Daily Update: UFC ratings, TNA Destination X, UFC Fight Night

  • F4W Staff
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UFC Ratings Strong

The early returns for International Fight Week are very good for UFC in terms of television ratings. The TUF 23 finale Friday night on FS 1 did 1,086,000 viewers for the main card headlined by the strawweight title defence by Joanna Jedrzejczyk over Claudia Gadelha. That was the highest viewership total for a TUF finale since December of 2013, the season coached by Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate. The prelims did 642,000, slightly up from recent shows but down from the year to date average. In terms of demos, it was the #2 show on cable in the 18-49 age group and among males in that age group, it was #1.

The UFC 200 prelims on FS 1 did 1,786,000 on average, the highest number for a PPV prelims show since March of this year. It was the third highest total for a PPV prelims show on FS 1, behind only the last two Conor McGregor shows. PPV prelims are often a good indicator of PPV buys. They were #1 in both the 18-34 and 18-49 demos in all of cable on the night.

[Paul “Ace” Fontaine]

Smackdown, the final taped episode of the show, will be recorded tonight night in Grand Rapids, MI.

TNA Destination X

This will air almost live tonight on Pop TV

  • Bobby Lashley vs. Eddie Edwards with both the TNA and X division titles at stake
  • Sienna vs. Marti Bell vs. Gail Kim vs. Jade for the TNA knockouts title
  • A ladder match for an upcoming X title shot with Rockstar Spud, Braxton Sutter, Mandrews, Andrew Everett, Trevor Lee and DJZ
  • Drew Galloway vs. Ethan Carter III street fight
  • Plus Matt Hardy will talk the fallout of Final Deletion.

TNA will also be taping Wednesday in Orlando so we’ll be looking for reports on that show.   

Wednesday is crazy on television with a live UFC show, Ultima Lucha Dos, Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura on NXT and the first round of the Cruiserweight Classic tournament.

UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker

Main Card (Fox Sports 1)

  • Bantamweight: Michael McDonald vs. John Lineker                
  • Lightweight: Tony Ferguson vs. Landon Vannata                
  • Middleweight: Tim Boetsch vs. Josh Samman                
  • Heavyweight: Daniel Omielańczuk vs. Oleksiy Oliynyk                
  • Welterweight: Kyle Noke vs. Keita Nakamura                
  • Flyweight: Louis Smolka vs. Ben Nguyen                

​Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)

  • Women’s Bantamweight: Lauren Murphy vs. Katlyn Chookagian                
  • Middleweight: Eric Spicely vs. Sam Alvey                
  • Women’s Strawweight: Cortney Casey vs. Cristina Stanciu                
  • Lightweight: Scott Holtzman vs. Cody Pfister                

Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)

  • Bantamweight: Rani Yahya vs. Matthew Lopez                
  • Middleweight: Devin Clark vs. Alex Nicholson  

THE ROUNDUP

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Figure Four Weekly

READ IT HERE: Figure Four Weekly 7/4/2016: Jimmy Snuka to appear at Wrestlecon – Jimmy Snuka, who was found too incompetent to stand trial for murder charges, is signing autographs at Wrestlecon 2017.

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Wrestling Observer Newsletter

READ IT HERE:  July 11, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Preview for massive UFC weekend, including UFC 200, plus tons of news – A full preview of UFC’s massive weekend including UFC 200, plus tons of news and notes.

The lead story is the biggest week in UFC history and an update on UFC sales talk, all in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. There is also a look at the WWE brand split from a business standpoint and update changes since the original plans were made, cover the return of Shinsuke Nakamura to Japan as a WWE star, Final Deletion and a history of pro wrestling on July 4th.

In this week’s issue, there is more information on UFC’s record numbers they are hoping to beat, the role of Brock Lesnar, the difference between Lesnar in UFC in 2008 and 2016, price changes, the prior record gate, Lesnar vs. Hunt, wrestlers vs. strikers as they age, what happens if Lesnar wins, what WWE did get from UFC, advertising Lesnar to the WWE audience, looking at the different fights and the card.

The WWE draft, the changes in the WWE audience, doing additional PPV and the economics of it, what should be looked at to determine if the brand split has worked and why the moves have been made, is covered. Plus, more on the WWE tour this past week going to Hawaii for the first time in six years, and Shinsuke Nakamura returning to Japan as the star of the tour.

What Stephanie McMahon said about Lesnar and his response, Stephanie McMahon honored, Hideo Itami’s return, update on Jerry Lawler, A.J. Styles, Hiroshi Tanahashi talks Styles and his ring psychology, Battleground, new programs planned, Dr. Chris Amann vs. C.M. Punk lawsuit update, Nike opposing WWE in trademark case, and another group of names WWE has shown some interest in, all covered in this week’s Observer.

