After months of discussion about his impending free agency, Moose debuted on TNA television at last night’s Destination X edition of Impact.
Along with Mike Bennett, Moose interrupted the title vs. title main event between Bobby Lashley and Eddie Edwards. Moose took out Edwards and the also returning Davey Richards before facing off with Lashley.
In spite of all the buzz coming from Final Deletion talk, it was expected that TNA would do a strong rating last night, but it did not do as well as TNA hoped. More on that story here.
TNA will be taping tonight in Orlando so we’ll be looking for reports on that show to [email protected].
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, 9pm est)
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, 7pm est)
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, 6pm est)
Bantamweight: Rani Yahya vs. Matthew Lopez
Middleweight: Devin Clark vs. Alex Nicholson
THE ROUNDUP
WWE Cruiserweight Classic Preview pt. 4: Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Rich Swann
WWE Cruiserweight Classic Preview pt. 3: Kota Ibushi, Brian Kendrick, Cedric Alexander
Paul Heyman offers Will Ospreay an Evolve contract
Raw ratings a mixed bag with Vince McMahon return
WWE Superstars results: The Usos and The Ascension headline a tag team special
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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.
WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE
TNA has video of the immediate aftermath of the Final Deletion, which also aired on last night’s Impact. There is also a video of Moose making his debut on last night’s show.
Our very own Chris Harrington wrote an excellent piece about implications of the UFC sale on WWE valuation for WrestlingInc.com. It’s definitely worth a read.
John Cena will be hosting the ESPY Awards tonight at 8 PM EST on ABC.
WWE has a map of where every Cruiserweight Classic competitor hails from. The tournament debuts tonight on the WWE Network.
The UFC 202: Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor pre-sale starts on Thursday morning at 10 AM PST. The pre-sale code is UFCTM. Ticket prices for the event are $1,292.65, $880.65, $674.65, $520.15, $365.65 and $211.25 (prices include applicable service charges and handling fees.)
WWE & Professional Wrestling
Shane McMahon teased on Twitter that he’s made his choice for the general manager of SmackDown.
John Cena signed a development deal to produce projects with Leftfield Entertainment. Leftfield currently produces some of reality television’s most popular shows.
After returning on last night’s SmackDown taping, Neville is scheduled to face Chris Jericho in a street fight on WWE’s live event at Madison Square Garden this Saturday.
MLive has an article on Michigan native Kenneth Johnson’s appearance in the CWC.
An article about Kevin Owens appeared in the Asbury Park Press on Wednesday morning.
Chinese signee Bin Wang recently had his first day at the WWE Performance Center.
In addition to changing nights in the United States, Impact will also now be airing on Thursday night’s at 8 PM EST on the Fight Network in Canada starting on July 21st.
Eric Bischoff was pulled from a date in Canada next Sunday for Destiny Wrestling.
Revolution Pro Wrestling released a Marty Scurll action figure, the first ever produced by a European promotion. Scurll defeated Will Ospreay earlier this year for the right to have the figure made.
Meet the first Pakistani wrestler to compete in WWE. Prince Mustafa Ali is the first person of Pakistani origin to make it to WWE and is part of the Cruiserweight Classic tournament.
Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa vs. Trevor Lee & Andrew Everett was announced for AAW’s July 23rd show in Merrionette Park, Illinois.
Germany’s xWx promotion announced the launch of their on demand service wXw NOW on Wednesday afternoon. It will be available starting on August 13th. Our own Alan4L will be doing the English commentary for the service.
UFC & MMA
Urijah Faber, who some speculated would retire after his title challenge against bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was unsuccessful, will return to the Octagon at UFC 203 against Jimmie Rivera. Rivera is a tough out as he comes in on an 11 fight win streak, including all 3 of his UFC bouts.
New UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes will not require surgery on her right hand. She thought she had broken it in her win over Miesha Tate at UFC 200 on Saturday, but a visit to the doctor showed it wasn’t broken. Ariel Helwani has the full story here.
Dong Hyun Kim is out of his fight at UFC 202 against surging welterweight contender Neil Magny. This is the better known of the two fighters with the same name in UFC. Lorenz Larkin will fill in and take on Magny. Larkin is coming off a split decision win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC Fight Night 88 in May.
Ross Pearson will be moving up to welterweight to take on Jorge Masvidal at UFC 201 on July 30. Pearson just fought on Friday, losing a decision to Will Brooks in Brooks’ UFC debut. Pearson is a replacement for Siyar Bahadurzada, who pulled out due to an illness.
Bellator announced today that they will receive regulatory support for this Saturday’s Bellator 158 card in London from Mohegan Department of Regulation. The athletic commission will be providing pre and post fight drug testing of all fighters on the card.
ONE Championship, one of the largest mixed martial arts organizations in Asia, announced a financial partnership with Singapore’s Temasek Holdings
WSOF has finalized its card for July 30:
WSOF32: MORAES VS. HILL II
Bantamweight Championship Main Event: Marlon Moraes (Champion) vs. Josh Hill
Featherweight Championship: Alexandre Almeida (Champion) vs. Lance Palmer
Catchweight (162 pounds): Caros Fodor vs. Phoenix Jones
Middleweight: Phil Hawes vs. Louis Taylor
Featherweight: Hakeem Dawodu vs. Marat Magomedov
Middleweight: Rex Harris vs. Nicolai Salchow
Welterweight: Andrews Nakahara vs. Travis Doerge
Middleweight: Alfonso Gonzales vs. Thomas Hoeper
Heavyweight: Matt Kovacs vs. Bill Widler
Lightweight: Patrick Benson vs. Brett Malone
Lightweight: Matt Coble vs. Colt Hausauer
Bantamweight: Justin Hugo vs. Tycen Lynn
Bantamweight: Jon Marc Cortez vs. Joe Elzea
Variety
Forbes named Dwayne Johnson as the world’s highest-paid actor.
New York’s Village Voice has a review of the “Lucha Mexico” documentary.
SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR
TONIGHT – 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, NY www.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 21- TNA IMPACT WRESTLING moving to Thursday nights on Fight Network
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 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.
Merritton Community Centre 7 Park Ave St. Catharines, ON
July 24 – WWE presents Battle Ground PPV at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. It will be the fourth event under the Battleground chronology, and the first event under the newly reinstated WWE brand extension.
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 29, 30, 31 – ECCW returns to the Agrifair 2016 Abbortsford, BC with three shows per day. Friday and Saturday shows start at 12:00PM – 3:00PM – 8:00PM. Saturday July 30 wil feature “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart . Sunday’s shows start at 11:00AM – 2PM and 5PM
July 30 – UFC 201 – LAWLER VS. WOODLEY from Atlanta, GA
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.
Aug 6 – UFC FIGHT NIGHT – RODRIGUEZ VS CACERES, from Salt Lake City, UT
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 20 – UFC 202 – DIAZ VS MCGREGOR 2, from Las Vegas, NV
Aug 21 – WWE Presents THE SummerSlam PPV event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It will be the twenty-ninth event under the SummerSlam chronology and the second consecutive SummerSlam to be hosted in the Barclays Center.
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 27 – UFC FIGHT NIGHT – TBA VS TBD from Vancouver, BC. I’m already pumped.
Aug 28 – Destiny wrestling proudly presents “SUMMER HEAT”.
Daily Pro Wrestling History (07/13): Benoit wins Best of Super Juniors Tourament
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