Daily Update: WWE split brand PPVs, ROH PPV, Aries, Joe and Nakamura debut

With the WWE brand split imminent, there has been talk of doing individual Raw and Smackdown Pay Per Views/WWE Network Special Events similar to what they did during the last time they split brands. Until now, that was purely speculation. The PPV schedule that has been going around is legit. So there are apparently nine more PPV/WWE Network Special Events remaining in 2016. Battleground, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series will remain dual branded. These are the dates and names of the remaining events:

  • 7/24 Battleground from Washington, DC
  • 8/21 SummerSlam from Brooklyn
  • 9/11 Backlash form Richmond, VA (Smackdown brand show)
  • 9/25 Clash of Champions from Indianapolis (Raw)
  • 10/9 No Mercy from Sacramento (Smackdown)
  • 10/30 Hell in a Cell from Boston (Raw)
  • 11/20 Survivor Series from Toronto
  • 12/4 TLC from Dallas (Smackdown)
  • 12/18 Roadblock from Pittsburgh (Raw)

We’re doing one poll this weekend for tonight’s ROH show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com.

BELLATOR DYNAMITE DOUBLEHEADER TONIGHT STARTING AT 8 P.M. FROM THE SCOTTRADE ARENA IN ST. LOUIS LIVE ON SPIKE TV

        This will be a combined MMA and kickboxing show. MMA will start at 8 p.m. and kickboxing matches will follow, although there will be kickboxing matches during the MMA portion of the show as well:

Main show

  • Ilima MacFalane (3-0, 126) vs. Rebecca Ruth (6-1, 124.9)
  • Kickboxing:  Denise Kielholtz (44-2, 124.1) vs. Gloria Peritore (10-1-1, 122.6)
  • Kickboxing:  Kevin Ross (31-9, 145) vs. Justin Houghton (7-2, 145.6)
  • Carl Seumanutafa (10-6, 254.7) vs. Matt Mitrione (9-5, 255.9)
  • Michael Chandler (14-3, 154.7) vs. Patricky Pitbull Freire (16-7, 155) for vacant lightweight title
  • Rampage Jackson (36-11, 225) vs. Satoshi Ishii (14-5-1, 222.8)

Kickboxing that follows

  • Joe Schilling (27-8, 185) vs. Hisaki Kato (0-0, 184.9) but Kato beat Schilling in MMA
  • Raymond Daniels (11-3, 170.5) vs. Stefano  Bruno (23-2-1, 171)
  • Kerri Taylor-Melendez (3-1, 120) vs. Sarah Howell (0-0, 120)

ROH BEST IN THE WORLD PPV AT 9 P.M. FROM CONCORD, NC AT THE CABARRUS ARENA

  • Kamaitachi vs. Kyle O’Reilly
  • ACH vs. Silas Young
  • Mark Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong
  • Moose & Ray Rowe & Hanson vs. Young Bucks & Adam Cole in a tornado match
  • Steve Corino vs. B.J. Whitmer street fight
  • Bobby Fish vs. Dalton Castle for TV title
  • Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe for ROH title

        Kevin Sullivan will be there in attendance.

NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING RETURNS AT 8 P.M. ON AXS TV

  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Michael Elgin
  • Satoshi Kojima vs. Karl Anderson
  • Yuji Nagata vs. Hirooki Goto
  • Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kazuchika Okada

        The Ishii-Elgin and Nakamura-Okada matches are tremendous. 

AXS FIGHTS TONIGHT FROM DALLAS AT THE BOMB FACTOR PROMOTED BY LEGACY FIGHTING AT 10 P.M. EASTERN

  • Miles Johns (3-0, 145.6) vs. Eliazar Rodriguez (7-5, 146.0)
  • Bilal Williams (5-2, 170.1) vs. Sean Holden (4-1, 169.2)
  • J.C Cottrell (16-3, 146.6) vs. Cody Walker (7-3, 146.2)
  • Levi Mowles (3-1, 135.5) vs. Edwin Figueroa (6-4, 137.5)
  • Ryan Holis (11-9, 133.6) vs. Jason Sampson (13-1, 135.1)
  • Steven Peterson (13-4, 134.8) vs. Manny Vazquez (8-1, 134.1) for the bantamweight title

We’re looking for reports on WWE’s house show on Saturday night in Boston (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Rusev, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Cesaro, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Alberto Del Rio, Usos, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson) and Saturday’s ROH TV tapings in Concord, NC (Kyle O’Reilly challenges for the ROH title, Silas Young & Beer City Bruiser challenge for the tag titles, Briscoes vs. Young Bucks in a battle of the IWGP tag team champions vs. IWGP jr. tag team champions, Jay White vs. Kamaitachi and Roderick Strong vs. Dalton Castle) to NewsTIps@WrestlingObserver.com.

