THE ROUND-UP
The Latest from the F4W Staff
Ronda Rousey appears at AIW in Cleveland on Friday night – Three of the Four Horsewomen celebrated a victory in profressional wrestling, as Shayna Baszler wins gold.
Freak accident causes UFC 203 fight cancellation; Robbie Lawler/Donald Cerrone fight is off – An elevator accident injures C.B. Dolloway, and MSG needs a new main event.
The Day In Punk: CM Punk declines a handshake, prepares for UFC 203 battle – The final drama unfolds.
Lord Littlebrook passes away at 87 years old – Sad to report the news of the death of Eric Tovey aka Lord Littlebrook.
WWE comes to terms with Alberto Del Rio on his release – Albert of the River departs from WWE. Joseph Currier gives you the details.
FREE WOL: BROKEN MATT HARDY INTERVIEW, Dave Meltzer, CM Punk fight, more! 9/8 – Matt Hardy joins Wrestling Observer Live for an in-character interview.
F4D: Lance Storm on Raw and Smackdown, Delete or Decay, Stardom World and more! 9/8 – The most serious man ever, Lance Storm, weighs in on the wackiest video ever, Delete or Decay.
WOR: Cruiserweight Classic, Smackdown, CM Punk fighting Saturday, more! 9/8 – Dave Meltzer and Bryan A. Alvarez discuss the latest happenings in the world of wrestling under 205lbs.
UFC 203 press conference video: CM Punk, Stipe Miocic and more – Dana White banned all water bottles from attendance, and Nick Diaz, just to be safe.
Daily Pro Wrestling History (09/05): First WCCW Labor Day Star Wars – Wrestling historian Brian Hoops brings you the labor day highlights in professional wrestling.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Please send your thoughts with a thumbs up, down, or middle, along with best and worst match: [email protected]
UFC 204 from Cleveland
WWE Backlash, Smackdown brand PPV from Richmond
Please send reports: [email protected]
WWE in Shanghai, China (Raw crew plus John Cena)
WWE in Raleigh, NC (Smackdown crew minus John Cena and American Alpha).
TONIGHT…
UFC 203 FROM THE QUICKEN LOANS ARENA IN CLEVELAND
Fight Pass at 7 p.m. Eastern time
Drew Dober (155) vs. Jason Gonzalez (156)
Yancy Medeiros (171) vs. Sean Spencer (170)
FS 1 at 8 p.m.
Francimar Barroso (205.5) vs. C.B. Dolloway (205)
Caio Magalhaes (185.5) vs. Brad Tavares (186)
Nik Lentz (156) vs. Michael McBride (158)
Bethe Correia (135) vs. Jessica Eye (135)
PPV at 10 p.m.
Jessica Andrade (115.5) vs. Joanne Calderwood (116)
Urijah Faber (136) vs. Jimmie Rivera (135.5)
C.M. Punk (170) vs. Mickey Gall (170.5)
Travis Browne (241) vs. Fabricio Werdum (239.5)
Stipe Miocic (246) vs. Alistair Overeem (248.5) for the heavyweight title
McBride will be fined 20 percent of his purse for missing weight, while Overeem was fined $500 for being late to this morning’s weigh-ins.
EVOLVE IPPV FROM DEER PARK, NEW YORK
Ethan Page vs. Dan Barry
TJ Perkins vs. Darby Allin
Matt Riddle vs. Ricochet vs. Tony Nese
Jigsaw vs. Fred Yehi
Dustin vs. Tracy Williams
Drew Galloway vs. Drew Gulak
Johnny Gargano vs Zack Sabre Jr.
SUNDAY…
WWE BACKLASH AT 7 P.M. EASTERN TIME ON THE WWE NETWORK
Dean Ambrose vs. A.J. Styles for WWE title
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler for IC title
Nikki Bella vs. Natalya vs. Becky Lynch vs. Naomi vs. Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss in a six-way elimination match to create the first Smackdown women’s champion
Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley vs. Usos
Rawley & Ryder vs. Usos winner vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno to create new Smackdown tag team champions
EVOLVE IPPV FROM WOODSIDE, QUEENS, NY ON SUNDAY
Fred Yehi vs. Travis Gordon
Tracy Williams vs. Chuck O’Neil
Ethan Page vs. David Starr
Tony Nese vs. Darby Allin
T.J. Perkins vs. Matt Riddle
Drew Gulak vs. Dustin
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet
Johnny Gargano & Cody Rhodes vs. Drew Galloway & Chris Hero
NEW JAPAN FROM TOKYO KORAKUEN HALL ON MONDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
David Finlay vs. Henare
Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Liger & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Will Ospreay & Gedo & Rocky Romero & Baretta
Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi
Juice Robinson vs. Evil
Katsuyori Shibata & Tiger Mask vs Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin & Kushida vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Bushi
Raw will be Monday night from Baltimore. Smackdown will have a house show in Fairfax, VA on Monday night.
