From Concord, NC & submitted anonymously:

First hour

– Brian Fury beat Shaheem Ali in the first round of the top prospect tournament

– Cedric Alexander beat Cheeseburger

– Jonathan Gresham beat Cedric Alexander via DQ

– Nigel McGuinness announced that the main event for the 2/26 Anniversary show in Las Vegas would be Jay Lethal defending the ROH title in a three-way against Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly

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– Jay Briscoe won a three-way over Moose and Michael Elgin.  This led to challenges for another match at the PPV which is Hiroshi Tanahashi & Elgin vs. Mark & Jay Briscoe. 

Second hour

– TV Champion Roderick Strong beat Masada to retain

– Punisher Martinez beat Colby Corino in the first round of the top prospect tournament

– Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly beat ROH Champion Jay Lethal & Adam Cole. Lethal accidentally hit Cole with the Lethal injection to lead to the pin.

Third hour

– Alex Shelley beat Frankie Kazarian

– Dalton Castle b Joey Daddiego

– Ben “Action” Ortiz beat Leon St. Giovanni in the first round of the top prospect tournament

– Stokley Hathaway came out and said that Moose was issuing a challenge to Kazuchika Okada on the PPV show.

– Rhett Titus & Kenny King beat ROH Tag Champions War Machine via DQ

Fourth hour

– Lio Rush beat Jason Kincaid in the first round of the Top Prospect tournament

– Caprice Coleman & Will Ferrera beat Silas Young & Beer City Bruiser

– Mark Briscoe beat Tim Hughes

– ACH & Matt Sydal beat Young Bucks

Submitted by J.J. Williams

Dark Match:

Manny Andrade (La Sombra) beat Rich Swann: The Florida crowd still really doesn’t know who Manny is, but this match was good, kept it simple and mixed in some athletic spots, Swann connects immediately and was the crowd favorite here. Andrade won with a running double knees to Swann who was set in the corner.

2/10 TV show:

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Baron Corbin beat Johnny Gargano: Loud boooes for Corbin instantly, his entrance looked great in this large venue with a row of spotlights down on him in the dark arena, felt like a star. Johnny did some good work out quicking Baron which seems to be how some of the better Corbin matches have gone lately. Baron won it with the End Of Days.
Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley beat John Skyler & Corey Hollis: A less wild Hype Bros match than usual, they just worked the match and won.
Alexa Bliss (w/Black and Murphy) pinned Cameron: Having to decide which of the two heels to support, the NXT crowd of course chose Alexa Bliss here, Cameron has a different kind of negative reaction than Eva does, where the people just don’t seem in to her. Bliss is very animated and has great taunts, she won it with the Sparkle Splash off the top.
Elias Samson pinned Jessy Sorenson: Another basic win for Elias.
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley pinned Carmella with a roll through pin after a series of counters and nearfalls. The story told was they were friends having a wrestling match, there was no cheating, nothing overly violent yet they both clearly needed this win. Carmella even did two dives through the middle rope to the floor to wipe Bayley out. This felt like a way to not lower Carmella even in defeat, she just got outwrestled. Post match, Bayley raised Carmella’s hand, they embraced, when Nia Jax & Eva Marie ran down and roughed them both up, destroying Carmella before Asuka ran down, stared the heels off, and in this time Bayley had recovered and was tending to Carmella when Asuka and Bayley looked at each other. The place began a YES chant as the two had a moment in time. 

2/17 TV show:

Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady & Chad Gable & Jason Jordan beat NXT Tag Champions Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson & Blake & Murphy: Really good action here, long match, finish saw Jason Jordan take the best hot tag in wrestling, followed by an additional hot tag to Big Cass who then tagged Enzo for the splash off the top and the pin. 
Asuka beat Deonna Purrazzo: The rematch saw Asuka win yet Deonna gets in just enough offense to appear tough. Asuka is a star.
Tye Dillinger beat Alex Riley: Good reaction for Tye, a lot of Ten chants and he actually picked up a win. Riley is working as a bitter heel lately on the live event loop, hasn’t really gone in to it on tv yet he’s still working that way. None of the fire that got him fan support during his main roster run.
Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn was a double pin draw. Zayn used the Helluva kick and then collapsed on top of Joe but his shoulders were on the mat and the ref counted both of them down. They ruled the match a draw and later in the show they announced there would be a 2/3 falls rematch at the Full Sail taping to finally determine our number one contender.

2/24 TV show:

Chad Gable & Jason Jordan beat Blake & Murphy: Good match as usual, American Alpha get the win with the alley oop german suplex pin.
Apollo Crews beat Chris Girard (Biff Busick): The crowd wasn’t familiar with Girard, his work is different than anyone here right now, he throws vicious uppercuts, his chinlocks are tight and his strikes look strong. Apollo got the win with the big slam that Triple H taught him. 
Tommaso Ciampa beat Bull Dempsey: Good reaction for Ciampa, won the match via submission. 
Eva Marie & Nia Jax beat NXT Women’s Champion Bayley & Carmella: Bayley took enough punishment that when the heels got Carmella alone they were able to destroy her, Nia dropped multiple leg drops on her before Eva tagged herself in to take the glory and the win. A lot of heat on Eva, of course. 

