THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NEWS

UFC 210 live results: Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson II
CMLL Arena Mexico results: Reyes del Aire
UFC International Fight Week to see some changes
AAA’s Joaquin Roldan passes away at 63 years old
Two bizarre situations mar UFC 210 weigh-ins

AUDIO

WOL: MMA disasters, DJZ update, Dr. Lucha, tons more! 4/7
Wrestling Weekly: WWE Superstar Shakeup Speculation Station 4/7
B&V&G&J: Raw, NXT, Starrcade 1984, Granny’s WrestleMania Report, more! 4/7

We’re looking for reports on Saturday’s ROH TV tapings in Baltimore. They’ll be doing four weeks of shows starting at 2 p.m.with Marty Scurll vs. Frankie Kazarian for the TV title and Silas Young vs. Bobby Fish.

UFC 210 FROM THE KEY BANK ARENA IN BUFFALO ON SATURDAY

Fight Pass at 6:15 p.m.

Magomec Bibulatov (13-0, 126) vs. Jenel Lausa (7-2, 124.8)
Irene Aldana (7-3, 135.6) vs. Kaitlyn Chookagian (8-1, 134.8)
Josh Emmett (11-0, 155.6) vs. Desmond Green (19-5, 154.2)
Gregor Gillespie (8-0, 154.8) vs. Andrew Holbrook (12-1, 156)

FS 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern

Jan Blachowicz (19-6, 204.2) vs. Patrick Cummins (8-4, 205.4)
Shane Burgos (8-0, 146.0) vs. Charles Rosa (11-2, 145.2)
Sean Strickland (18-1, 170) vs. Kamaru Usman (9-1, 170.2)
Myles Jury (15-2, 145) vs. Mike De La Torre (14-6, 146)

PPV at 10 p.m. Eastern

Will Brooks (18-2, 155.6) vs. Charles Oliveira (21-7, 152.8)
Thiago Alves (21-11, 170.6) vs. Patrick Cote (23-10, 170)
Cynthia Cavillo (4-0, 115.6) vs. Pearl Gonzalez (6-1, 116)
Gegard Mousasi (41-6-2, 185.8) vs. Chris Weidman (13-2, 185.8)
Daniel Cormier (18-1, 205) vs. Anthony Johnson (22-5, 203.8) for UFC light heavyweight title

NEW JAPAN SAKURA GENESIS LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AT 2:40 A.M. EASTERN AND 11:40 P.M. PACIFIC TIME ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Liger & David Finlay vs. Hirai Kawato & Tomoyuki Oka & Katsuya Kitamura
Togi Makabe & Yuji Nagata & Tiger Mask W (Kota Ibushi) & Tiger Mask vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa & Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
Yoshi-Hashi & Rocky Romero & Baretta vs. Minoru Suzuki & Desperado & Taka Michinoku
Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi vs. Gedo & Jado for IWGP jr. tag titles
Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson & Ryusuke Taguchi & Ricochet vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Evil & Bushi
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. War Machine for IWGP tag team titles
Hirooki Goto vs. Zack Sabre Jr. for Never Open weight title
Hiromu Takahashi vs Kushida for IWGP jr. title
Kazuchika Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata for IWGP heavyweight title

Raw will be Monday night from the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY. Nothing has been announced for the show other than the Superstar shake up. That will also continue in Tuesday in Boston.

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FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY: 4/3/2017: Memorable moments make Wrestlemania 33

Despite the match quality and show length being similar, WrestleMania 33 was much better than its predecessor. That’s largely due to just having more memorable moments than WrestleMania 32. The Undertaker’s retirement is what will define this year’s show, even if he clearly held on too long. Jim Ross’ return to the WWE broadcast booth was a nice touch and necessary to stress the magnitude of Undertaker’s final match. The Hardys coming back brought genuine excitement while making the Raw tag team title ladder match feel like a big deal. And John Cena proposing to Nikki Bella at least gave reason for what was a nothing mixed tag after such a great build.

Subscribers click here to continue.

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WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: April 10, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Wrestlemania 33 review, WWE financials, more

Our annual WrestleMania double-issue of the Observer is out today, covering not only the big show, but also the entire week in Orlando with NXT, ROH, the top indie shows and even the NXT tapings.

Stories on New Japan’s quick sellouts and plans for their first U.S. shows, behind-the-scenes bullying in WWE and what’s next in WWE, in this issue.

Plus, look at all of the business numbers for WrestleMania, how to analyze the network number and what numbers need to be out before fully getting a picture of everything, the gain of subscribers this year as compared to the past two years and how much time the average subscriber spends during Mania week watching the network. Also, look at the live gate, what aspects of the show were the most talked about, general public reaction compared to big UFC events, and television ratings for the prelims.

Undertaker’s retirement, the Cena proposal, return of the Hardys sans gimmick, Goldberg vs. Lesnar, ring psychology, length of matches, as well as when the finishes were finalized and the gambling money came in, inside.

This issue also has match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results for WrestleMania, NXT Takeover and ROH Supercard of Honor.

Read about the returns to WWE of Jim Ross and Drew Galloway and the backgrounds of everything as well as the unique Ross/New Japan/WWE dynamic that under normal circumstances would be unheard of, and also look at how the situation with Galloway went down.

Also, look at the dynamic of the Takeover show and why decisions were made the way they were.

This issue goes through the plans for the New Japan shows in Long Beach, what will be on the shows and goals of the shows.

Finally look at the highlight matches during the week from smaller promotions in Orlando.

Subscribers click here to continue.

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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]. 
 
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: March 13, 2000: Beyond the Mat controversy, New York Daily News stories on wrestling deaths and drugs, more

The controversy over the movie “Beyond the Mat” grew this past week when pressure tactics from the WWF caused the USA Network, UPN and Cris Craft Communications to all ban any advertising on any of their programs for the film. While some were surprised at the lengths Vince McMahon would go to attempt to bury the movie, it has been clear for some time by anyone who understands the “with us or against us” and no in between philosophy of McMahon, that he felt the movie wasn’t “with us.”

Subscribers click here to continue.

