THE ROUND-UP
Compiled by F4W Staff
Chris Benoit biopic gets an Academy Award nominee as director — Here’s the latest update about the Chris Benoit movie “Crossface”.
B&V: Granny’s book released, Cruiserweight Classic, Lucha Underground, RAW 9/9 – Order your copy of the Bryan Alvarez memoirs (or possibly memwahs) by going to his twitter. It’s a hard copy book which will be mailed to you. This price includes shipping, and is 15 dollars for U.S. orders, 17 for the Canucks, and 20, for the other six continents, and 400 dollars for Antarctica. All money goes to help Granny pay for an elevator in her mansion.
F4D: DELETE OR DECAY running commentary with Bryan and Filthy Tom 9/8 – The filthiest empire radio show host and the filthiest mouthed emperor call the latest installment from “Broken” Matt Hardy.
TNA Impact Wrestling results: Delete or Decay – If you listented to the audio from Tom and Bryan, then you can just read Dave Bath’s Impact report and save yourself from accidentally watching anything with Crazzy Steve.
WWE NXT results: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Steve Cutler; Andrade Almas vs. Austin Aries – JJ Williams got tagged with watching an awesome show, which included Hideo Itami beating Buddy Murphy.
NXT Largo, FL, live results: Shinsuke Nakamura teams with Asuka & Tye Dillinger
The Day In Punk: Mick Foley well wishes, weight problems, a return to wrestling?
The Week In British Wrestling: IPW:UK turns 12, Brits impress at BOLA – IPW UK stars had a big impact at BOLA. Our man Alan Boon breaks it down.
#PunkWeek: CM Punk’s wrestling-to-MMA path was blazed by many others – In this article, Paul “Ace” Fontaine details other wrestlers who stepped into the cage.
For this weekend, we’ll be doing polls for both tomorrow night’s UFC 203 show from Cleveland and Sunday’s Smackdown brand PPV from Richmond, VA, with a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.
WWE’s only show tonight will be NXT in Gainesville, FL.
WORLD PRO WRESTLING RETURNS ON AXS TV AT 9 P.M. EASTERN TIME
Tetsuya Naito & Evil vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin vs. Kazuchika Okada & Yoshi-Hashi
CMLL FROM ARENA MEXICO AT 9:30 P.M. EASTERN TIME AT www.clarosports.com/en-vivo02/
Astral & Stukita vs. Pierrothito & Nitrito
Blue Panther Jr. & Soberano & Pegasso vs. Virus & Okumura & Tiger
Angel de Oro & Titan & Rey Cometa vs. Hechicero & Vangellys & Ephesto
Valiente vs Felino
Volador Jr. & Maximo Sexy & Mascara Dorada vs. Matt Taven & Mr. Niebla & Shocker
Mistico & Caristico & Dragon Lee vs. La Mascara & Euforia & Negro Casas
RESURRECTION FIGHTING ALLIANCE FROM TONIGHT AT 10 P.M. FROM BROOMFIELD, COLORADO AT THE 1ST BANK CENTER
Alonzo Menifield (1-0, 204) vs. Brock Combs (1-1, 204.8)
Jon Wyderko (2-0, 150.6) vs. Josh Wick (5-2, 145.2)
Clay Wimer (6-1, 145.6) vs. Cory Sandhagen (4-0, 144.8)
Boston Salmon (5-0, 135.8) vs. Zac Riley (4-3, 135.6)
Gabriel Checco (9-2, 185) vs. Adam Stroup (10-3, 185)
Nick Barnes (11-1, 168.2) vs. Brian Camozzi (6-2, 169)
Saturday has WWE shows in Shanghai, China (Raw crew plus John Cena) and Raleigh, NC (Smackdown crew minus John Cena and American Alpha). We’re looking for reports on both shows to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.
UFC 203 FROM THE QUICKEN LOANS ARENA IN CLEVELAND | Saturday
Fight Pass at 7 p.m. Eastern time
Drew Dober (155) vs. Jason Gonzalez (156)
Yancy Medeiros (171) vs. Sean Spencer (170)
FS 1 at 8 p.m.
Francimar Barroso (205.5) vs. C.B. Dolloway (205)
Caio Magalhaes (185.5) vs. Brad Tavares (186)
Nik Lentz (156) vs. Michael McBride (158)
Bethe Correia (135) vs. Jessica Eye (135)
PPV at 10 p.m.
