By Dave Meltzer
[email protected]”>[email protected]
Smackdown tonight on Syfy
Paige vs. Brie Bella
Gauntlet involving Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, Stardust and Luke Harper
Los Matadores & Torito vs. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd & Natalya
Handicap match: Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins & Kane
The NCAA Division I wrestling tournament from St. Louis opens tonight with coverage live on ESPN U and ESPN 3 at 7 p.m. Eastern tonight. Tomorrow had the quarterfinals at 11 a.m on ESPN U and ESPN 3, and the semifinals are live on ESPN at 8 p.m.
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The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is up on the site for subscribers (subscribe here) with a look at whatever is going on with NXT, plus notes on the upcoming WWE Jerry Lawler DVD as well as all of the usual reviews and international news.
The Kindle edition for non-subscribers isn’t up yet, but you can still get the February 6th issue, featuring a a eulogy for the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Almanac and Book of Facts (which Kappa Publishing announced it is no longer producing) as well as all of the usual reviews and international news. It’s available on the American, UK/Ireland, Canadian, and Australian Amazon Kindle stores, as well as various other regional Kindle stores that I’m probably forgetting.
Also, now available for the first time on Kindle (meaning Kindle devices and anything with the Kindle app) is Fall Guys, the seminal 1937 book that has been described as being like the 1930s version of the Wrestling Observer. It was surprisingly not on Kindle already, so we put together a nice version with a full table of contents w/ chapter marks, proper formatting on everything, etc. Right now it’s available from the American, Canadian, and Australian Amazon/Kindle stores OR you can also buy it from anywhere in the world on PayHip, who will provide you with both Kindle and ePub (every other e-reader) format files, and you can either sideload them to your device or have them email it to your Kindle.
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We’ve got a jam packed issue of news this week in the Observer, with the fallout of UFC 185 and the two title changes, The New Japan Cup and where the booking is going, the build toward Invasion Attack, more comments on the Bill DeMott situation in WWE, more on Rampage Jackson’s Bellator contract and Scott Coker, under oath, goes through what happened in negotiations and why Bellator is suing, , plus we’ve got features on Larry Zbyszko and Tatsumi Fujinami and the WWE Hall of Fame, New Japan attempts to rebuild NOAH with a storyline that has gotten mainstream ink and the bus accident and problems leading to the Rey de Reyes show.
The latest issue of the Observer: Mar. 23, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Two upset title changes at UFC 185, New Japan Cup, Bill DeMott notes, Bellator/Rampage injunction update
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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.
The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.
The lead story covers UFC 185, the two surprise title changes, a look at the future for the fighters on the show, business notes on the show, early PPV notes, bonuses and match-by-match coverage with poll results.
We also look at the New Japan Cup, as well as the Invasion Attack show, changes in the original card and why, plus other New Japan World shows coming up, and full coverage of the New Japan Cup finals, with match-by-match coverage, star ratings and poll results.
We’ve got more on the Bill DeMott situation including more comments by different people, as well as DeMott’s first defenses.
We’ve got more from the deposition of Scott Coker on the Rampage Jackson lawsuit. We look at how much Jackson earned while in UFC, how much he had earned in his tenure in Bellator, business notes on Jackson’s fights and how the relationship with Bellator fell apart, including Bellator’s plans for Jackson going forward.
We also look at the career of Larry Zbyszko, including notes on the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, who is inducting who, how Larry Zbyszko started his career, what 90s feud was a copy of Sammartino vs. Zbyszko, a look at the feud, and why Zbyszko was never as hot again, how he got the AWA title, his lawsuit against WWE, what happened to Ray Stevens, notes on Tatsumi Fujinami, the politics of wrestling in the early 80s and where Fujinami fit in, the Fujinami vs. Choshu feud, the Fujinami vs. Flair matches and other WWE Hall of Fame notes.
