Daily Update: Samoa Joe update, Ferguson & Werdum, EVOLVE

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FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY:Figure Four Weekly 9/25/2017: Recapping WWE No Mercy

While No Mercy may have been the biggest brand-exclusive pay-per-view that WWE has put on since the roster split, it was clear coming out of the show that the company’s focus is on building to one future match. Whether it’s at WrestleMania in New Orleans next year or at some point before then, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns are on a collision course towards an inevitable meeting.

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WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER:October 2, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWE No Mercy reviewed, potential CTE test for the living, more

While WWE likes to keep things unpredictable, it was not a secret from even before this year’s WrestleMania that the main event for the 2018 Mania was supposed to be what was planned for 2015–Roman Reigns being crowned as the top star in the promotion by pinning Brock Lesnar.

The crowd turning on Reigns made Vince McMahon rethink the idea and plan it for 2016. And then he figured it wasn’t right for that year, as he instead had Reigns run through the hated authority by beating HHH and spearing Stephanie McMahon, or the next year, when he beat The Undertaker.

If anyone thought the rise of Braun Strowman changed those plans, No Mercy told the story.

In the two key “WrestleMania caliber matches,” Lesnar beat Braun Strowman in a lackluster match after kicking out of his finisher twice and beating him with one F-5. Reigns kicked out of three John Cena Attitude Adjustments and beat him with one spear.

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WON BACK ISSUE: September 4, 2000: Fantastic WWE Summerslam reviewed, big ECW weekend, more

As the bar raises once again, the question becomes when does the bar hit the breaking point. SummerSlam was a spectacular show, with a great main event storyline going in, and even with a little tweaking of the main event itself due to Kurt Angle’s injury, a strong storyline paid off at the end while leaving the viewers still wanting more. But the match that stole the show was the tables, ladders and chairs match with Christian & Edge, The Dudleys and the Hardys.

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THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE

Samoa Joe did an interview with Sky Sports today and said he’s undergone two operations. He suffered a torn meniscus and had surgery. He said he’s actually needed the knee surgery since joining NXT but didn’t have time to take time off. He also said he’s had nasal surgery since he’s broken his nose eight times and was only breathing at 60 percent and feels a lot better. 

There was nearly a brawl between Tony Ferguson and Fabricio Werdum at a UFC press conference earlier today for the 10/7 PPV. Werdum interrupted Ferguson and the two started arguing in Spanish and got up and squared off until officials calmed them down.

Ethan Page has left EVOLVE. Regarding rumors, given the timing, that he was the person who leaked the wrestlers memo out, we’re told that has nothing to do with him and the belief it was leaked by a wrestler who doesn’t work for the company. We were told that Page was going to finish up with WWN next week, but after how things went this past week, they decided to end it there.

EVOLVE will headline the 10/14 show in Queens, NY at LaBoom with Matt Riddle vs. Keith Lee in a last man standing match. 

WWE

  • Fightful.com and Chris Harrington have an article on Samantha Rotunda, who is filing for divorce from Windham Rotunda (Bray Wyatt), and has requested all of his pay records from 201 to the present. WWE agreed to produce his 1099’s, booking contracts and some licensing contracts but claimed the cost of compliance with the subpoena would be between $247,500 and $483,000. On 9/22, the lawyers for Samantha Rotunda filed a motion in Superior Court in Stamford, CT saying that the WWE was acting in bad faith and attempting to intimidate the litigant from going through discovery and finding out her husband’s true financial picture.
  • The Buffalo News has a story about Chris Jericho and Fozzy coming to Buffalo.
  • Here’s an interview Glen Jacobs did about running for Mayor of Knox County:

What about your time in WWE has prepared for you for politics?

I’ve been in WWE for 22 years and reached a point in my career where, within the locker room, I’m one of the people that guys come to if something needs to be discussed. I’m also one of the people that the WWE executives, if there is a problem in the locker room, I’m one people that is consulted about that. … It’s actually my involvement in WWE that I’ve found hopefully will help me out in the political realm.