Smackdown will be Tuesday night from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
The semifinals and finals of the cruiserweight classic will be part of a two-hour show live from Full Sail University at 8 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday with semifinals of Kota Ibushi vs. T.J. Perkins and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Gran Metalik as the semifinals.
Figure Four Weekly: Figure Four Weekly 9/5/2016: WWE finally releases the “Last Battle of Atlanta” – WWE is getting ready to check another box off the wrestling video collectors’ holy grail list. WWE Network news reported over the weekend that Tommy Rich vs. Buzz Sawyer in “The Last Battle of Atlanta” will be added to the service on Tuesday, September 6th as part of a “Hidden Gems” playlist… Subscribers click here to continue reading.
F4W YouTube Page: Tons of clips and full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!
Wrestling Observer Newsletter: September 12, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: CM Punk making UFC debut, PWG Battle of Los Angeles review, more – A 19-month journey will come to an end, or to a new beginning on 9/10 when Phil Brooks, better known as C.M. Punk, steps into the cage in one of the biggest matches on the UFC 203 PPV card. While many people have tried to make analogies, using names like Brock Lesnar or James Toney, there is really nothing in UFC history really comparable to this. It was a weird experiment that many had written off as a failure six months into the story… Subscribers click here to continue reading.
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WON BACK ISSUE: August 16, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Jim Ross, Jushin Liger, Keiji Mutoh, Lioness Asuka enter Hall of Fame – Details on the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame voting results… Subscribers click here to continue reading.
SATURDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
WWE uploaded video of an unaired match between Cedric Alexander and Oney Lorcan (formerly Biff Busick). The match was filmed at the last round of tapings for the Cruiserweight Classic. And in another previously unreleased match Drew Gulak and Tony Nese face Lince Dorado and Kenneth Johnson.
During a house show match in Manila yesterday, Big Show broke the ropes when attempting a splash on John Cena. WWE posted video of the aftermath of the ropes breaking and the finish of the match.
“Childhood dreams fulfilled” at the WWE house show in Manila according to an article which includes this line: “Kids learned how to execute a Pedigree or a Chokeslam long before they started learning about Pythagoras and his theorem for triangles.” Stay in school kids, and don’t try this at home!
WWE superstar Carmella discusses the women’s revolution in an interview.
For what it is worth, Kevin Owens is now ranked No. 1 in the “ESPN WWE Power Rankings” so he has that going for him.
GameSpot has a gallery of the weirdest WWE champions ever.
Triple H tweeted that he’s proud of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Seth Rollins for main eventing WWE’s live events in London, Manila, and Shanghai. He noted that all three are former NXT champions.
PRO WRESTLING
WCPW have just announced Alberto El Patron for their Loaded tapings next week on September 15th at the O2 Academy Newcastle, on a show where tickets are priced at a one-off special of £5.
Johnny Gargano, the face of EVOLVE Wrestling, will appear at his final two shows for the company this weekend before heading to WWE/NXT on a full-time basis. Gargano will face Zack Sabre Jr. at EVOLVE 68 before teaming with Cody Rhodes to take on Drew Galloway and Chris Hero at EVOLVE 69 on Sunday night. WWE.com interviewed Gargano about the shows, and Gabe Sapolsky wrote a Facebook post about Gargano’s farewell.
Ring of Honor’s Matt Taven returned to the ring on Friday night in Arena Mexico. An injury over a year ago had sidelined him. Taven tested his knee with a few high flying moves in a semi-main event trios match.
Another story from last in Arena Mexico involved speculation on the whereabouts of Caristico (formerly Sin Cara). He was double booked on two shows on the same night in different cities. He worked both shows doing a double shot. Caristico worked in a trios match in Mexico City for CMLL then reportedly appeared later that night in Naucalpan for an Elite show. Still no word on where in the world is Carmen Sandiego.
Ring of Honor tweeted good luck to CM Punk in his fight tonight.
VARIETY
Bad news for Dixie Carter, who had her fancy mailbox ran over on accident by a nineteen year old driver. No one was injured.
Pro Wrestling Freedom, an indie promotion based out of Jeffersonville, IN (near Louisville, KY), ran a “Black Lives Matter” angle at their show last night.
Wrestling coach J Robinson plans to file a grievance against the University of Minnesota, claiming they made him the scapegoat.
(Photo: Associated Press)
Japanese politician and pro-wrestling icon Kanji “Antonio” Inoki met a close confidant of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday in his latest visit to Pyongyang, a day after North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test in defiance of heavy international sanctions.
