And the time has come for the show we all anticipated, yet dreaded - the finale of the WWE Decade In Review Series (WWEDIRS for the sake of catchiness), and well 2009 like JUST happened so we didn’t really feel the need to talk about it too much. Instead we sang about it. Well actually Justin sang about it - alot. Alan meanwhile gushed over CM Punk and Jeff Hardy, and Eamo talked about iPods. A good ‘ol time was had by all!!! Only here at THE BIG FIGURE.
Mar. 9 Observer Radio: Dave and Bryan review the new Monday Night Wars, plus news and more
Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez return tonight to talk the new Monday Night Wars! We’ll discuss, in detail, every single segment on Raw and Impact, what was good, what was bad, what was boring, what was stupid, where they appear to be going with certain angles, and so much more. We’ll also look at the build to both WrestleMania and TNA’s next PPV, plus talk some news including Kimbo Slice’s next big fight. A fun show as always so check it out~!
TNA Impact highlights
We'll have the full report later tonight, but we'll update as the show goes on with major news.
They will be doing a match for the vacant Knockouts tag titles during the show with Awesome Kong being gone from the promotion.
Hogan Abyss vs. Ric Flair A.J. Styles is being put in the opening match slot. It ended in a no contest. Sting showed up and turned on Hogan Abyss with bat shots. Flair hit Hogan with a chair to the head (he pulled it enough to where it wasn't dangerous) and Hogan juiced. Security hit the ring. Hogan demanded a rematch before the end of the night in a no DQ match.
Doug Williams kept the X title in a three-way over Christopher Daniels and Kazarian when he pinned Daniels with a Chaos Theory suplex. Shannon Moore cleaned house on Williams after the match and Eric Bischoff announced Williams vs. Moore for the title on the PPV.
Dixie Carter announced Sting would face a mystery opponent later in the show.
3-team for vacant Knockouts tag title is next
Velvet Sky Madison Rayne won the titles over Tara Angelina Love and Taylor Wilde Sarita. Daffney hit Tara with her title belt and Sky got the pin.
Desmond Wolfe attacked Pope's ankle with a chain. They are supposed to wrestle later.
Sting vs. RVD
RVD won in 9 seconds but Sting laid him out after with a series of baseball bat shots, mostly to the ankle.
They put Sting over as a major heel, destroying RVD with a ton of bat shots, then he destroyed 2 referees with bat shots. Hogan came out but Bubba the Love Sponge and security held him back. Sting tried to get Hogan to come in and Sting hit Hogan with a bat shot to the gut, and then laid him out again with a bat shot.
They had an encounter with Young Nash vs. Hall Waltman. It set up a match at the Designation X PPV (well, that's what Nash said) where if Hall Waltman win, they get a TNA contract, but if they lose, they have to leave. Hall Nash shook hands. Young went to shake hands with Waltman, who slapped him. Bischoff ordered a Waltman vs. Young match
With both in their clothes, Young pinned Waltman in 1:00 with a piledriver
A ton of Army troops came out introducing Kurt Angle. Angle was doing a promo when Mr. Anderson did one backstage. Angle went after Anderson and threw him into the ring. Anderson got the edge hitting Angle with the medals, but as he went to leave, the troops stopped him. Angle came back, laid out Anderson with the Olympic slam, and threw him out of the ring over and over while the troops acted like lumberjacks pounding him and throwing him back in.
A.J. Styles vs. Abyss for the title is the main event on the PPV.
Beer Money beat down Jeff Jarrett to set up a match later. Mick Foley made an appearance in a suit.
Beer Money beat Jarrett in a handicap match. Foley was the ref, but Slick Johnson took the barbed wire bat away from Jarrett and the two refs argued. Beer Money won with a low blow by Roode and a DWI.
Brooke was crying and didn't want Hulk to wrestle. Hulk promised Brooke this would be his last match ever.
Hogan Abyss vs. Flair Styles - Jeff Hardy has to be involved in the finish
Abyss pinned Styles with the black hole slam. Hogan Flair bled heavily. Match had a lot of heat but wasn't pretty to watch. Wolfe came out for a post-match beatdown. Pope tried to save but got beaten down and Jeff Hardy was in at the end giving Styles a twist of fate and probably a swanton, although they went off the air just as he went to the top.
Ongoing Raw notes for tonight
By Bryan Alvarez
figure4@ix.netcom.com
Ultimate Warrior appeared in the opening montage, so maybe a deal was made for the Hall of Fame after all.
Undertaker angle is opening the show.
The talk of the night may end up being whatever the fuck it is that Shawn is wearing.
They’ve added a no-DQ, no-countout stip to the match. Great interview. No goofy angles, just both guys vowing to beat the other and take what was most important to them in the process.
There was a segment with Jillian, Hornswaggle, the Bellas and Criss Angel which was proof WWE is unconcerned about people switching to Impact.
They did the Miz & Show vs. Morrison & Truth WrestleMania match for free with no build. It went maybe 10 seconds before the ref called for the bell, and then they didn’t even announce what the finish was. Babyfaces laid them out to prove they were deserving Mania contenders.