A big history piece on pro wrestling on July 4th, dating back 136 years, including one of the most legendary matches from 100 years ago, and the big July 4th events of the 80s. Why July 4th hasn’t had a lot of major shows, but there have been some major historical events on the day as well as why for more than three decades no super shows were held on the day, is covered. The last year’s of the regional era and the beginning of the national era with the WWF vs. Jim Crockett Promotions, and much more in this week’s issue.

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Wrestling Observer Newsletter BACK ISSUE

BACK ISSUE: June 7, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Fallout from the death of Owen Hart – Details on the funeral of Owen Hart, how the media covered the story, and more.

TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

Very many thanks to ProWrestlingSheet.com for sending us a link to a video as amazing as it sounds… “Wrestler Uses Adorable Dog During Match … AS A WEAPON!!” Even though it’s just the ruff footage, it’s still pawesome. Dog puns are a lap up.

ESPN reports that Dana White’s new deal with the UFC is for five years and that he will receive nine percent of the company’s net profits.

Ring of Honor announced NEVER openweight champion Katsuyori Shibata vs. Silas Young for their August 19th Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view.

WWE tag team champions the New Day will face the Wyatt Family in a six-man tag at Battleground. It was also announced that US champion Rusev will defend his title against Zack Ryder on the show.

Here’s how our panel of picking experts did picking the 10 best fights of UFC 200’s three day extravaganza:

  • 9-1 : Josh Nason*
  • 8-2 : Steve Juon
  • 7-3: David Bixenspan, Front Row Brian
  • 6-4: Mike Sempervive, Paul Fontaine
  • 5-5: Mike Sawyer, Ryan Frederick, John Pollock, Dave Meltzer

*Nason is currently under investigation for PED’s…

WWE & Pro Wrestling

  • On Monday night’s Superstars taping, Becky Lynch defeated Summer Rae and Sami Zayn defeated Curtis Axel. Zayn also teamed with WWE World Heavyweight champion Dean Ambrose to defeat AJ Styles & Seth Rollins in the dark match main event. Ambrose pinned Styles with Dirty Deeds.
  • At today’s Paul Heyman live show at York Hall in London, Heyman invited Will Ospreay on stage and offered him a contract to compete for Evolve in the United States.
  • Sting and Lex Luger will be doing a meet and greet before MCW Pro Wrestling’s show on July 16th in Joppa, MD.
  • Revolution Pro Wrestling announced Ricochet vs. Pete Dunne for their August 12th show at York Hall in London. That means Ricochet will also be in the building the night that Will Ospreay faces Vader.
  • Sports Illustrated has an interview with Kenny Omega.
  • The Summer Sizzler show featuring Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shibata has also been uploaded to RevPro’s subscription service.

UFC & MMA

  • Ronda Rousey posted a Reebok produced ad on Twitter and Instagram about her return to the Octagon.
  • Demetrious Johnson is now the number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world on the UFC’s rankings. He takes over the top spot from Jon Jones.
  • New England Fights’ next event, “NEF Presents Dana White: Looking for a Fight” takes place on Friday, August 5, 2016 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. Tickets are on sale now at www.CrossInsuranceCenter.com or by calling the box office at 800.745.3000.
  • World Series of Fighting announced Hakeem Dawodu vs. Marat Magomedov and eight other prelim bouts for WSOF 32 July 30th show on NBC Sports Network. The show is headlined by bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes defending his title against Josh Hill.

VARIETY

  • Fox Sports has video of Jim Ross recording lines for the Home Run Derby.
  • Our Dave Meltzer will be on the “On the Mat” radio show on Wednesday July 13th. The show can be heard at 1650thefan.com and will later be up as a podcast on MattAlkOnline.com.
  • Funk vs Brisco only on !BANG! TV – Professional Wrestling Spectacular comes to the !BANG! TV Sound Stage in Ocala, Florida. 3 Charity Shows in 3 days – August 4th, 5th and 6th benefiting Clara Bell Downing Foundation (Educating and feeding children in Kenya), Marion County Humane Society and Special Olympics of Marion County Florida. For more information on these 3 big shows and tickets and training program information go to www.dory-funk.com or call now 352-895-4658.
  • Urban Wrestling Federation Returns To Pay Per View this month with “Hood Killa!”.  

SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR

  • July 13 – UFC Fight Night in Sioux Falls, SD. Michael McDonald vs John Lineker
  • July 15 – Big Time Wrestling CA presents Dangerous Damsels 2 – Crowning of a Queen!
  • July 16  – EVOLVE 64, Bell time: 4:00PM. La Boom 56-15 Northern Blvd. Woodside, Queens, NY. Tickets on sale now in the DGUSA.tv Shop or by calling 267-638-6583! Watch on live iPPV in HD, the WWN Roku Channel or the FITE App!
  • July 16 – FMLL, Yerba Buena High School, 1855 Lucretia Ave, San Jose, CA
  • July 16 – In Your Face Wrestling Presents: “Malicious Intent” – Polish Community Center, 225 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany, NYwww.iyfwrestling.com
  • July 16 – Bellator 158 : London featuring Paul Daley vs Douglas Lima, Michael Venom Page, Linton Vassell and Matt Mitrione
  • July 17 – Beyond Wrestling presents “Flesh” – Bell time: 2:30 PM EDT, Melrose Memorial Hall
  • 590 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176. Tickets are on sale now.
  • July 17 – EVOLVE 65, Bell time: 7:00PM, Melrose Memorial Hall, 590 Main Street
  • Melrose, MA 02176. Watch on live iPPV in HD, the WWN Roku Channel or the FITE App!
  • 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 22 – AIW runs on 7/22 in Cleveland, OH, with Ethan Page vs. Josh Prohibition vs. Josh Alexander, and Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae vs. Ethan Carter III & Karlee Perez
  • July 22 – The Lou Thesz Hall of Fame weekend show in Waterloo, IA, featuring Ricochet vs. Sami Callihan, Wes Brisco, B. Brian Blair, Jessika Havok, Tessa Blanchard, a steel cage match and more – This is the weekend Dave Meltzer will be honored.
  • July 22 – Bellator 159 from Mulvane, KS. Darrion Caldwell vs Joe Taimanglo. Melvin Guillard vs David “Caveman” Rickells
  • July 23 – Live Pro Wrestling, Glengarry Sports Palace, 170 McDonald Blvd. Alexandria, Ontario
  • July 23 – UFC on FOX from Chicago – Holly Holm vs Valentina Shevchenko.          
  • July 23 – Chikara Pro announced a doubleheader event at Toronto’s Franklin Horner Community Center.
  • July 23 – AAW  in Merrionnette Park, IL, with Sami Callihan vs. Pentagon Jr., Zack Sabre Jr., Marty Scurll; Tommaso Ciampa; Fenix; Johnny Gargano, and plenty more. Here’s what you missed on their last show.  
  • July 23 – Masters of Ring Entertainment in Wilmington, NC, as part of Pro Wrestling Fan Expo 3 will feature Jeff Jarrett vs. ECIII vs. James Storm, announced by Jarrett in this video.
  • Merritton Community Centre 7 Park Ave St. Catharines, ON
  • July 24 – Crossfire Wrestling – Merritton Community Centre, 7 Park Avenue St. Catharines ON, for our 5 year Anniversary show “BRING THE HEAT V”
  • July 24 – PWEclipse – Summer Surrender, Oshawa, Ontario
  • July 24 – Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. headlines for Lucha Libre New York at Club LaBoom in Queens, NY
  • July 30 – WSOF 32: Moraes vs. Hill 2 – Live on NBCSN from Everett, Washington. Also featuring Ben “Phoenix Jones” Fodor vs Caros Fodor in a brother vs brother fight
  • July 30 – Smash Wrestling – Oshawa Music Hall, 39 King St E, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 1B2
  • July 31 – BATTLEWAR 36; Les Foufounes Électriques, 87 Sainte-Catherine Street East
  • Montreal, QC
  • Aug 4-6 –  !BANG! TV – Professional Wrestling Spectacular, 3 charity shows in 3 days. – More information.
  • Aug 5 – NEF Presents Dana White: Looking for a Fight. More info here.
  • August 6 – Absolute Intense Wrestling Girls Night Out in Cleveland at Our Lady of Mt Carmel with Crazy Mary Dobson, Allysin “Sienna” Kay, Veda Scott, Shayna Baszler, Annie Social, Kelly Klein, Heidi Lovelace, Lufisto, Nicole Savoy and more.
  • August 12 – Zack Sabre Jr. vs.. Jeff Cobb has been added to the Revolution Pro show in London at York Hall in Bethnal Green.
  • August 13 – NWA Mid South Wrestling in Dyresburg, TN at the Herb Welch Wrestle Plex headlined by Matt Riviera vs. Jeremy Moore.
  • August 19 – The Hardys, Drew Galloway, Ethan Carter III and Mickie James appear for House of Glory Wrestling in Jamaica, NY.  That’s the Friday before SummerSlam.
  • Aug 21 – Chavo Guerrero Jr. will appear for Smash Wrestling on in Pickering, Ontario at Super Showdown lV.
  • Aug 21 – Octagon & Tinieblas Jr. vs. Fuerza Guerrera & Pirata Morgan headlines in Houston at the Arena Theater.  
  • Aug 28 – Destiny wrestling proudly presents “SUMMER HEAT”.

Daily Pro Wrestling History (07/12): Big Van Vader wins WCW World Title