Former nWo member Jeff Farmer, a.k.a, nWo Sting was the latest guest on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show. Jeff had much to share about his near 15-year career in the wrestling business, specifically his time as a member of the nWo and success in Japan. Here are some highlights.
On formation of nWo Sting:
“”I think the major part was [Bischoff] thought that [Sting] and I were similar in size and stature. I that that was part of it, that I could fool them because we looked similar enough. I wasn’t 6’9” or anything like that, so I think it was definitely part of the match-up in size. I was probably a little heavier than [Sting] back then, but it was definitely close enough. Eric came up and told me, hey, this is a big deal. If this gets out, I’m going to squash it. So even some of the boys didn’t know what was going on. It was something that he definitely kept guarded, so that it was kind of a shock to everyone when I came out of the limo and attacked Lex Luger.”
On missed opportunity of Sting vs. Sting match:
“My character was more popular than Sting in Japan, and I always thought we could have a huge match with the real Sting and the nWo Sting. We could have took the house down in Tokyo, if we would have ever done that match. It was just a missed opportunity, really in the US too. Think about what you could have done. You could have had [us] wrestle each other, but what if somehow we joined up as a tag team, and then you have two Stings? That would have been awesome too. There could have been a lot of scenarios that could’ve played out. That was something that never got a chance to happen, but I think it would have been cool.”
EVENTS CALENDAR
Saturday, September 10 – UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem; Cleveland, Ohio
9 – Chaotic Wrestling & The Lowell Spinners present “A Night of Grand Slams,” Edward A. LeLacheur Park, 450 Aiken St. – Lowell, MA
10 – CZW in Voorhees, NJ at Flyers Skate Zone with a doubleheader with a WSU Women’s show at 4 p.m. that day and the men’s show at 8 p.m.
10 – Pure Wrestling Association: COWEX – Duncan, British Columbia
10 – New England Fights 25: HEROES & VILLAINS; Lewiston, MA. Tickets.
10 – Barrie Wrestling: Back to School 3; 49 Ferris Lane, Barrie, Ontario, Canada
10 – Evolve in Deer Park, NY has Gargano vs. Sabre Jr., Galloway vs. Gulak, Dustin vs. Tracy Williams, Jigsaw vs. Fred Yehi, Riddle vs. Tony Nese, Perkins vs. Allin and Page vs. Dan Barry.
11 – Evolve in Woodside, NY at La Boom has Johnny Gargano & Cody Rhodes vs. Drew Galloway & Chris Hero in Gargano’s last Evolve match, Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet, Matt Riddle vs. TJ Perkins, Dustin vs. Drew Gulak, Tony Nese vs. Darby Allin and Ethan Page vs David Starr. Joey Styles will also be appearing.
15 – CCW Parkhill Fall Fair Pro Wrestling, 5:30pm doors, 6:30pm bell time. Cody Deaner vs. Jake O’Reilly for the CCW title.
16 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE, 7:30 pm. Tickets.
16 – All Star Wrestling; Squamish, BC, Totem Hall, Stawamus Rd, Garibaldi Highlands, BC V0N 1T0, Canada, tickets.
16 – AAW: 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL). Tickets.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Lake Cowichan, British Columbia
16 – Smash vs Progress: Uncensored; Oshawa Music Hall, Oshawa, Ontario. Must be 19+ to attend.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Private Event in Ontario
16 – SuperKickd’d Pro Wrestling at 7:30 PM – 10 PM, The Great Hall Toronto, 1087 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H3
16 – All Pro Wrestling on 9/16 in Daly City, CA at the Bayshore Community Center features Sabu vs. The Almighty Sheik, Willie Mack & B-Boy vs Reno Scrum, plus Jody Kristofferson, JR Kratos, Marcus Lewis and Dylan Drake in a four way for the Universal title.
17 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Lockport (Buffalo), NY, 7:00 pm. Tickets.
17 – NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling on in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Alpine Club, Kitchener, Ontario
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Courtenay, British Columbia
17 – UFC Fight Night, Poirier vs. Johnson: Hidalgo, Texas, State Farm Arena
17 & 18 – SMASH VS PROGRESS: Smash Wrestling welcomes our friends from Progress Wrestling. Mark Haskins and Jack Gallagher (Cruiserweight Classic), Zack Sabre Jr. Mark Andrews and more will be part of the Progress Wrestling team in a Smash vs. Progress Canada vs. UK show in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Center.
18 – Pure Wrestling Association: Gold River, British Columbia
18 – NWX presents School’s Back In Session at the CWF Wrestling School on 20 Hartzel Rd in St Catharines, ON. Holden Albright vs. Joey Paradice (c) for the NWX Heavyweight Championship. Get your tickets by calling 289-687-5610.
