TNA Impact Wrestling results: Bobby Lashley makes an announcement

Previously on Impact: Last week on Impact, Bobby Lashley defeated James Storm in a titles-for-title match. He won the King of the Mountain title and retained both the TNA World Heavyweight title and X Division title.

Tonight on Impact: On tonight’s show, The Hardy Boys, BroMans, Helms Dynasty, and The Tribunal will battle in the “Ascension to Hell” ladder match for a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Additionally, Gail Kim continues on her quest for a shot at the Knockouts title when she goes one-on-one with Jade.

Show Recap —

– Backstage, Lashley with all his belts gets in the face of Aron Rex who is talking with Dixie Carter and Billy Corgan.

– Inside the ring, James Storm calls out referee Brian Hebner. Storm recaps how he had Lashley beat last week but Hebner was busy getting Jeremy Borash out of the ring. Storm blames him for the loss and demands a rematch.

Corgan came out and denied him his rematch. Corgan said it’s not that Storm has bad luck — he just can’t win the big one. Storm went nuts and got in Corgan’s face. Storm brought up Bobby Roode and AJ Styles leaving but he stayed.

Security came out and Storm hit one of them with a beer bottle. He then told Corgan if they cross paths again he’ll smash his pumpkin. Storm left the ring and Corgan suspended him indefinitely.

– In the back, The Miracle and Maria are with Moose as he gets ready for his match with Eddie Edwards. Miracle told Moose to do what he says and when he says, which seemed to bother Moose.

– Outside, an angry James Storm leaves the Impact Zone.

Moose w/ “The Miracle” Mike Bennett defeated Eddie Edwards

Josh Mathews points out that Moose is coming out to the ring to Miracle’s entrance music. Pope notes that it seems to bother Moose. The finish came when Edwards hit a suicide dive onto Miracle. Edwards climbed to the top but Moose caught him with the Go to Hell to score the win.

– Backstage, Maria told Jade that she will never get a title shot again if she fails to beat Gail Kim later.

Gail Kim defeated Jade

Story of the match was that both Jade and Gail are friends who respect each other. Regardless, they both have something at stake and must win the match. Gail hit the Eat Defeat and had Jade beat, but Knockouts Champion Sienna interfered causing a disqualification that gave Gail the win. Sienna gave Gail the AK-47 on the floor.

Maria came out and said that Gail failed on her quest for a shot at the Knockouts title. Mathews immediately pointed out that Maria was making no sense because Gail won the match.

– Backstage, Lashley belittled Braxton Sutter, DJ Z, and Mandrews. He bragged about having all the belts. Lashley promised to make a big announcement later.

DJ Z defeated Mandrews, Rockstar Spud, and Braxton Sutter

Finish of the match came when DJ Z hit a rolling double ZDT on Braxton Sutter and Mandrews. DJ Z pinned Mandrews to win the match.

– Next, we get a recap of Drew Galloway challenging Ethan Carter III to a match with the winner getting the title shot at Bound for Glory.

– In the back, Dixie approaches Corgan who is still upset about what happened with Storm. Dixie mentions that everyone is on edge because Lashley has all the belts.

– EC3 comes out to the ring and calls out Galloway to give him an answer to his challenge. After some back and forth, EC3 accepted the challenge.

Aron Rex then came out to the ring. He said that he’s excited to see EC3 face Galloway for the Bound for Glory title shot. Rex said that he wants to see a clear-cut winner. He went to TNA management and will be the special guest referee for their match.

– In the back, Lashley and Eli Drake argued but Lashley noted that he didn’t have time for this because he has an announcement to make. He bumped into Sienna and admired her Knockouts belt. She told him not to get cute.

– Next, “Brother Nero” Jeff Hardy and “Broken” Matt Hardy are in an empty arena. The ring is surrounded by and filled with ladders. Jeff is dressed similar to Matt but has white face paint and his eye is all messed up. Jeff is now broken like Matt.

Matt tells Jeff he won’t be using his body as a weapon or taking any risks. The video ended with both laughing hysterically.

Eli Drake defeated Mahabali Shera

Eli Drake comes to the ring and calls out Lashley, but instead Mahabali Shera comes out. Finish came when Drake hit the Blunt Force Trauma to pick up the win.

– Backstage, Dixie and Corgan approached Lashley wanting to know what his big announcement is. Lashley said he’s headed to the ring to let everyone know.

– Lashley comes out to the ring and has two random guys hold the belts up for him. They stood behind him the whole time even when he would turn around. Lashley called out Dixie and Corgan to the ring.