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SATURDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE
Seemingly as a comment on his ongoing situation, Mauro Ranallo tweeted last night: “‘Three things cannot be hidden: The sun,the moon,and the truth.’ -Buddha.” Ranallo also thanked fans for their support.
After involving himself in the Ranallo situation yesterday by claiming that ESPN doesn’t report on “rumors,” Jonathan Coachman said that he’s done covering WWE for ESPN, noting that he doesn’t have the time and has a big project coming up. He also said that there’s no bullying culture in WWE.
Justin Roberts posted a message about why he wrote his book and the culture that he experienced in WWE.
Shinsuke Nakamura and Tye Dillinger are working NXT’s house show loop in Atlanta, Georgia, Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Concord, North Carolina on April 13th-15th.
Jinder Mahal responded to people saying his physique doesn’t look natural in an Instagram post: “#TBT to a few weeks ago, no idea exactly when or where… Anyone else on the roster have veins in their abs ??… And of course I’ll get a hundred ‘steroid’ or ‘wellness’ comments …. I’ve been tested multiple times since coming back, and have never once in over 6 years with WWE had any issues. Follow my IG stories or my SnapChat and you can see that no one is out-training me, and no one is out-dieting me.”
Mike Mooneyham has an article for the Charleston Post and Courier about The Undertaker’s retirement.
WWE uploaded a video on The Undertaker’s 20 greatest moments.
Kane was interviewed by Gulf News in Dubai. He said that him returning to the ring is to be determined and commented on Undertaker’s retirement by saying that it feels like a chapter has closed.
Chris Jericho announced that “But I’m Chris Jericho,” a reality TV web series on him, has been picked up for a second season. The first season premiered on ActionTV’s YouTube channel in 2013.
Pro Wrestling
Ricochet will miss OTT’s ScrapperMania III show on April 15th due to an injury he suffered over WrestleMania weekend. He was scheduled to team with Will Ospreay & Ryan Smile against Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks but has now been replaced by Lio Rush. Ricochet tweeted about the injury: “Hey everyone, to clarify on my situation, there is nothing super serious wrong but doc said I should rest a bit. I’ll be A-okay in no time!”
A similar match is also scheduled for Revolution Pro Wrestling’s Epic Encounter event on April 13th with Ricochet no longer on the card. The Young Bucks & Omega will team against Smile, Rush & Shane Strickland.
Jim Ross confirmed that he’ll still be calling NJPW on AXS even after returning to WWE. As Dave Meltzer has reported in the Observer, Ross has a non-exclusive deal with AXS and officials from the station expected him to continue.
XWA UK announced Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Keith Lee for their show at the Resistance Gallery in London on July 22nd. Simon Gotch will also appear on that show after parting ways with WWE.
After missing a match for Defy Wrestling in Washington last night because of a family emergency, Penta El 0M landed in Chicago for his Heritage title match against AR Fox for AAW tonight.
Impact Wrestling launched a new YouTube series with Josh Mathews and Madison Rayne, which includes a look at what indie appearances Impact’s wrestlers will be making over the weekend.
UFC/MMA
Jon Anik tweeted that UFC 210 tonight will be the first UFC show without any booking contributions from Joe Silva since before he officially started in February 2001.
Jon Jones picked Daniel Cormier to beat Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in tonight’s main event.
The final episode of Embedded prior to UFC 210 features some of the aftermath of Daniel Cormier initially missing weight before making it.
A video by MMA Fighting looks at the final stages of Chris Weidman’s weight cut.
Dana White claimed that tonight’s show is sold out.
From Paul Fontaine on today’s Bellator show: “Bellator 176 ran this afternoon from Torino, Italy and aired live on Spike TV. Rafael Carvalho (14-1) and Melvin Manhoef (30-14-1) fought in the main event in a rematch of their terrible fight at Bellator 155. This time it was much better with Carvalho retaining the belt with a fourth round KO after a head kick. The rest of the card wasn’t much to write home about with no real names. Anastasia Yankova (5-0) won a decision over Elina Kallionidou (5-2) in the co-main after missing weight in a 130 lb catchweight fight. Local prospect Valeriu Mircea (16-4) picked up his first Bellator win with a decision over Djamil Chan (13-4). In the opener it was two fighters making their Bellator debut with Mihail Nica (6-0) scoring a 36 second submission win over Samba Coulibaly (11-5). Bellator is back with another European show from Budapest, Hungary next Friday, April 14th.” 

Today in Professional Wrestling History (4/8): Larry Zbyszko wins AWA World title

Pro Wrestling Tees is now carrying our latest line of F4W shirts. Support the Empire~! Grab yours today!

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CONTACT INFORMATION

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This week in wrestling, New Japan was on a busy road to Wrestling Dontaku, Jinder Mahal is still a thing, and Vince McMahon is involved in a movie about Vince McMahon because Vince McMahon. Here’s our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?

This week’s panel —
Chris Aiken (ROH and CMLL writer)
Joseph Currier (F4WOnline editor and Figure Four Weekly writer)
Zach Dominello (Columnist)
Jeremy Peeples (Lucha Underground writer)
Hiromu Takahashi

By Zach Dominello

You know, I’ve always said wrestling needs more backstage interviews where wrestlers enact epic matches with artist’s dummies, pretend to be cats, and sing songs from The Lion King.

Well, it seems someone has finally listened, and that someone is New Japan’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi.

New Japan’s Road to Wrestling Dontaku has been one of the more enjoyable Road To’s I’ve seen for a good while, with great title matches, fun clashes between LIJ and the New Japan All-Stars, and the latest breed of Young Lions getting some shine. But mostly, it’s been Hiromu Takahashi’s bizarre, yet captivating backstage interviews that seem to progressively become weirder each time.

The thing is, though, despite being in a foreign language on top of being completely absurd, he actually does a really great job of conveying his message and building up his title match with King Ricochet. If you haven’t seen them yet, click those links back at the top and prepare to be blessed.

Roderick Strong

By Joseph Currier

Following the excellent video on him that aired on Wednesday’s episode of NXT, Roderick Strong is undoubtedly my favorite wrestler this week.