Sunday has two WWE shows, with one crew in Orlando (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Usos, Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Austin Aries) and the other in Jacksonville (Big Show, Kane, Rusev, Charlotte, Natalya, Enzo, Cass, Kalisto, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, New Day). Ultima Lucha 3 is a being taped in Los Angeles on Sunday with Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma title vs. career as the main event, Fenix vs. Marty the Moth mask vs. hair and a ladder match for the Gift of the Gods title with Son of Havoc vs. Pentagon Jr.

NEW JAPAN FROM KORAKUEN HALL LIVE ON NEW JAPAN WORLD AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME MONDAY MORNING

  • Ryusuke Taguchi vs. David Finlay
  • Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Kazushi Sakuraba & Rocky Romero & Baretta
  • Satoshi Kojima & Matt Sydal & Yoshitatsu vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page & Chase Owens
  • Katsuyori Shibata & Yuji Nagata & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma & Juice Robinson
  • Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Seiya Sanada & Evil
  • Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay vs. Tetsuya Naito & Bushi

        This is a big show because the G-1 Climax members and main event matches will be announced during intermission.

Raw is Monday night in Tampa and is the only show of the week with John Cena scheduled.

Smackdown will be taped on Tuesday night in Tampa, with a skeleton crew because a number of wrestlers are laving after Raw for Honolulu.

There will be a tour of Japan and Hawaii that starts Wednesday night in Honolulu (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Usos, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, A.J. Styles, Chris Jericho).

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 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, Vinny, Granny, Ed, Peach, Dez, Dr. Lucha, Rodney, Sr. Jaialai, “Filthy” Tom, and the rest of the group in beautiful Las Vegas this July. Plus… some extra secret surprises.

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Figure Four Weekly

READ IT HERE: Figure Four Weekly 6/20/2016: Never trust Nigerian investors– Growing up as a way-too-hardcore-for-my-age wrestling fan, I looked forward to watching whatever flavor of wrestling from the Dallas Sportatorium was on ESPN and in syndication at the time. The ESPN show was perfect for kids who loved pro wrestling: It aired at 4 p.m. eastern time, so it was perfect for after-school viewing… Subscribers click here to continue reading.

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

READ IT HERE: June 27, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Roman Reigns suspended, Money in the Bank review, more – Details on the suspension of Roman Reigns after a wellness policy violation, Money in the Bank reviewed, more…

A look at the prospective UFC sale is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The issue looks at the main bidders, what kind of money is being bid, how much the Fertittas have made from the endeavor, the situation with Dana White, what is and isn’t expected to change, why the sale is coming now and who exactly owns what percentage of the company, plus a look at just how deep the UFC 200 show is.

Pluse there is 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 is also a breakdown on the WWE cruiserweight classic, and monthly WWE and TNA business figures.

This issue looks 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.

Inisde this week, there is also a look at the death of a key WWE musician, 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.

Subscribers click here to continue reading.

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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.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

These are the first round results from last night’s Elite tournament at Arena Mexico. The winners advance to a second show on Saturday:

  • Bram b Zumbi (who decided against doing the WWE tournament to do this tournament)
  • Lio Rush b David Tita
  • DJZ b Hio Hop Man
  • Tama Tonga b Chicano
  • Sabu b Veneno
  • Michael Elgin b Jinder Mahal
  • Kushida b Heddi Karaoui
  • Volador Jr. b PJ Black

The next round will take place on Saturday night with Bram vs. Sabu, Elgin vs. Rush, DJZ vs. Kushida and Tonga vs. Volador Jr. 

Shinsuke Nakamura & Finn Balor team up against Samoa Joe & Austin Aries on Sunday’s WWE house show in Orlando. This will be Nakamura, Joe & Aries’ main roster debuts. Balor has done main roster shows in the past. Nakamura will also be working main roster shows in Honolulu and Tokyo this next week. Asuka’s main roster debut will be on Wednesday night in Honolulu.

