The Big Takeaway: The Shining Stars steal one against The Golden Truth while Swagger and Rusev have a good battle in the main event.

*****

The Shining Stars defeated The Golden Truth (4:35)

Goldust and Primo start things off as Goldust ducks under a clothesline attempt to hip toss Primo. He makes the quick tag, and in comes R-Truth to stomp down on Primo. He hits a leg drop and tries a cover for two. Truth then gets caught with a kick to the gut and Primo tags Epico in.

Truth takes them both on with strikes, but is cut off by a double team and a dropkick from Epico. A leapfrog body guillotine from Primo subdues Truth, and Primo applies a chinlock. Truth gets out and tries a sunset flip, but Primo has the bottom rope. Epico comes in, hitting a suplex for a two count. Then a flying leg lariat by Truth allows him space so that Goldust can get the hot tag.

Goldust comes in with clotheslines and an atomic drop on Primo. He nails Epico and then scoop slams him. Primo breaks up the pin but Truth comes in and sends Primo outside. Meanwhile, Epico steals one with a roll-up on Goldust for the win.

Rusev defeated Jack Swagger (8:10)

Rusev comes out striking and pummeling Jack Swagger. Swagger hits Rusev with a running knee and leads the crowd in USA chants, but he’s sent outside when he charges at Rusev. We head to a break.

Rusev is stomping Swagger as we return. Byron Saxton keeps putting over Rusev for his dominance despite him having injured ribs. But, glaringly, there’s no word about why he has injured ribs. Rusev uses a spinning heel kick and gets a two count. He sends Swagger out of the ring and every time he tries to get back in, he gets waffled by a big right from Rusev.

Swagger finally blocks the strikes and gets back in. He avoids the charge of Rusev and slams him to the mat. He sets up and hits the Swagger Bomb with a huge clothesline. He gets a two count, then Rusev immediately rolls outside and threatens a walk out finish.

Swagger stalks him and sends him right back in the ring. Swagger slaps on the Patriot Lock and they tease the submission. Rusev suddenly gets out and tries to reverse it to the Accolade but Swagger avoids it.

Rusev hits him with a superkick and then puts on the Accolade. Swagger tries to get out, getting to his knees, but finally has no choice but to tap out.

After wrestling each other all over the world for the last few years, Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay will be bringing their rivalry to Ring of Honor.

ROH announced in a video update on Tuesday that Scurll will face Ospreay on the promotion’s upcoming tour of the United Kingdom. It was recently revealed that both men would soon be making their ROH debuts.

After shining in matchups across Europe for PROGRESS, Revolution Pro Wrestling, and others, Scurll vs. Ospreay has recently become a popular match to book. It made its way to the United States over WrestleMania weekend this year when Scurll defended his PROGRESS title against Ospreay at the WrestleCon SuperShow.

Scurll vs. Ospreay will face off on ROH’s November 20th show in London, England. It was also announced that Kyle O’Reilly and The Briscoes will team against The Bullet Club’s Adam Cole and The Young Bucks in the main event of the tour’s stop in Liverpool on November 18th, and former ROH World Champion Jay Lethal will take on Alex Shelley on November 19th in Leicester.

ROH’s video update announcing the matches is available to watch below:

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest From the F4W Staff

What do McMahon and Foley have in store for Owens and Rollins next?

WWE Clash of Champions live results: Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins

WWE Clash Of Champions predictions & preview: Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins

WWE announces new TV deal in Germany 

WWE Chicago, IL, live results: Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton II 

WWE State College, PA, live results: AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena

Review: Jeanie Clark’s riveting book shows a different side of Steve Austin

NJPW Destruction in Kobe results: Elgin defends his title against Naito 

NJPW announces full King Of Pro Wrestling show lineup 

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Raw is tonight in Cincinnati. Chris Jericho returns to the tour for that show. There is also a Smackdown brand house show on Monday in Wheeling, WV with the entire crew including John Cena but not including Randy Orton.

