Image: JJ Williams

In addition to the three-team War Games match between The Undisputed Era, SAnitY, and The Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong, the rest of the card for NXT’s next TakeOver special took shape at last night’s TV tapings.

Drew McIntyre will defend his NXT Championship against Andrade “Cien” Almas at the show in Houston, which will officially be named “NXT TakeOver: War Games.” Almas defeated Strong at the tapings last night before later attacking McIntyre as a contract signing was about to get underway. Almas signed his name on the contract after the attack.

The final participant in the fatal four-way match for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver was also decided last night as Nikki Cross won a women’s battle royal to join Kairi Sane, Peyton Royce, and Ember Moon in vying for the title.

TakeOver: War Games will take place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on November 18th as part of Survivor Series weekend. Aside from the three main matches, Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream is set for the show and Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan was built up as a possibility but not yet made official.

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NEWS

Interest in invasion angle follow-up boosts WWE SmackDown ratings
Two Survivor Series qualifying matches set for WWE SmackDown

AUDIO

F4D: Smackdown, Geek of the Week, Tom’s house, more! 10/25
B&V&C: Retro Raw and Nitro from 19 years ago this week! 10/24

FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY: Figure Four Weekly 10/23/2017: Recapping WWE’s unusual TLC PPV

Making the most of a bad situation, Sunday night’s TLC pay-per-view provided a fun ending for what must have been a rough week for WWE. Two wrestlers (Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt) being pulled from a PPV due to a viral infection just days before the show is always a bad situation. But TLC being built almost solely around the in-ring reunion of The Shield made the timing especially awful. Having a mediocre PPV is forgivable in the Network era, but WWE knew that they had to give ticket holders worthy replacements.

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WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: October 23, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal, Observer Hall of Fame candidates, more

A look at the WWE PPV picture over the next two shows, the championship scene and the TLC show is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer, a double issue that features three back-of-the-book features, one on PED usage and lifestyle changes in pro wrestling, one on the life and times of Bobby Heenan and another of the 2017 Hall of Fame.

The lead story looks at Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal, the return of Kane and some of the new programs.

Look at the ROH Global Wars week, what the business says and doesn’t say, a rundown of the Chicago show, the anti-WWE movement, along with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

Examine WWE drug testing, lifestyle changes among the wrestlers, what WWE talent is and isn’t allowed to do, beating tests, TUE’s, what Dave Palumbo said, what WWE has said in response, just how prevalent are TUE’s in WWE compared to other sports, double standards and rules between office, talent and part-time talent, why WWE drug tests in the first place, why the idea that pro wrestling isn’t a competitive situation is as shallow a thinking as possible and how the business has changed over the years as far as the look to be a star.

Look back at the life outside of wrestling of Bobby Heenan.

Check out the 2017 Hall of Fame ballot and thoughts on the candidates including breaking down most of the candidates on the ballot.

Get updates on WrestleMania ticket sales, Jinder Mahal in India, Austin Aries talks the economics outside WWE, WWE earnings and predictions for PPV numbers, and updates on Neville and Nia Jax.

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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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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: October 1, 2000 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Disappointing WCW ratings, WWF Unforgiven reviewed, more

Whatever changes in the landscape temporarily that would result from the WWF going to a lower rated network appear to have been overstated. It was thought that this would be the week for WCW to capitalize, as viewers, used to WWF on Monday nights, would switch to WCW when finding other programming on the USA Network. Even though, due to the court decision coming in late and Viacom not getting nearly the amount of publicity they had planned to hype the debut of Raw,