Jessica Andrade (115.5) vs. Joanne Calderwood (116)
Urijah Faber (136) vs. Jimmie Rivera (135.5)
C.M. Punk (170) vs. Mickey Gall (170.5)
Travis Browne (241) vs. Fabricio Werdum (239.5)
Stipe Miocic (246) vs. Alistair Overeem (248.5) for the heavyweight title
McBride will be fined 20 percent of his purse for missing weight, while Overeem was fined $500 for being late to this morning’s weigh-ins.
EVOLVE IPPV FROM DEER PARK, NEW YORK ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT WWW.WWNLIVE.COM
Ethan Page vs. Dan Barry
TJ Perkins vs. Darby Allin
Matt Riddle vs. Ricochet vs. Tony Nese
Jigsaw vs. Fred Yehi
Dustin vs. Tracy Williams
Drew Galloway vs. Drew Gulak
Johnny Gargano vs Zack Sabre Jr.
WWE BACKLASH AT 7 P.M. EASTERN TIME ON THE WWE NETWORK
Dean Ambrose vs. A.J. Styles for WWE title
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler for IC title
Nikki Bella vs. Natalya vs. Becky Lynch vs. Naomi vs. Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss in a six-way elimination match to create the first Smackdown women’s champion
Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley vs. Usos
Rawley & Ryder vs. Usos winner vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno to create new Smackdown tag team champions
EVOLVE IPPV FROM WOODSIDE, QUEENS, NY ON SUNDAY AT WWW.WWNLIVE.COM
Fred Yehi vs. Travis Gordon
Tracy Williams vs. Chuck O’Neil
Ethan Page vs. David Starr
Tony Nese vs. Darby Allin
T.J. Perkins vs. Matt Riddle
Drew Gulak vs. Dustin
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet
Johnny Gargano & Cody Rhodes vs. Drew Galloway & Chris Hero
NEW JAPAN FROM TOKYO KORAKUEN HALL ON MONDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
David Finlay vs. Henare
Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Liger & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Will Ospreay & Gedo & Rocky Romero & Baretta
Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi
Juice Robinson vs. Evil
Katsuyori Shibata & Tiger Mask vs Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin & Kushida vs. Tetsuya Naito & Seiya Sanada & Bushi
Raw will be Monday night from Baltimore. Smackdown will have a house show in Fairfax, VA on Monday night.
Smackdown will be Tuesday night from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
The semifinals and finals of the cruiserweight classic will be part of a two-hour show live from Full Sail University at 8 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday with semifinals of Kota Ibushi vs. T.J. Perkins and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Gran Metalik as the semifinals.
Figure Four Weekly: Figure Four Weekly 9/5/2016: WWE finally releases the “Last Battle of Atlanta” – WWE is getting ready to check another box off the wrestling video collectors’ holy grail list. WWE Network news reported over the weekend that Tommy Rich vs. Buzz Sawyer in “The Last Battle of Atlanta” will be added to the service on Tuesday, September 6th as part of a “Hidden Gems” playlist… 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: September 12, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: CM Punk making UFC debut, PWG Battle of Los Angeles review, more – A 19-month journey will come to an end, or to a new beginning on 9/10 when Phil Brooks, better known as C.M. Punk, steps into the cage in one of the biggest matches on the UFC 203 PPV card. While many people have tried to make analogies, using names like Brock Lesnar or James Toney, there is really nothing in UFC history really comparable to this. It was a weird experiment that many had written off as a failure six months into the story… 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 Dave@WrestlingObserver.com.
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WON BACK ISSUE: August 16, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Jim Ross, Jushin Liger, Keiji Mutoh, Lioness Asuka enter Hall of Fame – Details on the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame voting results… Subscribers click here to continue reading.
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
There wasn’t much to the Alberto El Patron press conference in Mexico City.
It appears both sides have made a deal not to say anything bad about the other. Alberto noted that he was free to take bookings outside the U.S. and would be free in the U.S. shortly (end of the month). He said he had been bored and unhappy and was hated getting on planes for the show and wanted to spend more time with his family. He said he would limit himself to 60 dates per year, wrestle for two more years and then retire. He said he doesn’t want to sign a promotion, which is notable since both TNA and Lucha Underground want him, but I don’t think Lucha Underground would touch him if he was free to work for other promotions that have TV.
