buff Bagwell documentary
  • Midwest All Pro Wrestling has an event on November 7 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota featuring “Eugene” Nick Dinsmore, “Kizarny” Sinn Bodhi and a meet and greet with UFC fighter Shayna Baszler (who is from Sioux Falls).
  • Steel Domain Wrestling presents the “Portland Avenue Brawl” on November 7 in Richfield, Minnesota featuring Ryan Slade, Danny Duggan, AJ Smooth and Aryia Davari.
  • David Angle, the 62-year-old brother of Kurt will be standing trial on charges of criminal homicide in regard to the death of wife Donna on 9/20.  David is accused of arguing with his wife about not wanting to drink Vodka, and when she tried to kick him in their home, he allegedly dragged her off the couch, stepped on her chest and pulled her arms at the same time.  she went unconscious and David called 911 when he couldn’t revive her.
  • ROH announced A.J. Styles & Young Bucks vs. Jay Lethal & Donovan Dijak & Joey Daddiego (formerly J Diesel) plus, Michael Bennett & Matt Taven vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish for the tag titles, ACH vs. Matt Sydal in the final of the best-of-five series, and Mark Briscoe vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Hanson vs. Kenny King, Jay Briscoe vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Ray Rowe vs. Rhett Titus, Michael Elgin vs. Adam Cole vs. Moose, Dalton Castle vs. Silas Young vs. Adam Page and Roderick Strong vs. Cedric Alexander for 11/13 at the Turner Half Ballroom in Milwaukee.  The winners of the Multiple Person matches, all part of the Survival of the Fittest weekend, go to the Survival of the Fittest match the next night in Hopkins, MN.  
  • Tyler Colton defends the CWE title against Charlie Haas on 12/4 in Winnipeg.
  • Hoosier Pro Wrestling on 11/7 in Columbus, IN at the 4-H Fairgrounds has its 17th anniversary show and a fund raiser for the Fireman’s Cheer Fund with $1 of every ticket going to the fund.  Tommy Rich headlines plus Flash Flanagan vs. TJ Kemp for the HPW title and Crazy Mary Dobson vs. Amazing Maria.
  • Brandon Girtz vs. Derek Campos has been added to the 11/20 Bellator show in Thackerville, OK at the WinStar World Casino, a show headlined by Melvin Manhoef vs. Hisaki Kato.
  • The newest edition of the book “1001 Movies You Must See Before you Die” is out.  Movies on the list that include pro wrestlers:

“Murder My Sweet” (Mike Mazurki)

“On the Waterfront” (Tony Galento, Tiger Joe Marsh)

“The Ten Commandments (Woody Strode)

“Some Luke It” (Mike Mazurki)

“Ben Hur (Lord Athol Layton)

“Spartacus” (Woody Strode)    

“The Man Who Short Liberty Valance” (Woody Strode)

“Goldfinger” (Harold Sakata)

“Once Upon a Time in the West (Woody Strode)

“Kes” (Brian Glover)

“The Godfather” (Len Montana)

“Blazing Saddles” (Alex Karras)

“Jaws” (Joe LaCreta0

“Raging Bull” (Count Billy Varga, Gene LeBell, Jimmy Lennon Sr.)

“An American Werewolf in London” (Brian Glover)

“The Princess Bride” (Andre the Giant)

“Scream” (David Arquette)

“Buffalo 66” (Alex Karras)

“The Dark Knight” (Tiny Lister)

“Guardians of the Galaxy” (Dave Bautista)

Also, while he was not a pro wrestler, Jason Hervey was in “Back to the Future,” which made the list

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

1967 – Ripper Collins beat Mark Lewin in Newcastle to win the IWA heavyweight title

1971 – Jumbo Miyamoto & Myoko Hoshino beat Maria Vagnone & Jane Sherrill in Okayama to win the WWWA tag title

1985 – Chic Cullen beat Rollerball Mark Rocco in Leicester to win the world mid heavyweight title

1986 – Ashura Hara & Super Strong Machine beat Takashi Ishikawa & Mighty Inoue to win the All Asia tag title

1994 – Keiji Muto & Hiroshi Hase beat Masahiro Chono & Super Strong Machine in Tokyo to win the MSG Super Grade tag team tournament

1999 – Vader beat Mitsuharu Misawa to win the Triple Crown

2004 – Dru Onyx beat Fergal Devitt (Finn Balor) in Nashville to win the NWA Hammerlock British Commonwealth title

2005 – Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Shinsuke Nakamura & Hiroshi Tanahashi in Kobe to win the IWGP tag team titles

2010 – Sabu beat Damian 666 in Tlanepantla to win the X-Law Int. heavyweight title

2012 – Atlantis & Delta & Guerrero Maya Jr. beat Black Warrior & Mr. Aguila & Volador Jr. in Mexico City to win the Mexican national trios titles.