We also have an update on Brock Lesnar and where he currently stands as far as what is next, how much Vince McMahon, HHH and others earned this past year, who are WWE’s biggest stockholders and how much of the company does Vince McMahon own, how much McMahon and HHH have earned the past several years, great incentives given for key WWE officials to stay, WWE video game notes, Notes on WWE ticket sales, WrestleMania ticket selling update, Vince’s stolen car found, updates on Kevin Owens and Jey Uso, and why others mised shows this past week.
We also look at fan behavior, DVD sales, lots of new WWE signees, WWE network changes, new WWE character, Cena movie, WWE night in Phoenix and Justin Gabriel talks leaving WWE.
We also have lots of updates from NXT, NXT house shows, WWE house show coverage and business notes.
We also look at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s first major show of the year, how well it did, coverage, angle hints, booking of the show as well as match-by-match coverage.
We also look at AAA’s attempt to put on Rey de Reyes, the problems with the show, the bus accident, injuries in the accident and more.
We also have more on PPV numbers for UFC, WWE and ROH.
The Observer is the world’s most detailed weekly pro wrestling publication, in its 32nd year of publication, and is read by the biggest names in the pro wrestling, industry, MMA industry, sports world and on Wall Street.
We also have our regular features such as the most complete look at ratings, plus results of the major house show events each week in pro wrestling and MMA, and complete inside rundowns of all the TV shows.
Also in this week’s issue:
–Notes on CMLL’s first big show of the year
–More on plans for the AAA World Cup
–Wrestlers to get pushed in AAA
–Dragon Gate has iPPV coming up
–New Japan ticket sale notes
–More on Lisa Varon and the crazy story of the Squared Circle restaurant
–Lots more on WrestleMania week activities around the San Jose area
–A look at the NCAA championships, biggest stories and Hodge Trophy top contenders
–Lots of foreign stars head to England for Preston Championship Wrestling, including a star return from injury and a champion leaves
–Update on the Lucha Underground promotion
–More on Rey Mysterio and his leaving WWE
–More on Spike TV and pro wrestling going forward
–ROH tries to sign major act
–Update on the ROH show over WrestleMania week
–A look at the ROH weekend shows and business
–TNA makes decision to strip Wolves of tag title
–Who the new champions are and how it happened
–Also notes on X title change
–TNA TV schedule
–TNA ratings in Germany
–Lots of newcomers in AN and two new factions
–TNA star misses TV for a while due to movie filming
–A look at what will happen on TNA television between now and early May
–UFC plans for New York state
–Next UFC show
–Lots of new UFC dates
–New UFC TV deal
–More on Rousey vs. Cyborg
–Why former TUF winner seems to have disappeared
–UFC fighter places in Jiu Jitsu tourney
–Two former Bellator champions test positive
–PBC signs a huge TV deal
–Notes on Phoenix Jones and his MMA debut
–Gracie vs. Hughes rematch signed
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.
New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.
Our most requested issues in our history are:
*November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)
*December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you’ll know exactly what was said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)
*August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)
*March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)a
*October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)
*July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)
*February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)
*May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our history)
*January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)
*February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)
*March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)
*April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk Hogan)
*May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)
*June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)
*June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)
*July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)
*August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)
*September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s, Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)
*October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)
*January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)
*February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)
*February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy’s win over Brock Lesnar)
*March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)
*March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and Wrestlemania history books)
*July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair’s book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)
*July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair’s book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)
*August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)
*August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund, Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)
*October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)
*November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the history of TNA)
*January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)
*March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at their Hall of Fame)
*May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)
*June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and behind the scenes of both shows)
*July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings, Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)
*September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)
*October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)
*November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
*December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on its own, $7 overseas)
*January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year’s Eve 2005 coverage)
*January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)
*April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby–many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)
*April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)
*July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)
*September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)
*October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him tick as his real objectives)
*November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff’s book and how the industry was changed forever)
*November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)
*November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and why it didn’t click)
*December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride’s offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)
*January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bigelow)
*March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)
*March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)
*March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)
*April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage–which many are calling one of the best issues in history)
*July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)
*August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)
*October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler Lewis)
*November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women’s wrestling) .