As Dixie and Corgan made their way to the ring, Mathews acknowledged Dixie as the company’s chairman and Corgan as TNA’s president.

Lashley wants to unify all three belts together. Dixie and Corgan tell him he can’t do that. He threw the KOTM title to the ground and called it garbage. He said nobody could beat him for the X Division title so he threw that to the ground too.

Dixie and Corgan were offended by his actions. Lashley only wants to keep the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. He started to leave but Corgan and Dixie announced an open invitational battle royal next week with the winner getting a shot at Lashley’s TNA World Heavyweight title.

– In the back, Corgan promised to crown a new X Division champion soon. He made no mention of the King of the Mountain title.

The Hardy Boys defeated The BroMans w/ Raquel, The Helms Dynasty, & The Tribunal

Jeff walked to the ring slowly and was all messed up because he’s broken. The match started with everyone brawling in the ring. Matt stayed outside the ring and didn’t get involved at first.

The Tribunal focused their attention on Jeff. Matt finally got involved an attacked The Tribunal. Jeff hit a crossbody to the floor on Basile Baraka but barely grazed him. He hit the floor hard. Matt went nuts and cleared the ring. He bit everyone in sight.

Matt gave Trevor Lee a side effect on the ladder but got caught with a springboard dropkick from Andrew Everett. Everett climbed up the ladder but Jeff sacrificed himself to knock Everett off it. Matt came in and climbed up the ladder to win the match. The Hardys are the number one contenders for Decay’s tag titles.

Next Time on Impact: Next week on Impact, EC3 defends his Bound For Glory title shot against Drew Galloway with Aron Rex as the special guest referee. Also, Impact will feature an open invitational battle royal with the winner getting a shot a the TNA World Heavyweight title.

Daily Update: Lesnar vs. Orton II, Ryback talks, Bo Dallas arrested

THE ROUND-UP

The Latest from the F4W Staff

WWE books Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton II for Chicago house show – Strange circumstances lead to the SummerSlam rematch. Find out the details on whether or not this will end up being a WWE Network special. 

Ryback: I walked away from a 3 year, $1.5 million WWE deal – That’s some big money for the Big Guy to leave on the table. Joseph Currier takes you through the 45 minute interview where Ryan Reeves tells all.

Bryan Alvarez talks SummerSlam & TakeOver on The Ross Report – Josh Nason brings you the highlights of our own Bryan Alvarez’s role reversal from his appearance on Jim Ross’ podcast. Among topics, they discussed how JR didn’t care for the Dean Ambrose/Steve Austin podcast. 

Finn Balor: ‘The moment I got injured I knew it was serious’ – Finn Balor talks about what he’s experienced since the moment of impact, including video clips from his surgery. “What a rollercoaster week. I woke up the morning of SummerSlam with nothing but positivity & feeling physically better than ever…”

WWE San Angelo & Puebla live results: Bayley vs. Charlotte – Find out which WWE stars are on the winning path and who are in the doldrums. 

Mr. Fuji passes away at 82 years old – Don Muraco, Demolition, and Yokozuna were just a few of the wrestlers the great Mr. Fuji managed in his day. Joe Currier brings you more on the passing of Harry Fujiwara. 

UFC on FOX 21 overnights down 9% from last month’s summer record – Ace Fontaine breaks down the ratings, and brings you all you need to know about Demian Maia and Carlos Condit as money draws.

JNPO: MMA Fighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti on UFC 202 leftovers, UFC Vancouver, more 8/26 – Josh Nason breaks down the first two parts of the C.M. Punk documentary. and the free agencies of Donald Cerrone and Rory MacDonald.



TV Line-Up

Raw will be Monday night from the Toyota Center in Houston. This will be the first week with a Smackdown Monday night house show, which takes place in Texarkana, TX. The regular Smackdown crew will be there and John Cena is headlining the show.

Tuesday night will be Smackdown from Dallas. John Cena, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins are all advertised, but Reigns and Rollins are likely to be in dark matches and Cena may be as well.   

We’re doing one poll for the weekend: [email protected].

 Sunday’s TripleMania show from AAA

We’re looking for reports from these shows: [email protected]

WWE in Texarkana, TX tonight (Smackdown crew headlined by John Cena vs. A.J. Styles, Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler, The Miz vs. Apollo Crews, Kane vs. Bray Wyatt)
Raw tonight in Houston with stuff not on the show like dark matches
WWE in Puebla, Mexico from Saturday
DDT from Sumo Hall Sunday
WWE in Leon on Sunday


Figure Four Weekly: Figure Four Weekly 8/22/2016: Gawker destroyed by Hulk Hogan – While there had been hints that it could happen, it still came as a shock last week that, thanks to the series of events stemming from Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker Media, the flagship Gawker blog would be shutting down operations a few days later. It all stemmed from the bankruptcy auction for Gawker Media’s assets, where the bidders ended up being Ziff Davis and Unimodia, the subsidiary of Univision that oversees Fusion and its sister sites like The Onion, AV Club, and The Root… Subscribers click here to continue reading.