Smackdown is Tuesday night from Cleveland. The main event is A.J. Styles vs. Dean Ambrose for the WWE title. John Cena and Randy Orton are both scheduled on the show.

Leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match: [email protected].

Destruction in Hiroshima
SDestruction in Kobe

Please send reports on the following shows: [email protected]

WWE Raw brand house show in Moline, IL (all the key members of the Raw roster are there except Chris Jericho) and NXT show in Jacksonville
WWE in Chicago (Raw brand house show plus Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton, no Chris Jericho)
WWE in Hershey, PA (Smackdown brand house show with John Cena but no Randy Orton)
ROH in Duluth, GA
WWE in State College, PA (Smackdown crew with John Cena and no Randy Orton)
ROH in Duluth, GA at the Infinte Energy Center (Colt Cabana vs. Jay Lethal in 2 of 3 matches with the first match being pinfalls only, second being submissions only and third being a 30 minute Iron Man match; Jay White & Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin vs. Kamaitachi & Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian in a Lucha Libre trios rules match; Jushin Liger vs. Dalton Castle; Silas Young vs. Stevie Richards; War Machine vs. All Night Express; Caprice Coleman vs. Delirious and Lio Rush vs. Jonathan Gresham).

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Figure Four Weekly, 9/26/2016: The unlikely story of TJ Perkins (Part II) – When T.J. Perkins went to Florida Championship Wrestling without a WWE contract in 2009, it was a very different picture from how Ohio Valley Wrestling treated non contract talent before FCW took over for it as the primary developmental promotion. Subscribers click here to continue reading.

F4W YouTube Page: Tons of clips and full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!  

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Wrestling Observer Newsletter, September 26, 2016: Clash of Champions preview, new concussion test, more – The first Raw brand exclusive PPV takes place on 9/25 in Indianapolis, headlined by Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins for the Universal title. There are two business aspects to look at immediately. The first is whether these PPVs lead to a ratings bump, although the Raw the next day is expected to be at near all-time record lows due to the Presidential debate. The second is how it draws. The Smackdown only PPV on 9/11 in Richmond, VA, only drew 7,000 fans, and they were papering heavily… Subscribers click here to continue reading.

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Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to [email protected]. 
 
Rates in the United States are $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 choose one free classic issue, or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

WON Back Issue, September 6, 1999: Week of both high and low ratings, doctor under investigation for prescribing drugs to wrestlers, more – The television season of wrestling overexposure began this past week with both good and bad news. But when the numbers came in, virtually all the good news was limited to the World Wrestling Federation. Subscribers click here to continue reading.

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MONDAY NEWS UPDATE

No update on Seth Rollins past he was needing medical attention after taking the super gut buster from Kevin Owens in the match last night. He was having X-rays done earlier today. Cesaro, at last word, was fine, even though it looked scary the way he landed from that tope.

With the presidential debate, there’s a lot of talk of how tonight’s show will be the lowest rated Raw in history. To me, I’d completely discount the rating no matter what it is, and would consider anything over a 1.8 household number as a success. They may get a PPV bump, but but really the numbers from the last two weeks were more of a story than if this week does do poorly, because they are indicative of where they are at. Tonight’s number, if it stays even, says we’re probably not falling much from the past two weeks for the rest of football season. But if it’s way lower, the last two weeks are still the numbers far more indicative.

Matt Sydal tweeted yesterday saying he was in Hawaii and gave the impression it was a visa issue of sorts that kept him from entering Japan for this last New Japan tour.

The UFC has a press conference tomorrow at 6 p.m. Eastern time at The Theater in Madison Square Garden to announce the complete card for 11/12

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw as well as the latest pro wrestling and MMA news. If you’ve got questions for the show, you can send them to [email protected].