Strong opened up in a way that he never really has on TV before, talking about growing up with a mom who had a drug problem and a dad who was an alcoholic. Sharing the story of his mother shooting his father during an argument (with his father thankfully surviving) must have been difficult, and I have a totally new perception of who Roderick Strong is after watching it.

Aside from just being inspiring (which is ultimately what’s most important), Strong being willing to open up and WWE showcasing his story will help him so much going forward. Strong’s history is unique to him, but everyone in WWE has real-life stories that could shape who they are as characters and make them more identifiable.

I’m looking forward to part two, and hopefully we see more segments like this in the future.

Minoru Suzuki

By Chris Aiken

The body of work created by Minoru Suzuki over the years is a blend of violence and art. His violent art differs from almost anyone like him, if there is actually anyone else like him on the planet.

Even out of his combat gear dressed in a suit and fedora trying to look cosmopolitan, he can flash a maniacal smile and reveal that violent artist that lives within. Almost akin to both a gift and a curse, an aura follows him wherever he goes.

That aura was in Hiroshima this week as Suzuki captured the NEVER Openweight title in a thrilling match against Hirooki Goto. Critics of the match seemed to have concerns about strikes to the head only mere weeks after Katsuyori Shibata suffered a debilitating injury likely from a blow to the head. That is probably a valid criticism. Take out the head strikes and the drama in the match would still remain intact.

Nevertheless, the greatness on display as Suzuki and Goto battled is evident to anyone that loves a good fight. Likewise, all the titles in the promotion are supposedly going to be on the line during the July weekend shows in Long Beach. That means I will likely get to see the violent art of Suzuki in display in person. I am thrilled.

Matt Sydal

By Jeremy Peeples

Matt Sydal returned to Impact and managed to shine brightly despite being booked as the third most important part of a one-on-one match thanks to Shane Helms being positioned as a bigger star than him despite being a manager.

He had a good match with Trevor Lee that allowed both men to shine and made me salivate at the thought of them having what would no doubt be a better, more well-booked match in either PWG or CWF Mid-Atlantic, where they could be given time to shine, a storyline that fits the match, and actually be presented as modern-day stars.

With Sydal in the picture, we should get some outstanding matches against Low Ki, and that could be enough to reignite a flame for the X Division. It’s incredibly unlikely that it can regain the traction it had in 2002 and 2003 due to the industry changing, but with WWE watering down cruiserweights, it has a better chance, and if they make Sydal a top guy and run with it, they could have something.

1905 

Madison Square Garden:
– Tom Jenkins defeated Frank Gotch to retain the American Heavyweight Championship 

1961

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada:
– AWA Tag Team Champions Hard Boiled Haggerty & Gene Kiniski beat Whipper Billy Watson & Wilbur Snyder 
– AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Stan Kowalski

1963 

Osaka, Japan:
– The Destroyer (Dick Beyer) defeated Rikidozan 

1966 

Kansas City, Kansas:
– Pat O’Connor defeated The Butcher via DQ
– Bob Ellis & The Mongolian Stomper defeated Bob Geigel & Bob Brown in three falls

1973 

Peoria, Illinois:
– Dusty Rhodes won a 10 man battle royal by eliminating The Crusher
– The Crusher beat Dusty Rhodes
– Reggie Parks beat Dick Murdoch via DQ
– Ken Patera beat Vic Rossitani
– Ric Flair went to a time limit draw with Greg Gagne 
– Jim Brunzell beat Khosrow Vaziri

1977 

Worcester, Massachusetts:
– Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko

1980

Madison Square Garden:
– Larry Zbyszko won a 16-man $15,000 battle royal
– WWF World Champion Bob Backlund pinned WWF IC Champion Ken Patera in a Texas Death Match 
– Tony Atlas, Ivan Putski, & Pat Patterson defeated Peter Maivia & WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match

1981 

Omaha, Nebraska:
– AWA Tag Team Champions Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura beat Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell 
– Baron Von Raschke beat John Studd

– It was officially announced by the American Wrestling Association that, due to Verne Gagne retiring and vacating the AWA World Heavyweight Title, Nick Bockwinkel, the former champion and current number one contender, was being awarded the belt

1985

Asheville, North Carolina:
– Sam Houston defeated Black Bart
– Krusher Kruschev defeated Ricky Reeves
– Ivan Koloff defeated Rocky Kernodle
– Buzz Tyler defeated Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Ron Bass via disqualification
– The Barbarian defeated Sam Houston
– Jimmy Valiant defeated Superstar Billy Graham in a streetfight

Des Moines, Iowa:
– NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Rufus R. Jones

1986 

Fayetteville, North Carolina:
– NWA World Tag Team Champions The Midnight Express, Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey defeated Dusty Rhodes & NWA U.S. Champion Magnum TA

Birmingham, Alabama:
– The Bullet defeated NWA World Champion Ric Flair via disqualification

1990 

WCW Capitol Combat: Washington, DC:
– The Road Warriors & Norman The Lunatic defeated Kevin Sullivan, Bam Bam Bigelow & Cactus Jack
– Mark Callous (later to become the Undertaker) defeated Johnny Ace
– The Samoan Swat Team (Fatu & Samoan Savage) defeated Mike Rotundo & Tommy Rich
– Paul Ellering defeated Teddy Long in a hair vs. hair match 
– The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane) defeated Brian Pillman & Tom Zenk to win the U.S. Tag Team Title 
– The Rock N’ Roll Express defeated The Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin) in a Corporal Punishment (strap) match
– Doom (Ron Simmons & Butch Reed) defeated Rick & Scott Steiner to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship
– Lex Luger defeated NWA World Champion Ric Flair via disqualification in a steel cage match

1991 

WCW SuperBrawl: St. Petersburg, Florida: 
– The Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin) defeated Tracey Smothers & Steve Armstrong to win the vacant United States Tag Team Title
– Danny Spivey defeated Ricky Morton
– Nikita Koloff defeated Tommy Rich
– Dustin Rhodes defeated Terrance Taylor
– Big Josh defeated Black Bart
– Oz defeated Tim Parker 
– Barry Windham defeated Brian Pillman in a taped fist match
– El Gigante defeated Sid Vicious in a Stretcher match 
– Ron Simmons defeated Butch Reed in a steel cage match
– WCW World Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner defeated Sting & Lex Luger 
– Bobby Eaton defeated Arn Anderson to win the WCW Television Title
– WCW World Champion Ric Flair defeated Tatsumi Fujinami to regain the NWA World Title 