On January 4th our board broke its record with 275 people online (previous record was the day the Benoit news broke). We’re currently at about 170, which shows that interest is way, way down this time around. One would suspect that means bad news for TNA’s rating, but we’ll see.
Raw’s top of the hour segment is the Orton vs. Legacy handicap match which is absolutely nothing special at all, and in fact rather boring.
Big Dave swore on his title that he wouldn’t interfere in the Cena vs. Vince match. I call shenanigans.
They made Hunter vs. Sheamus official at WrestleMania in a segment where Hunter did his absurd promo about how working WrestleMania was a huge risk because you either won and became a legend or you lost and ended up mired in obscurity for the rest of your life. An outright lie, that.
So did you read the thing in the daily update about the host of Good Day Oregon being told that he couldn’t drop an elbow on a doll during a segment with MVP because kids may try it at home and get hurt, or some such nonsense? Well, Criss Angel just did a magic trick where he had Santino put a KNIFE, a fucking KNIFE under one of four cups, and then said he was going to use his magic to crush the three empty ones and avoid being stabbed. Not making this up. He didn’t get stabbed, but the fact that this aired on the supposed PG kid-friendly Raw was astonishing.
Evan Bourne qualified for Money in the Bank, beating Regal.
For those keeping track, with both shows moving into the last 20 minutes, we’re down to 143 people on our board. I’m not watching Impact so I don’t know what the quality of the show is like, but it appears interest in tonight’s war is badly waning.
They announced the Bret/Vince contract signing for next week with Steve Austin presiding over it.
Vince vs. Cena is now a “tag team gauntlet match”. So far Koslov, Drew McIntyre and Jack Swagger are all involved. Mark Henry was forced to get involved and refused, so Dave came out and speared him. Kofi tried to save and he was treated like a fool. Dave finally gave Cena the spear and powerbomb and Vince pinned him with his knee on Cena’s chest.
UFC release makes it clear who is not headlining the 4/17 show
UFC just sent a release confirming Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione for 5/8 in Montreal. The match had been on the schedule for that night for some time. There had been serious talk of making a change in plans and having Slice, the most proven television drawing card in the sport, headline on 4/17 head-to-head with the Strikeforce show on CBS.
Where WWE makes the most profits; UFC vs. Strikeforce battle looked at; Death of Umaga; Flair
biggest matches of the week and rundown of the major television shows.
The Wrestling Observer ranges from 25,000 to 40,000 words covering
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we'll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We've got
coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every
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our history are:
*November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous
wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a
history of in-ring double-crosses)
*December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation
right before the Survivor Series match so you'll know exactly what was
said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural
broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but
everything that was said between the two about the match that was going
to take place that same night)
*August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon
steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article
and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)
*March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner
networks)
*October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such
great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)
*July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid
trial)
*February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)
*May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career
ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our
history)
*January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career
and life of The Sheik)
*February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people
who worked with him and where he stands historically)
*March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino,
Backlund and Backlund era)
*April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally,
the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk
Hogan)
*May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth, and the rise of fall of
Lex Luger)
*June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say
was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)
*June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals
and friends)
*July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the
plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the
night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined
for a joint show and what happened)
*August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the
controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as
historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)
*September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the
seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s,
Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding
world title and much more)
*October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of
Road Warrior Hawk)
*January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)
*February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story,
Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)
*February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy's win over Brock
Lesnar)
*March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the
company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the
business changed)
*March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best
and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and
Wrestlemania history books)
*July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair's book and his
background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)
*July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair's book and his comments on
Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)
*August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)
*August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year
with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund,
Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts
as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately,
due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)
*October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details
of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in
pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)
*November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle
and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the
history of TNA)
*January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)
*March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a
look at their Hall of Fame)
*May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)
*June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW,
as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and
behind the scenes of both shows)
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the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings,
Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental
territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized
issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul
Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)
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*April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame
week)
*July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class
Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)
*September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame
inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and
Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from
the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working
in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7
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tick as his real objectives)
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the industry was changed forever)
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Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro,
Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania
planned celebrity away)
*November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged
McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and
why it didn't click)
*December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride's offers to sell promotion and
Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why
there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real
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overseas)
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calling one of the best issues in history)
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*July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his
influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)
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including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler
Lewis)
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women's wrestling) .
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the Greensboro Coliseum)
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overseas)
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of Flair's meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on
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and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)
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overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)*September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)
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MON. UPDATE: Mickie James foot surgery; Linda McMahon 10 questions update; RVD talks Umaga death
We're looking for your thoughts on both Friday night's Dragon Gate USA PPV and Saturday night's WEC 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
biggest matches of the week and rundown of the major television shows.
The Wrestling Observer ranges from 25,000 to 40,000 words covering
pro wrestling and MMA all over the world.
Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus
every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sites and has
the most complete look at the business as a whole anywhere.