WWE

For tonight’s show, they are pushing a storyline that HHH and Stephanie McMahon left the Clash happy with the idea that they are working together to keep Kevin Owens as champion. So the idea is Seth Rollins saw through them but Mick Foley didn’t. 
Emma, Paige and Luke Harper are all backstage again today in Cincinnati. Keep in mind all three were last week and weren’t used.   
WWE is offering combo tickets in Chicago for Raw and Smackdown tapings at the All-State Arena in Chicago on 12/26 and 12/27. The Monday night show starts at 6:30 p.m. and the Tuesday show at 6:15 p.m. They are pushing Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Charlotte as the top stars on Raw and Dean Ambrose, A.J. Styles and Becky Lynch as the top stars on Smackdown in advertising.  Also listed for Raw are Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, New Day, Sasha Banks, Rusev and Cesaro. For Smackdown also listed are Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Nikki Bella and The Usos. They are pushing the idea you can get a ticket for both shows for just $30 (not $30 each but $30 for two tickets) with the tag line of being the best value in entertainment.  
Asuka (Kanako Urai), turns 35 today. 
Bruno Sammartino makes what he calls his final signing appearance on 11/19 in New York City as part of the Big Event Convention.
They are debuting a new Table for Three after Raw tonight with Kane, Big Show and Mark Henry.
The WWE 2K 17 Welcome to Suplex City TV spot is here.
VARIETY
There was a scary moment at the Progress Wrestling show on Saturday night at the Brixton Academy which was apparently one of the bigger indie events of the year. A match between Sebastian and Pastor William Eaver saw Eaver hit Sebastian with a clothesline, the bell rang, the referee made the count, and stopped at two like he was supposed to. The problem was that Sebastian never kicked out. They then stopped the match and promoter Jim Smallman told the crowd this was real and medics came to the ring.  Sebastian was carried out on a stretcher, although he was okay and walking around backstage. He just apparently knocked out. Results from the show: Rampage Brown b Joe Coffey to win the Atlas title, Jinny & Alex Windsor & Dahia Black b Nixon Newell & Laura DiMatteo Pollyanna, Sebastian NC Pastor William Eaver, Pete Dunne & Trent Seven b James Davis & Rob Lynch to win the tag team tiles, Paul Robinson b Chuck Mamgo, Zack Sabre Jr. b Tommaso Ciampa 2/3 falls, Nathan Cruz & Zack Gibson & El Ligero & Dave Mastiff b Jack Gallagher & Eddie Dennis & Mark Andrews & Damon Mosetr, Mark Haskins won the Progress title in three-way over champion Marty Scurll and Tommy End by making Scurll tap to the sharpshooter after Jimmy Havoc returned and dropped Scurll with the acid rainmaker. They announced another show at the Brixton Academy on September 24, 2017, so it looks like this will be an annual thing. (thanks to Ian Hamilton)
Tammy Sytch has been taken into custody by the Carbon County Probation Department and is awaiting a hearing on a possible probation violation.  
The son of Kimbo Slice, called Baby Slice, makes his pro debut on 10/21 in Memphis for Bellator in a prelim fight against Rick Bing. The fight at this point will stream on the Bellator web site as opposed to being on television.
Ricochet faces girlfriend Tessa Blanchard in the main event for Beyond Wrestling on Sunday in Somerville, MA. The show also features Joey Styles, Michael Elgin, Matt Riddle and MMA fighter Chuck O’Neil. 
Glory kickboxing on 12/21 in Denver featuring Gabriel Varga vs. Robin van Roosmalen for the lightweight title.
CCW on 10/29 in Chatham, ONT at the WISH Centre.