It’s interesting seeing he and Cody Rhodes try and book themselves as if they are above the politics and as legit independent contractors, as opposed to mythical independent contractors. Del Rio and brother Guillermo will be going to Norwich, England for a show against Zak & Roy Knight, the brothers of Paige for the Knight family’s WAW promotion. Del Rio talked about wrestling again at Arena Mexico. Both AAA and CMLL have had interest in him, as has TNA, New Japan and ROH.
Paige was there at the press conference but wouldn’t talk to any reporters.
According to those with direct knowledge of her situation, she was basically in the same situation A.J. Lee was on when C.M. Punk left. At one point this week it did appear she was gone, right now that isn’t the case, but it can change and the situation will be weird. The big difference is there is no legal action being taken against Alberto like there was against Punk.
If you want to know what CM Punk thinks about everything leading to UFC 203, he wrote a very good article about his thoughts and why he doesn’t miss being C.M. Punk in WWE.
Caristico is booked for both CMLL and Elite tonight at Arena Mexico and Arena Naucalpan. He did work Monday in Puebla for CMLL and is booked this coming week for CMLL, but he has not said anything publicly. One of the lead stories in the current Observer talks about the falling out between CMLL and Elite.
Spike TV’s documentary on the Ali vs. Frazier fight that we wrote about yesterday will air after its boxing coverage tonight, roughly 11:15 p.m.
WWE
I don’t know the story behind this but on Wednesday, WWE sent out word to everyone who works in the web department to not promote Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks at Clash of Champions and if there are any stories with any language where the match is mentioned to amend it.
Eva Marie has been cast in the movie “Inconsolable”, a Nicolas Cage movie that starts shooting next month.
The 10/30 NXT show at the Palladium in Los Angeles sold out immediately.
Glenn “Kane” Jacobs last night was a celebrity server at Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes in Knoxville. This was part of a Faith to End Hunger food drive while several Knoxville residents collected nonperishable food items and 10 percent of revenue was donated to Faith to end Hunger. Jacobs said he appreciated the large crowd that came to the restaurant to see him work as a waiter.
An interview with Carmella for RVA Magazine
Awful Announcing talks ESPN’s coverage of pro wrestling.
UFC
While not signed yet, MMA Fighting is reporting Rashad Evans vs. Tim Kennedy for the UFC 205 show in Madison Square Garden.
Tickets for UFC 204 in Manchester, UK, sold out in five minutes today, even though the Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson main event is scheduled to go into the cage at 5 a.m. local time. The show is scheduled to start at somewhere between 11 p.m. and midnight Greenwich time.
MISCELLANEOUS
For those in Cleveland for tomorrow’s UFC show, there is an AIW pro wrestling event tonight at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel at 1355 West 70th St., with Dan Severn, Matt Riddle and Shayna Baszler.
A tragic story is that this past Saturday, Colton Rood, 19, the son of the late Richard Rood (Rick Rude) was killed in a motorcycle accident. Roode, who graduated from high school last year, was traveling south on Floyd Springs Road in Floyd County, Georgia on a 2014 Yamaha 950 when a silver Toyota made a turn into his path and hit him at about 2:50 p.m. that day. The driver, Tonita Jo Rudd of Kennesaw, GA, was turning left into a driveway and has been charged with misdemeanor vehicular homicide and failure to yield. Rood was pronounced dead at the Floyd Medical Center at 3:37 p.m. Saturday.
Kairi Hojo, one of the best woman wrestlers in the world, will be out of action for at least a few weeks due to a concussion from taking a ganso bump from the apron to the floor on Saturday in her match with Io Shirai. This also means she’ll have to forfeit a number of matches since Stardom is the middle of its singles tournament.
The Team Vision Dojo in Orlando has shows tomorrow night, Wednesday night, as well as Friday night and Saturday night next weekend. Tomorrow’s show is called Wrestle Aid Orlando, a fund raiser for Autism Speaks. Wednesday is a training class show. Friday will be a woman’s show with Santana Garrett vs. Raquel and a Battle Royal. Saturday will feature the debut of former developmental wrestler Josh Woods.
Border City Wrestling on 11/5 in Windsor, ONT at the St. Clair College Gym with Anthony Carelli (Santino Marella), Aron Rex (Damien Sandow), Cody Deaner, Tyson Dux, Kongo Kong, Johnny Devine and more.