3/2 TV show:

William Regal announced Joe vs. Zayn in a 2/3 fall match “next week” with the winner getting a title shot.
Vaudevillains beat Hugo Knox & Tucker Knight: Vaudevillains still entered to their cheerful music despite being on the heelish path lately. The newcomers making their tv debuts on the babyface side had some support but nothing like their house show reactions. 
Elias Samson beat Steve Cutler: Another decisive win by Elias.
Emma beat Santana Garrett: Nice reaction for Santana, full music and tv entrance, back and forth match showing what both women can do in the ring, the end of Santana came when she was hoping to try a high risk move yet Emma knocked her off the top in to a tree of woe, after putting the boots to her she held the advantage until winning via Emma Lock submission. Good showing for both, hope to see more of Santana.
William Regal introduced Austin Aries. Before Aries could even make it in to the ring Baron rushed him and beat him down, then looking at Mr. Regal in the ring, the Baron vs. The Indies feud continues.
NXT Champion Finn Balor beat Neville with the Bloody Sunday DDT to retain:  These two have always worked well together and this match was no exception, Neville took a few huge spills to the outside, even getting “Holy Shit” chants after the loud thuds. A lot of Neville offense that he doesn’t get the time on the main roster to showcase. They teased the Red Arrow a few times down the stretch before Finn fought back with a huge lariat knocking Neville inside out. The finish saw Finn hit the coup de grace, then hoisting Neville up in the Bloody SundayDDT for the win.  

Bret Hart well-wishes

by Tony Leder

The wrestling world learned of Bret Hart’s battle with prostate cancer yesterday.  The people and organizations wishing him well came flooding in.   Tons over social media including Madison Square Garden sending well-wishes to Bret Hart on both their iconic marquee screen and social media.   So did many within WWE and the rest of wrestling in HHH,  Jerry Lawler, Bret’s nephew Davey Jr, and tons more.   ESPN released an article on the news as did NBC.   Steve Austin on an appearance on the Opie Radio Show: “I wish him all the best. I love that guy. I got so much respect for him. He truly is one of the best ever.  An absolute artist in the ring.  I hold him in very high regard, and he’s a very dear friend.”

Here is a video I enjoyed yesterday and I wanted to share:

If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our new Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!  The latest video is “Kill that Mole”.  A silent film we created a few years ago starring Bryan and Vince.

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: February 1, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2016 Royal Rumble, Road to Wrestlemania, more

Coverage of the Royal Rumble and where things lead to WrestleMania is the lead story in a jam-packed news issue of the Wrestling Observer.  TNA’s statements regarding A.J. Styles, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, the timing, what is accurate, and a lot that wasn’t in those statements as to why the deal didn’t happen. The process that led the stars from New Japan and more. The Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum injuries and title match cancellation and what directions UFC took to try and save it.  More on the injury to Hiroshi Tanahashi, the death of Archie “Mongolian Stomper” Gouldie, some stories about his life and career.  WWE Hall of Fame class of 2016, New Japan Fantatstica Mania tour with full rundowns and stories behind it, Nikki Bella injury and what led to the increase in ratings for Raw and Smackdown.

The story behind why HHH won the title, why it was the right booking decision given the destination, questions about the execution, the confusing Fast Lane main event, what the original booking plan was behind Roman Reigns ascension to the top and why it was so hard for Vince McMahon to decide against his winning at last year’s WrestleMania, and questions about the crowds at Fast Lane and Mania for the main events. Update WrestleMania, chart out the Royal Rumble with how long everyone was in, eliminations, and news, Rumble business, poll results and match-by-match results with star ratings. 

The situation with New Japan losing talent, and how the CMLL stars did on the tour.

The arrival of Shinsuke Nakamura to WWE and why he’s in NXT, an update on Daniel Bryan, NXT finances for talent, another endorsement deal for Dwayne Johnson, notes on the next WWE network live special, updates on NXT talent coming to the main roster, lots of WWE injury notes, WWE plans for post-Mania and the European tour, Lesnar dates, details on NXT tapings as well as details on all the weekend WWE events.

PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer

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

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can 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. 
 
Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

Check out the latest Online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE – February 15, 1988 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: A Tale of Two Hebners: All the details on Hulk Hogan losing the WWF title to Andre the Giant in a historic angle, plus tons of news and notes.

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WEDNESDAY UPDATE

WWE/Pro Wrestling

Total Divas did 840,000 viewers last night, down  99,000 viewers since last week.
Tye Dillinger thanks fans for get well soon messages and promises to be back before long.
Donald Wood of Ring Rust Radio talked to Bret Hart, one of the first interviews after he revealed he has prostate cancer. He said he hopes to be on the “better side of things” in six months or so.
Billy Gunn discusses his release from WWE as a trainer with Sports Illustrated.  He was released in November 2015 when news broke that he had failed a PED test for a July 25, 2015 powerlifting competition.
The WWE Network has added a new listing called “Collections” where you can find The Best of Stone Cold, Best of WWE Network, Celebrating Black History Month, Lesnar: Road to Undisputed Title, TLC Tag Teams and Greatest Matches Ever.
Pat Patterson’s long-anticipated book is now earmarked for an August 9th release and is available to pre-order now.
CNN used Ric Flair to describe Trump’s chances

UFC/MMA

Episode 2 of the Dana White YouTube series “Looking for a Fight” is up now. Previous episodes of the show have introduced us to Sage Northcutt, Randy Brown and Mickey Gall. Gall, of course, makes his UFC debut this weekend against Mike Jackson on UFC Fight Pass.
Dave has two articles about this past Saturday’s UFC on Fox card at MMAFighting: A postmortem for the card itself and an article about the ratings/viewership.
Former UFC Flyweight Championship challenger Chris Cariaso announced his retirement from MMA today. He was submitted by Demetrious Johnson in the 2nd round of a title fight at UFC 178 in September 2014. He also lost his next two fights to top contenders Sergio Pettis and Henry Cejudo. The 34 year old retires with a 17-8 record, including 7-6 in UFC. He had previously fought in WEC and Strikeforce.
Former Strikeforce, Pride and Dream Heavyweight fighter Sergei Kharitonov has signed with Bellator MMA. Kharitonov last fought in the US during the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix where he beat Andrei Arlovski in the opening round before losing to Josh Barnett in the semifinal. He’s been fighting in Europe and Asia since then.

