Daily Update: WWE’s Ultimate Warrior marketing, NJPW, UFC 219

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NEWS

AUDIO

We’re looking for reports on last night’s NXT show in Spencer, IA, tonight’s show in Des Moines and tonight’s show in Sanford, FL to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

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

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega for the G-1 championship

CMLL FROM ARENA MEXICO AT 9:30 EASTERN TONIGHT.

  • Starman & Stigma vs. Nitro & Metalico
  • Marcela & Vaquerita & Jarochita vs. Dallys & Amapola & Reyna Isis
  • Guerrero Maya Jr. & The Panther & Esfinge vs. Sanson & Cuatrero & Forastero
  • Soberano Jr. vs. Mephisto
  • Marco Corleone & Diamante Azul & Niebla Roja vs. El Terrible & Rey Bucanero & Vangellys
  • Mistico & Volador Jr. & Valiente vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero & Euforia

Saturday we’re looking for reports from NXT in Omaha, NE and Cocoa, FL, as well as ROH in Mt. Pleasant, MI (One-night tournament with first round matches of Cody vs. Christopher Daniels, Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal, Flip Gordon vs. Dalton Castle and Frankie Kazarian vs. Jay White) at newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.

UFC FROM SAO PAULO, BRAZIL ON SATURDAY

Fight Pass at 7 p.m. Eastern time

  • Marcelo Golm vs. Christian Colombo
  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Jarred Brooks

FS 2 at 8 p.m.

  • Max Griffin vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
  • Hacran Dias vs. Jared Gordon
  • Jack Marshman vs. Antonio Carlos Jr.
  • Vicente Luque vs. Niko Price

FS1 at 10 p.m.

  • Marlon Vera vs. John Lineker
  • Jack Hermansson vs. Thiago Santos
  • Jim Miller vs. Francisco Trinaldo
  • Rob Font vs. Pedro Munhoz
  • Demian Maia vs. Colby Covington
  • Lyoto Machida vs. Derek Brunson

NEW JAPAN FROM KORAKUEN HALL AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN SUNDAY ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Leo Tonga
  • Toru Yano & Hirooki Goto vs. Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka
  • Yoshi-Hashi & Baretta & Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega & Chase Owens & Marty Scurll
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kushida & Hirai Kawato vs. Kota Ibushi & Dragon Lee & Titan
  • Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo & Yoh & Sho vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Seiya Sanada & Bushi & Hiromu Takahashi
  • Tiger Mask & Jushin Liger vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Desperado in Super juniors tag tournament
  • Ryusuke Taguchi & ACH vs. Taichi & Taka Michinoku in Super juniors tag tournament

NEW JAPAN FROM KORAKUEN HALL AT 5:30 EASTERN MONDAY ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

  • This show will feature both semifinals of the Super Junior tag team tournament. The rest of the show to be announced.

Raw will be Monday night in Baltimore. The crew will leave Baltimore right after Raw so there is no chance this week for a Raw invasion of Smackdown. There is also a Smackdown house show in Raleigh on Monday night.

Smackdown and 205 Live take place on Tuesday from Norfolk. Matches announced for Smackdown are Dolph Ziggler vs. Bobby Roode 2/3 falls and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens both in matches to determine who gets on the Smackdown Survivor Series team.

FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY:Figure Four Weekly 10/23/2017: Recapping WWE’s unusual TLC PPV

Making the most of a bad situation, Sunday night’s TLC pay-per-view provided a fun ending for what must have been a rough week for WWE. Two wrestlers (Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt) being pulled from a PPV due to a viral infection just days before the show is always a bad situation. But TLC being built almost solely around the in-ring reunion of The Shield made the timing especially awful. Having a mediocre PPV is forgivable in the Network era, but WWE knew that they had to give ticket holders worthy replacements.

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WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER:October 30, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWE TLC reviewed, Survivor Series lineup, plus tons of news

The story behind the illnesses to WWE stars and how the plans went down for Kurt Angle and A.J. Styles to be on TLC, as well as the current Survivor Series card, ideas on huge name additions to the show, and an update on the health status of the wrestlers is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer. 

Look at the TLC show, with match-by-match coverage, poll results and star ratings. Get the update on the health issues with the missing talent, the story behind HHH working a house show this week, the story behind Balor vs. Styles, previous Balor vs. Styles history, booking that makes no sense at all, and a look at Survivor Series plans.

This issue has an early word on what will be one of the biggest stories of the next year, which are the UFC television negotiations. Also, look at how this is also a huge story for WWE because of all the similarities but WWE talks come one year later.

Inside, there is an update with the WWE television situation as far as the proposed U.K. show, update on Ronda Rousey in WWE and where things stand, update on ideas for new WWE television shows, the WWE vs. ROH head-to-head in San Antonio heats up, Shawn Michaels challenges Johnny Gargano, Jimmy Jacobs talks his firing, lots of news about WrestleMania VIP packages, more on steroids in wrestling and health effects, an update on Nia Jax, the story behind why John Cena never went heel, WWE makes an investment, McGregor and WWE, Nikki Bella update, notes on a trainee that a lot of people are talking about, and most watched shows on the WWE Network.

Read the notes on all of the WWE and NXT events over the past week including business highlights and highlights from the shows.

There is also a feature on former Central States television announcer Bill Kersten, who passed away, as well as Stan “Big K” Kowalski, a Midwest star who passed away.

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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 Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com. 

Rates in the United States are $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52. If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.)