You were known for being somewhat politically active while in the WWE but haven’t run for office until now. What made you think the time was right?

I’m 50 years old. There’s a bit of a time constraint maybe. (laughs) It’s just that time in my life and for my family as well that it’s a good decision for me to pursue this.

Why run on the local level and not something on the state or federal levels?

At the federal level, as a member of Congress, you have one vote out of 435, and in the Senate it’s one out of 100. So, the ability to get some stuff done exists as a much larger opportunity at a local level than in the federal government.

How often do you get a chance to watch WWE these days?

I catch a little most Mondays. I’m really happy to see Braun Strowman. People ask me who reminds me of me, and it’s probably him. So, I’m really happy to see him doing so well. I think WWE is in very good hands with — they’re not even the younger generation anymore — but with the people that are there now carrying the flag for them.

Are you retired from the ring at this point or is that dependent on the outcome of the election?

We have a saying in the WWE: never say never. So, I can’t answer that question. (laughs)

UFC

  • Andrea Lee, one of the more talked about woman fighters outside the UFC, was scheduled to debut on the 10/7 show in Las Vegas. However, her 125 pound fight with Kalindra Faria, just announced, is off. Lee had a drug test failure in her past, and USADA rules are that UFC can’t book someone who is debuting with a past positive test unless they go through six months of passing drug tests.
  • UFC announced new fights for a 12/9 show in Fresno today: Alexis Davis vs. Liz Carmouche, at 125 pounds, Scott Holtzman vs. Darrell Horcher, Antonio Braga Neto vs. Trevin Giles and Alex Perez vs. Carls John de Tomas.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Heroes of Lucha Libre runs Sunday at the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario, CA, the same place Raw came from on Monday. The main event is Blue Demon Jr. & Tinieblas Jr & L.A. Park vs. Sam Adonis & Russian Hacker & Trumposo, plus there will be a special appearance of Mil Mascaras, and Pirata Morgan and Mascara Sagrada appear.
  • MCW on Saturday night at Tribute to the Legends at the MCW Arena in Joppa, MD from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and then a live show at 6:30 p.m. The convention has Bill Goldberg, Christian, Kevin Nash, Bully Ray, The Steiner Brothers, Tammy Sytch, Rosemary, Joey Matthews, The Spirit Squad, Manny Fernandez, Tony Atlas, Mandy Leon, Jillian Hall, Virgil, Francine, Brian Christopher, Madison Rayne, Gary Cappetta, Robert Fuller, Henry Godwinn and Bill Apter.
  • The Berwyn Eagles Club on 11/10 will have a meet and greet with Madusa, who will bring with her the WWF women’s title belt that she threw in the garbage on Nitro. For more info go to pipeline.ecwid.com
  • Innovative Wrestling on 10/14 in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium.
  • Premier Championship Wrestling on 9/30 in Cleveland at Turners Hall featuring an eight-team tag team title tournament plus Jonathan Gresham vs. Ace Perry for the welterweight title.
  • Hannibal vs. Vampire Warrior Gangrel plus Flash Funk and Quebecer Pierre on Saturday night in Napanee, Canada at the Community Arena. 
  • Darby Allin vs. Jason Cade, Jimmy Yuta vs. MJF and Martin Stone have been added to the MLW show on 10/5 at Gilt Night Club in Orlando, which is headlined by Ricochet vs. Shane Strickland, MVP vs. Sami Callihan and Jeff Cobb vs. Tom Lawlor.
  • Marty DeRosa will be doing wrestling comedy on 10/6 at 8:30 p.m. at the Alex Theater in Cleveland.