Morgantown, North Carolina:
– Chris Jericho & Lance Storm defeated Well Dunn
– Bruiser Bedlam defeated Tracy Smothers
– The Dirty White Boy defeated Kendo the Samurai
– Ricky Morton defeated SMW Tag Team Champion Chris Candido

1995 

Montreal, Quebec, Canada:
– Razor Ramon defeated Jeff Jarrett to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship in a Ladder match

1996 

Madison Square Garden:
– Henry & Phinneas Godwinn defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip to win the titles

WCW Slamboree: Baton Rogue, Louisiana:
– The American Males (Marcus Bagwell and Scotty Riggs) defeated The Shark and Maxx 
– Road Warrior Animal and Booker T fought Road Warrior Hawk and Lex Luger to a double countout
– The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) defeated Chris Benoit and The Taskmaster
– Rick Steiner and The Booty Man (with the Booty Babe) defeated Sgt. Craig Pittman and Scott Steiner
– VK Wallstreet and Jim Duggan defeated The Blue Bloods (Lord Steven Regal and Squire David Taylor)
– Dick Slater and Earl Robert Eaton defeated Disco Inferno and Alex Wright
– Diamond Dallas Page and The Barbarian defeated Meng and Hugh Morrus
– Fire and Ice (Scott Norton and Ice Train) defeated Big Bubba Rogers and Stevie Ray
– Ric Flair and Randy Savage (with Woman and Miss Elizabeth) defeated Arn Anderson and Eddie Guerrero
– Dean Malenko defeated Brad Armstrong to retain the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship
– Dick Slater and Earl Robert Eaton defeated VK Wallstreet and Jim Duggan
– The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) defeated Ric Flair and Randy Savage by forfeit 
– Diamond Dallas Page and the Barbarian defeated Rick Steiner and the Booty Man (with the Booty Babe)
– Konnan defeated Jushin Thunder Liger to retain the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship
– Diamond Dallas Page defeated the Barbarian, Earl Robert Eaton, Ice Train, Scott Norton, Rocco Rock, Johnny Grunge and Dick Slater in Battlebowl
– The Giant (with Jimmy Hart) defeated Sting (with Lex Luger) to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship

2002 

WWF Judgment Day: Nashville, Tennessee:
– William Regal defeated D’Lo Brown to retain the WWE European Championship
– Eddie Guerrero defeated Rob Van Dam to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Trish Stratus (with Bubba Ray Dudley) defeated Stacy Keibler (with Reverend D-Von and Deacon Batista) to retain the WWE Women’s Championship
– Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman defeated The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy)
– Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Big Show and Ric Flair in a Handicap match
– Edge defeated Kurt Angle in a Hair vs. Hair match
– Triple H defeated Chris Jericho in a Hell in a Cell match
– Rikishi and Rico defeated Billy and Chuck Tag team match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship
– The Undertaker defeated Hulk Hogan to capture the WWE Undisputed World Title 

2011 

– Abyss defeated Frankie Kazarian to win the TNA X Division Title

2013 

WWE Extreme Rules: St. Louis, Missouri:
– The Shield defeated Bryan Danielson & Kane to win the WWE Tag Team Titles
– The Miz defeated Cody Rhodes by submission
– Chris Jericho defeated Fandango (with Summer Rae)
– Dean Ambrose defeated Kofi Kingston to win the United States Title 
– Sheamus defeated Mark Henry in a Strap Match
– Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez) defeated Jack Swagger (with Zeb Colter) in an I Quit match 
– The Shield (Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) defeated Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan) in a Tornado tag team match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship
– Randy Orton defeated Big Show in an Extreme Rules Match
– John Cena vs. Ryback ended in a draw in a Last Man Standing match, Cena retained the WWE Championship
– Brock Lesnar defeated Triple H in a steel cage match

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

NEWS

Rebecca and Matt Hardy welcome birth of second son
NJPW Road to Dominion results: Okada & RPG Vice vs. The Elite
Impact Wrestling results: Four titles on the line in India 
Former NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion Ron Starr passes away
WWE San Juan, Puerto Rico, live results: Mahal vs. Orton
NXT Brighton, England, live results: McIntyre & Black vs. Roode & Almas

AUDIO

WOL: Lucha Underground, Ron Starr death, Dr. Lucha, more! 6/9
Wrestling Weekly: Harley Race, Masked Superstar, Rip Hawk 6/9
B&V&G: NXT, Lucha Underground, Granny’s Wrestling Report, more! 6/9

We’re looking for reports on today’s WWE Raw show in Jackson, MS, Smackdown in Sunrise, FL, NXT in Derby, UK and Northeast Wrestling in Waterbury, CT (Alberto el Patron vs sam Adonis, Penta 0M vs. Sami Callihan) to [email protected]

We’ll be doing one poll this weekend, for the New Japan Dominion show at Osaka Jo Hall which, given the lineup, is really the company’s second biggest show of 2017, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected].

NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING ON AXS TV AT 7 P.M. EASTERN TIME

Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Takashi Iizuka for IWGP tag team titles
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee for IWGP jr. title
Tetsuya Naito vs. Michael Elgin for IC title

CMLL FROM ARENA MEXICO TONIGHT AT 9:30 P.M. EASTERN TIME WHICH MAY AIR LIVE

Principe Diamante & Robin vs. Metalico & Arkangel de la Muerte
Estrellita & Marcela & Princesa Sugei vs. Dallys & Zeuxis & Amapola
Atlantis & Mistico & Dragon Lee vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero & Euforia
Block B in Gran Alternative one-night tag team tournament:
Caristico & Soberano Jr.
Volador Jr. & Flyer
Niebla Roja & Drone
Angel de Oro & Oro Jr.
Mephisto & Raziel
Negro Casas & Canelo Casas
Valiente & Astral
Pierroth & Akuma

We’re looking for reports Saturday on WWE Raw in Alexandria, LA, Smackdown in Panama City, Panama, NXT in Derby, UK., AAW in Merrionette Park, IL (Sami Callihan vs. Michael Elgin, Trevor Lee vs. Penta 0M, John Morrison vs. Brian Cage, Abyss vs. Low Ki, War Machine vs. Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly, Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Mat Fitchet, Eddie Kingston vs. Jeff Cobb) and Northeast Wrestling in Pomona, NY (Rey Mysterio Jr. & Flip Gordon vs. Sami Callihan & Vinny Marseglia, Keith Lee vs. Dijak, Jerry Lawler vs. Sam Adonis.)