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue, or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

WON BACK ISSUE: October 1, 2000 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Disappointing WCW ratings, WWF Unforgiven reviewed, more

Whatever changes in the landscape temporarily that would result from the WWF going to a lower rated network appear to have been overstated. It was thought that this would be the week for WCW to capitalize, as viewers, used to WWF on Monday nights, would switch to WCW when finding other programming on the USA Network. Even though, due to the court decision coming in late and Viacom not getting nearly the amount of publicity they had planned to hype the debut of Raw,

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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

VICE ran a story today regarding WWE using Ultimate Warrior in its current campaign on television. The combination of the death of Bobby Heenan, Warrior’s comments on Heenan, and his comments on gays, foreigners and others made this morally reprehensible, but because it’s wrestling, it was one of those things that wouldn’t get a lot of coverage. Dana Warrior was quoted in the piece saying, “I will not be disloyal to my husband’s memory or speak ill of a man who is not here to defend himself. I can, however, tell you his heart was changed by conversations with his two daughters. The true testament of the man behind the character is his ability to evolve. My husband did just that.”

My only comment on that is if this is the case, did he attempt to contact Heenan privately to apologize for his comments, or to the family of Davey Boy Smith, or do so publicly at any time?

They have tried to erase all of Warrior’s prior posts that were controversial from social media.

Edson Barboza vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov has been added to the 12/30 UFC 219 PPV from Las Vegas. 

AXS is airing the Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito G-1 finals tonight. There are reasons, because of the danger involved, that it was not my favorite match this year, but it got voted best match of G-1, and when you consider the competition, that’s an incredible honor.

Tickets for ROH Final Battle on 12/15 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York are now sold out. Tickets have been put on sale for the final TV taping of the year on 12/16 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

New Japan has announced that they are making more tickets available for U.S. fans for the 1/4 Tokyo Dome starting at midnight tonight Eastern time and 9 p.m. Pacific time. The original allotment of U.S. tickets sold out the first day. 

There was a lot of talk last night about Cow Palace Wrestling coming up in new material released on the 1963 Kennedy assassination. Some have taken it as an implication that Roy Shire, the promoter, was an FBI informant. (thanks to Chris Jensen)

WWE

  • The WWE’s 25th anniversary of Raw show will be on 1/22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It’s going to be pushed as a major deal. 
  • John Cena will be doing another talk show on 12/4 in Sheffield, England at the DSA Arena.
  • Jeff Hardy will be launching an art gallery for his online web store on Tuesday featuring works he’s been painting with his left hand only (due to his shoulder surgery). For more info you can go to JeffHardyBrand.com 
  • Heath Slater talks his new wrestling school.
  • Chris Jericho on The Hot Ones YouTube show

UFC

  • FS1 will be airing a special tonight at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time called “GSP: A Legend Returns,” to promote next week Michael Bisping vs. GSP welterweight title match.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Frank “Chic” Cullen was inducted into the Scotland Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame this morning outside Albert Halls in Stirling. Cullen, who was from Stirling wrestled from 1981 to 2016, and was a star in the U.K. and had a stint in Stampede Wrestling.
  • Jake Hager (Jack Swagger) vs. Eli Drake vs. Johnny Impact will headline the 11/25 WrestleCade show in Winston-Salem, NC which goes head-to-head with WWE’s Starrcade show.
  • Regarding the Ricochet vs. Chuck Taylor PWG title change from Sunday, the back story on the top rope being torn down is that Zack Sabre Jr. had torn down the bottom rope in his match with Taylor to keep him from getting a rope break for a submissions, so Taylor tore down the top rope from learning from that, to keep Ricochet from coming off the top rope. (thanks to Adam Spagna and others)
  • NWL tomorrow night in Kansas City is headlined by a dog collar match with Jeremy Wyatt vs. Jack Foster. Sunday in Springfield, MO has Dak Draper vs. Foster for the Kansas City title and The Foundation vs. Leech Talent Agency for the tag titles.
  • NFC MMA on 11/10 in Atlanta at Monday Night Crewing with a red carpet event and Vegas style casino games plus fights.
  • Rey Mysterio Jr. has signed an endorsement deal with SPLX
  • Added to WrestleCircus on 11/18 in Austin, TX is Extra Talented vs. Troll Boyz for the tag titles, Sammy Guevara vs. Matt Riddle and Shane Strickland vs. Scorpio Sky. Jimmy Jacobs is also on the show.
  • Kyra Batara vs. Paulina Granados will headline a Combate Americas live television show on 12/1 at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio.
  • AIW on 11/24 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Cleveland, OH has Jody Fleisch from the U.K. appearing in a four-way with Matt Cross, Laredo Kid and DJZ, plus Tom Lawlor vs. Tracy Williams and Ethan Page vs. Dominic Garrini.
  • Night one trailer of the Jim Lynam Memorial Tournament is now available (final cut) from SmartMarkVideo.com (MP4, VOD):
    Zema Ion vs. Andrew Everett
    Curt Stallion vs. ACH
    Mark Haskins vs. Eddie Kingston
    Zachary Wentz vs. Jeff Cobb
    AAW Heavyweight Championship: Trevor Lee vs. Rey Fenix 
    Keith Lee & Shane Strickland vs. Matt Riddle & Zack Sabre Jr.
    Ace Perry & PACO vs. Kody Rice & Connor Braxton vs. Team EatClips (Trey Miguel & Stephen Wolf)
    Dezmond Xavier vs. AR Fox
    Myron Reed vs. Brian Cage
    Mat Fitchett vs. Sami Callihan
    Michael Elgin vs. Penta 0M

Today in Professional Wrestling History: Chamber of Horrors at Halloween Havoc 1991

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