Daily Update: Dangerous weather cancels wrestling shows, UFC 197 tickets
Nasty weather cancels a number of wrestling shows
There have been quite a few cancellations of weekend wrestling shows on the east coast due to a predicted crazy winter storm. We have a few updates. The biggest show of note to be cancelled is tonight’s ROH show in North Carolina. Tomorrow’s ROH show in Duluth, GA is still on as of this writing.
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We’re looking for reports tonight from the NXT tapings in Orlando at the University of Central Florida Gym at Dave Meltzer The top matches are Finn Balor vs. Neville for the NXT title, Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe for the No. 1 contender position and Bayley vs. Carmella for the NXT title. We’ll get a good read on where they are going for the Takeover show tonight. Austin Aries is backstage at the show.
We’re also looking for reports on the GFW show tonight in Poughkeepsie. The original main event of Nick Aldis vs. Bobby Roode for the GFW title will have to be changed because Roode will be unable to get into Poughkeepsie.
For this weekend, we’ll be doing polls on all three Fantatstica Mania shows from Korakuen Hall on New Japan World including today’s show at Dave Meltzer
EVOLVE IPPV TONIGHT AT 9 P.M. EASTERN AT WWW.WWNLIVE.COM FROM THE ORPHEUM IN YBOR CITY, FL.
First round matches in weekend long Evolve tag team tournament
Sami Callihan & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Chris Hero & Tommy End
Caleb Konley & Anthony Nese vs. The Bravado Brothers
Rocky Romero & Trent Baretta vs. Team Tremendous (Dan Barry & Bill Carr)
Johnny Gargano & Drew Galloway vs. Drew Gulak & TJ Perkins
Matt Riddle vs. Fred Yehi
Tracy Williams vs. Peter Kassa
Ethan Page vs. PJ Black
NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING TONIGHT AT 9 P.M. EASTERN/6 P.M. PACIFIC ON AXS TV
Togi Makabe vs. Hirooki Goto in New Japan Cup semifinals
Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito in New Japan Cup semifinals
Finals of New Japan Cup
CMLL LIVE FROM ARENA MEXICO TONIGHT AT 9:30 P.M. AT WWW.CLAROSPORTS.COM
Starman & Stigma vs. Escandalo & Sangre Azteca
Blue Panther Jr. & Delta & Triton vs. Misterioso Jr. & Puma King & Sagrado
Angel de Oro & Maximo Sexy & Valiente vs. Ephesto & Kraneo & Luciferno
Blue Panther vs. Ripper
Euforia & Gran Guerrero & Niebla Roja vs. Thunder & Polvora & Dragon Rojo Jr.
Rush & La Mascara & Marco Corleone vs. El Terrible & Negro Casas & Rey Bucanero
LEGACY FIGHTING TONIGHT FROM THE ARENA THEATER IN HOUSTON AT 10 P.M. EASTERN/7 P.M. PACIFIC ON AXS TV
Jeremy Hardy (255) vs. Dale Mitchell (264.6)
David Acosta (126) vs. Roberto Sanchez (125.7)
Michael Rodriguez (145.3) vs. Alex Black (145.1)
Charles Cheeks III (147) vs. Rey Trujillo (150.2)
Jonathan Harris (155.2) vs. Justin Reiswerg (155.5)
Jared Chaffee (155.4) vs. Ray Blodget (155.9)
Evangelista Cyborg Santos (170) vs. Artenas Young (168.8)
NEW JAPAN FANTATSICA MANIA LIVE ON NEW JAPAN WORLD AT 4:30 A.M. EASTERN AND 1:30 A.M. PACIFIC TIME LATE TONIGHT/EARLY TOMORROW FROM TOKYO KORAKUEN HALL
Mascara Dorada & Titan vs. Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
Kushida & Fuego & Juice Robinson vs. Gedo & Yoshi-Hashi & Hechicero
The Panther & Guerrero Maya Jr. vs. Bobby Zavala & Okumura for the Arena Coliseo tag team titles
Ryusuke Taguchi & Stuka Jr. vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Cavernario Barbaro
Jushin Liger & Atlantis & Tiger Mask vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Bushi
Dragon Lee vs. Virus for CMLL world lightweight title
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Volador Jr. & Mistico vs. Kazuchika Okada & Ultimo Guerrero & Mephisto
Saturday has a WWE house show on Fort Myers, FL with Roman Reigns, Kane, Bray Wyatt, Alberto Del Rio, Rusev, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho and others; ROH in Duluth, GA at the Infinite Energy Center (War Machine vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows for ROH tag title, Jay Lethal vs. Matt Jackson for ROH title, Roderick Strong vs. Nick Jackson for TV title, ACH & Matt Sydal & Alex Shelley vs. Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly & Michael Elgin; Rhett Titus & Kenny King vs. Cheeseburger & Moose; Adam Cole vs. Stevie Richards; Adam Page vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Will Ferrara vs. Silas Young vs. Caprice Coleman vs. Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe vs. Cedric Alexander and Corey Hollis vs. Dalton Castle); Evolve from Orlando as they continue the tag team tournament on iPPV at www.wwnlive.com and there is also a joint GFW & PWS show from Rahway, NJ. We’ll be looking for reports on all these shows at Dave Meltzer