MCW from Saturday night in Joppa, MD: Bill Collier & Paul Jordane b Bo Nekoda & Cousin Clay, Ivory Robyn & April Sera b Maria Manic & Angelina Love, Joe Keys b Dante Cabinero, Honky Tonk Man & Koko B. Ware & Tito Santana b Rock & Bowl Express with Danny Davis (WWF version) as referee and Jim Cornette as a heel manager, Paul Jordane won a Bunkhouse Stampede, Brandon Scott b Nick Cutler, Brittany Blake won three-way over Kimber Lee and Ivory Robyn, The Ecktourage b Punk Rock All-Stars in an anything goes match, Ken Dixon b Chuck Lennox, Swoggle & Bruiser & Rayo b Studd & Jeremiah & Vineberg, Drolix b King McBride to win the MCW title in a dog collar match. Bret Hart, Jimmy Hart, Shane Douglas and others were involved in this show. 
MCW has another show on Saturday night in Hollywood, MD at the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department featuring Scott Hall appearing.
CWE tonight in Regina, Saskatchewan at The Exchange, headlined by Nick Aldis vs. Wavell Star for the GWF title.
CWE from last night in Calgary: Danny Duggan b Shane Sabre, Travis Cole b Tony Novak, Tommy Lee Curtis b A.J. Sanchez, Jacob Creed b Math Magician, Jason Kincaid b Tony Kozina, Nick Aldis b Matt Hart (of the Hart wrestling family) to keep the GFW title, Dynamite Dan & Pistol Pete b Phantasmo & Scotty Mac. Next show in Calgary is 1/15.
Koji Kanemoto won the VKF title in Japan this past week beating Suichiro Katsumara with a moonsault.
Ho Ho Lun, who was in the cruiserweight classic, made a surprise appearance for the HEAT-UP promotion in Japan, losing to Kazuhiro Tamura. Tamura is the owner of the promotion.      
IWF has live shows on 9/24, 10/1, 10/8, 10/22 and 10/29 at the IWF Centre in Nutley, NJ.
CZW has a free TV taping on 10/8 in Voorhees, NJ at the Combat Skate Zone at 2 p.m. they also have a regular show at 8 p.m. that night. No tickets are needed for the afternoon show. The evening show has a tangled web match with Tim Donst vs. Alex Colon vs. Danny Havoc vs. Rickey Shane Page and Jonathan Gresham defends the CZW title against Homicide.
Pro Wrestling Revolver on 10/28 in Clive, IA at the Seven Flags Event Center featuring Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Marty the Moth, Brian Cage vs. Fenix, PJ Black vs. Trevor Lee, DJZ vs. Triton (CMLL) vs. Gringo Loco, Caleb Konley vs. Silas Young, Jessicka Havok vs. Jake Manning, AR Fox vs. Davey Vega vs. Mat Fitchett vs. Ethan Case vs. Matthew Palmer vs. Anthony Henry, Sami Callihan & Dave & Jake Crist vs. Jason Cade & Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz.
Lucha Libre Boom on 10/15 in Naucalpan has Caristico vs. Mascara Dorada vs. Titan vs. Volador Jr. Not sure yet about Dorada on that one because he is going full-time with WWE shortly.
El Hijo del Santo & son El Santo Jr. face Silver King & Silver King Jr. tonight in Nuevo Laredo a the soccer stadium for Lucha Libre Convencion.
On 10/14 in Tijuana at Auditorio Municipal they have L.A. Park & ? vs Rush & La Mascara.
Major Baisden is starting a new promotion based in Kansas City called the NWL. He’s a successful entrepreneur who recently sold his last startup, a data services company, for a good bit of money. Chris Gough, a former WWE writer who has been active on the Kansas City scene, will be head of creative and talent relations, along with historian and former Memphis manager Scott Bowden. The idea is to start with shows in Kansas City and St. Louis, and expand into Texas, and then Portland and Seattle. They are looking at debuting in January. For more info you can go here. 
There was a story about a bookstore in Winnipeg that mentions Ric Flair coming in and reading books there.
​Daily Pro Wrestling History (09/26): HHH wins the WWF title at Unforgiven