MISC

For those wondering when Fujin and Rajin (Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka from NJPW) will debut in CMLL, they are scheduled to be on today’s CMLL Informa program at 5 pm CT. They aren’t scheduled to be on any streaming shows in the near future, but will start very soon on CMLL’s Tuesday and Sunday shows, which are not streamed anywhere.

ON THIS DAY IN WORLD PRO WRESTLING HISTORY: Daily pro wrestling history (02/03): The Eliminators win the ECW Tag Team Titles

Thank you to everyone who helps out with the F4Wonline.com daily update!  You know who you are….  not Bryan today.

For information on website get-togethers for WrestleMania, e-mail: [email protected]

Today’s Top Stories

Ryan Satin is reporting at his ProWrestlingSheet.com site that Wade Barrett has given notice to WWE. His contract is up in June and obviously he has legitimate reasons for not being happy.

Ronda Rousey was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today and discussed having suicidal thoughts in the cage after the loss to Holly Holm, only to snap out of it when she saw her boyfriend at ringside.

Bellator and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson finally settled their lawsuit today, with Jackson returning to Bellator and the promotion issuing this statement: “Following an amicable agreement to settle the litigation between the two parties, the always entertaining and exciting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is returning to Bellator. Bellator MMA is thrilled to have “Rampage,” one of the most recognizable fighters in the history of the sport, joining a very competitive light heavyweight division featuring champion Liam McGeary, Phil Davis, King Mo, Tito Ortiz, Emanuel Newton, Linton Vassell among others.”

Lesnar will make his first appearance on Smackdown since 2004 at the Tuesday tapings in Ontario, CA.

If you’ve ever wanted to WATCH our radio shows here on the site, check out our new Youtube page! No full video shows, but lots of video clips, full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!  

Figure Four Weekly

Figure Four Weekly 2/1/2016: Weekly Hogan/Gawker update
A look at the past weeks developments in the Hulk Hogan and Gawker lawsuit.

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The Latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: February 15, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Daniel Bryan retires 

The newest issue of the Wrestling Observer is one of the best of the year.  A very detailed look at the end of Bryan Danielson’s career and retirement. Looking back at sports, pro wrestling and the ramifications that are and are not being talked about.  Danielson’s retirement is a big story, both his short and long term impact on pro wrestling.  How his story will act as a catalyst for change not only within pro wrestling but all contact sports.  If you are a wrestling fan, a sports fan or a science fan, this may be the most important issue of the year.

Bryan Danielson’s retirement speech, career highlights, home town, character both in and out of the ring, booking, the crazy way he ended up as champion for the first time, the birth of the “Yes” chant, the build to WrestleMania 30 & 31, the various exams, why he wanted to continue wrestling and WWE didn’t, his goals outside of WWE and why he changed his mind in the last few weeks.

The quandary he was in about continuing his career, how his career began, the formation of ROH and the changing landscape of independent wrestling, the changing ideas of what a pro wrestling headliner can look like, the first time I ever saw him wrestle while sitting with Red Bastien and Nick Bockwinkel

The suspension of Titus O’Neil, a longtime WWE star talking about going into another sport, another star looking at retiring soon, lots of WrestleMania plans including an early summer major match, Steve Austin’s WrestleMania status, update on promotion of Stephanie McMahon, star who may be interested in returning, Fast Lane, A.J. Styles talks his beginnings in WWE and how hard he tried to hide the Royal Rumble story, how DDP figured in Styles’ return, Linda McMahon forms a new company, Roman Reigns in Raw main events, WWE cuts five in developmental, new WWE books. New announcer hired, Update on many Tough Enough competitors from the past season, plans for a WWE show taped this summer, international star WWE has interest in, as well as a look at all the weekend house shows from WWE & NXT with business notes.

PLUS MUCH MORE! CLICK HERE FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW

You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer

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

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can 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. 
 
Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

Check out the latest Online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: Jan 11, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Finger Poke of Doom, Awards results, Sam Muchnick passes away
Details on World Title changes in 3 promotions including the Finger Poke of Doom, full results of the Observer Awards, plus tons more.

TUESDAY UPDATE

WWE / Pro Wrestling

Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella were on Good Morning America this morning, talking about his concussion issues and her impending retirement. At least officially, they were saying that her retirement will be sometime this Summer.
WWE has a 100 Greatest Matches coffee table book coming out on May 24th from DK Publishing, which is available for pre-order now.
During the Golddust and R Truth segment last night on Raw, one of the extras used was indie wrestler Tatevik the Gamer.
Time Warner is looking to buy a 25% stake in Hulu, which it seems they see as a means to the end of getting current seasons off the service.
SmackDown tickets for the April 12th taping in San Diego go on sale this Friday.
Rob Van Dam will be working both shows for House of Hardcore on April 15th in Queens, NY and April 16th at the ECW Arena. Van Dam will also be at the Icons of Pro Wrestling convention during the day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m..
This week on the Between the Sheets podcast, Kris Zellner and David Bixenspan cover February 9-15, 1993, including the departure of Bill Watts as WCW’s Vice President of Wrestling operations and the entire controversy surrounding that including the role of the newsletters. Also: Ric Flair coming back to WCW, Big Van Vader signing with UWFi, just how hot Japan was at this time, AAA vs. EMLL war raging on, Lex Luger showing up in Memphis, Hulk Hogan returning to the WWF, & Dr. D David Shultz shenanigans, and much more.

UFC / MMA

Dave has a Kevin Randleman bio at MMAFighting.com.
Mike Jackson is saying that Mickey Gall will do to CM Punk what he did to him: Finish him in the first round.
WSOF Bantamweight Champion Marlon Moraes, one of the very best fighters outside the UFC, has announced that he will be testing out free agency.