The Observer is now in its 28th year of being the leading insider
pro wrestling publication in the world. The biggest and most influential
names in the pro wrestling industry as well as the MMA industry, from
bookers, to promoters to Hall of Fame wrestlers and fighters to the
biggest current names, both on camera, and behind the scenes, along with
thousands of readers in all 50 states and 30 countries subscribe. Many
have subscribed as long as 20 years or more straight. They get the most
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the web. Everyone from Wall Street to the major offices to the TV
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the business. If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you
can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a
40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you
today. Just send your Visa or Master Card order with your name, address,
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Also in this week's issues
last 18 years. You can get 2 free back issues by ordering 40 or more
issues and one for 24. Let us know which stories you are most interested
in and
we'll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We've got
coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every
major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings
and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits
into those descriptions over the past 18 years, as well as our biggest
issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial
issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue. Our most requested issues in
our history are:
*November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous
wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a
history of in-ring double-crosses)
*December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation
right before the Survivor Series match so you'll know exactly what was
said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural
broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but
everything that was said between the two about the match that was going
to take place that same night)
*August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon
steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article
and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)
*March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner
networks)
*October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such
great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)
*July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid
trial)
*February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)
*May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career
ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our
history)
*January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career
and life of The Sheik)
*February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people
who worked with him and where he stands historically)
*March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino,
Backlund and Backlund era)
*April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally,
the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk
Hogan)
*May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth, and the rise of fall of
Lex Luger)
*June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say
was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)
*June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals
and friends)
*July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the
plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the
night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined
for a joint show and what happened)
*August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the
controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as
historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)
*September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the
seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s,
Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding
world title and much more)
*October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of
Road Warrior Hawk)
*January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)
*February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story,
Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)
*February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy's win over Brock
Lesnar)
*March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the
company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the
business changed)
*March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best
and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and
Wrestlemania history books)
*July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair's book and his
background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)
*July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair's book and his comments on
Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)
*August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)
*August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year
with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund,
Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts
as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately,
due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)
*October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details
of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in
pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)
*November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle
and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the
history of TNA)
*January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)
*March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a
look at their Hall of Fame)
*May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)
*June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW,
as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and
behind the scenes of both shows)
*July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at
the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings,
Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental
territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized
issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul
Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)
*September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)
*October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)
*November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double
issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on
its own, $7 overseas)
*January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New
Year's Eve 2005 coverage)
*January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)
*April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller
Derby–many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)
*April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame
week)
*July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class
Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)
*September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame
inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and
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Bithayathll, a feature reporter for Good Day Oregon on KPTV in Portland, who did a segment with MVP to promote tonight's Raw in the city, wrote a story on why he will never interview a WWE performer on the show again at http://www.kptv.com/joey/index.html
WEC 47 live coverage from Columbus, OH
Welcome to our live coverage of UFC 47 from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. We're looking for your thoughts on tonight's 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
Bendy Casimir vs. Ricardo Lamas
I thought Lamas was coming out to the theme from Sex and the City but it was actually a Mexican song that sounds almost identical. They are expecting 7,000 to 8,000 tonight which is a pretty good crowd for WEC. A lot of people are here already. I think close to that number already.
Casimir is from France, now training in Las Vegas. Lamas has a contingent with him from Chicago.
Traded high kicks, Lamas had better sound but it was mostly blocked. Casimir ducked low for a takedown but didn’t get it. Body kick by Lamas. Casimir with a kick very close to the groin. Another looked right on the groin but Lamas didn’t sell. Maybe he has no groin. Lamas back with a good body kick. Hard body kick by Lamas. Casimir definitely felt that one. Casimir shot for a takedown and didn’t get it. Now Lamas going for a single leg. Lamas throwing a punch and knee from the clinch. They are locked in a clinch and Lamas threw a knee to the body. Lamas connected with punches and knocked him cold with a flying knee to the chin. Lamas made a go to sleep motion. That was a killer left knee, mouthpiece went flying. This will probably make television.
Standing ovation from the crowd.
Casimir was walking fine as he went to the back which was a good sign.
Courtney Buck vs. Fredson Paixao
Paixao is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world champion. This is a striker vs. grappler match-up. Buck with body kick. Buck much taller. Listed at a 4 inch difference but looks more like 6. Buck threw a leg kick that put Paixao down, but he was happy to be down because he maneuvered to the top and then behind Buck. Paixao trying to soften him up for choke. Buck is all tied up. Paixao has kept back position for about two minutes now. He’s got in there and choked him out. Buck didn’t tap and we’ve got another guy old cold.
Leonard Garcia vs. George Roop
Roop came out to Iron Man. Garcia got a very big reaction. It was that this is the first guy we know pop.