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Viewers won’t have to wait long for tonight’s WWE World Championship match.

ESPN’s Jonathan Coachman tweeted on Sunday afternoon: “sources tell me tonight don’t tune in late. First time ever a @Wwe ppv will start with main event. Ambrose/Cena/styles for title. 8 east.”

WWE also confirmed the news themselves.

The scheduled main event for the show was AJ Styles defending his title against John Cena and Dean Ambrose in a triple threat match. No indication was given as to what match would now close the show.

The decision to open the show with the title match is likely the result of tough competition No Mercy is facing on television. The second presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will start at 9 p.m. ET. The first debate between the two broke ratings records, and Sunday night’s debate figures to do a strong number as well given recent controversies surrounding Trump.

No Mercy will also go against a strong Sunday Night Football game, with the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers kicking off at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Genoa’s love-hate relationship with Morandi Bridge is well-known in Italy.

Everyone used it. Everyone needed it. Everyone knew it needed repair.

It was both monument and monster, revered as a point of pride in the collective memory of the city, yet feared as it corroded and crumbled, growing more decrepit and dangerous each year.

Inaugurated with great fanfare in 1967, the Morandi viaduct served as the main east-west artery linking Genoa and the entire southern Mediterranean. It was a key logistics point for trucks loading and unloading containers in Italy’s biggest gateway port and an important interchange point for three motorways: all traffic from Portugal, France and Spain that was headed anywhere in Italy south of Milan passed over the bridge.

But on 11:36 Tuesday morning, August 14th, the towering concrete icon of national pride collapsed into a jagged heap, swallowing carloads of innocent passersby, crushing the dreams of dozens of families and taking down Italy’s collective confidence with it.

“Oh God, Oh God, Oh God,” exclaimed the first eye witness whose video was broadcast around the world. “I feel sick.”

A state funeral of 18 of the victims was held on Saturday, just hours after the bodies of yet another family – mother, father and 9-year-old daughter – were extracted from their car under the rubble, bringing the death toll to 41.

Genoa’s very own “Brooklyn Bridge,” is testament to both human feat and failure, a mountain of concrete shame symbolizing the painful downhill slide from Italy’s post-war miracle years toward its modern era of chronic neglect.

“There was a lack of maintenance by the private company, but also a lack of any alternative from the government,” says University of Genoa Professor of Transport Economics Enrico Musso. “It’s like if you have just one pair of favourite shoes and you wear them and wear them. You can buy another pair and take them to the cobbler for a proper repair, or you can just keep wearing them – but eventually they will break down completely. And then you have no shoes.”

Now Italy is barefoot. Rough estimates of damages to the country’s image, infrastructure and supply chain are in the hundreds of millions, possibly up to half a billion, Edoardo Rixi, undersecretary of transport and infrastructure, told the Telegraph.

“This collapse is a stab in the back of the economy of our country, especially for northern Italy, which was seeing signs of a comeback,” said Mr Rixi, a Genovese-appointed undersecretary with the far-right League party who had himself passed over the bridge shortly before the collapse.

An estimated 3,000 lorries passed over Morandi bridge each day, some bringing perishable goods to and from Italy to France and Spain, and others to load and unload the 2.6 million containers coming in yearly to the two main port terminals, now awkwardly located on either side of the collapsed bridge.

Consumers will not be spared cost hikes. Produce prices will go up in southern France. Lorries carrying refrigerated goods for French supermarket Carrefour will have higher toll and petrol costs in order to stock its stores throughout central and southern Italy.

Tourists will also face inconveniences. Steve Best, a 38-year-old father of three from Norwich, arrived in Genoa just two hours after the collapse, en route to Portofino for their first family trip to Italy.

“We sat in the Volabus for a very long time, didn’t we kids?” he said, nodding to his 12, 10 and 9 year olds. “We saw the bridge as we went by. It’s scary.”

British citizens are Liguria’s 5th most common visitors, with numbers rising by 17 per cent so far this year.  