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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE
In what could be a sign for his future with the company, Neville was removed from the video intro for 205 Live this week. It’s the first time that he hasn’t been in the intro since the news that he wanted to leave WWE broke.
ESPN released a short excerpt from the upcoming 30 for 30 on Ric Flair’s life that will air on November 7th. In the clip, Flair talks about how people would live vicariously through him in the 1980s and video of athletes imitating him were shown.
Nia Jax replied to Natalya and Tamina on Twitter, teasing that she’ll be part of the Raw women’s team at Survivor Series.
Sami Zayn will be this week’s guest on the Edge & Christian podcast.
Triple H announced that “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)” by Power Trip and “Play” by Marmozets are the official theme songs for NXT TakeOver: War Games.
BBC has a video profile on Mae Young Classic participant and WWE signee Kavita Devi.
Chris Jericho will be appearing on an episode of First We Feast’s “Hot Ones” YouTube show tomorrow.
Pro Wrestling
Tickets for Wrestle Kingdom 12 at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th are now on sale. NJPW’s English-language website has a post about ticket information, with there also being travel packages available that include hotel accommodations and tickets (but not plane tickets) for people coming from outside of Japan.
NJPW also unveiled the poster for Wrestle Kingdom 12.
Celeste Bonin, who was formerly known as Kaitlyn in WWE, revealed that today marks a year since she checked herself into a hospital for a medical drug detox. Bonin wrote that she was in a bad place mentally and physically then and in a “terrible” marriage. She said that it took her a long time to admit that she was an addict but urged others to never be too proud to ask for help.
WrestleCade announced that Jeff Jarrett won’t be attending any of their events in Winston-Salem, North Carolina next month (including a scheduled match against Ryback) due to personal reasons. WrestleCade called Jarrett a friend of their team and wished his family all the best.
Pro Wrestling Sheet spoke to Steven Ewaschuk, the promoter for Real Canadian Wrestling, about Jarrett’s behavior at their show last Friday. Ewaschuk claimed that Jarrett showed up late to the show and appeared slightly intoxicated, then passed out in the locker room during the show before getting ready for his match. Jarrett denied that he passed out in the locker room and called Ewaschuk an “amateur.”
AR Fox is returning to EVOLVE for their shows in Queens, New York and Melrose, Massachusetts on December 9th and 10th.
VIP packages for WWN’s More Than Mania events over WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans next year are on sale now.
Adam Blampied, who recently departed WhatCulture and was their promotion’s on-screen general manager, put out a statement publicly apologizing for falsely claiming to several women that he was in an open relationship in an effort to get them to send pictures of themselves to him. Shortly after that, a woman detailed her experiences with Blampied and posted screenshots of messages between them. Cultaholic, the new website and YouTube channel that Blampied is involved with, announced that they’d be delaying the launch of their YouTube channel as Blampied is taking a short leave of absence.
UFC/MMA
While speaking with a Wall Street Journal podcast, Dana White said that the UFC would be open to signing a deal with a digital platform instead of a television network when their contract with Fox comes up. While that is likely White keeping options open ahead of contract negotiations, White said that he thinks internet and over-the-top services are where everything is going.
White also noted that he could see the UFC bringing boxing under their umbrella at some point.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk again called Rose Namajunas, who said that she wants to use her title shot to promote mental health awareness, “mentally unstable” in a conference call to promote UFC 217.
Michael Bisping is being sued by a man who alleges that Bisping choked him at a gym in Anaheim, California in July.
The New York post ran an article on there still being hundreds of tickets available for UFC 217.
Scott Coker said that he’s open to Bellator having five-round main events for non-title fights like the UFC has.

Today in Professional Wrestling History: WCW Halloween Havoc 1998

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He has vowed to drain the swamp, slash regulations and get tough with China. Evangelicals and gun-rights advocates love him. He has denounced the media as "fake news." Political foes? Lock ’em up.

Brazil’s new president-elect, Jair Bolsonaro, is an ardent admirer — and shrewd imitator — of his US counterpart Donald Trump. And that could usher in one of the warmest bilateral relationships in the Western Hemisphere.

Trump called to congratulate Bolsonaro on Sunday night, shortly after the far-right congressman scored a resounding victory at the polls, winning 55 percent of the vote following a mud-slinging campaign with a leftist rival.

Bolsonaro and Trump spoke of "a strong commitment to work side-by-side" on issues affecting Brazil, the United States and beyond, the White House said.

Trump has bullied and wrangled with other leaders in the Americas, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.

"Trump faced the same attacks I am facing – that he was a homophobe, a fascist, a racist, a Nazi," Bolsonaro told Reuters last year before his candidacy caught fire. "But the people believed in his platform. I was rooting for him."

Such blandishments are likely to play well with Trump, who has shown an affinity for authoritarian leaders, particularly those who flatter and cajole him.

Christopher Garman, chief Americas analyst for the New York-based political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, said a new cross-hemisphere bromance could be in the offing.

"(Bolsonaro’s) win will surely herald a stronger bilateral relationship," Garman said. "Bolsonaro not only is a self-professed fan of Donald Trump, but both were elected on a wave of anti-establishment anger with relatively similar ideological proclivities. The White House is likely to respond well, and Donald Trump has already shown he values personal relationships with foreign leaders."

Bolsonaro has already signaled his plan to shift Brazilian foreign policy hard to the right, a development that would play well with the Trump administration.

He has said he will move Brazil’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, following the lead of the United States. And similar to Trump, Bolsonaro is rethinking his country’s membership in multinational organizations and treaties that he thinks might not be in Brazil’s best interest, including the Mercosur trade bloc, the BRICS group of large emerging economies and the Paris climate accord.

Those changes would reverse 13 years’ worth of diplomacy crafted by governments led by the country’s leftist Workers Party, which focused on alliances with Brazil’s South American neighbors and other developing powers.

Bolsonaro is also questioning Brazil’s relationship with China, which he views as a predatory economic partner. The Asian giant is Brazil’s biggest foreign buyer of soybeans, iron ore and other commodities. But Bolsonaro is alarmed at a spate of Chinese purchases of Brazilian energy and infrastructure companies.

"The Chinese are not buying in Brazil. They are buying Brazil," Bolsonaro has warned repeatedly.

Such talk is likely to please Trump, whose tariffs on Chinese goods have ignited a trade war that has much of the world blaming the United States for disrupting global supply chains and rattling markets worldwide.

So, too, is Bolsonaro’s plan to privatize a string of Brazil’s state-owned companies and loosen environmental restrictions to make way for more mining, ranching and farming.

