Daily Update: UFC Ottawa, Fedor, Cena plays Hogan, plus Adam Cole and ROH

  • F4W Staff
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Fedor Emelianenko “won” a crazy decision last night in his fight against Fabio Maldonado in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the EFN promotion. For those of you who have not seen the fight, head over to UFC Fight Pass and watch it immediately as it was an amazing spectacle. Our own Bryan Alvarez and “Filthy” Tom Lawlor did live commentary as the fight was happening.

It started with a crazy first round that could have been scored a 10-8 possibly for Maldonado, and possibly stopped. In rounds two and three, both men were extremely tired and it became quite the embarrassment, not quite the level of Dada 5000 vs. Kimbo Slice, but an embarrassment for Fedor who was once considered the greatest fighter of all time. Fedor won on score cards of 29-28, 29-28, and 28-28, earning him the majority decision. Our Dave Meltzer has much more on this story here.

[Dan Velten]

For this weekend, we have polls for WWE Money in the Bank and New Japan Dominion, so thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for each show to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com. 

UFC ON SATURDAY FROM OTTAWA

Fight Pass at 6:45 p.m. Eastern time

  • Ali Bagautinov (13-4) vs. Geane Herrera (9-1)
  • Colby Covington (8-1) vs. Jonathan Meunier (7-0)
  • Randa Markos (5-3) vs. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (6-2)
  • Sam Alvey (26-7) vs. Elias Theodorou (11-1)

FS 2 at 8:30 p.m.

  • Chris Beal (10-2) vs. Joe Soto (15-5)
  • Krzysztof Jotko (17-1) vs. Tamdan McCrory (14-3)
  • Mischa Cirkunov (11-2) vs. Ion Cutelebaba (11-1)
  • Jason Saggo (11-2) vs. Leandro Silva (19-3-1)

FS 1 at 10:30 p.m.

  • Joanne Calderwood (10-1) vs. Valerie Letourneau (8-4)
  • Olivier Aubin Mercier (7-2) vs. Thibault Gouti (11-1)
  • Steve Bosse (11-2) vs. Sean O’Connell (17-7)
  • Donald Cerrone (29-7) vs. Patrick Cote (23-9)
  • Stephen Thompson (12-1) vs. Rory MacDonald (18-3)

NEW JAPAN DOMINION AT 3 A.M. EASTERN TIME LATE SATURDAY/EARLY SUNDAY FROM OSAKA JO HALL ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Jay White & Juice Robinson & David Finlay
  • Togi Makabe & Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan vs. Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi & Adam Page
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Seiya Sanada & Bushi
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Evil
  • Ricochet & Matt Sydal vs. Young Bucks vs. Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rocky Romero & Trent Baretta for IWGP jr. tag title in an elimination match
  • Kushida vs. Will Ospreay for IWGP jr. title
  • Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. Mark & Jay Briscoe for IWGP tag team titles
  • Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuyori Shibata for Never Open weight title
  • Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin in a ladder match for IWGP IC title
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada for IWGP heavyweight title

WWE MONEY IN THE BANK PPV AT 7 P.M. EASTERN TIME FROM THE T-MOBILE ARENA IN LAS VEGAS

  • Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for WWE title
  • John Cena vs. A.J. Styles
  • Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro in the Money in the Bank ladder match
  • New Day vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Vaudevillains vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass for tag team titles
  • Rusev vs. Titus O’Neil for U.S. title
  • Natalya & Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte & Dana Brooke
  • Apollo Crews vs. Sheamus
  • Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin
  • Goldust & R-Truth vs. Breeze & Fandango (pre-show match)
  • Dudleys vs. Lucha Dragons (pre-show match)

Raw will be live on Monday night from Phoenix.

Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday night in Tucson, AZ.

We’re also looking for reports on Saturday’s WWE house show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. 

THE ROUNDUP

The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas takes place during UFC’s International Fight Week from July 7 – 11.Ed in San Antonio has information up on Facebook, or you can email him at F4Wfan@hotmail.com. It’s always a fun time, so hurry up and make your plans to join Dave Meltzer, Bryan Alvarez (yes he’ll be there), Vinny, Granny, and the rest of the group in beautiful Las Vegas this July.