Father and son publicans Stefano Icardi, 74 and Federico Giannoni, 50,  depend on that regular influx of British tourists to their English-style pub, the Britannia, in Genoa city.

“People who are supposed to come might think twice due to the chaos and traffic,” said Federico. “We’re worried they might cancel.”

More than 4.2 million people board cruises ships or ferries in Genoa each year, but now anyone arriving in the airport and headed to ferries or seaside areas to the south like Cinque Terre will find themselves stuck in Genoa’s urban traffic with thousands of trucks serving the port and local commuters trying to cross the city.

“Un casino.” A mess, said Nicola Russo, 57, who has been working as a Genoa deliveryman for 30 years.

Asked what the lorry drivers are saying, Mr Russo pauses from unloading fresh mozzarellas to point his thumb and index finger in the sign of a pistol which he raises it to his temple, ironically. “Suicidio,” he said. “It is going to be extremely stressful.”

A spokesman for Ansaldo Energia, a leading international power generation engineering company based in Genoa, said production is temporarily suspended while it assesses damage to one of its warehouses located near collapse and studies how to move parts from its factory to its assembly point at the port.  

The dramatic picture of a green delivery truck perched on the precipice of the bridge in the immediate aftermath of its collapse exemplifies the problems that await the regional supply chain.

Ercole Gattiglia, who overseas Basko supermarket logistics, the company whose logo the lorry bore, said it will likely cost more to supply their 20 stores in the Liguria region, either for petrol to take the long detour, or in driver labour hours for the extra time it will take to get through snarled urban traffic.

“It is not going to be simple and I fear it could take years for a solution,” Mr. Gattiglia said.

Concerns over slow (or no) response are a common refrain as anger grows over what Italian editorialists call “the absence of state.”  The private operators may have failed to properly maintain the bridge (while clearing 2 billion euros in profit in the years it has had the concession), but the record shows government officials from the right and left also failed to heed warnings. And an alternative bypass in Genoa was among the big infrastructure improvements in Italy that the Five Star Movement opposed.

Mr Rixi pledged that the government will act swiftly to rebuild a bridge and possibly revoke the concession to operate the motorway from Autostrade per L’Italia and its parent company, Atlantia, controlled by the Benetton family, for what he called a “lack of social responsibility.”

“Even rescue vehicles and ambulances had to stop to pay tolls at the Genoa motorway exits after the disaster. Have they no shame? For this reason we are taking a hard line,” Mr Rixi said. “Until they show some empathy toward Genoa, the victims and their families and a minimum of responsibility for what has taken place, we are not going to negotiate.”

That tough talk is popular among Italians, who have had to absorb numerous motorway toll hikes recent years, despite deteriorating road conditions.  

“Look at me,” said Mr Russo as he pushed a loaded trolley of fresh cheese through the maze of dark, narrow alleys of the old city. “I have to take regular safety courses. Here the little guy and smallest shoppes are super regulated, while those with big economic powers are always untouchable.”

If there is a silver lining, it is that the city whose native son is the world’s most famous navigator – Christopher Columbus – is now forced to modernise as it grows into a strategic Mediterranean port hub

“I am in contact with Marseille and Barcelona and we are trying to understand how we can adjust some of the logistics, “ Paolo Emilio Signorini, president of the port of Genoa authority told the Telegraph. “We are going to have to rethink everything.”

Ratings for last night’s episode of Raw were down 10% from last week’s total that was bolstered by the return of Goldberg. But last night’s show was still the second highest number since the start of the NFL season.

The show opened relatively strong with 2.983 million viewers but dropped sharply in hours two (2.806 million) and three (2.669 million). Raw finished with an average viewership of 2.807 million people.

The drop-off of just over 300,000 viewers from hour one to hour three was one of the bigger such drops in recent weeks. Percentage-wise, it was the fifth largest drop since April 18th, which was two weeks after WrestleMania.