UFC FROM AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

Fight Pass at 7 p.m. Eastern time

Thibault Gouti (154) vs. Maestro Dong Hyun Kim II (155)
J.J. Aldrich (116) vs. Chan-Mi Jeon (118) – Jeon missed weight and will forfeit 20 percent of her purse to Aldrich

FS 1 at 8 p.m.

Kiichi Kunimoto (170) vs. Zak Ottow (171)
Ashkan Mokhtarian (125) vs. John Moraga (126)
Luke Juneau (170) vs. Dominique Steele (170.5)
Damien Brown (155) vs. Vinc Pichel (156)
Mizuto Hirota (146) vs Alex Volkanovski (145)
Tim Elliott (126) vs. Ben Nguyen (126)
Ion Cutelaba (204) vs. Henrique da Silva (206)
Dan Hooker (156) vs. Ross Pearson (155)
Derek Brunson (186) vs. Daniel Kelly (186)
Derrick Lewis (265) vs. Mark Hunt (265)

NEW JAPAN DOMINION FROM OSAKA JO HALL AT 2:40 A.M. EASTERN AND 11:40 P.M. PACIFIC TIME ON SATURDAY NIGHT ON NEW JAPAN WORLD (both English and Japanese language feeds available)

David Finlay & Tomoyuki Oka & Shota Umino vs. Tetsuhiro Yagi & Katsuya Kitamura & Hirai Kawato
Tiger Mask W (Kota Ibushi) & Tiger Mask & Togi Makabe & Yuji Nagata vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Liger & Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Gauntlet series of matches for the Never Open Weight trios titles: Seiya Sanada & Evil & Bushi vs. Ricochet & Juice Robinson & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Rocky Romero & Baretta vs Young Bucks for IWGP jr. tag titles
War Machine vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa for IWGP tag team titles
Michael Elgin vs. Cody
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Kushida for IWGP jr. title
Minoru Suzuki vs. Hirooki Goto for Never Open weight title in a lumberjack death match
Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for IC title
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega for IWGP title

Sunday has WWE Raw in Beaumont, TX, Smackdown in San Jose, Costa Rica (and yes, there were people asking me if there was a show here this weekend) and NXT in Derby, UK.

Raw will be Monday in Lafayette, LA, featuring the return of Brock Lesnar with a likely confrontation with Samoa Joe. There will be no Monday night Smackdown show as that’s a traveling day to return from Costa Rica.

Smackdown and 205 Live will be on Tuesday night in New Orleans.

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FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY: 6/5/2017: Looking at the timing of the Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe dream match

Like with most things in pro wrestling, the most important part of a dream match is getting the timing right. It was almost a year ago that Kurt Angle wrestled Zack Sabre Jr. for Revolution Pro Wrestling during an overseas trip at York Hall in London. The live crowd appreciated Angle’s work and loved seeing him. The match itself was fine, mostly sticking to a formula that Angle had perfected during the latter stages of his career. 

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WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: June 12, 2017: Extreme Rules and Best of the Super Juniors finals reviewed, tons of news

It’s a huge double issue week of the Observer, which includes a look at how the aging of the pro wrestling television audience is like that in other sports, but aging so much faster than any other, as well as the latest on the WWE summer direction, Extreme Rules coverage, Best of the Super Juniors coverage and major features on Kazushi Sakuraba and Joe Silva and how both have impacted the history of MMA.

Look at the Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe match, the Lesnar direction between now and WrestleMania, the problems with the logic and finishes at Extreme Rules plus full coverage of the event including poll results and star ratings.

Examine the aging of the sports audience and where pro wrestling and MMA fit in, breaking down WWF vs. WCW in the heyday, where things stood ten years ago and where they stand now. Also, look at how that relates to other sports as well as how wrestling’s younger audience breakdown compares with that of other sports and how it has changed.

Check out the last shows of this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, lessons from the tournament, business of the tournament, the epic last match, preview the Dominion show, Kenny Omega’s thoughts on his match with Okada this week, how this compares with other legendary series of matches, the Okada title reign, history of Super Juniors, a chart on how all the wrestlers in the tournament did and star ratings and poll on the last day.

This issue has Frank Deford’s autobiography and his views on Vince McMahon, more on the U.K. proposed network show, an update on Ric Flair 30 for 30, WWE star films movie over the weekend, notes on a lot of new talent signed to contracts that are starting in Orlando soon, WWE loading up the MSG house show, an update on the women’s tournament, Jack Swagger talks leaving WWE, the strongest power lifter ever in WWE, and the most-watched shows on the WWE Network this past week.

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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]. 
 
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.

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WON BACK ISSUE: May 15, 2000 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WCW Slamboree review, drug testing for wrestling in NY, more

The bill in New York written by State Senator Tom Libous of Binghamton, which would require state mandated drug testing of all pro wrestlers that work in New York, if it passes, would without question wind up in some form or fashion completely changing the pro wrestling industry as we know it. Whether that’s good or bad depends upon your point of view. There are a few things clear about pro wrestling. Even if some promoters can argue that they can regulate their own companies, the fact is, this business is largely a total failure at regulating itself. 

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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

Jimmy Lennon Sr., who is the only ring announcer in the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame, becomes the first person in both the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame when he gets induced this weekend in Canastota, NY. His son, Jimmy Lennon Jr., who was himself inducted a few years ago, is headed there for the ceremony.

Regarding tonight’s Arena Mexico show, if it’s not available on the Claro Sports site, we’ll put up a link at the start of the show.

Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax will be added to the cast of next season’s Total Divas show. Naomi had done an interview earlier this week saying she was also in the cast of the show for the new season.

The tentative schedule for New Japan is that the participants, A and B block, and probably the top matches on the biggest shows for G-1 will be announced during intermission on Sunday. There will also be a press conference on Monday night our time with the cards for both nights in Long Beach. I believe the press conference will be in time for us to cover it on our Monday night audio show.

Impact last night did 318,000 viewers, up 11 percent for the first show from India.

Regarding the political story reported in yesterday’s update in Las Vegas where a Judge had a superimposed photo of Dwayne Johnson with her appearing that Johnson was endorsing her in an upcoming election, Municipal Court Judge Heidi Almase today apologized on Facebook and fired campaign manager Jennifer Barrier. Barrier is the daughter of former Las Vegas pro wrestling promoter Buffalo Jim Barrier, and she claimed that she would get written proof that Johnson was fine with the endorsement saying that Johnson was a longtime family friend. Almase was embarrassed when people questioned the endorsement and said Barrier was fired for being unable to produce written proof that Johnson was okay with the apparent endorsement. Johnson is currently in Chicago shooting more scenes for the movie “Rampage.”

WWE
Kurt Angle talks issues with drug addiction and how bad it got, as well as who he would like to wrestle against. (thanks to Martin Hines)
John Cena will be on Jimmy Fallon tonight pushing Sunday’s debut of “American Grit” on FOX. The show was given a new day in an attempt to catch on.
Both Raw and Smackdown will be taking place on 9/11 and 9/12 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. They are doing this more and more this year, with the idea that they are able to draw well the second night enough that it makes sense with the savings of production costs of running the same building two nights in a row as far as set-up costs and production not having to travel.
Congratulations to Mustafa Ali on the birth of his son, Rayaan earlier today. 
The New York Post had a story on Lana’s return.
MISCELLANEOUS
Highspots is about to release a documentary on the late Bruiser Brody called “Wrestling’s Last Rebel.” Among those interviewed in the documentary are myself, Bill Apter, Bobby Fulton, Abdullah the Butcher, Stan Hansen, Tom Prichard, Killer Brooks, Slick, Herb Simmons, Larry Matysik (who wrote a book on Brody), Barbara Goodish, Bret Hart, Ron Bass, Emerson Murray (who wrote a book on Brody), Ricky Steamboat, Tony Atlas (who was there essentially when he died), Jim Ross, Jimmy Hart and Manny Fernandez. 
Another documentary out called “The Trade,” about the life of Matthew Burns, Northeast independent wrestler Sick Nick Mondo, about the world of death match wrestling will have a screening on 6/20 in New York.
GRRRL, a clothing company that just signed a one year sponsorship deal with Cris Cyborg Justino, dropped her because she threw a punch a couple of weeks back at Angela Magana. In August, they had dropped their sponsorship of Julianna Pena based on her remarks about Ronda Rousey.
Tickets for the Impact show on 8/5 at the Staten Island Yankees Stadium went on sale this morning. Tickets are $70 down to $25.
Evolve on 6/24 in Melrose, MA:
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Matt Riddle
Keith Lee vs. Ethan Page
Chris Dickinson vs. ACH
Jaka vs Fred Yehi
Tracy Williams vs. Jason Kincaid
Timothy Thatcher vs. Austin Theory

6/25 in Queens, NY at La Boom:
Matt Riddle vs. Keith Lee for WWN title
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jaka for Evolve title
Austin Theory vs. Trent Baretta
Chris Dickinson vs. Fred Yehi

They also announced that appearing on 7/8 in Charlotte and 7/9 in Atlanta will be Zack Sabre Jr., Chris Dickinson, Jake, Keith Lee, Ethan Page, ACH, Fred Yehi, Timothy Thatcher, Tracy Williams, Trent Baretta, Austin Theory, Jason Kincaid, Anthony Henry and James Drake.
AAW announced an 8/5 show in La Salle, IL at the Knights of Columbus with Keith Lee vs. Bob Holly as the main event. Also on the show are Sami Callihan, Rey Fenix, AR Fox, Jake & Dave Crist and more.
CWE on 7/14 in Winnipeg at Rookie’s Sports Bar.
NFC on 6/30 at Electric Cowboy in Kennesaw, GA is headlined by Clay Harvson vs Brandon Longano. They are also returning to Center Stage in Atlanta on 8/4.

Today in Pro Wrestling History (6/9): AJ Styles wins TNA X Division title

Pro Wrestling Tees is now carrying our latest line of F4W shirts. Support the Empire~! Grab yours today!

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Raw fell four percent from last week’s 3.10 million viewers to 2.98 million.

There’s no real explanation, as Raw’s number in theory shouldn’t have increased coming off a SmackDown brand show. The number is better than the show has been doing in months, but it should be up with the drop in competition with a lot of network reruns and no major sports.

Raw was second for the night on cable, trailing Hannity on Fox News at 3.01 million viewers.

The third hour, built around a long women’s gauntlet match, held up better than usual, with hour three staying even in the 18-34 demo, although it did fall with viewers over the age of 35 and particularly with women.

SmackDown, with a women’s Money in the Bank match and a full card advertised, should do a strong number tonight, at least in theory. If it drops from last week, it would be a sign that the Raw rating has a great effect on how SmackDown the next night does.

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 2.89 million viewers
9 p.m. 3.09 million viewers
10 p.m. 2.95 million viewers

Images: CMLL. Photography by Alexis Salazar.

Two outstanding matches on Friday night in Arena Mexico highlighted a lucha libre card that featured the finals of the annual CMLL Universal tournament.

Volador Jr. won his first Universal Championship in the main event against Ultimo Guerrero for a crowd-pleasing match in Mexico City. Fans showed their appreciation by throwing money into the ring after the main event, which they also did the same for in the semi-main.

A dream team of high-flyers wowed the crowd in that semi-main as Dragon Lee teamed with Mistico and Caristico for a trios match with Los Hijos del Infierno.

Elsewhere on the undercard, Vangellys lost his hair in a match with Pierroth. Seemingly the goal of their feud itself was trying to increase Pierroth’s worth as a member of Los Ingobernables.