Still, trade is likely to remain a sore point between the United States and Brazil, whose steep tariffs on imported goods make it one of the most closed economies in the world.

Trump singled out Brazil this month in a rant about tariffs.

"They charge us whatever they want," he said in remarks to reporters at a White House event. "If you ask some of the companies, they say Brazil is among the toughest in the world – maybe the toughest in the world."

Even if trade issues remain thorny, Bolsonaro’s gaze is directed north. He is an avid supporter of the National Rifle Association and vows that once he takes office on January 1, he will roll back Brazil’s strict gun laws and let citizens take up arms to defend themselves from criminals.

Like Trump, Bolsonaro masterfully tapped into voters’ fears and frustrations to rocket to the presidency. Brazil is beset by appalling levels of street crime. In the past few years, a sprawling corruption investigation has revealed epic levels of corruption at the highest levels of government.

One former president is in jail and another was impeached and tossed from office. The economy was hit by the worst downturn in decades and has yet to regain its luster; more than 13 million Brazilians are unemployed.

Hungry for change, voters responded to Bolsonaro’s bold promises to crack heads and clean up the mess.

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said he sees echoes of his old boss, who rode a similar wave of discontent.

"It takes those types of crises, and Brazil is going through that type of crisis now," Bannon told Reuters recently. "I think that Bolsonaro, he’s a figure like Trump."

1930

St. Louis, Missouri:
– World Champion Jim Londos beat Rudy Dusek 
– Milo Steinborn beat Floyd Marshall 
– George Zaharias beat Jack Washburn 
– Kola Kwariani beat Marshall Blackstock

1948 

Houston, Texas:
– Danny McShane defeated Antonino Rocca for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title

1951 

Kansas City, Missouri:
– Jimmy Coffield defeated Dennis Clary for the NWA Heart Of America Heavyweight Title (later known as the Central States Title)

1965

Denver, Colorado:
– Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon defeated The Crusher to win the AWA World Heavyweight Title
– Bob Ellis beat Mitsu Arakawa
– Chris Markoff beat Mighty Igor Vodik by DQ
– Tim Woods beat Ivan Kalmikoff

1966 

Omaha, Nebraska:
– Dick The Bruiser defeated Mad Dog Vachon for the AWA World Heavyweight Title in Omaha, Nebraska (title change only recognized in  
  Omaha)
– Verne Gagne beat Mad Russian Stan Pulaski
– Ron Reed drew Mr Wrestling Tim Woods

1971

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Attendance was 6,112; sellout
– The Crusher beat Nick Bockwinkel
– Larry Hennig & Lars Anderson beat Red Bastien & Dr. X in 2 out of 3 falls
– Billy Robinson beat Big K
– Wilbur Snyder beat Angelo Poffo
– Ivan Koloff beat Bill Howard

1979 

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: Attendance was 5,000
– Billy Robinson defeated Super Destroyer Mark II (Sgt. Slaughter) to win the AWA British Empire Heavyweight Title 
– AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel dcor Andre The Giant
– Mad Dog Vachon beat Lord Alfred Hayes
– Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura beat Paul Ellering & Steve Olsonoski
– Greg Gagne beat Buddy Wolff
– Super Destroyer Mark III beat Peter Sandor Szabo
– Ricky Hunter beat Ron Ritchie

1982 

Calgary, Alberta, Canada:
– Danny Davis defeated Bruce Hart for the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title 

1988

Las Vegas, Nevada:
– AWA Champion Jerry Lawler beat Wahoo McDaniel by DQ
– AWA Tag Team Champions Badd Company Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond beat John Paul & Ricky Morton by DQ
– Kerry Von Erich beat Colonel DeBeers
– Madusa Meceli beat Magnificent Mimi
– Jay Strongbow Jr drew Del Wilkes (The Patriot)

Columbus, Ohio:
– Steve Williams pinned Eddie Gilbert
– NWA TV Champion Mike Rotunda fought Nikita Koloff to a draw
– NWA Tag Team Champions the Road Warriors defeated the Italian Stallion & Ron Simmons
– Sting defeated NWA US Champion Barry Windham via disqualification
– Lex Luger & Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane
– NWA World Champion Ric Flair pinned Dusty Rhodes

1994 

Barbourville, Kentucky:
– D-Lo Brown pinned The Nightmare
– Tracy Smothers pinned Bryant Anderson in a “no time limit” match
– Chris Candido & Boo Bradley beat Lance Storm & Brian Lee
– SMW Tag Champs The Gangstas NC The Rock-n-Roll Express in a “Texas tornado” match
– Bruiser Bedlam & Jim Cornette beat The Dirty White Boy in a “handicap” match

2001 

Boston Massachusetts:
– Matt & Jeff Hardy defeated Booker T & Test for the WWF World Tag Team Titles
– Edge defeated Kurt Angle for the WCW United States Title

2003

Nashville, Tennessee:
– Christopher Daniels defeated Low Ki
– Sting & AJ Styles defeated Lex Luger & Jeff Jarrett 

2010

Nashville, Tennessee: (Attendance was 1,200)
– Jeff Jarrett defeated Samoa Joe
– Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) beat Beer Money (James Storm & Robert Roode) and Ink Inc. (Shannon Moore & Jesse Neal) to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles
– Jeff Hardy beat Pope D’Angelo Dinero to retain the TNA Heavyweight Title

The French Pacific territory of New Caledonia voted in an independence referendum on Sunday to remain part of France in what President Emmanuel Macron welcomed as a “historic step”.