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


Wrestling Observer Newsletter: August 29, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: UFC sale final, Summerslam results and fallout, more – Lorenzo Fertitta, the CEO and person who historically should be remembered as perhaps the most important figure in making MMA into a worldwide sport left the office for the final time on 8/17.

The UFC staff was all told to come for a meeting, and as it turned out, the guest of honor was busy at first and they had to regroup and come back later. Fertitta, 48, took a $2 million investment in 2001 to a $4 billion sale 15 years later. Aside from making a killing in business, he saved a sport that was on its deathbed in the U.S. The sale was officially completed with the money changing hands this past week, a similar letter to the one above was sent to all company employees, and the new era of UFC began with UFC 202… Subscribers click here to continue reading.


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: July 26, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Governor Jesse Ventura to referee SummerSlam main event, NSAC to evaluate UFC, tons more – With the official announcement of Jesse Ventura’s participation in SummerSlam as the referee for the main event came the expected debate over his involvement… Subscribers click here to continue reading.



MONDAY NEWS UPDATE

Prior to WWE’s tour of Mexico last weekend, Bo Dallas (real name Taylor Rotunda) was arrested for public intoxication and drunkenness.

Paige VanZant was the 11th most searched for term in the U.S. on Friday (100,000 plus) and 16th most on Sunday (100,000 Plus).  Mr. Fuji was No. 19 on Sunday and UFC was No. 6 on Saturday (but that was only 50,000).  

Tonight will be the first pure brand house show, a Smackdown show in Texarkana, since the brand split from six weeks ago.

Episode No. 3 of the C.M. Punk four-part documentary airs at 9:30 p.m. tonight. This is built around his training and recovery from shoulder surgery. 

WWE / Professional Wrestling

Adam Cole vs. Will Ospreay at the Destruction in Hiroshima PPV show is now an ROH championship match.
Rolling Stone just kills Hulk Hogan in this article.
You can watch Impact in HD if you have Comcast by going to the Pop TV on Demand section and looking over the shows. (thanks to Jon Southerland)
Sami Zayn promoted the upcoming WWE event in Manila, The Philippines.
This means nothing other than people got some signals crossed, but the Tivo listing for next week’s Smackdown show as of yesterday listed “Chris Jericho offers further explanation for his attack on his Y2AJ partner A.J. Styles.” (thanks to Jason Parker)
Here is your weekly WWE quiz.
UFC / MMA