Our “lunch with Granny” is good-to-go at Johnny Rockets (in Excalibur), just like last year, on Saturday July 9th, at 11:30 a.m. local time. We have the “patio area” reserved for us. We’ve also been granted 10% discounts. Just tell the cashier that you’re a part of “Granny’s Gang!” And of course… the star of this event, Ms. Gladys Gibson, just has to show up and be her charming self, and she eats for FREE! See y’all in about three weeks!

​If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!

Figure Four Weekly 6/13/2016: Gawker files for bankruptcy – Depending on your point of view, Hulk Hogan went one step further towards either succeeding or failing in his lawsuit against Gawker Media last Friday when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the type that allows the company to continue operating. 

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

READ IT HERE: June 20, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: UFC 199/NXT Takeover reviews, UFC ownership bidding ending soon, more

This week’s Observer has a major story on the gamble of Brock Lesnar in UFC 200, the most in-depth look at the Ariel Helwani situation that you’ll find anywhere, full coverage of NXT Takeover, UFC 199, WWE Money in the Bank, and the details of TNA’s struggle to stay alive, its PPV and its future. There’s also a breakdown on the WWE cruiserweight classic, and monthly WWE and TNA business figures.

Take a look at Michael Bisping’s unlikely title win, all the ramifications of the Lesnar deal, what it shows about WWE, a look back at the last time WWE risked one of their stars against an outsider without scripting, how Ariel Helwani got to be a star reporter and how that played into what happened last week, and what aspects of the story that are really more important that haven’t been covered or have been overlooked, all covered in this week’s issue.

WWE looks at the possibility of adding PPV shows and the good and bad of that decision-making, and some economics of that decision. 

A key WWE musician passes away, more on what Ali learned from pro wrestling, Bryan Danielson attends WWE event, Bobby Roode’s debut, notes on SummerSlam, new WWE executive hire, new WWE announcer, WWE looking for new members of creative, who is expected to return shortly, another animated WWE movie, update on Paul Heyman plus a full rundown on all the WWE & NXT live events this past week and business notes on the shows, in this edition.

Take a look at the background of the NXT Takeover show, the debut of Andrade Cien Almas and what did and didn’t work, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings.

For UFC 199, we look at the state of the middleweight title, how everything lines up, whom Michael Bisping wants next, as well as match-by-match coverage along with pay records for those on the show.

Finally, read how TNA saved its recent TV tapings and PPV, why they were close to not happening, where money came from, and what to look out for in the future. Plus, check out Slammiversary with match-by-match coverage and star ratings.

Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL PREVIEW.

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Check out the latest online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: May 10, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Fans celebrate life of Giant Baba at Tokyo Dome, PRIDE 5 recap, more. The final chapter in the career and life of Shohei Baba took place on the biggest show he ever main evented and the biggest show he ever promoted–some three months after his death.

SATURDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE & PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

  • Our Paul Fontaine passed on a clip of WWE’s John Cena Tuesday appearance on NBC’s Maya and Marty show. In the first skit, he played a firefighter with a group of other guys in the firehouse as they all talked about who might get selected for the firefighter calendar. The joke was that Cena is all jacked up and the rest are middle-aged, out of shape dudes. He got a good crowd reaction and showed great comedic timing as he always does.
  • The second skit has to be seen to be believed. Cena played himself auditioning for the part of Hulk Hogan in “Hulk Hogan vs Gawker”, FX’s follow-up to “The People vs OJ Simpson”. His main competition for the role was David Schwimmer (played by Martin Short). The writers obviously knew all of the material in the case, as they had another actor playing James Van Der Beek, auditioning for the part of Bubba the Love Sponge. Cena’s Hogan impersonation was pretty funny and this is the type of thing you’d obviously never see on WWE.

UFC & Mixed Martial Arts

  • Yesterday’s NY Times had a full page devoted to Russian based MMA fighters who are making inroads into fighting. (thanks to Paul Kacprzak)
  • Last night’s WSOF 31 show was one of the better shows in their history and worth checking out if you get a chance. The main event, which featured Blagoi Ivanov retaining his heavyweight title with a 5 round decision over Josh Copeland, is a legit fight of the year candidate and reminiscent of the Mark Hunt-Bigfoot Silva fight from a few years back.
  • UFC Fight Pass will air a Vale Tudo Japan show at 3 am eastern early Sunday morning. The show features all Japanese fighters with little to no name value in North America.