Garcia with low kick. Roop ducked under a punch with a double leg and got Garcia on the ground. Garcia going for a guillotine and has it but not tight enough. He better be careful not to burn himself out. Roop escaped and on top. Roop now got behind Garcia and threw knee to the head. Garcia up. People popped just for Garcia getting up. Garcia threw a kick that missed bad, slow and telegraphed. Trading low kicks. Takedown attempt by Roop that didn’t work. Garcia threw big punches late. Roop back with a jab and front kick. Good ending to the round. Close round. Garcia 10-9
Garcia with a body kick. Roop back and then Garcia with two more body kicks. Garcia with a flying kick. Roop missed a big punch. Garcia looked like he tried a running clothesline. That didn’t work. Big punch by Garcia. Roop tried a takedown and didn’t come close. Roop tried another takedown and shaken off easily. Trade of punches, Roop got a good punch in and Garcia back with one but Roop has the best punch of the round. Now Roop did an running takedown. Garcia again trying a guillotine but didn’t have it. Garcia trying a guillotine again. Didn’t have it. Roop not doing any damage from the top. He threw a knee to the head, it wasn’t hard, but it was a foul. Garcia was thrilled becaues he wasn’t hurt but got a stndup out of it. It may not have even hit the head. Roop threw two good shots and a jab. Now Roop getting confidenc in his stand-up. Garcia losing control and throwing haymakers. Garcia threw a kick, Roop caught it and threw him on his ass. Garcia with a high kick and Roop back with a high kick. Roop with a punch and Garcia swing wildly and missed. Jab by Garcia. Knee by Roop. Roop’s round so I’ve got it 19-19.
A lot more competitive than most expected. Looks like Garcia took Roop too lightly. Garcia landing kicks to the lead leg. Roop’s left leg looks like shit around the knee and thigh. Garcia threw a big right but mostly blocked. Roop with another running takedown and now has Garcia’s back. Garcia back to his feet. Garcia looks tired. Punch by Roop. Roop tried a superman punch, missed and Garcia threw a big punch and a knee. Garcia badly missed a spinning kick. Roop in with a forearm and a front kick. Ref warning Roop about a low blow and took a point away. Crowd booing that. Garcia didn’t look hurt from it but that point makes a big difference here. Garcia with two more low kicks on the left leg. Trade and Garcia landed two good ones. Garcia throwing big punches but Roop took him down again. Garcia throwing elbows from the bottom. Garcia up. Roop with a jab. Garcia loading up and throwing but not landing clean. Roop with a front kick. Garcia with big punches late and Roop with a high kick. I think Roop won the round but with the penalty point it’s a 9-9 round so 28-28.
Scoring: Doug Crosby 29-27 Roop, 29-27 Garcia, fans booing that one, 28-28 draw. Fans really unhappy. The 29-27 for Garcia is a tough one but round three wasn’t a blow out. Garcia said let’s go one more round. Fans liked that. Roop said he wanted to go 2 more rounds. But this isn’t pro wrestling so we’re getting no more rounds and we have a draw.
Doug Crosby had all three rounds for Roop (losing one point for the low blow). Cardo Urso had first and third for Garcia. I’d disagree on round three but it’s not a bad call as the round was close. Harry Hiles had the same score as I did. Since first and third rounds were close, can’t fault judges. The low blow point was a bad call, though, but that was out of the judges’ hands. As far as who really won the fight, Roop won the fight.
Anthony Pettis vs. Danny Castillo
Trading, nobody landed. Low kick by Castillo. Takedown by Castillo. He got right back up as he didn’t want to be on the ground with Pettis, who is really good there. Pettis thought flying knee and changed his mind halfway into the move. Castillo with a knee to the groin and the ref stopped it until Pettis recovered. Great left high kick knocked Castillo down hard. He may have been pretty much done from the kick but followed with four punches on the ground. I think he was out cold after punch No. 3 on the ground. This KO and the Lamas KO would win KO of the night on most shows. This will almost surely make the TV.
Duke Roufas told him to pump the jab and do the high kick, so he did. Said he was injured in the Bart Palaszewski loss.
Just saw the Urijah Faber TV commercial that debuts on the TV show tonight.
Also just played the Faber-Aldo PPV TV commercial. Just like most UFC commercials with Dana White and Joe Rogan putting it over.
Chad Mendes (who people are touting as the new big thing at 145, he was an awesome wrestler at Cal Poly, ranked No. the entire 2008 season until losing a controversial match in the finals) vs. Erik Koch.
Two unbeaten fighters. Mendes moved in bulling Koch into the cage. Koch doing a good job avoiding a throw. Koch with jabs . Mendes rushed in, but couldn’t get the takedown and again bulled him into the cage. Crowd already booing. Mendes threw a knee and got the takedown. Mendes with a left. Koch back up. Body punch by Mendes and knee by Koch. Koch separated and taunting Mendes. Koch with punches and Mendes basically stampeded him with a takedown. Mendes isn’t doing anything from the top. Koch using a rubber guard from the bottom. Mendes did nothing with his takedowns. Crowd booed the round. I’d have it 10-10 but nobody will. I suspect Mendes will get the round.
Mendes with a right. Koch started punching and Mendes took him right down. Koch trying to work from a rubber guard. Mendes with body punches and Koch with elbows from the bottom. Koch with some short punches. Mendes hit a good punch on the ground, mostly body punches. Koch staying busy. Crowd losing patience with the ground fighting. Crowd booing. Koch can’t get up. He’s been flattened the entire round. Mendes with a short elbow. Crowd started to catcall and want a stand-up. Mendes broke free with a few punches fro the top. Mendes kept him down the entire round. Mendes’ round easily so 20-19 (I’d go 10-8.5 if it’s half-points), I’d expect the judges have 20-18.