The World Series of Fighting announced Ramsey Nijem, a former UFC fighter, has signed with the promoting. Nijem came from the Ultimate Fighter and fought ten times in UFC.
A fan who purchased tickets to UFC 200, Sean Slattery, filed a lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court against Jon Jones and First Round Management claiming concealment, negligent misrepresentation and negligence related to Jones’ removal from the show. Slattery claimed he was robbed and defrauded of the value of the ticket when Jones was pulled from the show for testing positive. This will go nowhere because Slattery had the right to ask for a ticket refund and chose not to.
ONE from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will be airing live on Friday starting 8:30 a.m. Eastern time on The Fight Network. They will also be airing Lion Fight 31 from Mashantucket, CT on Friday night at 10 p.m. Eastern. AXS will also air LionFights.
Saturday’s UFC show on Fight Pass will have its main card in Canada on The Fight Netweork starting at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
MISCELLANEOUS
A story on the New York State Athletic commission rep who shut down an intergender match even though it wasn’t against state laws is here.
A story on Leo Burke returning to the Maritimes here.
The Dudleys have been added to the 11/20 ICW show in Glasgow, Scotland at the SSE Hydro.
Global Force Wrestling will partner with the Tennessee State Fair in Nashville to run shows from 9/9 to 9/18 at the Fairgrounds
Scottish Wrestling Entertainment from Saturday in Dundee, Scotland: Steven Air Myales won over Kenny Kyd, JD Wilde and Lou King Sharpe, Colt Cabana b Glen Dunbarr, Sara-Marie Taylor b Kristy Love, Felix Fortune b Ian Ambrose, Euan G. Mackie b Stallyon to win the SWE title, Chris James & Darren Blair & Scotty Ricco b Chaz Phoenix & Lix Tetrax & Braveheart, Drew Galloway won no DQ four-way over Joe Hendry, Ethan Carter III and Jack Jester (thanks to Andrew Milne)
Pro Wrestling Resurgence from Saturday night in Swansea, IL: Matt Kenway b Kody Krash, Tyler Colton b Aaron Solow, Everett Connors won four-way over Mike Outlaw, Jojo Bravo and Jason Roberts, Kevin Lee Davidson b Ricky Starks, Alexandre Rudolph & Frank Wyatt & Jake Parnell DCOR Gary Jay & Evan Gelistico & Pierre Abernathy, Danny Adams & Paco Gonzalez b Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett, Michael Elgin b Brandon Espinosa (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
Beer City Bruiser vs. Joey Vendetta has been added to the CWE show on 9/22 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Bruiser will be a headliner on a ten-daytour of Saskatchewan and Alberta.   
IWA Mid South tomorow night in Clarksville, IN at Jammerz with Matt Cage vs. JJ Garrett for the IWA title, Michael Elgin vs. Kongo Kong, B.J. Whitmer vs. Jonathan Wolf, Matt Tremont vs. Shigehiro Irie and more. They are running every Thursday at Jammerz starting 9/8.
IWA Mid South also announced the Hybrid Cup on 9/24 at the Pride Bar in New Albany, IN which is an eight man tournament.  Semifinals will be knockout or tap out rules and finals will be a no rope bared wire match.
IWA Mid South on 10/6 in Clarksville, IN at Jammerz has its 20th anniversary show with Dutch Mantell, Sami Callihan, Chris Hero, Doug Gilbert, Tommy Rich, Colt Cabana, Dave Prazak, Zack Gowen and more.
IWA Mid South on 11/5 in Jeffersonville, IN at the Arena has a 16 man Ted Petty Invitational tournament with Matt Cage, Rickey Shane Page, Joey Janela and Chris Hero.
All Star Wrestling on 9/16 in Garibaldi Highlands, BC at Totem Hall with Adam Ryder vs. Mr. India.
Johnny Kashmere returns to wrestling on 10/22 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia for The Acid Cup, to honor the late Trent Acid, his longtime tag team partner.
Daily Pro Wrestling History (08/29): SummerSlam 1992 at Wembley Stadium


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The Day In Punk: CM Punk declines a handshake, prepares for UFC 203 battle

After 21 months, all that stands between CM Punk and his UFC debut is time.

As expected, Punk made weight Friday morning, hitting 170 on the nose. So much for all that weight cutting talk, eh?

Then, Punk got to the public weigh-ins with Mickey Gall and didn’t care about shaking his opponent’s hand. Gall started talking to him, but got nothing by a stoic look back. As Gall left, Punk let out some emotion and seemed genuinely excited about what’s to come.

So why didn’t Punk shake Gall’s hand? Let Mr. Brooks tell you.

**********

The UFC Embedded series has been a little slow to come out, but here’s episode 4. 

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Punk did a post for the Players Tribune that got released Friday where he talked about his decision to fight. It’s a good read, but your tl;dr version is that he’s happier now pursuing something he wants to be great at rather than stay in something he was good at. He’s saying all the right things that makes one believe win or lose Saturday, he’s going to be back. Otherwise, what’s all of this been for?

**********

If you missed any of our #PunkWeek coverage, here’s your catch-up:

– JNPO: John Pollock on CM Punk’s big week

– CM Punk’s bravery already makes him a winner

– A look at other pro wrestlers who have fought professionally

– How CM Punk can win Saturday

– Day In Punk (Tuesday): The fight license twist

– Day In Punk (Wednesday): Media day, 2-minute workout & hack journalists

– Day In Punk (Thursday): Weight cut issues, Mick Foley, a return to wrestling?

Raw ratings bring bad news for the second week in a row

It was bad news for WWE for a second week, as the ratings for Raw last night were almost identical to the week before, which at the time were considered shockingly low.

The three plus hour broadcast averaged 2.68 million viewers, identical to the week before. Actually there were 2,000 more viewers last night, so it would just barely beat out last week’s show as the lowest non-holiday episode of the show since 1996.

The NFL game with the Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles did 12,137,000 viewers, which was down from the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Washington Redskins game of the week before that did 12,961,000 viewers.

Unless the company does something major, or gets a pay-per-view bump, next week, with the presidential debate, has a good chance of being the lowest rated episode of the 23-year history of the program. The record low rating number is a 1.78 on October 14, 1996, a show which went against a live Nitro, as well as the NFL and major league baseball playoffs.