Live Pro Wrestling on 11/6 in Waterford, ONT at the Sacred Heart Ukranian Catholic Hall.
Battle Club Pro on 10/1 in Bronx, NY at The Point DCD.
Pro Wrestling Renfrew on 10/22 in Renfrew, ONT at the RACF 433 Wing with the Super Smash Brothers.
FTW on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at LaBoom in Woodside, NY has Gangrel and Aldo Rose (Adam Rose).
There is a Lucha Underground panel discussion with Fenix, Vampiro, Taya, Catrina and Melissa Santos at the PlayFest in Los Angeles as part of the El Rey Network presentation.
Dave Bautista picks soccer results in the U.K.
Click Here: Atlanta United FC Jersey
EVENTS CALENDAR
Saturday, September 10 – UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem; Cleveland, Ohio
9 – Chaotic Wrestling & The Lowell Spinners present “A Night of Grand Slams,” Edward A. LeLacheur Park, 450 Aiken St. – Lowell, MA
10 – CZW in Voorhees, NJ at Flyers Skate Zone with a doubleheader with a WSU Women’s show at 4 p.m. that day and the men’s show at 8 p.m.
10 – Pure Wrestling Association: COWEX – Duncan, British Columbia
10 – New England Fights 25: HEROES & VILLAINS; Lewiston, MA. Tickets.
10 – Barrie Wrestling: Back to School 3; 49 Ferris Lane, Barrie, Ontario, Canada
10 – Evolve in Deer Park, NY has Gargano vs. Sabre Jr., Galloway vs. Gulak, Dustin vs. Tracy Williams, Jigsaw vs. Fred Yehi, Riddle vs. Tony Nese, Perkins vs. Allin and Page vs. Dan Barry.
11 – Evolve in Woodside, NY at La Boom has Johnny Gargano & Cody Rhodes vs. Drew Galloway & Chris Hero in Gargano’s last Evolve match, Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet, Matt Riddle vs. TJ Perkins, Dustin vs. Drew Gulak, Tony Nese vs. Darby Allin and Ethan Page vs David Starr. Joey Styles will also be appearing.
15 – CCW Parkhill Fall Fair Pro Wrestling, 5:30pm doors, 6:30pm bell time. Cody Deaner vs. Jake O’Reilly for the CCW title.
16 – All Star Wrestling; Squamish, BC, Totem Hall, Stawamus Rd, Garibaldi Highlands, BC V0N 1T0, Canada, tickets.
16 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE, 7:30 pm. Tickets.
16 – AAW: 115 Bourbon Street (3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL). Tickets.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Lake Cowichan, British Columbia
16 – Smash vs Progress: Uncensored; Oshawa Music Hall, Oshawa, Ontario. Must be 19+ to attend.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Private Event in Ontario
16 – SuperKickd’d Pro Wrestling at 7:30 PM – 10 PM, The Great Hall Toronto, 1087 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H3
16 – All Pro Wrestling on 9/16 in Daly City, CA at the Bayshore Community Center features Sabu vs. The Almighty Sheik, Willie Mack & B-Boy vs Reno Scrum, plus Jody Kristofferson, JR Kratos, Marcus Lewis and Dylan Drake in a four way for the Universal title.
17 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Lockport (Buffalo), NY, 7:00 pm. Tickets.
17 – NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling on in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Alpine Club, Kitchener, Ontario
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Courtenay, British Columbia
17 – UFC Fight Night, Poirier vs. Johnson: Hidalgo, Texas, State Farm Arena
17 & 18 – SMASH VS PROGRESS: Smash Wrestling welcomes our friends from Progress Wrestling. Mark Haskins and Jack Gallagher (Cruiserweight Classic), Zack Sabre Jr. Mark Andrews and more will be part of the Progress Wrestling team in a Smash vs. Progress Canada vs. UK show in Toronto at the Franklin Horner Community Center.
18 – Pure Wrestling Association: Gold River, British Columbia
18 – NWX presents School’s Back In Session at the CWF Wrestling School on 20 Hartzel Rd in St Catharines, ON. Holden Albright vs. Joey Paradice (c) for the NWX Heavyweight Championship. Get your tickets by calling 289-687-5610.
22 – NXT; Toronto, Ontario at the Mattamy Athletic Center (the former Maple Leaf Gardens)
22 – All-Star Wrestling: 7:30 PM, Abbotsford Arts Center, 2329 Crescent Way, Abbotsford, BC V2S 3M2, Canada, tickets.