MISCELLANEOUS

TODAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY:Brisco Brothers win NWA Tag Team Titles, CM Punk wins ROH Title

​SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR

  • TONIGHT – Ronin Pro Wrestling is in Pembroke Pines, FL at the Broward College South Campus Gym as Joey Ryan, Candice LaRae and Johnny Gargano.
  • TONIGHT – MCW “Base Brawl” at the Regency Furniture Stadium, 11765 St. Linus DR in Waldorf, MD. Tickets here. Ron Simmons, Billy Gunn, and X-Pac will be there.
  • TONIGHT – UFC in Ottawa: Rory McDonald vs. Stephen Thompson
  • TONIGHT – New England Fights (NEF) returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine with “NEF 24: PROMISED LAND.” Tickets for “NEF 24” are on sale now.
  • TOMORROW – Steel Pro Wrestling runs at the KoC in Hamilton, ON.
  • TOMORROW – New Japan Dominion – Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada in an IWGP title match and Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin in a ladder match for the IC title
  • TOMORROW – WWE Money in the Bank from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
  • June 24 – ROH Best in the World from Concord, NC with Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH title
  • June 24 – Isao Kobayashi vs. Justin Lawrence will appear on Spike.com at the Bellator Dynamite show in St. Louis. This is a combo MMA & kickboxing show.
  • June 24 – Thrash Wrestling “Passion for Smashin” – Schubert Centre 3505 30th Avenue, Vernon, British Columbia V1T 2E6
  • June 25 – The United Wrestling Coalition returns to Kelly’s Bar/Banquet Hall in Wrightstown, New Jersey for UWC Fan Appreciation Night!
  • June 25 – PWA Night of Champions – Century Casino Showroom – 1010 42 Ave SE Calgary, Alberta
  • June 25 – Pure Wrestling Association, Wakas Community Hall, 180 Tsulquate Rd, Port Hardy, BC
  • June 25 – Great North Wrestling returns to the Pembroke Memorial Centre, featuring Nicolai Volkoff. Tickets available here.
  • June 25 – The UWC returns to Kelly’s Bar/Banquet Hall, 14 Railroad Avenue, Wrightstown, NJ 08562. More information here.
  • June 25 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
  • June 26 – Ultima Lucha tapings in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles at The Temple
  • July 1 – Pure Wrestling Association is proud to announce our 7th year as part of the Canada Day Celebration. Riverside Park Cambridge, Cambridge, Ontario N3H.
  • July 2 – Stars of Wrestling from Alameda, CA at the Alameda Point Gym has Bobby Lashley, Carlito and The Boogeyman appearing.
  • July 2 – NWA Cajun Heat in Morgan City, LA at the Municipal Auditorium with Jax Dane vs. Mustang Mike for the NWA title, and an appearance by Kevin Nash
  • July 7 – Rock Solid Wrestling runs in Sudbury, ON.
  • July 7-11 The 10th annual Wrestling Observer/F4W convention in Las Vegas, EdinSanAntonio has information up on Facebook, or email him F4Wfan@hotmail.com
  • July 9 – Acclaim Pro Wrestling presents: Star-Mageddon 6!
  • July 9 – Smash Wrestling in Fort Erie, ONT at the Native Friendship Center. Chris Hero will headline this fundraising event.
  • July 17 – Lucha by the Water ft Blue Demon Jr! – Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 231 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2G8, 3-6 pm. Tickets here.
  • July 17 – Premier Wrestling at the IFDES Lodge and Portuguese Hall in Gilroy, CA with Joe Graves vs. Gabriel Gallo for the Premier. Tickets at www.premierwrestle.com.
  • July 22 – Ignite Wrestling in Fort Pierce, FL at the National Guard Armory on a show with Lince Dorado, Mr. 450 Hammet, Lio Rush, Martin Stone, Los Ben Dejos, and more
  • July 23 – Chikara Pro announced a doubleheader event at Toronto’s Franklin Horner Community Center.
  • July 24 – Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. headlines for Lucha Libre New York at Club LaBoom in Queens, NY