Raw was only in seventh place on cable last night, trailing football, as well as SportsCenter, Major Crimes on TNT, The O’Reilly Factor, Bret Baker and The Five, all on Fox News.

The positive, which kept the show from hitting record lows is that the cage match with Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns kept the audience in the third hour better than most weeks.

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 2.73 million viewers
9 p.m. 2.69 million viewers
10 p.m. 2.63 million viewers

UFC Fight Night Portland averages just 652,000 viewers

Last Saturday UFC show on FS1 saw a 37% viewership drop from the previous weekend, bringing in an average of 652,000 viewers for the four fight main card, headlined by John Lineker’s split decision win over John Dodson in a bantamweight contender’s tilt.

This was the second lowest non-daytime rating of the year for an FS 1 main card, trailing only the July 13th show’s 609,000. The week prior was a ratings bonanza for all involved with a Brazilian show headlined by Cyborg Justino.

The show’s 11 PM EST start time was later than usual, but with only four fights, it ended around the usual time that traditional Fight Nights on the network do.

The prelims aired on FS 2 and averaged just 294,000, down 20% from the last time Fight Night prelims aired on the secondary network. It was the 3rd highest number for a Fight Night prelims show on FS 2 since the UFC’s move to the Fox family.

The UFC will look to rebound for this Saturday’s UFC 204 prelims airing at 8 PM EST on FS1, part of a big day of sports programming on the network.

All roads led to Rome but they also led to Europe’s modern-day prosperity, study finds

Not only did all roads lead to Rome in the ancient world, they also led to modern-day prosperity.  A new study has shown a remarkable correlation between the network of stone roads built by the Romans 2,000 years ago and cities, transport hubs and economic development today. 

The spider’s web of Roman roads that were constructed from Hadrian’s Wall to North Africa and the Near East corresponds closely to contemporary patterns of urbanisation and industrialisation.

The similarity is particularly striking for modern-day London, Paris and Rome, as well as the Po Valley of northern Italy, where the Romans established Milan.

Danish economists from the University of Copenhagen said that their findings showed that Roman military and economic endeavours put down deep roots that persist to this day.

Carl-Johan Dalgaard and his team of researchers produced a map of roads across the Roman Empire when it was at its greatest geographical extent, in the year 117 AD.

They then compared it with a 2010 satellite image of contemporary Europe at night, with the most brightly illuminated areas indicating major cities, towns and motorways.

Roman roads and modern day settlements

They discovered a “remarkable pattern of persistence showing that greater Roman road density goes along with greater modern road density (and) greater economic activity in 2010.”

Roman cities, military outposts and roads set the template for economic development for the next two millennia, the academics suggest.

“Areas that attained greater road density during antiquity are characterised by a significantly higher road density today,” the research team wrote in their paper, which was published by Copenhagen University.

“Roman roads were linked to economic activity beyond the end of antiquity, and remain a strong and positive correlate of prosperity today.”

The only part of the Roman Empire where there is not a correlation is North Africa and the Middle East, where roads were abandoned as the Romans retreated, with local tribes switching from horse and carts to camel caravans. Roman roads fell into disrepair because there was no longer any use for them.

The development of the Middle East and North Africa subsequently took a very different course and both regions are now “considerably poorer” than Europe.

As a result, “we find that there is no significant link between ancient infrastructure and modern infrastructure within North Africa and the Middle East.

“In contrast, Roman roads continued to be maintained and in use in Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire,” the economists said.

The Romans were the most sophisticated engineers of their timeCredit:
Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

Roman road-building began in earnest with the construction of the Appian Way from Rome to Capua, near present-day Naples.

The all-weather paved road was built to allow the army to move men and supplies south as they fought the Second Samnite War. The road was finished in 308 BC and the Romans defeated the Samnites four years later.

The Appian Way was eventually extended far to the south, to Brundisium, modern-day Brindisi on the Adriatic coast. It became the model for all subsequent road-building, both in Italy and across the rapidly expanding empire.

At the height of the empire’s reach, there were 50,000 miles of paved road. Many of them incorporated bridges, tunnels, sophisticated drainage systems and guesthouses for weary travelers.

“The purpose of the roads was to increase the speed and the ease with which the legions could reach locations of military interest – including territories of ongoing campaigns, army bases and Roman colonies that provided the army with essential supplies,” the study said.

“Very soon, the roads were also used by traders and for transportation of agricultural goods, but this was not the main intention.”