*December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)
*January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)
*March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)
*April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair’s meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
*August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)
* September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)
* September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)
* September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)
You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.
We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..
To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.
THURSDAY’S NEWS UPDATE
– T-shirts for the WWE Hall of Fame list Diesel as going in and not Kevin Nash, so that’s the way the decision went down.
– NXT moved its weekend shows in Florida to mid-week after WrestleMania. The next show will be the 3/27 show in San Jose.
– Kevin Owens won’t be defending his title in San Jose due to his recent knee surgery.
– Anderson Silva asked for a delay in his hearing before the Nevada Athletic Commission. There is a meeting on 3/23 which will include talking about the cases of Nick Diaz and Hector Lombard, who also failed drug tests on UFC shows in Las Vegas. Silva is expected to have his hearing in April.
– The U.S. named its team for the 2015 World Cup which takes place 4/11 and 4/12 at the Forum in Inglewood, CA. Among those on the team are 2012 gold medalist Jordan Burroughs, and former Olympic medalists Jake Varner and Coleman Scott, as well as 143 pounder Aaron Pico of Bellator, who is only 18 years old. The team as of right now is:
125 – Tony Ramos and Andrew Hochstrasser
134 – Coleman Scott and Matt McDonough
143 – Brent Metcalf and Aaron Pico
154 – Nick Marable and James Green
163 – Jordan Burroughs and Moza Fay
189 – Ed Ruth and Clayton Foster
213 – Jake Varner and Ed Kilgore
275 – Tervel Dlagnev and Zach Ray
– John Cena and Daniel Bryan will headline a 7/2 show at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, which is one of the home arenas of the ONE Championships promotion.
– There is a pre-sale going on for tickets to the Raw taping on 5/25 at the Nassau Coliseum with the code LASTWWE.
– While they may be gone now, WWE had opened up some tickets today for the 3/30 Raw show in San Jose.
– While not yet official, Mick Foley on Twitter hinted at adding another show in San Jose next week. The idea is for it to be 3/25. I don’t know the location but it won’t be the San Jose Improv, where he has a 3/27 show that is sold out.
– The 3/28 Wrestlecon show in San Jose headlined by Hardys vs. Sabu & Rob Van Dam, ACH vs. John Morrison and Jushin Liger & Ricochet & AR Fox vs Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian & Roderick Strong has also sold out.
– The Go Fund Me drive for former UFC champion Mark Coleman, who needs hip surgery after an infection, has raised more than $42,000.
– Bobby Jones, a Winnipeg wrestler in the 50s, 60s and 70s, passed away on 3/12 at the age of 84. Jones appeared on AWA TV tapings in the 60s and 70s doing jobs as well as working the Winnipeg house shows. He was later a TV announcer for Tony Condello in the 90s.
– Jeremy Borash appeared on the TV show Restaurant Impossible in an episode recorded in Bowling Green, KY. He was a restaurant guest who was interviewed. Borash has toured with Robert Irvine, the famous chef who is married to Gail Kim. (thanks to Brian Hoops)
– Jeff Hamlin, a regular correspondent to this site who does the great Impact reports, is now the play-by-play announcer for the Charlotte Independence of the United Scocer League.
– UFC’s FS 1 schedule tonight (all times Eastern):
8 p.m. Special on TJ Dillashaw
9 p.m. Premiere of special on TJ Dillashaw
9:30 p.m. Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao
10 p.m. Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber
Tomorrow night has
9 p.m. Special on Conor McGregor
9:30 p.m. Premiere of special on Cub Swanson, Ricardo Lamas, McGregor and Jose Aldo
10 p.m. Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar
– UFC tickets go on sale to the public tomorrow for UFC 188,which takes place on 6/13 at Arena Ciudad in Mexico City headlined by Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum for the heavyweight title plus Eddie Alvarez vs. Gilbert Melendez. Tickets are priced from 375 pesos to 7490 pesos.