Low Kicks by Mendes and body kick by Koch. Several punches by Koch standing. Mendes tied him up and bulled him to the fence. Koch actually got Mendes down but Mendes right up. Koch threw a kick that busted Mendes up bad. Mendes came back with another takedown against the fence. Mendes burying his face in Koch’s body so the ref couldn’t see it. The ref finally stopped it and called for the doctor. It’s a nasty cut right above the right eye. They are going to let it go with2:40 left. Koch throwing punches and targeting the cut. They are around the fence. Koch tried a knee and Mendes took him down with the old Maeda captured suplex. Koch back up but ended up with a finger in his eye. They gave him time to recover. 1:25 left. Koch tried to kick the eye but was taken down again. Mendes is trying to hold him down while Koch trying to target the eye. Mendes is bleeding like crazy and just holding him down. Mendes has him flattened as time is running out. Crowd didn’t like the fight. I’d give Koch the round but I don’t think the judges will, so I’ve got a 29-29 draw. Koch did more damage but Mendes mostly just held him down. I’m guessing it goes 30-27 for Mendes though. If I was judging with half points I’d have Mendes 29.5 to 28.5.
All three judges had it 30-27 for Mendes as I expected.
For what it’s worth, Lamas has a slight edge in knockout of the night bonus because of the flying spinning mouthpiece even though I’d vote for Pettis.
Scott Jorgensen vs. Chad George
George shot in and Jorgensen sprawled and has a guillotine and won in 31 seconds. When George tapped, Jorgensen let go and George dropped.
Karen Daradebyan vs. Bart Palaszewski
Karen coming out to Frank Mir hand-me-down music. Should have come out to A Boy Named Sue.
Good left by Bart. Bart threw a low kick. Karen in fast with punches and a takedown. Now Karen throwing hammer punches while Bart tried an armbar. Karen powered out. Karen with more punches from the top. Karen with more hard punches from the top. Now throwing body punches while in a full guard. Karen is beating him up with punches. But Bart got an armbar from the bottom and won the fight.
Deividas Taurosevicius vs. L.C. Davis
Taurosevicius is coming up to the latest rocking Lithuanian hip hop music. Davis bulled him into the cage. The ref separated them. They are against the cage. Davis with a few body punches . Hard knee by Davis. Taurosevicius trying a takedown but not getting it trying to use a judo throw. Crowd mildly booed the round. Davis 10-9
Both throwing, neither connecting. Taurosevicius in for a takedown, but Davis hung tough. Taurosevicius trying for all he’s worth . He got it to the ground. Taurosevicius with a few punches. Davis back up. Looked like a low blow missed by the ref by Taurosevicius. There may have been as many as three as two more were close. Taurosevicius with a lot of body punches standing. Now Davis in a clinch threw a few body punches and did a foot stop. They are both throwing from a clinch and the crowd is booing wanting the ref to separate them. Ref listened to the crowd. Taurosevicius in for another takdown attempet. Didn’t get it. Both against the cage, Davis with more foot stomps. Crowd booing some more. Close round, maybe Taurosevicius close so it’s 19-19.
Taurosevicus with a knee. They are back against the cage. A few knees by Taurosevicius and punches. Davis with a body punch. Now they are at a distance. Crowd booing some more. Ref separated them. Kick by Taurosevicus stunned Davis but Davis came back with a takedown. 1:44 left and it’s anyone’s round. Taurosevicius doing more from the bottom but both are throwing ineffective shots. Fans now want a stand-up. Ref ordered a stand-up. I don’t know about that one. Taurosevicus in for takedown but shot from too far out and didn’t get it. Crowd booing a lot as they were in a clinch throwing knees. Honestly, this round can go either way. Maybe Davis slightly 29-28. Second and third rounds could go either way.
Scores Blatnick 29-29 draw, Other two have is 29-28 for Davis. Crowd booed.
Cardo Urso had Davis with rounds one and three. Blatnik had the second round even and third round for Taurosevicius. John Beltz had rounds and three for Davis. Can’t fault the judges here. The right guy won.
Javier Vazquez vs. Jens Pulver
Vazquez booed a lot. Pulver got the best reaction of the night. Not a standing ovation. People trying to get a Pulver chant going but not picking up.
Now the chant is getting loud. Vazquez throwing punches. Vazquez with a takedown and Pulver grabbed a guillotine. Doesn’t have it but is on top. Pulver let him back up. Vazquez with a takedown and has Pulver’s back. Pulver reversed. Place went nuts for that. Pulver with a punch, and got up. Vazquez tackled him back down. Vazquez throwing a lot of punchesfrom the top. Pulver can’t reverse and seems in trouble. Now Vazquez has his back working for a choke. Pulver out of the choke. Pulver’s has a huge knot on his forehead. Now an armbar by Vazquez and the ref stopped it. Pulver looks like he’s hurt.
The place went dead silent. Some people are trying to start a Pulver chant but it didn’t get going. Pulver is crying and blowing kisses. His arm seems okay now.
What a fucking promo by Pulver. Holy shit. A lot of people were crying including his opponent when that thing was over. Basically thanked everyone and said he loves the fans too much to put them through this again.