22- Big Time Wrestling in Morganton, NC at the Collette Rec Center features a meet & greet at 6 p.m. before the live show. Appearing are Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Cody Rhodes, Magnum T.A. and Trevor Lee.
23 – MCW Pro Wrestling presents “Ringside with Jim Ross & Jim Cornette at Jimmy’s Famous Seafood in Baltimore. Showtime 8:00PM, 6526 Holabird Ave, Baltimore, MD 21224. Tickets.
23 – Big Time Wrestling in Raleigh, NC at Dorton Arena features Flair and Steamboat together at Dorton Arena for the first time in 28 years, plus Jeff & Matt Hardy, Cody Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ivan Koloff, Jimmy Valiant, Gangrel and Shane Helms with the meet & greet at 6 and show at 8.
23 – Invicta FC: Live from Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. Interim Flyweight Champion Jennifer Maia Defends Against Roxanne Modafferi
23 – NXT; St. Catherines, Ontario at The Meridian Centre
23 – Absolute Intense Wrestling: A Farewell to Johnny Gargano – 1355 West 70th St. Cleveland, OH – Tickets.
23 – Pure Wrestling Association: Parksville, British Columbia
23 – Pro Wrestling Eclipse takes a short trip to downtown Oshawa and visits the Oshawa Mason Temple. All tickets purchased on July 24 that list the venue as the Oshawa Legion will be honoured.
24 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Duluth (Atlanta), GA 7:00 pm, tickets.
24 – East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA), 49 ANNIVERSARY SHOW, Woodbury Heights Community Center, 741 Helen Ave, Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097. Tickets.
24 – EWA Evolution: World War Z at Tall Cedars Hall (2501 Putty Hill Ave.) in Parkville, MD. See the double ring, 5 vs. 5 Ladder War! Bell time is 7:30 pm. Tickets are $15 front row and $12 general.
24 – IWA Midsouth Wrestling presents the Hybrid Cup, at PRIDE Bar in New Albany, IN.
24 – Ignite Wrestling in Vero Beach, FL at the IG Center features Dave Crist.
24 – UCW, September 24th 7:30 PMBay City,MI UCW Champion Hakim Zane vs MVP, plus appearances by Ron Simmons and Fred Ottman
24 – Big Time Wrestling in Spartanburg, SC at the Memorial Auditorium with the meet and greet at 5:30 and show at 7:30 with Flair, Steamboat, Hardys, Rhodes, Nasty Boys, Sabu, Magnum T.A., Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Gangrel and Trevor Lee.
24 – MCW Legends Convention at the MCW Arena in Joppa, MD at 10 a.m. featuring Bret Hart, Jimmy Hart, Howard Finkel, Honky Tonk Man, Hillbilly Jim, Paul Orndorff, Greg Valentine, Jim Ross, Bill Apter, Brutus Beefcake, Bob Orton, Tito Santana, Jim Neidhart, Tammy Sytch, Magnum T.A. and even Dennis Stamp.
24 – Rock Solid: Anarchy in Angus 14: A Nightmare on Mill Street, 7pm – 10pm, Angus Recreation Centre, 8527 County Rd. 10, Angus, Ontario. Tickets.
24 – Pure Wrestling Association: Campbell River, British Columbia
24 – NXT in Kitchener, Ontario at The Air
24 – Elite Canada Championship Wrestling: New Westminster, Sapperton Pensioners Hall
24 – Main Event Pro Wrestling in Longview, TX at Pine Tree High School, 5pm, Big Daddy Yum Yum and others. Tickets $10
318 Keary St, New Westminster, BC, 7:30pm Bell Time, doors at 7pm. Tickets.
25 – Canadian Wrestling’s Elite: Nick “Magnus” Aldis defends the GFW title against Matt Hart of the Hart Family in Calgary.
25 – Rizin: Former K-1 kickboxer Minoru Kimura will make his MMA debut against former Pride fighter Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett (29-30-2)
25 – Pure Wrestling Association – TBA – British Columbia
30 – ROH: All-Star Extravaganza Weekend Day 1; Lowell (Boston), MA, Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 9:00 pm (PPV)
30 – CWF presents Live Pro Wrestling at CWF Studios on 20 Hartzel Rd in St Catharines, ON. 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
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