More than 80 per cent of the nearly 175,000 registered voters cast ballots despite a call to boycott the poll by some leaders of indigenous Kanak separatist groups. Some 56.4 per cent voted to stay French and 43.6 for independence.

Mr Macron said he was “proud that the majority of Caledonians have chosen France,” but separatist leaders also welcomed the result as a victory because the vote for independence was higher than predicted by opinion polls.

Tensions had risen ahead of the vote and more than 1,000 gendarmes were deployed to maintain order. The carrying of firearms and the sale of alcohol were banned during the weekend.

Political leaders warned of possible violence by disappointed Kanak youths as several cars were burned in the hours following the announcement of the result.

The vote in the archipelago east of Australia polarised its nearly 270,000 inhabitants along ethnic lines, pitting indigenous Kanaks who mostly favoured independence against white and south-east Asian settlers.

About 40 per cent of the population are indigenous and 27 per cent are ethnic European. Most of the rest are of Polynesian and Indonesian origin.

Kanaks are expected to keep pushing for independence and there could be up to two more referenda within the next few years.

The vote this year was a condition of a 1988 agreement between separatists and the government that ended four years of violent unrest culminating in the killings of 25 people during a hostage crisis.

Laurent Wauquiez, leader of the opposition centre-Right party, The Republicans, welcomed the result and quoted General de Gaulle, who told New Caledonians 54 years ago: “You have a French role to play in this part of the world. You are a piece of France, you are Austral France.”

Like the far-Right leader, Marine Le Pen, Mr Wauquiez had criticised Mr Macron for remaining officially neutral rather than joining the ‘remain’ campaign.

The far-Left party, France Unbowed, said the outcome was “a profound disappointment for all those who believe in the need for full sovereignty of the peoples of the archipelago.”

>

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NEWS

TakeOver: Philadelphia main event set up at NXT TV tapings
NJPW World Tag League: Both blocks competitive after 10 shows
Impact Wrestling results: Johnny Impact vs. Alberto El Patron
NXT Pittsburgh, PA, live results: Almas vs. Strong vs. Cole
NXT Lakeland, FL, live results: Pete Dunne vs. Johnny Gargano

AUDIO 

WOL: Keith Lee interview plus news and tons more! 12/1
B&V&G: Granny, NXT, THURSDAY NIGHT POTPOURRI! 12/1

FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY: Figure Four Weekly 11/27/2017: Four who should be next on the WWE main roster  

When WWE decides to call up wrestlers from NXT, they usually tend to be painfully drawn out or total surprises. The arrivals of Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan on the main roster last week was more the latter. Of the five, only Riot (who was formerly known as Heidi Lovelace before signing with WWE) had wrestled a match on a TakeOver special. The other four had yet to even have full runs on NXT television aside from sporadic appearances.

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WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: December 4, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: AJ Styles, Minoru Suzuki and more enter the Hall of Fame 

What is usually the most talked about issue of the year, the Hall of Fame double issue is out with biographies of the five new entrants, why they were so important historically, as well as a breakdown of the voting in not just total votes, but broken down among those in the industry, reporters and historians.

Among the stories covered include the birth of major league pro wrestling in Japan and how it got so big so quickly including the booking behind it, the heyday of pro wrestling in Australia, as well as both the East and West Coast scene in the 60s and 70s. Plus, look at next year’s ballot.

This issue contains a feature on the history of Starrcade, how it started, its successes and failures over the years, including how Starrcade led to the growth of Crockett Promotions as well as the ending of the company. Look at the role Vince McMahon played in the killing of Crockett Promotions, the transition to Turner Broadcasting, the decisions that killed Starrcade as a major event, the rebirth of Starrcade, the Hogan vs. Sting and Goldberg vs. Nash matches and the tradition of Thanksgiving in Greensboro.

Read the full coverage of what led to the first Starrcade, what famous Starrcade matches were never supposed to happen, how tragedies and backstage brawls changed plans, how Starrcade led to the departure of Dusty Rhodes as booker of WCW and the role of Ric Flair.

There is also a feature on the career of Jim Cornette as a manger, including how he got into wrestling, how dominant he was as the best manager in his heyday, his biggest successes, the high point of Mid South Wrestling and Crockett Promotions, the economics of why SMW didn’t work and how wrestling changed in the 90s and why it is so different today, and why the reality is that ECW, SMW and JCP all went down for the same reason. 

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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: November 13, 2000 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWF not buying WCW, ECW November to Remember review

With the WCW crew enroute to Europe for a one-week tour, the questions about the future of the company remain. With little substantial information available, much of the talk going around consists of rumors, but it is clear the two possibilities remain–the company will either be purchased by a group headed by Eric Bischoff, or have its expenses cut to as much bare bones as possible and remain part of Turner Broadcasting.