ON THIS DAY IN WORLD PRO WRESTLING HISTORY: Bret Hart wins the WWF World Title

After doing a quick internet search, I believe this is the first time in RAW’s history that it has aired on LEAP DAY, which would be today, February 29th. 

With the major matches for WrestleMania set, tonight’s RAW in Nashville is headlined by the return of the Undertaker, in his first appearance since the Survivor Series. His appearance itself isn’t the curiosity. Rather, it’s how far the company will go to make him a heel for his match with Shane McMahon.

Will he be a full-fledged heel? If so, how? Will he be a reluctant heel grudgingly going against Shane at the behest of The Authority? Will he be a subtle heel like the one Bret Hart portrayed to perfection during the 1997 Canada-USA feud? Perhaps of more importance will be the return of Shane McMahon, and whether the remarkable reaction to his return in Detroit will be just a one-week pop, or something sustainable. Some of the undercard matches for WrestleMania could also be set into motion on tonight’sshow, including Charlotte’s challenger for the Divas championship. 

Our live coverage starts at 8 ET. 

The Big Takeaway: HHH will wrestle Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at some point before WrestleMania. Show was prominent for who wasn’t there. Shane McMahon, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman were all absent. The Undertaker returned for a very brief apperance, telling Vince McMahon that when he wrestles Shane at WrestleMania, Shane’s blood would be on Vince’s hands, not his. Undertaker was a babyface acting like he going into this match vs. Shane against his will.  

Show Recap: 

HHH started the show and talked about how everyone has an authority figure in their lives.  They may hate they authority figure, but they’re afraid to speak out against it. The figure is there for people to understand their place in life. Roman Reigns should know that place, but he chose to challenge and disrespect authority.  Crowd chanted for Reigns, but HHH played up that Reigns suffered a broken nose and he was home breathing through his mouth hoping that his place at WrestleMania is still safe. 

Dean Ambrose came out and told HHH he just got off the phone with Reigns, who told HHH he was coming for HHH. Then HHH introduced Ambrose as an Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in a Bromance.  Ambrose laughed it off and turned his attention to being jumped by Brock Lesnar last week, along with Shane McMahon returning and HHH jumping Reigns. Crowd chanted for Shane. Ambrose asked HHH who did he want to win the  Triple Threat match at Fast Lane. More to the point, who did HHH NOT want to win at Fast Lane. HHH refused to answer, but said it was clear Ambrose wasn’t a factor in that match. Ambrose got in HHH’s face and said he was the last guy HHH wanted to face at WrestleMania. HHH laughed and thought Ambrose was crazy. Ambrose said HHH was smart enough to know he would never want to get in the ring with Ambrose. 
Ambrose said he could see that HHH doesn’t think he could beat Ambrose. Crowd started chanting “You can’t be him.” 

This was a long-winded way of Ambrose challenging HHH for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. HHH said he would take it under advisement and give him an answer by the end of the night. Ambrose wanted to know how, by text or phone call. HHH said Ambrose was going to get the night off tonight, but since Ambrose decided to confront him, Ambrose would face Alberto Del Rio while the rest of the League of Nations would be at ringside. 

This was your classic boring HHH 20-minute opening segment.

HHH started the show and talked about how everyone has an authority figure in their lives. 
They may hate they authority figure, but they’re afraid to speak out against it. The figure is there for people to understand their place in life. Roman Reigns should know that place, but he chose to challenge and disrespect authority. Crowd chanted for Reigns, but HHH played up that Reigns suffered a broken nose and he was home breathing through his mouth hoping that his place at WrestleMania is still safe. 

Dean Ambrose came out and told HHH he just got off the phone with Reigns, who told HHH he was coming for HHH. Then HHH introduced Ambrose as an Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in a Bromance. 

Ambrose laughed it off and turned his attention to being jumped by Brock Lesnar last week, along with Shane McMahon returning and HHH jumping Reigns. Crowd chanted for Shane. Ambrose asked HHH who did he want to win the  Triple Threat match at Fast Lane. More to the point, who did HHH NOT want to win at Fast Lane. HHH refused to answer, but said it was clear Ambrose wasn’t a factor in that match. Ambrose got in HHH’s face and said he was the last guy HHH wanted to face at WrestleMania. HHH laughed and thought Ambrose was crazy. Ambrose said HHH was smart enough to know he would never want to get in the ring with Ambrose. Ambrose said he could see that HHH doesn’t think he could beat Ambrose. Crowd started chanting “You can’t be him.” This was a long-winded way of Ambrose challenging HHH for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. 

HHH said he would take it under advisement and give him an answer by the end of the night. Ambrose wanted to know how, by text or phone call. HHH said Ambrose was going to 
get the night off tonight, but since Ambrose decided to confront him, Ambrose would face Alberto Del Rio while the rest of the League of Nations would be at ringside. 

This was your classic boring HHH 20-minute opening segment.

Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks went to a double pin draw (9:40)

This was the best women’s match on Raw in awhile. Finish was Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch were battling on the top rope. Banks went for the Sunset Flip Power Bomb and hit it. For some reason, Banks layed back on the mat while Lynch’s feet over her, leading to a double pin. Charlotte and Ric Flair watched from ringside. Fans chanted “Triple Threat,” but we’re supposed to wonder who Charlotte will now face at WrestleMania. Charlotte and Flair smugly walked to the back as Banks and Lynch looked confused. 

Bray Wyatt did a promo from the back. He said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. Wyatt said he thought maybe he was insanity. On the other hand, Wyatt said maybe his mind was the key to saving the entire world. It starts with an idea, which becomes a plan, which becomes a beautiful symphony. He can give the world enternal paradise. If you don’t join him, you will find yourself exactly as the rest as everyone else. Conquered. 