AAA GUERRA DE TITANES ON SATURDAY NIGHT IN MEXICO CITY AT JUAN DE LA BARRERA GYM
Nino Hamburguesa & Dinastia & Pimpinela Escarlata vs. Gran Apache & Mini Charly Manson & Black Mamba
Fabi Apache & Goya Kong & Lady Maravilla vs. Lady Shani & Sexy Star & Taya in a lumberjack strap mach
Australian Suicide & Jack Evans & ? vs. Daga & Parka Negra & Super Fly
Aero Star & Fenix vs. Mascara Ano 2000 Jr. & Villano IV vs. Averno & Chessman for the No. 1 contender for tag titles
For the vacant trios titles: Electroshock & Garza Jr. & La Parka vs. Dark Cuervo & Dark Scoria & Zorro vs. El Hijo del Fantasma & El Hijo de Pirata Morgan & Taurus
Dr. Wagner Jr. & Psycho Clown vs. Mesias & El Texano Jr. – Winning team faces each other in a singles match at Rey de Reyes for the vacant AAA Mega heavyweight title
WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING AT 10 P.M. EASTERN ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK
Chauncey Foxworth vs. Jaleel Willis
Jorge Medina vs. Bryce Mitchell
Teddy Holder vs. Shamil Gamzaov
Luiz Firmino vs. Caros Fodor
NEW JAPAN FANTASTICA MANIA LIVE ON NEW JAPAN WORLD ON LATE SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY MORNING AT 4:30 A.M. EASTERN AND 1:30 A.M. PACIFIC FROM TOKYO KORAKUEN HALL
The Panther & Guerrero Maya Jr. vs. Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
Tiger Mask & Kushida & Fuego & Stuka Jr. & Titan vs. Gedo & Yoshi-Hashi & Bobby Zavala & Okumura & Hechicero
Jushin Liger vs. Virus
Ryusuke Taguchi & Mascara Dorada & Atlantis vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Bushi
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Dragon Lee & Juice Robinson vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada & Barbaro Cavernario
Mistico vs. Ultimo Guerrero
Volador Jr. vs Mephisto for NWA welterweight title
Evolve has a 2 p.m. show from the Downtown Rec Center in Orlando with the finals of the tag team title tournament at www.wwnlive.com
ROYAL RUMBLE SUNDAY FROM ORLANDO, FLA.
Royal Rumble match
Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens last man standing for IC title
Alberto Del Rio vs. Kalisto for U.S. title
New Day vs. Usos for tag team title
Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch for women’s title
Dudleys vs. The Ascension vs. Jack Swagger & Mark Henry vs. Darren Young & Damien Sandow – winners get into the Royal Rumble
Raw is Monday night from Miami. Brock Lesnar is not advertised for Monday’s show but everyone else is scheduled.
Smackdown and Main Event will be taped Tuesday in Tampa.
Figure Four Weekly
Figure Four Weekly 1/18/2016: Gawker’s motion to dismiss Hulk Hogan lawsuit denied
Gawker’s motion to dismiss the Hulk Hogan sex tape lawsuit is denied, plus news and notes
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: January 25, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2015 Observer Awards Issue
The 2015 Observer awards issue, the traditional biggest issue of the year,is up on the web site now. The issue not only has the awards winners in more than 40 different categories, but all the top place winners, as well as a history with all the awards winners dating back to 1980, as well as my comments on the placings for many of the awards.
The categories are:
Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award (Wrestler of the Year), MMA MVP, Most Outstanding Wrestler, Most Outstanding MMA Fighter, Best Box Office Draw, Feud of the Year, Tag Team of the Year, Most Improved, Best on Interviews, Most Charismatic, Best Technical Wrestler, Bruiser Brody Memorial Award (Best Brawler), Best Flying Wrestler, Most Overrated, Most Underrated, Promotion of the Year, Best Weekly TV show, Pro Wrestling Match of the Year, MMA Match of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Best Non-Wrestler, Best Television Announcer, Worst Television Announcer, Best Major Wrestling show, Worst Major Wrestling Show, Best Wrestling Maneuver, Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic, Worst Television Show, Worst Match of the Year, Worst Feud of the Year, Worst Promotion of the Year, Best Booker, Promoter of the Year, Best Gimmick, Worst Gimmick, Best Pro Wrestling Book and Best Pro Wrestling DVD
Update on the Royal Rumble and Rumble weekend, full coverage of Dominick Cruz’s UFC bantamweight title win and the records set on Sunday’s show and details on the New Japan/Jim Ross announcing deal as well as a look at how this came about and Jim Ross’ overall career.
