Daily Update: Weekend schedule, Kazuchika Okada, Bella Twins

DAILY UPDATE

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WWE runs Smackdown tonight in Buffalo and NXT in Cleveland.  Saturday is the only main roster house show of the week, a loaded show in Allentown, PA with stars from both Raw and Smackdown.  There is also a Saturday night NXT show in Detroit.  The Elimination Chamber PPV is Sunday in Philadelphia and Raw is Monday in Washington, DC.  We’re looking for reports from the dark matches tonight in Buffalo, last night’s NXT show in Columbus and Saturday’s shows in Allentown and Detroit to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

We’re also looking for your thoughts on UFC 248 tomorrow night and Elimination Chamber on Sunday, thumbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match from both shows to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

Weigh-ins for tomorrow night’s UFC show in Las Vegas at the T Mobile Arena starting at 6:30 p.m. Eastern:

ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. Eastern

  • Danaa Batgerel (136) vs. Guido Cannetti (135.5)
  • Jamall Emmers (145.5) vs. Giga Chikadze (146)
  • Emily Whitmire (117.5) vs. Polyana Viana (116)

ESPN at 8 p.m. Eastern

  • Gerald Meerschaert (185) vs. Deron Winn (185.5)
  • Roldolfo Vieira (186) vs. Saparabek Safarov (186)
  • Mark O. Madsen (156) vs. Austin Hubbard (154.5)
  • Sean O’Malley (135.5) vs. Jose Quinonez (135.5)

PPV at 10 p.m. Eastern:

  • Alex Oliveira (171) vs. Max Griffin (170.5)
  • Neil Magny (171) vs. Li Jingliang (171)
  • Beneil Dariush (156) vs. Drakkar Klose (156)
  • Zhang Weili (115) vs. Joanna Jedrzjczyk (115) for the strawweight title
  • Israel Adesanya (184.5) vs. Yoel Romero (185) for middleweight title

 Whitmire was the only fighter to miss weight.

Tonight at Arena Mexico on the CMLL YouTube page at 9:30 p.m. Eastern:

  • Shockercito & Fantasy vs. Pierrothito & Mercurio
  • Blue Panther Jr.& Dulce Gardenia & Black Panther vs. Misterioso Jr. & Virus & Sagrado
  • Titan vs. Soberano Jr.
  • Caristico & Volador Jr. & Valiente vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Cavernario & Euforia

Block B in the tournament for the Mexican national tag team titles:

  • Shocker & Rey Bucanero
  • Felino & Tiger
  • Raziel & Cancerbero
  • Polvora & Vangellys
  • Atlantis Jr. & Flyer
  • Rey Cometa & Star Jr.
  • Esfinge & Drone
  • Audaz & Fugaz

Titan-Soberano could be great and the main event actually looks pretty hot as well.

AAA has a live show from Cancun tomorrow on AAA’s Twitch Channel at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Jushin Liger will be announcing tomorrow’s live Stardom YouTube show.  It airs at 9:30 p.m Eastern and is called No People Gate because there will be no fans in attendance at Korakuen Hall because of precautions from the coronavirus. The card will include:

  • Rumble Battle Royal
  • Giulia & Maika vs. Hana Kimura & Jungle Kyona
  • Bea Priestley & Jamie Hayter vs. Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita for the tag titles
  • Arisa Hoshiki vs. Natsuko Tora for the Wonder of Stardom title
  • Mayu Iwatani vs. Saki Kashima in a lumberjack match

Are you interested in attending our annual F4W/WON convention? We will hold it during AEW Double or Nothing weekend. For more information, check this post for activities and prices.

WON NEWSLETTER: 40th Annual Awards Issue The results from the 2019 WON awards are in.