There was a segment from SmackDown where the Miz and Dolph Ziggler argued about past WrestleMania accomplishments. Ziggler said he wondered if Miz deserved to even be a WWE Superstar. 

The Miz defeated Dolph Ziggler (1:04)

Miz won after whipping Ziggler face first into the corner and a schoolboy cradle. Ziggler has done clean jobs to Kevin Owens, Heath Slater and Miz so far in 2016. What did he do? 

Stephanie McMahon came out to finish her speech from the Vincent J. McMahon Spirit of Excellence Award last week that was interrupted by Shane. Crowd booed her and chanted for Shane. She dropped her preapred remarks and opted for the remarks the writers prepared for her. She tipped over the podium and tore into the fans about cheering Shane after he vansihed for seven years. Stephanie said if Shane really cared about his family, he would have shown up to a WrestleMania or a Raw, which he hasn’t done. He accused him of abadoning his family. 

Stephanie said it kills Shane that HHH and she are in power. Stephanie said Shane’s sons would have to fight for control over the company with her daughters. She said the Undertaker would defeat Shane at Hell in a Cell, and dismember him. And Shane could take a permanent vacation. Stephanie said the fans were lazy and entitled. Sooner or later, reality would come around and slap them right in the face. She said sooner or later, the fans would have to bow down to the Authority, and bow down to the Queen, her. Stephanie had excellent delievery on her promo, but I’m not sure if the family dynamics are something that will draw money. I bet a reality show about the behind the scenes interaction among the McMahons would be straight money, though. 

Rusev and Sheamus defeated Lucha Dragons (5:04)

Rusev pinned Kalisto with a spin kick after Del Rio distracted Kalisto. Sheamus laid out Sin Cara on the floor with a Brogue Kick. Afterwards, Del Rio hit his Diving Double Foot Stomp on Kalisto. Michael Cole is still playing up the Kalisto-Del Rio program. League of Nations have started waving their arms in unison like they’re all calling for the DDT. 

Natalya did a product placement promo with Renee Young talking about how Subway sandwiches help her keep fit. Well, Subway does need a new spokesperson. 

Ryback did one of those awful inset promos saying how Spotlight may have won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. But if the Spotlight doesn’t shine on him, then he’s going to take it. 

Ryback defeated Adam Rose (2:02) 

Ryback won with vicious ground and pound and pinned Adam Rose with Shellshock. Announcers tried to get over that Ryback was being more aggressive. With his G&P, it feels like Ryback came along 20 years too late. He would fit in doing a UFC gimmick in 1996, which was basically what Goldberg was doing. Earlier, Rose attempted some of the worst crossfaces in recorded wrestling history. 

The New Day did a promo comparing themselves to the great three-man units in history. I thought that was going to lead to Michael Hayes coming out to announce the Freebirds Hall of Fame induction. Instead, it led to Y2AJ. 

Y2AJ defeated The New Day (C) in a nontitle match (8:56)

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Good match where Chris Jericho made Kofi Kingston tapout to the Walls of Jericho. A.J. Styles got the heat taking the Unicorn Stampede and a big splash from Big E. They aired highlights of a six-man match between YUAJ and Mark Henry vs. New Day from SmackDown, where Kingston hit Jericho with the Trouble in Paradise. Jericho had a legit black eye from the spot. After the win, Y2AJ challenged New Day to a match for the championships next week in Chicago. Feels like the right time for New Day to drop the straps. Or it could be a heel turn for Styles in order to make way for Karl Anderson and Drew Gallows and form a group. Styles has become the new Cesaro, as fans held up signs reading “You Don’t Want None,” which is the title of Styles’ music. 

Vince McMahon came out. He came out to a flat reaction and didn’t look happy. Vince then said “Do you know who I am?” Whew, he’s stealing Bully Ray’s catchphrase. Or the Mountie’s. Vince brought up the possibility of Shane running Monday Night Raw if he defeated the Undertaker, which meant Stephanie and HHH would effectively quit the business. I’m sure. 

Vince said Shane would lead Sports Entertainment into a different era than ever before if he won. But only fools believe in miracles. Vince said he loves Shane, but he loves him enough to teach him a lesson he’ll never forget. He loved Shane enough to put him in the ring against the Undertaker, who he introduced.

Time will go on and the industry will continue, but there will never be an entrance like the Undertaker’s again. 

Vince started to put Undertaker over, but Undertaker grabbed him by the throat. Undertaker said Vince knew what would happen when he closes that door behind him at WrestleMania. Undertaker said the blood of Shane would be on Vince’s hands, not his. And he left. The ring entrance was ten times longer than the actual apperance. 

Vince said the reality is he would stand in the ring after WrestleMania, saying Shane has failed to defeat the Undertaker, failed him as a son and he would lose his inheritance. He vowed to write Shane out of his will and give it all to Stephanie. Vince said he would renounce Shane as his son and Shane will no longer be his son, he will be just a son of a bitch. One can question Vince’s creative decisions, but the fact is he’s so gifted as a non-wrestling performer, if he wasn’t in the WON Hall of Fame as a promoter, it would be necessary to include him as an on-screen character. 

Bubba Ray Dudley defeated Jey Uso (2:11)

Bubba Ray Dudley pinned Jey Uso after a Full Nelson Slam. After saying for weeks that the fans would never see them use tables again, Devon Dudley pulled out a table. Jimmy Uso, like a total geek, ran after Devon, who simply tossed the table into Jimmy. 

Goldust approached R-Truth again backstage. Before he could say another word, Truth told Goldust they would never be a tag team and he didn’t need a partner. Goldust appeared to have tears in his eyes and walked off without saying anything. Truth looked remorseful. 