The show finished third for the night in total viewers on cable, trailing Monday Night Football (11.168 million) and The O’Reilly Factor (3.268 million). In the 18-49 demo, the three hours were fourth, fifth, and sixth for the night behind the NFL, SportsCenter, and Love and Hip Hop Hollywood

Here’s the last 10 weeks of RAW ratings as compared to previous years:

On the face of it, this week’s break in diplomatic relations between tiny Taiwan, population 23.5 million, and even tinier El Salvador, population 6.3m, did not herald a dramatic shift in global politics. But the Central American nation’s sudden switch in allegiance to China has clearly rattled its US neighbour. 

Accusing China of destabilising cross-Strait relations, the White House said: "This is a decision that affects not just El Salvador, but also the economic health and security of the entire Americas region."

It reiterated that the US would reevaluate its ties with the Central American country as a result.

Reacting to the news earlier, high profile US Senators Marco Rubio and Cory Gardner,…

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THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NEWS

WWE advertising Brock Lesnar vs. Kevin Owens for MSG house show
SmackDown ratings get a big bump for post-Royal Rumble episode
Seth Rollins suffers an injury during his brawl with Samoa Joe on Raw
WWE SmackDown video highlights: Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles
Two more title matches set for WWE Elimination Chamber
WWE 205 Live results: Akira Tozawa debuts
WWE reveals John Cena’s Elimination Chamber title challengers
WWE SmackDown live results: The build to Elimination Chamber

AUDIO

WOL: Seth Rollins injury update, WrestleMania scenarios, ratings, more! 2/1
DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The first World Champion 2/1
B&V&C: Retro Raw and Nitro from 19 years ago this week! 1/31
WOL: Solo Sempervive on Samoa Joe’s Raw debut, Neville, more 1/31

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FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY: 1/30/2017: Recapping the 2017 Royal Rumble 

Given the star power in the match, Randy Orton winning the 2017 Royal Rumble was always going to be underwhelming to some. It was only who he eliminated last that redeemed the moment to most who were disappointed. Orton capped off a solid Rumble match at the Alamodome by last eliminating Roman Reigns, who entered at #30 after interference from Braun Strowman cost him his shot at the Universal Championship earlier in the night… Subscribers click here to continue.

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WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: January 30, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Royal Rumble preview, part 2 of Jimmy Snuka bio, plus tons of news

A look at WWE plans that are locked in place, and other plans up in the air, related to WrestleMania, and how the Royal Rumble, Fast Lane and Elimination Chamber fit in is the lead story in the new double-sized of the Wrestling Observer.

There is also a major feature on the life of Jimmy Snuka, his growing up, full career, career records, the Nancy Argentino death case and reaction to his death. Plus, check out the 2016 win/loss records of all WWE talent, why Tito Ortiz is so important in MMA history, and Fantastica Mania coverage as well as notes on future major events around the world.

A look at the most loaded Royal Rumble match in years, and how all the top names figure into WrestleMania leads the news. Read about what the Mania matches say, ticket sale news from the Rumble and NXT Takeover, and where things go from there.

Have a look at Pentagon Jr., Daga and Garza Jr. leaving AAA and how many questions that asks. This includes the situation with Sexy Star, big questions facing Lucha Underground, the attempt to build The Crash promotion into a force in Mexico, notes on Lucha Underground contracts, exactly where this all stemmed from and why talent was unhappy with AAA, the Lucha Underground move that makes everything even more questionable, and how this relates to the bigger picture of wrestling all over the world right now.

Click here for full preview.

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ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to [email protected]. 
 
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WON BACK ISSUE: January 10, 2000 NJPW Tokyo Dome reviewed, 1999 in revenue for promotions, more 

The mixed promotional angle, the very thing that New Japan has specialized in for nearly three decades, looks back in the forefront as representatives from WCW (J.J. Dillon and Paul Orndorff) and RINGS (Akira Maeda) along with Nobuhiko Takada all met with New Japan management in conjunction with the company’s biggest show of the year 1/4 at the Tokyo Dome… Subscribers click here to continue.