Miguel Angel Torres vs. Joseph Benavidez
Torres got a big reaction. Close to as big as Pulver. Torres has a big height advantage, but everyone does against Benavidez. Some Torres chants. Body kick on a counter by Torres. Left over the top by Benadidez. Low kick by Torres. Kick by Torres and big punch by Benavidez. Low kick by Benvadiez. Big exchange. Low kick by Benavidez . Tores threw a kick and Benavidez countered with a punch that knocked Torres down. He’s back up. Benavidez bulled Torres into the cage. Benavidez got the takedown. Torres doing a bunch of kidney kicks. Benavidez with a punch and Torres immediately went for an armbar and Benavidez got out. Benavidez keeping him down. Ref told them to work. Benavidez threw a few punches. More kidney kicks by Torres and again tried an armbar from the bottom. Benavidez got up. Benavidez 10-9 .
Benavidez in with a flurry of punches. Low kick by Benavidez who came in with punches by Torres backed out. Torres with a body kick as Benavidez came in. Body kick by Benavidez. Now Torres tying to use his jab but mostly dancing backwards. Another jab by Torres. Another jab by Torres. He keeps throwing it to keep Benavidez from getting in. Benavidez shot under his jab and took him down and started pounding on him. More kidney kicks by Torres. Torres is busted up and bleeding badly. Benavidez caught him with a guillotine. Torres tapped. What a huge win.
That is one nasty cut right in the middle of Torres’ forehead.
Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title ends the show
Good leg kick by Cruz. Another one by Cruz. Bowles just missed on a punch and Cruz out of the way of another. Cruz out of the way of everything Bowles threw and nailed Bowles. Cruz showing a quickness edge. Now Cruz missed bad with a punch. Cruz in with a kick and Bowles tried to counter. Bowles missed again. Trading and Bowles didn’t miss. That man can hit. Cruz hurt Bowles with a punch. Cruz connected with another punch. Bowles with a body punch. A trade and Cruz hit after Bowles missed. Both missing now. Good body punch by Cruz. Bowles went for a takedown but is on his back. Crowd quiet. Really after Jens, crowd has been emotionally spent. Cruz let him up and nailed a low kick. Bowles bleeding from the nose. Cruz with a series of punches and Bowles landed a counter. Cruz with a high kick. Great round for Cruz 10-9
Cruz landing nand Bowles coming up short in exchanges. Low Kick by Cruz. Bowles is getting tired. He cracked Cruz with a punch though. Bowles can’t keep up this pace for five rounds. Swung and missed again. Off balance, Cruz landed a punch. Cruz in with punches and low kicks and put Bowles down. They were trading and Cruz with a nice right. Another punch by Cruz and danced away. Low kick and Bowles tried to respond didn’t land flush. Bowles shaking out his hand, he hurt it, probably broke it. Cruz with a series of punches and low kick combo. Another series by Cruz. Bowles went for a takedown and didn’t get it. Cruz kneed him low. Cruz is breathing heavy as well because of the pace but Bowles has no answer because he can’t connect solid. Bowles landed one but Cruz right back. Cruz with a takedown. Bowles tried an armbar but Cruz out easily. 20-18 Cruz.
Bowles broke his hand during the round and his corner told him to stop. Cruz won the title. Crowd booing thinking he quit. A lot of guys would have gone on, but it was probably the smart move. Anti-climactic finish to the match.
Bowles said he broke the hand on the first punch of the fight and it threw him off.
.
SAT UPDATE: TNA morale, more Impact and MNW thoughts, WEC line-up, DGUSA replay, Gail Gagne trial
By Bryan Alvarez
Bryan Alvarez: bryan@wrestlingobserver.com
Dave Meltzer: dave@wrestlingobserver.com
The weekend itself isn’t loaded, with the biggest event being the WEC
show tonight, before the return of the Monday Night Wars,
full-time.
We’re looking for your thoughts on the Dragon Gate USA PPV 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
We’re looking for reports on last night’s ROH TV tapings in Philadelphia at
the Arena at dave@wrestlingobserver.com and bryan@wrestlingobserver.com
There is another taping tonight as well.
Tonight’s major show is WEC from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus,
OH, with Brian Bowles defending the bantamweight title against Dominick
Cruz and Joseph Benavidez vs. Miguel Angel Torres to determine the top
contender for that title. In addition, it is likely do-or-die for Jens
Pulver, as he faces Javier Vazquez. With four straight losses, and six
losses in his last seven fights, it is only his popularity, being likely
the second most popular fighter in the company behind Urijah Faber, that
has saved him from being cut. The show will air live on Versus starting
at 10 p.m. Eastern time, with L.C. Davis vs. Deividas Taurosevicius and
Karen Daradebyan vs. Bart Palaszewski rounding out the live show. Chad
Mendes, one of the top featherweight prospects, who placed second in the
2008 NCAA tournament and is unbeaten in MMA, makes his WEC debut against
Eric Koch in an undercard match.
We’re looking for reports on tonight’s Raw show in Salt Lake City
and Smackdown show in Pullman, WA. Sunday has Raw in Boise and Smackdown
in Yakima.