One of the year’s biggest issues, our 40th annual awards issue is out this week.  The issue covers these awards:

1) Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award for Wrestler of the Year; 2) MMA MVP; 3) Most Outstanding Wrestler; 4) Most Outstanding MMA Fighter; 5) Tag Team of the Year; 6) Best On Interviews; 7) Promotion of the Year; 8) Best Weekly TV show; 9) Pro Wrestling Match of the Year; 10) MMA Match of the Year; 11) U.S/Canada MVP; 12) Japan MVP; 13) Mexico MVP; 14) Europe MVP; 15) Non-heavyweight MVP; 16) Women’s Wrestling MVP; 17) Women’s MMA MVP; 18) Best Box Office Draw; 19) Feud of the Year; 20) Most Improved; 21) Most Charismatic; 22) Bryan Danielson Award/Best Technical Wrestler; 23) Bruiser Brody Award/Best Brawler; 24) Best Flying Wrestler; 25) Most Overrated; 26) Most Underrated; 27) Rookie of the Year; 28) Best Non-Wrestler; 29) Best TV announcer; 30) Worst TV announcer; 31) Best Major wrestling show; 32) Worst major wrestling show; 33) Best wrestling maneuver; 34) Most Disgusting promotional tactic; 35) Worst TV show; 36) Worst match of the year; 37) Worst feud of the year; 38) Worst promotion of the year; 39) Best Booker; 40) Promoter of the Year; 41) Best gimmick; 42) Worst gimmick; 43) Best book; 44) Best documentary

We have the top placings in every category as well as a list of winners of every award dating back to 1980.

The new issue also covers:

Coronavirus and an update on its affect on Japanese pro wrestling.

Young Bucks vs. Kenny Omega & Adam Page match and compare it to great tag team matches of the past, in particular Misawa & Kobashi vs. Kawada & Taue from 1995 and Midnight Express vs Fantastics from 1988.

AEW Revolution with business notes, storylines, match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

Preview Elimination Chamber with early business notes and the current demand.

Folding of the Wrestle-1 promotion.

WWE and All Japan, WrestleMania ticket sales and secondary market interest, update on WrestleMania show, Jeff Hardy, John Layfield in the Hall of Fame, XFL ratings updates, Injuries and other WWE absences, notes on a new WWE wrestler who just had his first match this past week, Renee Young talks her situation and Jon Moxley, next MSG show, Notes on the Tampa Takeover show, company value, most-watched shows on WWE Network, and a rundown of all the WWE and NXT live events over the past week with highlights and business notes.

Saturday’s UFC show, looking at the key matches and stories, business notes and match-by-match coverage.

Regarding the Wednesday numbers, we’ve got full details, demos that each side won, how every segment did and what match ended up as the difference maker. 

All the WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.

In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.

Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week. 

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@wrestlingobserver.com or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

Jeff Hardy is backstage at Smackdown, but he’s been backstage the past two weeks, so that doesn’t mean he’s on the show. Announced for tonight are Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman being interviewed by Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss, a Gauntlet series with The Miz & John Morrison, Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler, New Day, Usos, Heavy Machinery and Lucha House part for the last entrant in Sunday’s Estimation chamber, and Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Lacey Evans & Naomi.

With New Japan not running shows, they are doing a lot of special programming on New Japan World. There is a very good documentary filmed last summer on Kazuchika Okada in the G-1 tournament with a ton of behind-the-scenes stuff up.

A documentary on the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles focusing on the heyday of pro wrestling, T-Bird Roller Games and pro boxing, called “18th and Grand,” premieres on 3/26 at the Cinerama Dome at 6360 Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles on 3/26.  I’d love to see that one.

ONE announced that its 3/20 show in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam is being postponed until 6/26 due to concerns regarding the coronavirus.

WWE

  • Elimination Chamber odds at www.betOnlin.ag:
    Chamber: Shayna Baszler -1400, Asuka +600, Ruby Riott +1600, Liv Morgan +2000, Natalya +2500, Sarah Logan +2500
    Chamber: Miz & John Morrison -130, Usos +225, New Day +400, Heavy Machinery +1000, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode +1600, Lucha House Party +3300
    Street Profits -250 vs. Seth Rollins & Murphy +170
    Andrade -140 vs. Humberto Carrillo -100
    Aleister Black -150 vs. A.J. Styles +110
  • The WWE announced that the Bellas autograph signing at WWE Axxess is off.  They will announce new people for that event.
  • A PBS story about WrestleMania week that I’m featured on.
  • A story on the Braun Strowman WrestleMania party.
  • Liv Morgan talks Elimination Chamber.
  • Story on a WrestleMania Exhibit that week in Tampa. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)

UFC

  • A rematch from Saturday’s controversial early stoppage, with Ion Cutelaba vs. Magomad Ankalaev has been announced for 4/18 in Brooklyn.
  • Tai Tuivasa vs JarjisDanho has been added to the 6/6 show in Perth, Australia.