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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

We won’t be having a show up tonight but Bryan and I will be back tomorrow night covering the weekend news and the UFC shows. You can send questions to [email protected].

While WWE has not confirmed this, those close to the situation have confirmed stories that Jim Johnston, the longtime WWE musical composer, was released after his contract expired.

Mexico City is the hotbed for pro wrestling tonight as WWE, CMLL and Elite are all running shows tonight head-to-head. In addition, the Crash runs tonight in Tijuana with Daga & L.A. Park (first time on a Crash show in Tijuana) vs. La Mascara & Rush vs. Bestia 666 & Garza Jr., plus Young Bucks vs Flamita & Rey Fenix.

Impact officially closed their Nashville office yesterday so everything is now based out of Toronto. 

Jimmy Jacobs was on Chris Jericho’s podcast and said that his taking the photo that led to him being fired was not him trying to get fired, but he tabbed it that he also wasn’t trying to not get fired. He talked about losing passion for working for WWE after getting out of rehab.

Today’s New Japan tag team tournament results from Toyohashi:

Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page (3-2) beat Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan (2-3)
Seiya Sanada & Evil (3-2) beat Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi (1-4)
Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka (3-2) beat Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan (3-2)
Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi (3-2) beat Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens (2-3)
WWE
A very interesting read by Maria Kanellis about Mike Bennett and his battles to drug addiction.
John Cena, who was sued by Ford for breach of contract for selling a 2017 Ford GT that he was able to purchase at a low price with the provison he would keep it for two years, then sold it for a large profit, has apologized to Ford and said he’s willing to work with Ford to make things right. 
WWE sent out a survey asking fans their interest in the following names if they’d want to see them wrestle in WWE: Terry Crews, Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Miesha Tate, Vladimir Klitschko, Danica Patrick, Marshawn Lynch and Rob Gronkowski.
Ronda Rousey produced a video for the launch of her new web site with clips of all kinds of training, including her doing WWE training. 
UFC
Jeremy Stephens vs. Doo Ho Choi has been added to the 1/14 show in St. Louis.
UFC has announced that Triumphant Muay Thai will be coming to Fight Pass with a debut show on 12/20 (a VOD show) and they will have regular live events in 2018.
Featherweight champion Max Holloway, who defends tomorrow night, has a small role on the movie “Den of Thieves” which premiers at theaters on 1/19.
Some odds for the major UFC fights this weekend from 5 Dimes:
Nicco Montano -200
Roxanne Modaferri +170
Max Holloway -290
Jose Aldo +245
Francis Ngannou -235
Alistair Overeem +195
Henry Cejudo -300
Sergio Pettis +255
Justin Gaethje -175
Eddie Alvarez +155
Tecia Torres -235
Michelle Waterson +195

MISCELLANEOUS
Verizon Media’s show “The 5th Quarter” has an episode called “Wrestlestock,” the idea that in 1968 there was a Woodstock but for wrestling fans, which debuts on Thursday. Among those in the series are John Morrison, Joey Ryan, Damien Sandow, Rocky Romero, Ryan Nemeth and JTG.
Amazon has ordeed a second season of the TV show “Tainted Dreams,” which got five Daytime Emmy nominations and features former TNA wrestler Jessie Godderz.
Konnan interviews Alberto El Patron about Paige.
Fight Club Orange County on Thursday night at the Hangar at the Orange County Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa has a combined MMA and boxing show.
IHWE on 12/17 in Benbrok, TX a the El Gran Salon Event Center.
Evolve announced that Shane Mercer would be debuting with the promotion with the shows next weekend in Queens, NY and Melrose, MA.
Baja Stars USA on 2/17 in San Diego at 3020 Coronado Ave has Penta 0M & Rey Fenix vs. Bestia 666 & Garza Jr.
Martinez Entertainment on 12/17 in Kennedale, TX at Soccer Zone Arena has Penta 0M & Rey Fenix vs. M-ximo & La Mascara.
A story on Jeremy Wyatt.
A story on the demolition of the Pontiac Silverdome.

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Tens of thousands of people fled a fast-moving wildfire on Thursday in Northern California, some clutching babies and pets as they abandoned vehicles and struck out on foot ahead of the flames that destroyed hundreds of structures.

Driven by strong winds and dry conditions, the blaze dubbed the Camp Fire roared through the town of Paradise, about 85 milesnorth of Sacramento, forcing the population to flee in a chaotic mass evacuation.

"Pretty much the community of Paradise is destroyed, it’s that kind of devastation," said Cal Fire Capt. Scott McLean late on Thursday. "The wind that was predicted came and just wiped it out."

Mr McLean estimated that a couple of thousand structures were destroyed in the town of 27,000 residents about 290 kilometres northeast of San Francisco. The extent of the injuries and specific damage count was not known as officials could not access the dangerous area.

Butte County CalFire Chief Darren Read said at a news conference that two firefighters and multiple residents were injured.