22 – NXT; Toronto, Ontario at the Mattamy Athletic Center (the former Maple Leaf Gardens)
22 – All-Star Wrestling: 7:30 PM, Abbotsford Arts Center, 2329 Crescent Way, Abbotsford, BC V2S 3M2, Canada, tickets.
22- Big Time Wrestling in Morganton, NC at the Collette Rec Center features a meet & greet at 6 p.m. before the live show. Appearing are Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Cody Rhodes, Magnum T.A. and Trevor Lee.
23 – MCW Pro Wrestling presents “Ringside with Jim Ross & Jim Cornette at Jimmy’s Famous Seafood in Baltimore. Showtime 8:00PM, 6526 Holabird Ave, Baltimore, MD 21224. Tickets.
23 – Big Time Wrestling in Raleigh, NC at Dorton Arena features Flair and Steamboat together at Dorton Arena for the first time in 28 years, plus Jeff & Matt Hardy, Cody Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ivan Koloff, Jimmy Valiant, Gangrel and Shane Helms with the meet & greet at 6 and show at 8.
23 – Invicta FC: Live from Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. Interim Flyweight Champion Jennifer Maia Defends Against Roxanne Modafferi
23 – NXT; St. Catherines, Ontario at The Meridian Centre
23 – Absolute Intense Wrestling: A Farewell to Johnny Gargano – 1355 West 70th St. Cleveland, OH – Tickets.
23 – Pure Wrestling Association: Parksville, British Columbia
23 – Pro Wrestling Eclipse takes a short trip to downtown Oshawa and visits the Oshawa Mason Temple. All tickets purchased on July 24 that list the venue as the Oshawa Legion will be honoured.
24 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Duluth (Atlanta), GA 7:00 pm, tickets.
24 – East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA), 49 ANNIVERSARY SHOW, Woodbury Heights Community Center, 741 Helen Ave, Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097. Tickets.
24 – EWA Evolution: World War Z at Tall Cedars Hall (2501 Putty Hill Ave.) in Parkville, MD. See the double ring, 5 vs. 5 Ladder War! Bell time is 7:30 pm. Tickets are $15 front row and $12 general.
24 – IWA Midsouth Wrestling presents the Hybrid Cup, at PRIDE Bar in New Albany, IN.
24 – Ignite Wrestling in Vero Beach, FL at the IG Center features Dave Crist.
24 – UCW, September 24th 7:30 PMBay City,MI UCW Champion Hakim Zane vs MVP, plus appearances by Ron Simmons and Fred Ottman
24 – Big Time Wrestling in Spartanburg, SC at the Memorial Auditorium with the meet and greet at 5:30 and show at 7:30 with Flair, Steamboat, Hardys, Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Gangrel and Trevor Lee.
24 – MCW Legends Convention at the MCW Arena in Joppa, MD at 10 a.m. featuring Bret Hart, Jimmy Hart, Howard Finkel, Honky Tonk Man, Hillbilly Jim, Paul Orndorff, Greg Valentine, Jim Ross, Bill Apter, Brutus Beefcake, Bob Orton, Tito Santana, Jim Neidhart, Tammy Sytch, Magnum T.A. and even Dennis Stamp.
24 – Rock Solid: Anarchy in Angus 14: A Nightmare on Mill Street, 7pm – 10pm, Angus Recreation Centre, 8527 County Rd. 10, Angus, Ontario. Tickets.
24 – Pure Wrestling Association: Campbell River, British Columbia
24 – NXT in Kitchener, Ontario at The Air
24 – Elite Canada Championship Wrestling: New Westminster, Sapperton Pensioners Hall
24 – Main Event Pro Wrestling in Longview, TX at Pine Tree High School, 5pm, Big Daddy Yum Yum and others. Tickets $10
318 Keary St, New Westminster, BC, 7:30pm Bell Time, doors at 7pm. Tickets.
25 – Canadian Wrestling’s Elite: Nick “Magnus” Aldis defends the GFW title against Matt Hart of the Hart Family in Calgary.
25 – Rizin: Former K-1 kickboxer Minoru Kimura will make his MMA debut against former Pride fighter Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett (29-30-2)
25 – Pure Wrestling Association – TBA – British Columbia
30 – ROH: All-Star Extravaganza Weekend Day 1; Lowell (Boston), MA, Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 9:00 pm (PPV)
30 – CWF presents Live Pro Wrestling at CWF Studios on 20 Hartzel Rd in St Catharines, ON. 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Daily Pro Wrestling History (09/10): Harley Race defeats Giant Baba for the NWA Title
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