  • AAW on 10/7 in LaSalle, IL at the Knights of Columbus has Penta 0M vs. Rey Fenix for the AAW title, first round matches in a women’s tournament with Candice LeRae vs. Britt Baker, Rachael Ellering vs. Allysin Kay, plus Sami Callihan vs. AR Fox, Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz vs. Hooligans, Michael Elgin & Myron Reed vs.. Keith Lee & Shane Strickland, plus Chuck Taylor, Eddie Kingston, Alex Daniels and more.
  • AAW also has the Jim Lyman Memorial tournament on 10/13 and 10/14 at the Eagles Club in Berwyn, IL. The first round matches are Michael Elgin vs. either Penta 0M or 
  • Rey Fenix (the loser on 10/7), AR Fox vs Dezmond Xavier, Zema Ion vs. Andrew Everett, Mark Haskins vs. Eddie Kingston, Sami Callihan vs. Mat Fitchett, ACH vs. Curt Stallion, Jeff Cobb vs. Zachary Wentz and Brian Cage vs. Myron Reed. The main event is Zack Sabre Jr. & Matt Riddle vs.. Keith Lee & Shane Strickland. On 10/14 will be the final right plus Low Ki and Jack Evans appear.
  • Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore runs 11/17 in St. James, NY at the Sports Arena with Dreamer, Austin Aries, MVP, Billy Gunn, Petey Williams, Joey Matthews, Nick Aldis and Shane Douglas. They also run 11/18 in Philadelphia at the 2300 Arena.
  • Impact has tickets on sale for its shows in Ottawa from 11/5’s Bound for Glory and nightly for TV tapings through 11/10. There is a presale with the code IMPACTCANADA. Tickets go on ale to the public at Noon tomorrow.
  • Jake Roberts returns to San Antonio on 11/3 for River City Wrestling at Turner Hall in Kirby, TX. Katie Forbes vs. Rebel is on the show plus Hernandez.
  • The Godfather will be coming to Winnipeg for the Central Canadian Comic Con on 10/28 from 1-5 p.m. The local CWE promotion will present three days of wrestling at the convention.
  • The Hamilton, ONT Comic Con this weekend will have a tribute to the first Royal Rumble with guests Jim Duggan, One Man Gang, Pat Patterson, Brian Blair, Jim Brunzell, Nikolai Volkoff, Shawn Michaels and Road Warrior Animal (thanks to James Ponce)
  • The El Rey Network will be debuting a new martial arts series, “Buishido Battleground,” which starts 10/18 at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Former UFC fighter Nate Quarry will host the show along with former NFL star Tony Parrish. The show will feature fights in locations all around the world from Thailand, to Mexico, to Los Angeles. The first episode has fights from the bullring in Tijuana and Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattya, Thailand.
  • Combate Americas announced John Castaneda as the first entrant in an eight-man one-night tournament on 11/11 in Cancun, Mexico. The idea is an eight-man tournament on the 24th anniversary weekend of the first UFC event. The one-night tournament will feature eight bantamweights with the winner of the tournament getting $100,000.
  • There will be a women’s wrestling event on Saturday all day in Chicago at the Music Box Theater. They will first air the premiere of a new movie called “Signature Move” about two men from different cultures who go into Lucha Libre, and at 5 p.m. will have a women’s pro wrestling show at The Hangar at Fort Knox Studios with Mercedes Martinez vs. Jessicka Havok for the Shimmer title, Rachael Ellering vs. Chelsea Green, Delilah Doom vs. Dust, Kiera Hogan vs Kikyo, Hudson Envy vs. Samantha Heights, Amanda Carolina Rodriguez & Rosa Negra vs. Dominique Fabiano & Laynie Luck plus Thunderkitty and Randi West from the movie Signature Move will appear. More information is here.
  • Here’s a story on the toll pro wrestling takes on the body.
  • Reality TV star Lisa Appleton talks about how she’s often mistaken for Chyna now that she’s in Los Angeles.
  • The Tampa Bay Tribune has a story looking back at a 1951 feature they did on Gorgeous George. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)

Today in Professional Wrestling History: AWA SuperClash 1985

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