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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE
Seth Rollins posted a series of tweets about the knee injury that he suffered on Raw: “Wanted to take a second to thank everyone who has reached out to me over the last two days. Life doesn’t always go your way, but that is no excuse to surrender. If anything, obstacles exist to help us grow and evolve. This reinjury to my surgically repaired knee is real and a lot is up in the air right now, but one thing remains constant: my resolve. This doesn’t end for me until I’ve reclaimed the throne. And for me, fighting and defeating Triple H is the only way. I will work harder than I ever have and push myself beyond what I know. This isn’t over. The only way to wear the crown is to slay the king. I know what must be done and there’s nothing that can stop me.” 
As has been pointed out by many, Rollins appeared to suffer the injury when Samoa Joe took him down for the Coquina Clutch during their brawl on Monday.
Joe posted an in-character tweet about Rollins’ injury: “@TripleH I believe I have delivered as requested.”
Finn Balor tweeted a get well card to Rollins.
Mick Foley posted on Facebook that he’s gotten his health insurance back and will be getting his right hip replaced whenever he has time in his schedule. Foley said that he’ll be taking time off from Raw after the surgery because he won’t be allowed to fly for about six weeks after.
John Cena vs. Randy Orton in a non-title match was announced last night for next week’s SmackDown.
NXT’s next round of TV tapings is taking place at Full Sail University tonight.
ESPN interviewed Nikki Cross about her career and being a last-minute addition to SAnitY.
Kevin Owens appeared on the latest episode of the Talk is Jericho podcast, which is a live show that was taped in Toronto over Survivor Series weekend.
ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary on the XFL airs tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET. Basil DeVito spoke to The Post in Athens, Ohio about the documentary.
Pro Wrestling
MLW Radio noted that seasons one and two of Lucha Underground are coming to Netflix on February 15th. The two seasons will also be available on Netflix in Canada.
The third season of Lucha Underground will resume on the El Rey Network on May 31st.
Bobby Lashley will face Jeff Cobb at WrestleCon in Orlando, Florida on March 31st over WrestleMania weekend.
UFC/MMA
Dana White again spoke out about Ronda Rousey’s status in an interview with TMZ Sports, saying that the day comes for all professional athletes where they don’t have it anymore and that’s what happened to Rousey.
Edmond Tarverdyan is still coaching Travis Browne and will be in his corner on February 19th.
Brett Okamoto tweeted that Rashad Evans vs. Daniel Kelly is being targeted for UFC 209 on March 4th.
Francis Ngannou wants a fight with Cain Velasquez after his win over Andrei Arlovski.

F4W / WO EMPIRE WRESTLEMANIA GROUP INFO

BUS INFO:

The Empire bus to WrestleMania will cost $50.00 and will be round trip from Rosen Inn at 9000 International Drive 32819 (a few blocks away from Wrestlcon).
The bus will leave at 4pm (time subject to change) for WrestleMania and will leave WrestleMania no later then one hour after the show. If you would like a seat email Ed at [email protected] or message him on the BOARD~! for Paypal payment instructions

DINNER INFO:

WHAT: Dinner at Texas de Brazil
WHEN: Friday March 31st
WHERE: 5259 International Dr Ste F1, Orlando, FL 32819 at 5 p.m. (they may open at 4:30 for us)
WHO: All your best empire buddies
DETAILS: The cost of the dinner will be $68.00 which includes the dinner, salad bar, soft drinks and tea, and dessert, tax and tip. This is a pre pay dinner and you can send payment to paypal at [email protected] (please send as a gift to a friend). Payments must be made by March 24th (if you wait until after that, Ed will charge an extra $5.00 for being a pain).

Today in Professional Wrestling History (2/1): ECW Crossing The Line 1997

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