The Big Show defeated Kevin Owens (C) via countout in a nonitle match (2:37)

They teased a countout finish with Owens giving the Big Show a tornado DDT on the floor. Show beat the count, then gave Owens a choke slam onto the ropes, where Owens was crotched. The story is Owens did the same thing to Big Show on SmackDown Thursday, which means the only thing worse than parity pinfall booking is parity countout booking. 

Brie Bella did an interview with Young. Lana showed up and started talking about how Daniel Bryan left her out in the old while her man is still competing and gives her everything she wants. Brie shot back that Rusev was a great double for a grizzly bear in the Revenant, and Lana could talk once she has the guts to get in the ring. 

Naomi defeated Brie Bella via submission (4:07)

Naomi won with a Crucifix as a submission hold after Tamina interfered. Naomi’s finisher is she does a crucifix while grabbing her opponet’s arm, but the way she applied it, she could have done it to my grandmother and she wouldn’t have sold it. Lana came out afterwards and laughed at Brie. 

The Fabulous Freebirds were named as the new inductees as the WWE Hall of Fame. Michael Hayes, Buddy Roberts, Terry Gordy…and Jimmy Jam Garvin. Sort of like Van Halen getting inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame and they include Gary Cherone. 

Lynch and Banks argued about who would have won their match earlier tonight if a draw hadn’t been declared when Charlotte and Flair walked up. Charlotte told them they would meet again on SmackDown on Thursday night. The winner would face her at WrestleMania. The loser of the match would fade into oblivion. The other would be the answer to a trivia question: “Who was the person Charlotte defeated at her first WrestleMania?” She and Flair laughed and left as the babyfaces stewed. 

Dean Ambrose defeated Alberto Del Rio by DQ (9:07) 

Ambrose spent the entire match selling. He had his right armed taped selling Brock Lesnar’s F-5 on the floor last week. At one point, Del Rio gave him the cross armbreaker against the ropes. Ambrose barely sold it before giving Del Rio a neckbreaker. But please, tell me more about how Ring of Honor guys don’t understand psychology. 

It led to HHH coming out and ordering the League of Nations to attack Ambrose. Since HHH peaked in 1999, can we just call the LON the NWO Black and White and be done with it? The League beat down Ambrose. HHH started to talk down to him about how he would never understand Ambrose couldn’t stand up to authority. Ambrose rose up and punched HHH, which quickly made a comeback ending with a pedigree.  HHH told Ambrose that he would get his title match. 

Ambrose got the microphone while still selling and said “Hey Hunter! Thanks.” HHH looked pissed, rolled up his sleeves as the League disappeared and proceeded to beat the hell out of Ambrose with numerous punches delievered on the announcer’s table. The camerawork here resembled the end of ECW where they zoomed in quickly during every punch, and zoomed out afterwards. It was enough to give you motion sickness. But not as bad as seeing the heels stand tall over the babyfaces for the 88th time out of the past 93 shows. That’s a totally made up figure, by the way. But if you looked it up and found that it really was the case, would you be surprised? 

SUMMARY: 

A flat show. I’m unclear what the Undertaker’s motivation is for wanting to wrestle Shane at WM. It was never explained tonight. I know that HHH has to get heat in order for WrestleMania to have something special, but it’s clear the fans like Ambrose more than Reigns. I’m not sure either can be the flagbearer for the company. But seeing HHH out there as the top heel at 46-years-old reminds me of seeing Hulk Hogan in WCW 2000 still main evening PPVs against Ric Flair long after his star had faded and well past his drawing peak. And what’s the end result? To put over Reigns, who isn’t the answer either. 

TNA sale negotiations begin

In what could end up being a huge news story, TNA / Impact Wrestling is negotiating with Aroluxe Marketing. Dixie Carter, TNA President, is attempting to sell 49% of the company, so that she could remain the majority share holder, and thus control of the company. Dave and Bryan have a Breaking News audio update on this topic and on the topic of the earthquake that has caused New Japan to cancel shows. Our own Paul “Ace” Fontaine has an article here on the same topic, noting two wrestling names that have been associated with the Aroluxe Marketing group and previously with TNA.

[Dan Velten]

We’re looking for your thoughts on Saturday night’s UFC on FOX show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]”>[email protected]. 

We’re looking for reports on today’s WWE show in London, England, yesterday’s show in Leeds, England andSaturday night’s NXT show in Fort Pierce, FL. [email protected]

Tonight will be Raw from the O2 Arena in London, which was taped earlier this afternoon. Raw will air on a several hour tape delay this week so we will have results up on the site before the show.

Tuesday is Smackdown from the O2 Arena in London which features Undertaker. There will be a half crew for Smackdown because there is also a house show in Manchester, England with Roman Reigns, Sheamus, Rusev, Kane, Dudleys, New Day, Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks, so they will all most likely not be on Smackdown.

Wednesday has WWE house shows in Newcastle, England, with Undertaker as the headliner, and Belfast, Northern Ireland.

THE ROUNDUP

NJPW cancels PPV due to Kumamoto earthquakes 
ROH signs TV deal with Canada’s Fight Network 
Ongoing WWE RAW Spoilers, London, ENG: New feud rumors and results
Kimbo Slice heads to London for July return, interesting co-main planned 
UFC on FOX overnight ratings as good as could be expected

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Figure Four Weekly 4/11/2016: Rene Dupree files lawsuit against WWE for Network royalties, then dismisses lawsuit – All the inside information you would ever want to know about how NOT to sue WWE. 

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

READ IT HERE: April 11, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: A look at a historic Wrestlemania weekend, NXT Takeover 

During the 70s and 80s, Blackjack Mulligan was one of the legendary characters in pro wrestling, a man whose life and career had major ups and just as legendary downs.