This is the updated list of fighters and UFC celebrities coming to the UFC Fan Expo 7/8 to 7/10 in Las Vegas at the Convention Center: Jhenny Andrade, Luciana Andrade, Carly Baker, Dennis Bermudez, Michael Bisping, Chrissy Blair, Kahli Bundell, C.M. Punk, Bryan Caraway, Johnny Case, Arianny Celeste, Henry Cejudo, Donald Cerrone, Mark Coleman, Carlos Condit, Dominck Cruz, Red Dela Cruz, John Dodson, Rashad Evans, Urijah Faber, Cody Garbrandt, Jamillette Gaxiola, Forrest Griffin, Uriah Hall, Vanessa Hanson, Dan Hardy, Max Holloway, Kyoji Horiguchi, Matt Hughes, Cris Cyborg Justino, Dong Hyun Kim, Ricardo Lamas, Chuck Liddell, Neil Magny, Guy Mezger, Stipe Miocic, Rose Namajunas, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Camilia Oliveria, Alistair Overeem, Brittney Palmer, Raquel Pennington, Kedra Perez, Anthony Pettis, Sergio Pettis, Dustin Poirier, Ovince Saint Preux, Luke Rockhold, Yair Rodriguez, Ben Rothwell, Junior Dos Santos, Dan Severn, Ronaldo Jacare Souza, Jeremy Stephens, Aljamain Sterling, Stephen Thompson, Tecia Torres, Chris Weidman, Don Frye, Brian Ortega, Pete Williams and Paige VanZant.

The most-read stories on the Los Angeles Times sports site were LeBron James wearing an Ultimate Warrior T-shirt, Roman Reigns being suspended and C.M. Punk’s fight with Mickey Gall being announced.

Spike TV’s one-hour documentary on the life of Kimbo Slice airs at 7 p.m. tonight.

WWE

  • WWE is taping NXT tonight at Full Sail University which includes Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Finn Balor. Lots of last minute changes based on who is and isn’t getting called up. If key people lose unexpectedly, that may be a hint. 
  • The introduction ceremony from last night’s WWE Cruiserweight Classic tournament with Daniel Bryan and Mauro Ranallo can be seen here. 
  • Dwayne Johnson will be producing a Sony Pictures film Son of Shalin through his Seven Bucks Entertainment company. He will also be launching his own YouTube channel on 7/18. 

UFC

  • Glover Teixeira has pulled out of the 7/23 FOX show in Chicago. He was to face Anthony Rumble Johnson, but Johnson had already pulled out of that fight. This moves Edson Barboza vs. Gilbert Melendez to the semifinal.
  • Mark Hunt will be the guest on Inside MMA tonight at 12:30 a.m.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • World Series of Fighting announced a new partnership with www.TicketGalaxy.com for buying and selling tickets to its events starting with its next show on 7/30 in Everett, WA, headlined by Marlon Moraes vs. Josh Hill for the bantamweight title.
  • Resurrection Fighting Alliance on 7/29 in San Antonio at Cowboys Dance Hall will be headlined by middleweights Joe Gigliotti vs. Trevin Giles, both undefeated and having never gone the distance. The show will air live on AXS.
  • There is a Shimmer taping this weekend and Pat Laprade talks to Nicole Savoy about it here.
  • Battlewar 36 is on 7/31 in Montreal at Les Foufounes Electrqiues.
  • Ricochet will be debuting for House of Hardcore on 9/16 in New York and 9/17 in Philadelphia at the Arena.
  • CMLL from Tuesday night in Guadalajara: Oro Jr. & Pegasso & Stigma b Escandalo & Metalico & Sangre Azteca Jr., Furia Roja & Hechicero & Sagrado b Angel de Oro & Esfinge & Triton, Diamante Azul & Rush & Titan b La Mascara & Rey Bucanero & Vangellys-DQ, Atlantis & Maximo Sexy & Mistico b Ephesto & Luciferno & Mr. Niebla (thanks to Kris Zellner)
  • There is a legends show on 7/10 in Ciudad Juarez at Gimnasio Josue Neri Santos with Dandy & Negro Casas & Octagon vs. Fuerza Guerrera & Pirata Morgan & El Satanico, plus Apolo Dantes, Mascara Ano 2000, Universo 2000, Blue Panther, Fantasma, Mano Negra, Jaque Mate and Rambo appear.
  • Promociones Cholo on 7/15 in Tijuana at the Auditorio has Caristico & Mascara Aerea & Mascara Dorada vs. Mr. Elektro (Electroshock) & Rey Escorpion & Rush. The next Tijuana show is Promociones del Valle on 7/1 with Psycho Circus vs. Averno & Chessman & Villano IV and Damian 666 & Nicho vs. Joe Lider & Pentagon Jr. 
  • A preview of the TV show Gladiators Unleashed. Luke Caudillo, former UFC & Strikeforce Lightweight and now coach at Grudge Training Center in Denver, is the host of a new show where he takes fighters into the outdoors. The show is scheduled to air on Sportsman Channel the first quarter of 2017 but show in New Zealand with Chad Mendes & TJ Dillashaw to shoot for the 1st couple episodes. 

TODAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY:Daily Pro Wrestling History (06/24): Parade of Champions; Edge wins KOR; Harlem Heat win WCW Tag Team Titles