VS Naipaul’s sisters claim they have not been invited to author’s funeral

The sister of the late author Sir VS Naipaul has claimed that the details of her brother’s funeral are being kept a secret.

Trinidad-born British writer Naipaul, who died on August 11 in London, was awarded the Booker prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature during his distinguished career.

In an exclusive interview from her Trinidad home, Savi Akal, 80, said that the three surviving siblings — herself and her sisters Nalini Chapman, 66, and Mira Enalsingh, 82 — have not been told anything about arrangements for their brother’s funeral since he died on Saturday.

Mrs Akal said it seems his birth family is being kept in the dark over funeral arrangements for the author. Naipaul never held a funeral for his first wife, Pat, she said, so it may be that he did not request one.

Mrs Akal last saw Naipaul, 85, at his London flat in April, when the family celebrated her 80th birthday with him and his wife, Lady Nadira Naipaul.

A picture form the cover of Book The World Is What It Is: The Authorised Biography of VS Naipaul

She said the family heard through the grapevine that attendance at their brother’s funeral would be by invitation only.

The Telegraph was unable to reach Lady Naipaul for comment. 

Since hearing of her brother’s death, she has been listening often to BBC radio news for any word of his funeral, and claimed that Lady Naipaul, her sister in law of 20 years, had not communicated any such details with any of the sisters. 

Mrs Akal said: “After the news on Saturday we have not had a word from her. Nalini, in Scotland, has not been told anything since. Mira in the US, neither.

“We do not know if there is going to be a funeral. We do not know if our brother wanted a funeral.

“If there is going to be one, we will have to be invited, and no such invitation has been extended to us. We are a family of orientation," she said.

"We haven’t heard anything. It could be that she’s probably making arrangements.”

She added: "His wife knows where were are living. She should be telling us.”

Mrs Akal said she had sent Lady Naipaul an e-mail but had received no reply.

Naipaul had been ailing for the past three months, and he had to be rushed to hospital a few times, Mrs Akal said. “We all knew what was going to happen.”

In April she spoke to her brother at length, and though he hardly said a word, she says: “He was still sharp; he knew everything about what was happening in the literary world.”

However, “We knew his body was giving up,” Mrs Akal said.

She had asked Naipaul, who left the family in Trinidad at 18 for Oxford University on a national scholarship, how he would like to be remembered.

“He told me that his work must live on. That was his final wish."

From the classroom to the ring: Logan Black's dual life

By Thomas Gerbasi for F4WOnline.com

It may be the biggest spoiler alert in all of professional wrestling. If Logan Black wears a hat on Monday morning, he probably had a rough weekend in the ring.

Then again, the folks that see Black with that hat on know him as Mr. Jake or Jake Gomez, middle school teacher, so they have the back of “The American Nightmare.” And thankfully for the Brooklyn teacher, it’s been that way from the start.

“When I first started out, it’s like anybody starting out with any job,” he said. “It can get scary and everybody’s walking on eggshells to make sure everything’s all right. So I played it real cool. But when I first started, I was doing a lot of hardcore matches, a lot of huge blow offs where everybody was getting color. And this was six or so years ago, before they really calmed a lot of that stuff down, especially in the independents. So I’d come in and I’d have a couple scars on my forehead, but to the credit of the people I work with and the principals, they’re actually pretty lax on dress code, so whenever I would come in with that, I’d have a hat on. So there are little ways to skirt around it or be less noticeable when it comes to that stuff.”

He can’t hide the limping that comes along with the back and knee injuries that are par for the course in the wrestling world, but his students, colleagues and school administrators don’t shy away from the realities of his “other” job. In fact, they embrace it.

“A bunch of the teachers at the school have known me a long time and they’ve come to shows that I’ve done that are local and they’ve worn my t-shirts around the school,” he said. “The dean at the school, whenever we have new kids come in, he’ll tell them I’m a wrestler, so they can’t be messing around. And then during their free time, they (the students) watch my matches and I’ll get hazed by them a little bit afterwards. So they’re very aware of it and they get a kick out of it too.”

Monday morning will likely be a limp around the school day for Black, as he will be wrestling both Friday and Saturday for the New York-based Warriors of Wrestling promotion. On Friday in Brooklyn, it’s a singles match against the Brooklyn Brawler, then on Saturday, it’s off to Staten Island for another night in the ring on a card that will feature former WWE stars Mr. Hughes, Adam Rose and El Torito.

It’s easy enough to describe it as a Jekyll and Hyde existence, and he would agree to an extent, but he also sees some similarities between teaching and wrestling.