Robert Deroy Windham played the character and later became the patriarch of one of the most significant modern wrestling families. He went from being a John Wayne-like figure as one of the most memorable characters in the heyday of Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, to a wrestler known for no-shows and walking out on promotions, and later spent two years in prison for counterfeiting.

He returned to wrestling after being in prison, but he was a guy who was quick to throw down, and quick to leave when he was unhappy. The business was changing where there weren’t the options to go somewhere and always have a job like in his heyday.

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If you wanted to know just how big Giant Baba was to people who grew up in the 60s and 70s, the latest back issue will explain.
Check out the latest Online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: February 15, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Reaction to the death of Giant Baba, 2 wrestlers have heart scares, plus tons more  A look at the surprising public reaction to the death of Giant Baba, 2 wrestlers have heart attack scares, plus tons of news and notes.

MONDAY NEWS UPDATE

Georges St-Pierre appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani today and said he was in serious training and in talks with the UFC for a return. He said nothing is official and he had a rotator cuff injury he was dealing with. He said he was going to start a training camp and see how he held up getting through it and decide what was next but the shoulder injury was bothering him and he kept training on it. He said the injury has healed and he’s doing a camp and will decide if he’s going to fight shortly. He said there is an issue because he made a lot of money with sponsors that he can no longer have with the Reebok deal so he may have to renegotiate his contract.

E! announced today that the Bella Twins will be getting a reality show called “Total Bellas.” The show will be based around their family with the cast members being Nikki & Brie Bella, Daniel Bryan, John Cena, John Laurinaitis, Kathy Colace (the Bellas mother who is married to John Laurinaitis) as well as brother J.J. and his wife.

Chris Jericho will be a guest on Sunday night’s “Talking Dead” show after “Fear the Walking Dead.”  (thanks to Joe Puccio)

WWE & Professional Wrestling

ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling bring join up on Sunday May 8th for GLOBAL WARS, LIVE on pay-per-view from Chicago Ridge. This massive event kicks off a busy week for the stars of ROH and NJPW, who are hitting the road from there to Dearborn, Toronto, and New York City! Less than 100 tickets remain. Click HERE to order.
ROH announced Jay Lethal vs. Colt Cabana as the main event for Global Wars on 5/8 in Chicago. They also announced Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa, the IWGP tag team champions, as well as Jushin Liger and Gedo to the previous list of New Japan talent for the show including IWGP champion Tetsuya Naito, ROH TV champion Tomohiro Ishii, IWGP jr. champion Kushida, and former IWGP champions Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada.
Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens were officially announced for Payback on 5/1 in Chicago today.
Results from NWA Smoky Mountain on Saturday night in Kingsport, TN:  Smoky Mountain cup tournament:  Anthony Henry b Axton Ray, Jimmy Rave b Kyle Matthews, Ali Shabazz b Shawn Shultz, Jordan Kage b Timmy Lou Retton, Chase Owens b Ethan Case, Jason Kincaid b Lio Rush, Skylar Kruze & Gavin Daring won gauntlet match to become NWA U.S. tag team champions, Jordan Kage won six-way over Anthony Henry, Jimmy Rave, Ali Shabazz, Chase Owens and Jason Kincaid to win the Smoky Mountain Cup.
Joe Dombrowski is booking Jim Cornette in the field of DVD commentary for live events, VOD, analysis or any other project at [email protected]. He’s also booking Shane Douglas and former WWE announcer Jack Korpela for similar roles.    
Northeast Wrestling results from Saturday night in Bethany, CT: TK O’Ryan b Frankie Arion, Wrecking Ball Legursk b Bull Dredd, Randy Shawn NC Dan Da Man, Cam Zagami b Anthony Greene, Brian Anthony b Vinny Marseglia, JT Dunn b Travis Air Gordon, Mark Sherman & Scottie Slade b Chris & Anthony Battle in a tag title match, War King Hanson (ROH) b Mike Bennett to retain the NEW title, Jimmy Preston b Lukas Sharp.  Marseglia & Arion attacked the tag champs to set up a future title match.  Next show is 5/7 in Waterbury, CT with Hanson vs. Ron Zombie for the NEW title, TK O’Ryan vs. Dijak and Matt Hardy vs. Brian Anthony (thanks to Troy Cummings)

Events Calendar

4/23 ECWA Super 8 tournament in Woodbury Heights, NJ
4/23 Maryland Championship Wrestling
4/30 Pro Wrestling in Santa Cruz, CA
5/6 Evolve in Baltimore
5/6 AAW in Merrionette Park, IL, featuring Sami Callihan vs. Ciampa, Pentagon Jr. vs. Fenix, Michael Elgin vs. Matt Cage, Moose, Silas Young, AR Fox, Donovan Dijak, Kimber Lee, and tons more.
5/6 Dem Great North Wrestling in Ottawa, Canada
5/7 Evolve in Queens at La Boom
5/8 Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling present Global Wars, live on PPV, Sat Frontier Fieldhouse, 9807 Sayre Ave, Chicago Ridge, IL 60415
5/9 Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling present War of the Worlds Tour, at Ford Community & Performing Arts Center 15801 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI 48126

Today in professional wrestling history: Jumbo Tsuruta unifies titles to become first AJPW Triple Crown Champion 

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Despite the fact that its team has never qualified for the World Cup, football fans in Bangladesh are adopting other country’s teams as their own, stoking bitter rivalries. 

Last week, rival supporters of Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazil’s Neymar fought with machetes in the town of Bandar.  One man and his son were critically wounded in the incident, according to police reports. 

The South Asian country, known for its love of cricket, is currently awash with flags and football strips: in Dhaka’s Magura district one tailor has made a German flag 4ft long to hang above his shop.

Even the rickshaws are painted with their driver’s favourite team’s colours.