Monday has a live Raw in Portland, featuring Criss Angel as the guest
host, John Cena vs. Vince McMahon and Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted
DiBiase. Spike will air Impact live from Orlando with Hulk Hogan & Abyss
vs. Ric Flair & A.J. Styles as the only match announced, but it is
believed that Sting and Rob Van Dam will appear on that show. Sting is
confirmed.
Tuesday will have a Smackdown and NXT taping in Seattle, while the Impact
show for 3/15, against a Steve Austin-hosted Raw, will be taped Tuesday
night in Orlando.
Between unique wrestling shows, crazy promos, legal actions, more on WWE’s business year in review, the most updated analysis of the chess game between UFC and Strikeforce, the death of Umaga, more on the Ric Flair situation with his wife, where MMA stands on CBS as well as the next planned show, we’ve got two issues of the Observer coming out this week.
Both issues are now available on the web site.
We look at the Frank Mir reaction to his own apology, and his reaction to his reaction, as well as comments by Brock Lesnar, and then the story behind Marcus Davis wishing a death of AIDS to Dan Hardy and why this stuff is more dangerous in UFC right now then if it was to happen in pro wrestling or boxing.
We also look at the UFC vs. Strikeforce promotional war regarding April, how the signing of James Toney fits in, proposed opponents for Toney, and a look at how ratings and buy rates could be affected depending on when the head-to-head battle takes place. We also look at Toney going in, his unique contract, his background as a boxer, the first time Toney was talked with about coming to UFC and his opponent scheduled at the time and more.
We also have as part of our business year in review, live attendance for WWE arena dates averaged for the last 18 years, ratings comparisons for the last several years, as well as TNA’s numbers for the past few years.
We have more on the death of Edward “Umaga” Fatu, looking at his cause of death, his career, his getting fired by WWE and post-WWE.
We also look at the 10 questions for Linda McMahon, the reality of the situation and what questions are easy and difficult for her to answer.
We also have a look at the audience that watches, UFC, Strikeforce, WWE, TNA along with the NBA, NFL, boxing, NHL and baseball and compare and contrast, both in ages, ethnicity, education and earnings. This is some very interesting information that relate to advertising as well as showing the major differences in UFC vs. Strikeforce, UFC vs. WWE and TNA vs. WWE.
We also have more on the Ric Flair situation with the release of the 911 call by Rene Beems about the incident with Flair and Jacqueline Beems, the content of the call and more information on the incident.
We also have a look at the situation regarding Awesome Kong and Bubba the Love Sponge, and the unique situation it has put TNA in. We look at her claims, his responses, and more on the original incident between the two.
We look at the next Strikeforce show on CBS, the Strikeforce/Dream relationship, matches planned for the company’s next two major events, why this CBS special is important and if it’s successful, how that impact the business going forward. We also look at how CBS is going to cross-promote the show with one of its major prime-time series, a look at the three CBS matches, who is Shinya Aoki, as well as more on Herschel Walker, as well as obstacles put forth in the path of the company’s PPV idea of Fedor Emelianenko vs. Alistair Overeem.
We also have a complete rundown of the Dragon Gate USA show that plays throughout March, with notes on the show and coverage of all the matches and angles.
We also have more on WWE business in 2009, including more notes on live attendance throughout the year, the drop in North American PPV vs. the drop in international PPV and why, a look at the government incentives WWE has been able to take advantage of, the growth in some revenue streams and losses in others. We look at the profitability of every aspect of company business as well as a chart showing which revenue streams are the most and least important right now. We also look at how much WWE spent on an average PPV in 2008 and 2009, and it’s quite the eye opener.
We also have a look at comparing now to 1995, as where WWE and TNA are now leading into the new Monday Night Wars, and where WWF and WCW were leading into the first Monday Night Wars.
We also have a WrestleMania update, more update on WWE changes in PPV in 2010 and why one of the weakest PPV shows of last year wasn’t cut. We also have a rundown of WWE firings over the past week, who was and wasn’t expected, why and notes on all involved including some comments from people on the firings. We look at each person’s chances with TNA, a bio of Mad Dog Vachon, lots of more Hall of Fame notes, more on NXT and different ideas that were batted around and may or may not show up in future episodes.
We’ve got more on Jim Ross’ future, probably the most-watched pro wrestling match on U.S. TV of the 70s, update on guest hosts and injuries, several new wrestlers signed, new DVDs, some new angles talked about, something about NXT and finishing moves that came up, more on comments by Shad Gaspard, developmental news as well as business notes and highlights from the weekend house shows.
We also have updates on the Linda McMahon senatorial campaign and how pro wrestling is being dragged more and more into the campaign.
We also have a rundown of the next season of Ultimate Fighter, with a complete look at the cast, who they are, their record, what they’ve done and personality notes.
We’ve got a rundown of two major Japanese events, the NOAH show at Budokan Hall and atmosphere of NOAH vs. New Japan, as well as the pro wrestling world champion vs. kickboxing world champion match and pro wrestler bench press contest held at a unique show this past week.
We also have our usual weekly features such as the results of the
biggest matches of the week and rundown of the major television shows.