While he is a veteran and the father of stable leader Rush, Pierroth’s role in Los Ingobernables was previously more likened to being part of the supporting cast. That is until the departure of La Mascara from CMLL. Winning a hair match ideally elevates Pierroth, but a lackluster match with Vangellys might not have accomplished the goal. Time will tell.

One feud that looks to have gained momentum is the ongoing struggle between Sam Adonis and Blue Panther. Adonis wore a Love Machine mask to the ring for a trios match with himself and Panther as opposing team captains.

Their feud involves nationalistic pride, with Adonis continuing his Trump supporter gimmick on Mexican soil. The Love Machine mask added a new element to the feud, and wearing the mask is an ode to a memorable feud from Panther’s past.

The late Art Barr portrayed the masked Love Machine while feuding with Blue Panther in the early 1990s. In front of a sellout crowd at Arena Mexico in 1992, Love Machine lost his mask to Panther and revealed himself as Art Barr. Though Barr would leave EMLL (now CMLL) for AAA and gain greater fame in a tag team with Eddy Guerrero, the feud with Blue Panther remains legendary in lucha libre.

Adonis donning the Love Machine mask took his issues with Panther to such a heated level that Panther on Friday night issued a challenge for a singles match between the two. What seemed like an aimless feud is now a full-fledged grudge.

With all that aside, the main focus of the card was the finals of the Universal tournament. The annual tradition in CMLL is a tournament involving the promotion’s champions as everyone entered holds a title of some sort.

The winner of the tournament becomes the Universal Champion, though the title is not actually defended throughout the year. Nonetheless, the Universal tournament is probably the most high-profile tourney of the year in a promotion filled with tournaments.

The Friday night card featured many plugs for the upcoming Grand Prix. Also plugged throughout the show was the Copa Natalia Vazquez, which is a women’s tournament that headlines next Friday night in Arena Mexico.

The full show from Friday is available on the CMLL YouTube channel (along with other shows from the past week). Watch it below:

Metalico, Akuma & captain Arkangel de la Muerte defeated Sensei, Astral & captain Star Jr.

This match got much more time than it probably needed, and arguably it was not all that good. After a botched spot, Astral rolled up rudo captain Arkangel for a pinfall to mercifully end the first fall. With the tecnicos winning the opening fall, the rudos would go to win the next two.

For the second fall, Akuma eliminated Sensei after pinning him with a splash off the top rope. Metalico then tied up Astral in a leglock for a submission as the rudos evened the falls.

In the third fall, Akuma dispatched Astral with a powerbomb on the floor. Metalico eliminated Sensei via pinfall with an ugly backdrop. Star Jr. went for a Frankensteiner off the top, which Arkangel blocked to set up a super powerbomb for a pinfall.

Amapola, Zeuxis & captain Dalys defeated Vaquerita, Silueta & captain Marcela

The rudas won the first and third falls to take the match. In gaining an early advantage in the first fall, Zeuxis eliminated Vaquerita by pinning her after a Spanish Fly off the top rope. Marcela became tied in the ropes, allowing Dalys to take her out with a dropkick. That left Amapola to pin Silueta after giving her the Angel’s Wings.

The rudas continued to dominate until the tecnicas made a comeback in the second fall. Setting up a captain pinning a captain, Marcela jumped off the top rope with a double foot stomp on Dalys for the cover and a three count.

The third fall had teammates making saves on pinning attempts. The rudas made a save that allowed Dalys to escape a camel clutch applied by Marcela. Dalys then applied a Scorpion Deathlock to submit the tecnica captain, winning the match for the rudas.

Dragon Rojo, Negro Casas (w/ El Perico Zacarias) & captain Sam Adonis defeated Soberano Jr. (w/ KeMonito), Diamante Azul & captain Blue Panther

Adonis wore the Love Machine mask to the ring to compliment his heel American persona. A commissioner at ringside was highly upset at him wearing such a mask. That led into a disqualification of the rudos in the first fall for excessive violence as they ganged up on Blue Panther.

The commissioner got on the apron and demanded that Adonis take off the Love Machine mask. Maybe the commish thought a confused audience would actually think Adonis was Art Barr, who passed away in 1994.

The commish distracted the rudos long enough for Panther to regroup. Panther unmasked Adonis and they began brawling around ringside until their fight spilled out into the crowd. They continued to brawl in the crowd for several minutes.

Meanwhile, Casas submitted Soberano for an elimination when he applied a Scorpion Deathlock. Dragon Rojo then did a double foot stomp off the top rope to pin Azul to give the rudos the second fall.

The match settled down in the third fall as Panther and Adonis also returned to the ring. The action picked up again, leading to Soberano showcasing his high-flying skills. In a wild spot, Azul launched Soberano over the ropes with a monkey flip into a dive. Panther sent Adonis sailing with an arm drag off the ropes for a near fall.

Heading into the finish, Panther applied an armbar. Adonis was out of bounds underneath the ropes to break the hold. Panther thought he won, and he began arguing with heel referee Tirantes. With Panther distracted, Adonis scooped him up for a Michinoku Driver. Adonis covered Panther, and cheated by holding the bottom rope for leverage, as he pinned him to win the third fall.

Blue Panther then got a microphone and challenged Adonis to a one-on-one match. As Panther was cutting a promo on Adonis, Azul snatched Adonis’ American flag that is emblazoned with the face of Donald Trump. Azul broke the flagpole and threw the flag into the crowd, where Adonis went to retrieve it.

Panther kept cutting his promo, which started a “Mexico” chant. Adonis slunk away after retrieving his flag, with Panther close behind still cutting a promo. The crowd was hot and wanted a singles match between the two. Looks like that will happen in the near future even if Adonis never actually accepted the challenge.

Pierroth defeated Vangellys in a hair match

Vangellys did a dance routine with a troupe of female dancers during his entrance. They each got a grand entrance, though Pierroth got a much grander one. Pierroth wore a white suit while he literally had the red carpet rolled out for him. Vangellys attacked Pierroth on the red carpet to start the match.