– The Fight Network in Canada will be airing the prelims and pre-and-post fight coverage for Saturday’s UFC show from Brazil.
– Several time Observer guest Shayna Baszler fights on Saturday’s show against Amanda Nunes.
– WWE stock went up 47 cents per share to $16.32, likely on the news that a network number will be released a week from Monday.
– Norm Connors at [email protected] is looking to see if anyone has an extra Cauliflower Alley banquet ticket.
– FTW Wrestling tomorrow night in Pigeon Forge, TN at the Armory.
– A BBC video on British wrestling
– A WWE video game promotion for WrestleMania season
– Superkick’d Unstable on Saturday night at 8 p.m. in Toronto at The Great Hall headlined by Roderick Strong vs. Brent Banks, plus Cheeseburger, Tommaso Ciampa, J Diesel, Seleyzia Sparks, Romantic Tough and Will Ferrara of ROH all appear. They also run 4/18 in the same building with Michael Elgin, Matt Morgan and Tommy End.
– A woman bit a boy’s foot because he wouldn’t move while she was watching Raw
– For anyone in the U.S. looking to get tickets for New Japan shows
– An article on Ted DiBiase
– Devon Dudley talks his future
– Shawn Michaels will be doing a book signing on 3/26 in San Jose at 6 p.m. at the Barnes & Nobles on Stevens Creek Blvd.
– Kenny Omega’s match with a nine-year-old girl in Japan aired Wednesday night on Comedy Central’s @ Midnight TV show. They also aired the Shockmaster entrance. One of the guests, Ron Funches, knew who Kenny Omega was (thanks to Leonardo Mendez Toledo)
– The world premiere of the film “Shock the World,” on how Jesse Ventura became Governor of Minnesota, will debut next month at the Tribeca ESPN Sports Film Festival.
– On the Netflix sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, there is a flashback scene where one of the girls comes down with a severe case of Hulkamania in which she jumps on a table and stars doing Hogan promos. The only way to get her off the table was for Kimmy to do Randy Savage promos. Said to be pretty funny (thanks to Emerson Witner)
– Charity Appeal Wrestling on 3/29 at The Hightown Club in Luton, UK with Jonny Storm.
– ASW on Saturday in Lewisburg, TN at 2224 Mooresville Highway.
– Extreme Midget Wrestling on 3/27 at the AM Vets Post 101 in Smithville, TN for a 21 and older show.
– A correction from a report earlier in the week on the In Your Face Wrestling show, JP Black on the show was not Justin Gabriel. Gabriel is PJ Black.
– Also, to stop a rumor going around, TNA is not signing Kota Sekifuda of Big Japan Pro Wrestling as has been reported all over the place. Sekifuda, 19, is coming to the U.S. to attend a wrestling school and learn. What he said when he left Japan is that his goal would be to work for a major company like TNA. Nobody in TNA even knew who he was.
– Northern Championship Wrestling on 3/21 in Montreal at Centre Brussels.
– Alpha-1 Wrestling on 4/12 in Hamilton ONT at 4 p.m. with Ricky Shane Page vs. Mike Bailey, Eddie Kingston vs. Seleyzia Sparks, The Beaver Boys, Ethan Page and more.
– CHIKARA reports that its 4/6 show in London, UK at The Garage is almost sold out. The main event is Icarus vs. Hallowicked.
– Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling results from Saturday night in Webster, TX before 300 fans: Rob Barnes b Rockstar Robbie, Alex Reigns b Brendan Sky, Brian Keith b Andrew Jackson, Gino b Bu Ku Dau, Mario Bokara b Ryan Davidson-DQ, Pump Patrol b Tigers, Sean Studd (son of John Studd) b Cameron Cole, Rex Andrews b Steel-DQ, Pride b Purple Haze, Erik Lockhart b Andrew Lockhart-COR Fallah Bahh b Mysetrious Q. Next show is 4/11 with Ricky Steamboat and Bret Hart attending. Brenday Sky, in his second pro match, got great reviews (thanks to Scott Williams)
– AAW on 3/21 in Berwyn, IL at the Eagles Club has Eddie Kingston vs. Silas Young, Dick Justice vs. Gregory Iron in a blindfold match, Jimmy Jacobs vs. Ethan Page, Jake & Dave Crist vs. Zero Gravity, Johnny Gargano vs. Josh Alexander and more.