As she fled, Gina Oviedo described a devastating scene in which flames engulfed homes, sparked explosions and toppled utility poles.

"Things started exploding," Ms Oviedo said. "People started getting out of their vehicles and running."

Dozens of businesses and homes were levelled or in flames, including a liquor store and gas station.

"It’s a very dangerous and very serious situation," Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said. "I’m driving through fire as we speak. We’re doing everything we can to get people out of the affected areas."

The blaze erupted as windy weather swept the state, creating extreme fire danger. A wind-whipped fire north of Los Angeles in Ventura County burned about 15,000 acres and at least one home in a matter of hours. It prompted evacuations of a mobile home park, a state university campus and a small community. A nearby blaze was smaller at less than 1,000 acres (1.5 square miles) but moving quickly.

Concerned friends and family posted frantic messages on Twitter and other sites saying they were looking for loved ones, particularly seniors who lived at retirement homes or alone.

Among them was Kim Curtis, who was searching for her grandmother, who told family at 8 a.m on Thursday that she would flee her Paradise home in her Buick with her cat. Her grandmother, who is in her 70s and lives alone, never showed up up at a meeting spot in Chico, though.

"We’ve just been posting all over social media. And just praying for a miracle, honestly," said Curtis, who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Officials were sending as many firefighters as they could, Cal Fire spokesman Rick Carhart said.

"Every engine that we could put on the fire is on the fire right now, and more are coming," he said. "There are dozens of strike teams that we’re bringing in from all parts of the state."

The sheriff confirmed reports that evacuees had to abandon their vehicles. Rescuers were trying to put them in other vehicles, he said.

"We’re working very hard to get people out. The message I want to get out is: If you can evacuate, you need to evacuate," Honea said.

The wildfire was reported around daybreak. Within six hours, it had grown to more than 26 square miles, Gaddie said.

Thick gray smoke and ash filled the sky above Paradise and could be seen from miles away.

Fire officials said the flames were being fuelled by winds, low humidity, dry air and severely parched brush and ground from months without rain.

"Basically, we haven’t had rain since last May or before that," said Read, the fire chief. "Everything is a very receptive fuel bed. It’s a rapid rate of spread."

At the hospital in Paradise, more than 60 patients were evacuated to other facilities and some buildings caught fire and were damaged. But the main facility, Adventist Health Feather River Hospital, was not, spokeswoman Jill Kinney said.

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Some of the patients were initially turned around during their evacuation because of gridlocked traffic and later airlifted to other hospitals, along with staff, Kinney said.

Four hospital employees were briefly trapped in the basement and rescued by California Highway Patrol officers, Kinney said.

The National Weather Service issued red-flag warnings for fire dangers in many areas of the state, saying low humidity and strong winds were expected to continue through Friday evening.

THE ROUND-UP

THE LATEST NEWS

ROH Manhattan Mayhem live results: The Kingdom vs. Bullet Club
UFC 222 live results: Cris Cyborg vs. Yana Kunitskaya
NXT Cleveland live results: Johnny Gargano returns to his hometown
WWE reportedly coming to Australia for 100,000-seat PPV
NXT Gainesville, FL, live results: Ricochet teams with Roderick Strong

THE LATEST AUDIO

WOL: Sonjay Dutt interview plus news on WWE and FOX, Brock Lesnar, more! 3/2
Wrestling Weekly: Rousey, Lesnar, another way to do Cena vs. AJ 3/2
B&V&G: Granny, NXT, THURSDAY NIGHT POTPOURRI! 3/1

We’re looking for reports on Raw in Chicago at the United Center with Brock Lesnar and John Cena, Smackdown in Moline, IL, ROH in New York, Lucha Underground in Los Angeles, Northeast Wrestling in Waterbury,CT, Impact/Border City Wrestling in Windsor, ONT, and NXT in Royal Oak, MI and Englewood, FL to [email protected].

UFC 222 PPV FROM THE T-MOBILE ARENA IN LAS VEGAS

Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. Eastern

Jordan Johnson (206) vs. Adam Milstead (205)
Bryan Caraway (135.5) vs. Cody Stamann (135.75)
Zak Ottow (171) vs. Mike Pyle (170)\

FS1 at 8 p.m.

C.B. Dollaway (185.5) vs. Hector Lombard (185.5)
John Dodson (134.5) vs. Pedro Munhoz (135)
Beneil Dariush (156) vs. Alexander Hernandez (155)
Mackenzie Dern (116) vs. Ashley Yoder (115.5)

PPV at 10 p.m.