Pierroth never had a chance to take off his suit as Vangellys overwhelmed him in a very short first fall. Vangellys quickly pinned Pierroth with a fisherman’s buster. Between falls, Pierroth was able to regroup and finally remove his suit.

Pierroth evened the falls with a pinfall after a senton off the middle rope for the second fall. That is about when they started having an actual match, and it was not pretty at times.

Heading into the third fall, they fought out into the crowd with Vangellys getting to look strong since he was losing. Back in the ring, Vangellys missed a somersault senton off the top rope. Pierroth soon finished him off with a Gotch tombstone for a pinfall.

Though Los Ingobernables henchmen were at ringside for the duration of the match itself, Rush was noticeably absent. After Pierroth won, a beaming Rush appeared before the crowd. He gloated for a bit before the guest barber came to the ring wearing a tuxedo that looked good enough for prom.

The barber shaved the head of Vangellys as he continued to sell the piledriver. Since Vangellys had short hair anyway, the haircut took very little time. Before long, Vangellys was bald.

Dragon Lee, Caristico & captain Mistico defeated Ephesto, Luciferno & captain Mephisto

The tecnicos were referred to as the “Dream Team” in this match against Los Hijos del Infierno. The rudos hold the Mexican National Trios Championship, but this was a non-title match.

The first fall came quickly after some initial grappling. Ephesto took out Dragon Lee with a tope suicida that sent Lee over the barricade into the first row. In the ring, Mephisto pinned Caristico after executing a Styles Clash. Ephesto then gave Mistico the Devil’s Wings off the top for a pinfall, ending the first fall with the rudos gaining the early advantage.

The rudos continued their onslaught as the second fall began. The tecnicos eventually made a comeback that led to Mistico and Caristico doing dives to the outside. Dragon Lee hit a running Spanish Fly on rudo captain Ephesto to cover him for a pin. Suddenly, the match was tied.

The third fall gave way to spectacular flying by the tecnicos. It began with all three tecnicos diving off the stage. The action exploded from there with more wild dives. A series of high spots led into many pinning attempts and saves. The crowd was bonkers by this point.

With Mistico and Caristico on the receiving end of a Tower of Doom spot, Dragon Lee eliminated Ephesto with a frog splash and followed with the pinfall. Dragon Lee himself was soon also eliminated when he ran into a Canadian Destroyer by Luciferno for a pin.

In the closing moments, Caristico applied La Mistica and submitted Luciferno to win the match for the tecnicos.

The crowd threw money into the ring, and for good reason as the third fall was fantastic.

Volador Jr. defeated Ultimo Guerrero to win the Universal Championship

For the seconds, Soberano Jr. was in Volador’s corner and Luciferno was in Guerrero’s corner. They were ringside to witness a helluva great match for the finals of a tournament featuring various champions in CMLL. Guerrero came into the tournament as the NWA World Historic Middleweight Champion. Volador holds the NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship, and he won his first Universal Championship in this match.

The first fall started with grappling and chain wrestling with the crowd already hot for this main event. The luchadores would not disappoint. The first big high spot saw Volador attempt a tope con hilo. Guerrero caught Volador and powerbombed him on the floor. Ouch.

After rolling Volador back into the ring, Guerrero applied Pulpo Guerrero for a submission en route to capturing the first fall.

The second fall was short as Volador made a quick comeback. After a hurricanrana on the floor by Volador, they returned to the ring. Volador went for a Code Red, and Guerrero tried to block it to no avail. Volador went on to execute the Code Red, and then he pinned Guerrero to even the falls.

The third fall was much longer and much more spectacular, and the match was already pretty great before that final fall began. A subplot in the third fall was Tirantes’ biased officiating. Volador fighting from underneath with the referee clearly against him got the crowd even hotter.

Early in the third fall, Volador countered a vertebreaker to roll up Guerrero for a two count. Tirantes made a slow count as Guerrero kicked out. They began to trade near falls.

Volador went for a handspring back elbow, only to get caught with a German suplex for a near fall. Guerrero delivered a superplex for a two count. Guerrero then executed a super gourdbuster, and Volador narrowly kicked out. Volador countered with a lungblower for a cover, but Tirantes’ slow count allowed Guerrero to get a shoulder up.

Volador went for a Frankensteiner off the top, but Guerrero turned it into a super powerbomb. Volador kicked out just before Tirantes’ hand hit the mat for three. Tirantes was beside himself in disbelief.

Guerrero went for a second super powerbomb, and Volador countered with a super Frankensteiner. Once again, Tirantes’ slow count allowed Guerrero to kick out. The action spilled outside, where Guerrero did his signature leap over the barricade into a body block. When they returned to the ring, there was a double down.

Guerrero recovered to hit a Rainmaker for a near fall. Volador hit another super Frankensteiner for a slow two count. Guerrero set up and delivered the Guerrero Special (reverse superplex), but Volador rolled out of the ring to avoid a cover. Guerrero deadlifted Volador for a superplex back into the ring, and Volador somehow miraculously kicked out. What a match!

For the finish, Guerrero climbed up the turnbuckles. Volador dashed up the ropes and leaped off with Guerrero into a Spanish Fly. Volador rolled over to cover Guerrero for the three count. The crowd immediately started throwing money at the ring.

As the seconds gathered the money being thrown in, Volador was presented with the Universal Championship belt.

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For the first time since Hell in a Cell, Shane McMahon will appear on WWE television as he returns to SmackDown next week.

That was announced after Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens defeated Shinsuke Nakamura & Randy Orton in last night’s main event. Their tag match was put together in storyline after Zayn and Owens insulted Daniel Bryan in the opening segment. They saw Bryan again after the match and asked him what he has for them next week, with Bryan informing them that the decision will be left up to Shane.

Shane hasn’t been on TV since his Hell in a Cell match against Owens earlier this month. He’s been selling the “injuries” that he received at the pay-per-view, though some mainstream outlets picked up on WWE’s storyline updates on Shane’s condition and reported them as real.

Next week’s SmackDown will also have AJ Styles vs. Sunil Singh, which was set up when Mahal volunteered Sunil to be Styles’ opponent. Styles had interrupted Mahal earlier in the night when Mahal was challenging Brock Lesnar to a match at Survivor Series.