– UCW on Saturday night in Union City, TN at 308 South First St.
– OCW on Saturday night in Coshocton,OH at the Hopewell School with Shane Douglas.
– NWF on Saturday night in Fairfield, OH at the UAW Hall with a ladder match. They also run 3/27 in Ludlow, KY at the Ludlow Theater with Chris Harris.
– Crossfire Wrestling on Saturday in Niagara Falls, ONT at the Scotiabank Convention Centre from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a convention that includes Bret Hart, Kevin Nash and Dan Severn as well as Grant Fuhr and Cito Gaston. There will also be a wrestling show that night headlined by Cody Deaner.
– Maryland Championship Wrestling on Saturday night in Frederick, MD at the Indoor Sports Center with a fan fest at 5:30 p.m. with Matt Hardy, Boogeyman and Terri Runnels and a wrestling show with Hardy and Boogeyman.
– Canadian Wrestling Federation on 3/28 in St. Catherines, ONT at the Haig Bowl Arena headlined by Rhino vs. Shaunymo in a tables match.
– Lucha Libre VIP on 3/22 in Cudahy, CA at the Clara Street Sports Complex is headlined by Volador Jr. vs. La Sombra.
– A podcast talking Premier Wrestling, NXT in San Jose, and WrestleMania weekend news
– A story on Matt Riviera NWA Mid South Wrestling to feature reality star Saturday
– Wrestling Outsiders podcast with Emerson Witner and Bruce Tharpe
– An interview with crime fighter superhero turned MMA fighter Phoenix Jones
– C.M. Punk talks UFC
– Two Montreal Canadians do a stone cold stunner on the ice
– A podcast on the WWE developmental system
– Hulk Hogan met Irish Prime Minister Enda Kelly on a flight this past week
– Paige talks about wanting an extreme rules match with Stephanie McMahon, Emma or anyone else
– Absolute Intense Wrestling tomorrow night in Cleveland at Our Lady of Mt Carmel School with 2 Cold Scorpio, Jimmy Jacobs, Raymond Rowe, Johnny Gargano, Tyson, Dux, Candice LaRae and Chris Sabin.
– XICW on Saturday night in Clinton Township MI with Rhino vs. Tommy Dreamer and Davey Richards vs. Orlando Christopher.
– TAW on 3/28 in Dunstable, UK at the Leisure Centre headlined by Robbie E.
– Tennessee All Pro Wrestling on Saturday night in McMinnville, TN at 191 Industrial Drive.
– 4th Generation Wrestling on 3/28 at Castleford, West Yorkshire, UK at the Fryson Miners Welfare Club.
– Reno Wrestling Factory on 3/27 in Sparks, NV at the Spanish Springs High School with Martin Casaus of Tough Enough and Lucha Underground.
– Pro Wrestling Ulster on 3/29 at the Europa Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland headlined by Shelton Benjamin.
– Great North Wrestling on 5/29 in Ottawa, ONT at the Earl Armstrong Arena with Brutus Beefcake, Hannibal, Alex Silva and Jeremy Prophet.
– ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Greame Cameron)
1965 – Ray Stevens beat Domenic DeNucci in Brisbane to win the IWA title
1968 – John DaSilva beat George Gordienko in Auckland to win the British Commonwealth title
1994 – Canek beat Yamato (Kim Duk) to win the UWA heavyweight title
2011 – Mesias beat Jeff Jarrett in Mexico City to win the AAA heavyweight title