Ketlen Vieira (136) vs. Cat Zingano (135.5)
Andrei Arlovski (247.5) vs. Stefan Struve (266)
Sean O’Malley (136) vs. Andre Soukhamthatth (135.25)
Frankie Edgar (146) vs Brian Ortega (145.5)
Cris Cyborg (144.75) vs. Yana Kunitskaya (144) for women’s featherweight title

ROH MANHATTAN MAYHEM ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT 8 P.M. AT THE HONOR CLUB STREAMING SERVICE

Silas Young & Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas vs. Kenny King and fans choice partners
Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley vs. Chuckie T & ? vs. Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Leon St-Giovanni & Shaheem Ali vs. TK O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia. This will be a four corners match as one of these teams won’t be in the match as they will be in the opener
Soberano Jr. vs. Punishment Martinez
Tenille Dashwood & Deonna Purrazzo vs. Sumie Sakai & Jenny Rose
Flip Gordon vs. Cody
Dalton Castle & Volador Jr. vs. Jay Lethal & Ultimo Guerrero
Young Bucks & Adam Page & Marty Scurll vs. Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky & Shane Taylor

Sunday has Raw in Rockford, IL, Smackdown in Cedar Rapids, IA, NXT in Indianapolis and Impact/Destiny Wrestling in Mississauga, ONT.

Raw is Monday in Milwaukee with Nia Jax vs. Asuka. There is also a Smackdown house show in Lacrosse, WI.

NEW JAPAN 46TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW ON TUESDAY AT 5 A.M. EASTERN TIME ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask & Kushida & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yuji Nagata & Ren Narita & Tomoyuki Oka & Shota Umino & Tetsuhiro Yagi
Katsuya Kitamura vs. Manabu Nakanishi
Juice Robinson & David Finlay & Toa Henare vs. Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano
Sho & Yoh vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Bushi vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Desperado for IWGP jr. tag titles
Seiya Sanada vs. Yoshi-Hashi
Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi
Minoru Suzuki vs. Togi Makabe for IC title
Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay non-title

Smackdown, 205 Live and Mixed Match Challenge takes place Tuesday in Green Bay, with Carmella vs. Becky Lynch, Jimmy Uso & Naomi vs. Braun Strowman & Alexa Bliss and cruiserweight title tournament matches with Buddy Murphy vs. Mustafa Ali and Drew Gulak vs. Mark Andrews.

​F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Recapping Elimination Chamber and the Reigns-Strowman decision

What had been expected for nearly a year became official on Sunday night as Brock Lesnar defending the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns was announced for WrestleMania 34. Reigns defeated Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, John Cena, Elias, and The Miz in the main event of the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view to set up him challenging Lesnar at WrestleMania. The match came down to Reigns and Strowman, with Reigns finally putting him down with two spears.

WON NEWSLETTER: March 5, 2018 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Elimination Chamber review, Jon Jones hearing

An updated look at WrestleMania, explaining the booking of Braun Strowman, the Brock Lesnar angle and plans for John Cena and Ronda Rousey are all in the headline story of this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Look at the story behind the Reigns promo, the goal of the promo, what is and isn’t reality about Lesnar, when Lesnar returns, Lesnar’s talks with UFC and his decision making right now and a reality check when we look back three years ago.

Also look at the John Cena interview, Undertaker, Rey Mysterio Jr., how the Rousey angle has gone so far, what the TV ratings said about Rousey’s debut, women’s title plans, as well as the rest of the WrestleMania and Fast Lane show.

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Check out the Strowman situation for WrestleMania, flaws in the Elimination Chamber booking as well as full coverage of the show, with match-by-match rundowns with star ratings and poll results on the show.

Find out about Jon Jones’ hearing before the California State Athletic Commission and what it means, as well as the completely befuddling remarks made prior to the hearing.

Look at what may be a WWE drug scandal with the tease of 15 names being involved including one who purchased $140,000 worth of substances. Read the claims out there and teases of what else will be released. Find out about the realities of drug testing and the changing pro wrestling business from when the death rate was so high.

Look at what talent WWE is interested in, WWE signing a deal to do events in Saudi Arabia, lots of news regarding the concussion lawsuits filed against WWE, what happened in a deposition that went badly for the plaintiff in one of those suits, more on Ronda Rousey training, Chris Jericho’s 2018 schedule, why Apollo Crews’ last name was dropped and the Dusty Rhodes tag team tournament.

Examine the secondary market in New Orleans for WWE events, update on a deal to bring WWE into a 100,000 seat stadium this fall, Ric Flair becoming a celebrity in Latin America, UFC talent at WWE event and why they weren’t identified, Bianca Belair injury update, WWE headed to Japan and the most-watched shows on WWE.

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: February 12, 2001 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Debut of the XFL, Stan Hansen retires, more

With fan and media reaction after its debut all across the board and a huge buzz leading to a monstrous television rating, the only way to review the debut of the XFL over the weekend is this. Despite what sports people may think and even hardcore fans of sports may think, the majority of people attend sporting events as well as wrestling events based on quality of hype. They enjoy themselves based on quality of atmosphere of the show, and going home happy (either the babyface prevailing at the end or the home team prevailing). 

SATURDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE
Finn Balor missed last night’s Raw house show in Kalamazoo, Michigan due to weather-related travel issues. Balor noted that he was cutting it close but was on his way to Chicago for tonight’s show: “3rd time lucky! YAY 3rd time at the airport in 24hrs. Flights canceled due to weather Sorry to #WWEKalamazoo Cutting it tight but on way to #WWEChicago”
Kane returned to the ring last night for the first time since losing his Elimination Chamber qualifying match to Braun Strowman in January. Kane lost to Strowman last night as well and will face Brock Lesnar in a Universal Championship match at tonight’s show in Chicago.
WWE Network News has the full listing of All-Star Wrestling episodes, which was the WWWF’s television show in the 1970s and early 80s, that are coming to the Network on Monday. The episodes are from 1975-1980.
Former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee, who will be the special guest ring announcer for Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Heavy Machinery & Kassius Ohno at NXT’s house show in Indianapolis tomorrow, cut a promo on Cole ahead of the event.
Al Arabiya English interviewed Sasha Banks about her goals for women’s wrestling in WWE, her relationship with Vince McMahon, and not being afraid to stand up for herself anymore.
Bayley spoke to Newshub about her goals, Banks, and Ronda Rousey signing with WWE.
WWE posted a video about Banks and Bayley continuing their feud on social media.
Samir Singh is continuing to progress in his rehab after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL earlier this year.
WWE has a poll asking fans which Women’s Champion they want to see Asuka challenge at WrestleMania. Charlotte Flair is currently in the lead with over 60 percent of the vote.
Ric Flair appeared in the music video for 21 Savage, Offset, and Metro Boomin’s “Ric Flair Drip.”
Sami Zayn caught up with Matt Sydal last night: “Had a great time last night with one of my favorite people in wrestling, @findevan aka Matt Sydal! Matt is a passionate, abstract, and intelligent person, which may be part of why he’s such an exceptional wrestler. He adds so much to any show he’s on. Great to catch up!”
Natalya interviewed Beth Phoenix about the importance of strong female role models.
Johnny Gargano tweeted about wrestling in his hometown on his “NXT farewell tour” last night: “No matter where I go.. I will always just be a kid from Cleveland, Ohio living his dream. From the bottom of my heart.. Thank you for tonight, #NXTCleveland.”
WWE congratulated Ronda Rousey on being inducted into the National Sports Hall of Fame at the Arnold Sports Festival.
Adam Cole spoke about his time in NXT and friendship with Kevin Owens in an interview for MLive.
Explosive contract signings are the focus of this week’s WWE video top 10 list.
Pro Wrestling
The botched spot where Sami Callihan accidentally hit Eddie Edwards in the face with a baseball bat led to a back-and-forth on Twitter between Jim Cornette and Callihan. Cornette first wrote, “OK, I just saw this for the first time– @TheEddieEdwards should have beat the sh*t out of this stupid f*ck–he set it up shoddy, was careless with his sh*tty swing & they shouldn’t have been doing it to begin with. Who the f*ck “trained” @TheSamiCallihan ? I’m f*cking hot.” Callihan replied that he’s just going to keep watching his bank account go up. Cornette then wrote that Callihan should have been fired. Kassius Ohno got involved, tweeting at Callihan, “Really? Really? There is ZERO correlation between how much money you make & what happened in that ring. You should be embarrassed. ASHAMED.” A report from TMZ noted that Callihan felt terrible about what happened and was emotional about it behind the scenes.
Kota Ibushi will be wrestling for RevPro in New Orleans on April 6th.
PROGRESS Wrestling also announced that Pete Dunne will be on their WrestleMania weekend show on April 6th and that it will be his only independent appearance of the weekend.
Hikuleo appeared to suffer a leg injury at a show for NJPW this morning.
During a Twitch stream, Kenny Omega said he’s having too much fun to go to WWE at this point. Omega said he wants to feel like he’s making a difference and doesn’t want to feel like a robot and be controlled. Omega mentioned that he has friends in WWE and wishes them the best, but being able to tell the kind of stories he’s telling with people who he thinks are the best in the world is what’s most important to him right now.
SoCal Uncensored wrote that Rich Swann has been backstage at this week’s Lucha Underground tapings.
5 Star Wrestling’s show that was scheduled for Aberdeen next week has been postponed until April 12th due to logistical issues caused by severe weather.
ESPN posted a feature on Kenn Doane and the Spirit Squad’s run in WWE.
CBS Local Sports interviewed Flip Gordon about his service in the Army and rise in ROH.
Meiko Satomura vs. Chris Brookes is set for Fight Club: PRO in Wolverhampton on March 30th.
UFC/MMA
The UFC uploaded the sixth and seventh episodes of Embedded for tonight’s PPV.
Dana White told the LA Times about Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov fighting for the “real” lightweight title despite Conor McGregor not being stripped yet: “As soon as one punch is thrown, it’s on for the full title and it’s only fair. They’ve both worked their way up to No. 1 and No. 2. They deserve a shot.”
Jon Jones and Miesha Tate went back and forth on Twitter after Tate said she’s lost faith and interest in Jones.
Daniel Cormier isn’t paying attention to Jones’ issues with his CSAC hearing and upcoming USADA suspension.
Luke Rockhold is the new face of Ralph Lauren’s Polo Blue cologne.
Jon Fitch will make his Bellator debut against Paul Daley at Bellator 199 in San Jose on May 12th.

Today in Professional Wrestling History: Sting wins TNA World title

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