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– Morale, obviously, is way down in TNA. Just one person after another astounded by Thursday night’s Impact. They not only did a terrible job building up Monday, and keep in mind they have at least three surprise names set to debut on that show that they didn’t plug at all, but they did zero to build up the Destination X PPV. The whole show was about building up Hogan, and they couldn’t even build him up as a killer, they built him up as an old cripple who shouldn’t be in the ring.
– Also, a correction from last night’s Bryan & Vinny Show. The only PPV match I thought they built towards — and poorly at that — was AJ vs. Pope, but that’s not even on this PPV. It’s actually the main event of Lockdown. So I have no idea of a single match for Destination X.
– I should also note, as it has been pointed out to me today, that the Hulk Hogan angle doesn’t make any sense at all. Hogan claims he was called out, punked out and challenged, and that he has to do this match on Monday to get his self-respect back. What actually happened was that AJ and Flair attacked Abyss last week and Hogan took it upon himself to come out and make the save. He threw the first punch, and then after he got beaten up he was the one who challenged the heels and booked himself in the match. So he wasn’t called out or challenged, and he was punked out because of something he did on his own. Not to mention I still have absolutely no idea why Hogan bloodying up and destroying Ric Flair is supposed to make us want to see their match on Monday. The babyfaces already got their revenge and completely destroyed the heels, so what are they wrestling for?
– They’re saying they have a huge angle planned for the first five minutes of the show. But it’s a secret.
– Dave has a look at UFC vs. Strikeforce here
– WEC line-up and weigh-ins for tonight:
For Saturday night’s show in Columbus, OH
Bendy Casmir (155.5) vs. Ricardo Lamas (155)
Courtney Buck (145) vs. Fredson Paixao
Leonard Garcia (145) vs. George Roop (145)
Danny Castillo (155.5) vs. Anthony Pettis (154.5)
Chad Mendes (145) vs. Eric Koch (144)
Scott Jorgenson (135) vs. Chad George (135.5)
Live matches starting at 10 p.m. Eastern on Versus
Bart Palaszewski (155) vs. Karen Daradebyan (156)
Deividas Taurosevicius (145) vs. L.C. Davis (144.5)
Jens Pulver (145.5) vs. Javier Vazquez (145)
Miguel Torres (134.5) vs. Joseph Benavidez (135)
Brian Bowles (134.5) vs. Dominick Cruz (134) for WEC bantamweight title
– The Dragon Gate PPV replay at 1 PM Eastern Sunday.
– Rogers Cable is listing Monday’s show as “Global Impact”.
– There is a thirteen minute audio interview with The Miz up here.
– Colin Moore writes: Local media are reporting that the New England Patriots have resigned Stephen Neal. Looks like we won’t be losing him to MMA.
– Gail Gagne is preparing to go to trial
– A look at the Strikeforce vs. UFC battle here
– Scott Hall has his own Youtube channel. Trouble in the making there.
– Jereme writes: Top Rank’s Bob Arum told the Associated Press on Thursday that the deal is complete for Yuri Foreman to defend his 154-pound title against Miguel Cotto at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York on June 5. The stadium will be configured for between 30,000 and 35,000 fans. The hold up had been that the stadium had been booked for a Bar Mitzvah that day. (It was the Bar Mitzvah of the son of the largest bond lawyer in New York. This lawyer did the majority of the bond work to pay for this new version of Yankee Stadium.) There is tremendous irony in this as Foreman is training to be a rabbi. The last boxing match at Yankee Stadium was at the old Yankee Stadium on September 28,1976. That was the first year Yankee Stadium had re-opened after being renovated. It was a Top Rank show that saw Muhammad Ali defend his heavyweight titles against Ken Norton, Sr. via 15-round unanimous decision. I guarantee this show will not be that good.
– Regarding the WrestleReunion note yesterday, and this has been changed in the update, it’s actually WrestlingReunion, not WrestleReunion.
– IPW runs “A New Age Of Punishment”, Saturday, March 6, 2010, The Fountain Square Salvation Army Corp, 1337 S Shelby St, Indianapolis, IN 46203
– CWE in Kenora, Ontario at The Golden Eagle Bingo Hall (End of Golf Course Road). Time: Doors open at 7:00pm, bell time 7:30pm. Tickets: Kids 14 and under $12 in advance ($15 at the door), Adults $15 in advance ($18 at the door). Tickets available at the Super 8 Motel (240 Lakeview Dr.). Billy Gunn vs. Gangrel headlines.
– DMW “Time Well Wasted” in Hamilton, Ontario, 16 Mckinstry St, 6PM March 13th
– CSE “Turbulence” March 6th, Rockland, Ontario, Knights of Columbus, 954 Giroux St.. Tickets for CSE Wrestling are now available. Front Row VIP: $20
– Iceman b Van Hawk, The Prophet & Sexxxy Eddy won a tag team gauntlet match, Steve Rush b Big Daddy V, Pierre-Carl Ouellet b Hernandez, Samoa Joe b Franky the Mobster, Sylvain Grenier b Darkko & Dru Onyx in a casket match. They also honored former NWA champion, Édouard Carpentier.