Most Bangladeshis support Argentina or Brazil, despite the distance and lack of ties between Bangladesh and the South American countries.

The love affair with football dates back to the 1982 World Cup, the first to be televised live in Bangladesh. 

Brazil was a popular team from the offset, but Diego Maradona’s match-winning goal in the 1986 World Cup earned Argentina a large Bangladeshi fan base. 

“Bengalis are an emotional lot and the South Americans fit the bill,” says Manzur Huq, a Bangladeshi businessman.

This year is not the first time World Cup fever has spilled over into violence. 

In 2014, in the northern town of Hatibanda, 18-year old Milon Hossain was killed when a fight broke out between rival groups of Argentina and Brazil supporters. 

Eight years ago, during the 2010 World Cup, riots erupted when power cuts disrupted television coverage. The government was forced to order factories to close to avoid any further outages.  

“Every game matters,” says 21-year Mahmudur Rahman Twlip, a student from Chattogram, in southern Bangladesh, who has been a devoted Brazil fan since he was seven.

“It is more than just a tournament: The World Cup makes Bangladeshis happy, ecstatic even.”

Not everyone is as enthusiastic. SM Imamul Haq, the head of Barisal University, has banned students from flying foreign nations’ flags on the campus in southern Bangladesh. Like some others, he feels it is unpatriotic to raise foreign flags.

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World Cup mania shows no signs of abating. For Mr Twlip the only thing more exciting than watching Brazil win this year, will be if Bangladesh competes in The World Cup one day. “Deep inside,” he says, “that’s what everyone is waiting for.”

The Hungarian State Opera has axed 15 performances of the hit musical Billy Elliot after poor ticket sales, blamed by the management on a homophobic campaign that claimed the show would “transform boys into homosexuals”.

The management of the Budapest theatre pulled the plug on the 15 shows following a number of articles lambasting the musical in Magyor Idok, a leading newspaper allied to the Hungarian government.

In a letter to staff, Szilveszter Okovacs, the director of the opera, said: “As you know, the negative campaign against the Billy Elliot production has led to a big drop in ticket sales, and for this reason we are cancelling 15 performances in line with a decision by our management.”

One Magyar Idok article claimed the show could weaken Hungary’s birth rate at a time when thousands of immigrants wanted to come to the country.

“The propagation of homosexuality cannot be a national goal when the population is getting older and smaller and our country is threatened by invasion,” the paper wrote, despite the fact that the character of Michael, a friend of Billy’s who is gay, had been written out of the Hungarian version of the show.

Although Hungary has reasonably liberal laws on gay rights, Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, presides over a powerful government that champions itself as a protector of Christian Europe and its traditions, and as an opponent of liberal and cosmopolitan social attitudes.

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Mr Orban also wants to boost Hungary’s declining birth rate, saying last year that it was in “the national interest to restore natural reproduction.”

Despite the State Opera cancelling 15 shows, it also said it will go ahead with performances of Billy Elliot until July 14, one of which is sold out. 

This news prompted 444.hu, a Hungarian news website critical of the government, to suggest that the theatre was using the excuse of poor ticket sales to hide the possibility it had come under pressure from the authorities to bring the curtain down on a show that failed to promote conservative values.

Russia has earmarked an extra £9.8 million to fund the World Cup, which was already expected to be the most expensive football tournament in history. 

The country has allocated an additional 481.6 million roubles (£5.8 million) for temporary World Cup infrastructure and 334.2 million roubles (£4 million) for stadium and training base maintenance, according to decrees quietly published on a government website on Saturday. 

Russia’s federal government has already spent more than £8.9 billion on the vast tournament, which is taking place in 11 cities ranging from Yekaterinburg in the Ural mountains to Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, where England will play Belgium on Thursday. 

That amount was slightly higher than Brazil’s official spend on the 2014 World Cup.

But the respected business publication RBC reported this month that the actual cost for Russia would be £10.7 billion after factoring in the money spent by regional governments. 

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These provincial expenditures included road renovations, extra security such as Cossack guards and small modifications, such as adding English-language road signs. 

Despite the record-setting price tag for the World Cup, ordinary Russians will see few of the public transport improvements that were initially announced. 

Meanwhile, the far-flung tournament, which requires seating for at least 35,000 spectators in each stadium, is poised to leave the country with a herd of white elephants. 

Vladimir Putin originally had far loftier plans, aiming to host the games in 14 different cities rather than just 12.

Grandiose transportation projects foresaw rail links to every host city airport and a high-speed railway running more than a thousand miles between Moscow and the 2014 Winter Olympics host city Sochi. 

There was even to be a direct rail link to the European Union, starting in Moscow and ending in Vienna. 

But enthusiasm soon began to wane, and the collapse of global oil prices in 2014 stretched the budget painfully thin. In the end, the biggest transportation projects realised for the World Cup were a new airport in Rostov-on-Don and new terminals in five other cities. 

Russia did build 10 stadiums and renovate Yekaterinburg Arena and Moscow’s Luzhniki, the main venue for the 1980 Olympic Games. 

But even with seating to be reduced in some cases after the World Cup, many of these are far grander arenas than struggling local teams could hope to fill.

The 30,000-seat Mordovia Arena, which is modelled after South Africa’s Soccer City World Cup stadium, will be able to fit one tenth of the entire population of Saransk when its local football club returns to Russia’s second league and begins playing home games there. 

FC Rotor Volgograd will find itself playing in the 45,000-seat Volgograd Arena, where England beat Tunisia last week, despite having won only 10 out of 38 games in the second league last season. 

World Cup host city Sochi does not even have a professional team after its first post-Soviet club folded in 2013 and its replacement went on hiatus.

World Cup 2018 | Fixtures, groups, squads and more