“As a teacher, you have to be able to read a classroom, just like as a wrestler you have to be able to read a crowd,” he said. “So understanding how to manage things and also having the ability to switch gears so quickly in terms of a character, and my character specifically, is something any teacher is gonna need to use. But other than that, it’s a complete 180 from sitting down with kids and doing math problems to trying to gouge eyes out.”

He laughs, and it’s clear that when it comes to the squared circle, he’s a lifer. At 29, he’s been doing this for a decade, and since he began training at 19, the goal is the same as it is for anyone who puts on the boots — to make it to the big show. So any time he gets the chance to talk with the stars who come through the WOW promotion, he takes it, and he advises his ring students — who he works with at WOW’s training facility — to do the same.

“That’s the thing I personally make sure I do, and I encourage the younger guys to do it as well,” he said. “If you’re in there with a name, or even a name is there, ask him, ‘Hey, can you watch my match and give me any pointers?’ I wrestled Rhyno earlier this year, and he was so good in terms of every little aspect. He was excellent in terms of just understanding not only how to explain things, but to show me a better way to do things. And whenever I hear any kind of feedback, it’s one of the things I’m going to continue to drill that week in practice and even more weeks further, and I push it along to everybody else so that I’m teaching them that same thing so it’s reinforced in me. And I’ll do the same myself while watching students’ matches.”

And when Black is not in the ring, practicing or grading school work and preparing for the next day of classes, he’s watching wrestling.

“I’m watching everything — old, new — and I like to say that you need to be a sponge in order to anywhere in professional wrestling,” he said. “And there is no correct way to do anything in pro wrestling because what works for one guy doesn’t work for another. The wrong way is when somebody gets hurt, but there is no right way, so I don’t go in there saying, ‘No, this is the only way to do things; you have to do it this way.’ My only way is, protect yourself, protect your opponent and develop what you’re developing. Everybody learns differently and that’s something I use in the classroom as well. You need to work towards the strengths of everybody that you’re in the ring or in a classroom with. You have to be able to modify what you’re doing so that it’s effective for everybody. If you don’t do that, then you end up with people who aren’t going to get it as well as everybody else.”

Given everything going on in his professional life, Black has found that he has little time for a personal one. It’s the sacrifice one makes in this business, and he’s come to accept that to chase after the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, he can’t live what some would call a “normal” life.

“Where could I begin,” he says with a chuckle when asked the sacrifices he’s made to compete in pro wrestling. “Beyond the general health stuff — my knees are a mess, my back is kind of a mess, but that’s the way it’s going to be with any athlete. But girlfriends, friends, I lost a fiancée, everything like that. I’ve missed all types of family functions. I actually missed a wedding this past weekend and I’m kind of out of the loop with the general world and it’s one of those things where only other wrestlers can understand. And I guess it’s why I understand why so many wrestlers will date within the business because it’s people who understand that lifestyle, that nomadic lifestyle of finding out two days in advance that I need to be four states over this weekend, so it’s time to pack up and go. It’s really hard to have anything traditional with anybody in your life — friends, family, spouses — when it comes to independent wrestling, and professional wrestling in general, because it thrives on chaos. You need to be able to get up and go at any point.”

He isn’t complaining though. He knows it’s part of the gig, and when the last school bell rings for the weeks, he’s not Jake Gomez anymore. He’s “The American Nightmare,” Logan Black.

“That’s how I’ve modeled my life,” he said. “I’m living minute to minute. I’m waiting on other people to give me a heads up on what day this booking is or where I’m going for this or where there’s a seminar where I can up my game and make some contacts. I’ve modeled my life around it. And that’s where teaching really comes in handy, because I’m out of work at three o’clock on Friday. Anywhere I need to go, I can make that work. I’m very lucky and very privileged with every opportunity I’ve had and it only makes me want more opportunities to still make the most of everything that I’ve got.”

And bottom line, when his music hits and the curtain opens for him to make that walk, it’s all worth it.

“I think that’s what keeps a lot of guys in wrestling way longer than they physically should be — it’s that feeling,” Black said. “And if anybody can explain it to you, I would love for them to explain it to me as well. (Laughs) It’s a level of euphoria that you really can’t explain. I can only speak for myself when I say that when it comes to being that kid in the crowd, I never forget that. I never forget paying money to go to the Elk’s Lodge in Queens to go see ECW shows and getting beer spilled on me at 10 years old and the guys in front of me and in back of me are swinging at each other over me, my brother and my mother. I never forget that and these are fond memories and they only made me love wrestling that much more. I wrote essays in elementary school about doing this, so the dream certainly isn’t over for me.”

So it’s cool for his students to write the same essays?

