Tuesday has Smackdown/Main Event tapings in Philadelphia. No John Cena here, with Randy Orton, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns being the biggest stars.
Please send reports from major shows, recommended links, etc. to [email protected]: for major shows, best match/worst match/thumbs up or down or in the middle poll responses should be sent to [email protected].
NXT TAKEOVER WEDNESDAY FROM FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY IN WINTER PARK, FL at 8 p.m. on the WWE network
Bayley vs. Sasha Banks for the NXT title in a 30 minute Iron Woman match
Dusty Rhodes tag team tournament semifinals & finals
JJ Jordan & Chad Gable vs. Rhyno & Baron Corbin
Samoa Joe & Finn Balor vs. Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson
Apollo Crews vs. Tyler Breeze
Asuka vs. Dana Brooke
Figure Four Weekly:
Figure Four Weekly (10/5/15): Latest on Hulk Hogan Lawsuit Against Gawker
Details on all facets of Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker, including a better understanding of Gawker’s defense, what else the judge has sealed to protect Hogan, and more.
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Wrestling Observer Newsletter
If you saw the JBL interview with Eric Bischoff, or even if you didn’t, we have what is already one of the most talked about and praised issues of the Wrestling Observer this year up on the site right now. The main theme is fact vs. fiction, covering both the WWE historical view of the Monday Night Wars and the Eric Bischoff version, going through every point and cutting through things like outright B.S., faulty memories and interesting truths.
The new double issue also covers SummerSlam in Brooklyn, the real story behind the UFC announcing a show in Madison Square Garden, Jon Jones’ legal punishment and future, coverage of both of the New Japan PPV shows this past week as well as a look at their direction as they build toward King of Pro Wrestling and later, the Tokyo Dome show, UFC in Japan and a look at that business, the retirement of Rich Franklin, a Hall of Famer running for Mayor, the retirement show of Genichiro Tenryu, more concerning drug testing questions, SummerSlam PPV numbers and what we can learn from them, as well as the death of German legend Axel Dieter Sr.
The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter: October 6, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Analysis of Bischoff Network interview, Jones plea and tons more.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer
You can also order print issues at www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected]
Rates are:
For the United States, it is $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.
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.
We look at Eric Bischoff and his role, both good and bad, in what the pro wrestling industry has turned into. We look at the WCW boom, the creation of Nitro, the early war, the NWO era, the peak and the fall of WCW.
We look at the mistakes made, the fall of WCW, the emergence of Bill Goldberg, the real origination of the streak idea, We look at the rapid decline of the company and why. We look at how and when things went down, as well as why, how history shows the merger excuse doesn’t hold water, the complete b.s. of the WWE’s Monday Night War narrative. We look at the dying days of WCW and Eric Bischoff’s plan he never got a chance to implement.
We look at Eric Bischoff’s background, how he got into wrestling, his first meeting with Verne Gagne, his WWF tryout as an announcer, his connection with Japan, the unique case of Sonny Onoo, and the death of the AWA.
We look at the sale of Georgia Championship Wrestling, Vince McMahon’s one-year run on TBS and problems with Ted Turner, where Bill Watts fit into the scene then, and the scene prior to the launch of Nitro.
We look at WCW before Bischoff got power, what really happened with Jim Ross and WCW, , moves by Bill Watts, . We look at the first Nitro, the real story behind Lex Luger, what Lex Luger really got, what really happened in WCW with HHH and Mick Foley, Foley getting into WWF, the story behind Bischoff’s firing of Steve Austin, the cruiserweight division and its double-edge sword, what was the point of no return, the Montreal screw job and why so many, even in wrestling, missed key points in that story, Mike Tyson at WrestleMania, Kevin Nash as a booker, DX invades Nitro and the Bischoff vs. McMahon challenge to a fist fight and the story behind the PPV that went 30 minutes over.
In the UFC Madison Square Garden announcement, we look at the thought process behind the strategy.
FOR A FULL WRESTLING OBSERVER PREVIEW CLICK HERE
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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.
Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.
Tuesday Daily Update
Notes on Triple H’s NXT conference call
WWE Raw live results 10-5: Brock Lesnar and Undertaker build to Hell in a Cell
Today in history
Unfortunate news from Beau James: Bill Bowman aka Bill Sky of The Sky Brothers and Interns with Joe Turner passed early this morning in Pensacola. Mike Norris is working on a bio now. Bill was a big star in Gulf Coast, Tennessee, Georgia, and Mid Atlantic.
Bayley talks to Rolling Stone. Who was her “Bayley” when she was a kid? “Lita made me realize it was possible to just be myself and be able to achieve my dreams. I would watch every interview with her, read every interview, I had her DVD – or back then, it was VHS – but I remember she would say that fans would come up to her at autograph sessions and be like, ‘Man, I feel like we would be friends if you weren’t on TV.’ And that always stuck with me. Lita was the one who made me realize that I didn’t have to change who I was to be where I wanted.”
The big MMA story of the day is T.J. Dillashaw leaving Team Alpha Male for Elevation Fight Team, which Dillashaw confirmed to Ariel Helwani after an initial report by Globo. This comes on the heels of Faber airing grievances about former Alpha Male coach Duane Ludwig (who transformed Dillashaw’s style and has a gym near the gyms Elevation uses) on The MMA Hour, which he said was because Conor McGregor made comments about the team drama on The Ultimate Fighter.
Helwani is also reporting that Fedor Emelianenko’s opponent on New Year’s Eve is expected to be a kickboxer turned 1-0 MMA fighter by the name of Jaideep Singh. Looks like Pride really is back.
Figures Toy Company released a photo of the head sculpt of their upcoming A.J. Styles action figure.
Bellator MMA announced that Chidi Njokuani (Anthony’s brother) will make his promotional debut on Nov. 20 Against Ricky Rainey. That’s on the undercard of th event headlined by Hisaki Kato vs. Melvin Manhoef.
Devon Nicholson released a new interview that he did with Harley Race.
Masked Republic has a new line of officially licensed Perros de Mal merchandise at LuchaShop.com. Coupon code BIX will get you 10% off your order.
AAW returns this Friday to the Berwyn Eagles Club (6309 W. 26th St. Berwyn, IL). Doors: 7:00pm Belltime: 7:45pm. Tickets Available http://aawrestling.com/tickets/ – Ethan Page vs. Johnny Gargano in a 2/3 falls match headlines.
Ricky Steamboat will corner Ricky Morton against Kid Kash at Enter The Dragon on Saturday, October 17, which takes place at Elizabethton High School (907 Jason Witten Way) in Elizabethton, TN (37643). 8:00 PM Bell Time.
If you missed it, Bill Apter’s book was released earky and is now available on Kindle as well as in paperback. The Kindle price, which was a bit high a few days ago, is now a much more reasonable $8.49. Highly recommended from what I’ve read so far.
WWE’s next home video release is Sting: Into the Light on DVD and Blu-Ray, which comes out a week from today and is available for pre-order.
On the newest edition of the Between the Sheets podcast, Kris Zellner and I are joined by Mike Rogalewski to talk September 29th to October 5th, 1996. WWF in turmoil in New York City, comings and goings in Japan, Konnan vs. Antonio Pena at a tipping point, ECW getting red hot, and the early days of the nWo aren’t as great as we remember.