2017 WrestleMania, how Smackdown has affected overall ratings for the USA Network, update on A.J. Styles with WWE, WWE injury updates, Daniel Bryan update, more on Mauro Ranallo and Smackdown, Chris Jericho talks his return, new season of Total Divas, How talent is broken down in NXT, the heat on Josh from Tough Enough, new dates for Brock Lesnar, plus notes from the big NXT tour and all the shows, the NXT Florida shows, as well as the WWE shows in India and the WWE weekend domestic shows and all the business notes.
PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW
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Check out the latest Online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: Dec 14, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2 biographies in the works about Jesse Ventura
NBC and ABC working on biographies on Jesse Ventura, a look at the end of year events for New Japan and All Japan, plus tons of news and notes.
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
Tickets went on sale today for UFC 197 on 3/5, with Rafael dos Anjos vs. Conor McGregor and Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate. As of earlier today, there were a few tickets left, but not many. It’s the highest scaled event in UFC history.
TNA sent this out regarding having a verbal agreement with A.J. Styles, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows before they chose WWE instead. They claimed they all agreed on 12/14 to come and then backed out. We do know that Anderson & Gallows were expected to come to TNA for the debut on Pop TV but a WWE deal came that changed their mind, and Styles was looking for a guaranteed contract for 2016 with whoever offered the best deal. Check out the story.
Hart family member, Smith Hart, has been diagnosed with both bone cancer and prostate cancer. Our best to him.
Dana White and Urijah Faber will be on AXS TV’s Inside MMA at about 12:30 a.m. Eastern tonight after the Legacy Fights show.
Ed Loredo has set up a bus for WrestleMania weekend for readers going to Dallas. The first bus sold out immediately so there may be a second bus added. For more info contact him at [email protected]
WWE
Smackdown was up 18 percent from last week to 2,757,000 viewers. Considering it is new on USA and we haven’t established exactly what the usual audience will be, that is a very good sign.
WWE stock had a good day, up 79 cents to $16,74 per share to end the week.
As expected, NXT will be part of the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, OH on 3/5 and 3/6.
WWE will debut WWE 24 WrestleMania Silicon Valley right after the Royal Rumble on Sunday.
John Cena posted a photo of A.J. Styles on instagram.
Best signature moves in the Royal Rumble
UFC
Ronda Rousey will be hosting Saturday Night Live tomorrow night on NBC.
Holly Holm and Miesha Tate are also both in New York today doing media for their fight. It would make sense for them to be in the audience for the SNL although I’ve heard nothing in that direction.
A lightweight fight with Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Johnson has been added to the 3/5 show in Las Vegas.
Matt Mitrione will be undergoing surgery on his broken right orbital bone next week according the MMA Fighting.com.
Andrew Holbrook has pulled out of next week’s fight with Sage Northcutt on FOX due to an injury. Northcutt will instead face Bryan Barbarena in the FOX opener.
Nick Diaz will be eating and signing autographs at Hooters in Kennesaw, GA tonight from 6-8 p.m. Ticket price includes unlimited wings and soft drinks.
Nick Diaz will also be doing a seminar from Noon to 4 p.m. tomorrow at Georgia Fitness Pro in Duluth, GA and he will be attending the fights tomorrow night at the electric Cowboy in Kennnesaw, GA. More Info.
MISCELLANEOUS
Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore has booked a show in Niagara Falls, ONT on 5/7,.
Vivid Video, which announced Tammy Sytch signing to do a porn video, already has a trailer up, which tells you the video was shot some time back. All the stuff about negotiations going on were a public work.
Chris DeJoseph talks Lucha Underground
The Fight Network has been launched on Vodafone Portugal’s Extended TV package on Ch. 246.
The Fight Network will be airing One Championship Dynasty of Champions show at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow morning from Changsha, China and at 10 p.m. Eastern tomorrow night will air World Series of Fighting live from the Fed Ex Forum in Memphis.
Championship Wrestling from Hollywood premieres on 2/13 on KOFY-TV in San Francisco in the Saturday at 4 p.m. time slow.
CWE tonight in Winnipeg at Rookie’s Sports Bar.
Jim Cornette will be appearing on 3/5 at the Laugh it Up Comedy Club in Poughkeepsie, NY with an 11 p.m. show talking about his career in wrestling. Jim Duggan will also be appearing for a talk show at the club on 2/13.
A story on the documentary: “At What Cost: Anatomy of Professional Wrestling