He laughs.

“I’m okay with it as long as they’re not trying moves on each other.”

Family friend of Foxtons founder is feared dead after falling from banana boat in Portugal

A British man is feared dead after falling off a banana boat while holidaying in Portugal as a guest of the billionaire founder of the Foxtons estate agency.

Emergency services continue to hunt for Richard Chapelow, 29, who disappeared following the accident on a lake on Monday afternoon.

The marketing account manager was reportedly thrown from a banana boat that flipped over as it carried three other Britons on the Santa Clara Dam.

Mr Chapelow was a guest of property tycoon Jon Hunt, the founder of Foxtons who owns property in the area. He is believed to be a friend of Mr Hunt’s son, Harry. 

A statement issued on behalf of the Hunt family said they fear he has been killed, saying they are "devastated by the loss of Richard".

Our thoughts and prayers are wholly with Richard's family… it is a time of great sorrowJon Hunt family statement

Mr Chapelow was part of a group of 10 Britons at the popular watersports and fishing spot, about an hour’s drive north of the Algarve region.

A statement on behalf of the Hunt family said: "My family and I are devastated by the loss of Richard, following a tragic accident at Santa Clara Dam.

"Our thoughts and prayers are wholly with Richard’s family, and we ask that both families are given space to grieve such a painful loss.

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"We will be working closely with the Portuguese authorities to understand what has happened, and are grateful to the local police and fire services for their efforts. It is a time of great sorrow."

Richard Chapelow, a marketing manager, is believed to be a friend of Jon Hunt's son, HarryCredit:
SOLARPIX.COM 

Local volunteer fire chief Mario Batista told Portuguese media that four people were on the banana boat with another six on a boat towing the inflatable.

One rider disappeared after all four were thrown from the float, he said.

A source at the local police force said: “We don’t know what happened but we suspect that the banana boat the missing man was on turned over and he may have hit his head and lost consciousness and wasn’t able to swim back to the surface. 

“We don’t have much hope now. The search and rescue mission continues, over a wider area now than before, but it is a search mission for a body.”

Jon Hunt, the founder of Foxtons, owns property near where the boat accident happenedCredit:
Chris Young /PA

Mr Chapelow, who was educated at the exclusive west London private school, Latymer Upper School, graduated from Leeds University in 2011.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are assisting the family of a British man reported missing in Portugal and are in contact with the local authorities."

The man’s family have been informed, the spokeswoman added.

Santa Clara Dam is popular with both watersports and fishing enthusiastsCredit:
Google Street View

The Santa Clara Dam is about 25 miles from the southern city of Ourique and about an hour’s drive from the Algarve resort of Portimao.

It is popular with both watersports and fishing enthusiasts.

WWE Raw video highlights: The Chris & Kevin Show

On the penultimate episode of Raw for 2016, Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho reaffirmed their friendship after Jericho helped Owens retain the Universal title at Roadblock. But Owens will once again have to defend his title against Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble, and this time Jericho will be suspended in a shark cage above the ring.

Last night’s Raw also featured Braun Strowman running wild after Sami Zayn survived 10 minutes with him on Sunday night, a new direction for the women’s division with the start of two new feuds, and the build to what’s next in the tag and cruiserweight divisions as we close out the year.

More coverage from last night —
WWE Raw live results: Roadblock fallout
WOR: Raw recap show, Brauny the Strowman runs wild, New Japan watchlist, more! 12/20
WWE Raw video highlights —

The Chris & Kevin Show

Big Cass vs. Rusev

Nia Jax interrupts Sasha Banks

Mick Foley unveils new Raw tag titles for Cesaro & Sheamus

Cedric Alexander vs. Noam Dar

The New Day’s record-breaking reign hit a roadblock on Sunday

The New Day, Cesaro & Sheamus vs. Gallows, Anderson & The Shining Stars

Enzo Amore gets ordered to attend mandatory sensitivity training

Neville says that he’s going to obliterate the cruiserweight division

Enzo Amore joins Bob Backlund, Darren Young, Bo Dallas, and Jinder Mahal in sensitivity training

Braun Strowman destroys Sin Cara, Titus O’Neil, and Raw’s Christmas set

Chris Jericho fears heights and spiders

Bayley says it’s time for her rivalry with Charlotte Flair to begin

Bayley vs. Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair in a non-title match

Enzo Amore finishes sensitivity training but gets beaten down by Rusev

Emmalina is still premiering soon

Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho

Raw fallout: Bayley is one step closer to the Raw Women’s title

Raw fallout: Cesaro & Sheamus show off the new Raw tag titles