AEW

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Bellator announced a 5/20 show from Temecula, CA headlined by the debut of Liz Carmouche in the promotion, facing 6-0 fighter Mandy Bohm.
  • A correction from yesterday in the Rip Oliver story.  The name he used under a mask against Ultimate Warrior in a 1988 Saturday Night’s Main Event was Super Ninja, not Super Black Ninja.
  • Invicta runs tonight in Kansas City at 8 p.m. Eastern on UFC Fight Pass with an eight-woman one-night tournament with first round fights of Taneisha Tennant (135.7) vs,. Brittney Victoria (135.1), Julia Ottolino (134.7) vs. Hope Chase (135.8), Claire Guthrie (135.7) vs. Taylor Guardado (135.8) and Kerri Kenneson (135.5) vs. Serena DeJesus (135.3). The main event is for the bantamweight title with Lisa Verzosa defending against Julija Stoliarenko.
  • Impact will be taping the special that will air on 3/31 on AXS tomorrow night in Atlanta at the Coca-Cola Roxy. 
  • Jazzy Gabert returns to Eve for tomorrow’s show at the Resistance Gallery at Bethnal Green in London to challenge Rhia O’Reilly for their championship. Gisele Shaw is off the show so Sammii Jayne will defend her International title twice on the show. The show will stream as a PPV.
  • All Star Wrestling tomorrow night in Surrey, BC at Sullivan Hall with Braydon Goss vs. Randy Myers for the cruiserweight title.
  • The movie “Beyond the Mat” which focuses on Jake Roberts and Mick Foley is up on Netflix.
  • Barrie Wrestling on 5/2 in Barrie, ONT at 49 Ferris Lane.
  • CWO on 3/15 at 1 p.m. at The Rockpile Bar & Nightclub in Toronto.
  • Greektown Wrestling on Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Danforth Church in Toronto.
  • Smash Wrestling on 4/19 in St. Thomas, ONT at the Joe Thornton Community Centre at 5 p.m.
  • Legacy Fighting on 4/17 in Sioux Falls, SD at the Sanford Pentagon on UFC Fight Pass is headlined by Bryce Logan (11-4) vs. Jacob Rosales (12-5) for the lightweight title.
  • AAW on 3/20 at the Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago has Mance Warner vs. Fred Yehi for the AAW title, Kris Statlander vs. The Hyan for the AAW women’s title, Gringo Loco & Black Taurus vs. Aramis & Arez, Curt Stallion vs,. Adam Brooks, Hakim Zane & Karam vs,.AR Fox & Myron Reed, Stephen Wolf vs. Jake Lander and more for its 16th anniversary show.
  • VIPW on 3/27 at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 91 in Victoria, BC.
  • Capital City Championship Combat on 3/20 in Ottawa, ONT at St. Anthony’s Hall featuring Rey Hours and the Dark Order.
  • ECCW on 3/14 in Vancouver, BC at The Ellis on Main Street with Judas Icarus vs. Artemis Spencer in a no DQ and no count out match plus Nicole Matthews vs. Randy Myers.
  • 559 Fights on 3/13 in Visalia,CA at the Convention Center has Larry Gonzalez (4-0) vs. Kail Melton (1-2) for the heavyweight title.
  • PWE on 5/31 in Oshawa, ONT at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 43.
  • MWF on 3/28 in Somerville, MA at ONCE Somerville for an 18-and-older show featuring Brian Pillman Jr. and Brian Milonas.
  • NFC MMA tomorrow night in Atlanta at District Atlanta.
  • CWA Superbreak on 3/21 in Searcy, AR with Jerry Lawler defending the Arkansas title against Michael Barry and Rhino vs. Tim Storm.
  • The Wrestling Estate has published an exclusive, extensive piece on Magnum’s Opus, an upcoming documentary on Amazon Prime about Magnum CK, a fixture of Cleveland’s Absolutely Intense Wrestling. The piece includes the never-before-seen trailer, as well as comments from CK, RJ City, AIW promoter John Thorne and more. 

Daily Pro Wrestling History:Vader wins AJPW Triple Crown

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