THE ROUND-UP
THE LATEST NEWS
UFC 227 live results: Two titles on the line
Updated NJPW G1 Climax 28 standings
WWE Augusta, GA, live results: Ronda Rousey teams with Natalya
NJPW G1 Climax 28 night 14 live results: Naito vs. Ibushi
United States title match advertised for WWE SummerSlam
THE LATEST AUDIO
WOL: KANE wins big, WWE and NXT women, Dr. Lucha on LA Park, more! 8/3
Left My Wallet: Glacier on football, the UWFI days, and Atlanta sports 8/3
B&V&G: Granny, NXT, THURSDAY NIGHT POTPOURRI! 8/2
We’re looking for reports from the WWE Raw house show in North Charleston, SC, Smackdown in Pensacola, FL, NXT in St. Petersburg, FL and Northeast Wrestling in Wappingers Falls, NY to [email protected].
UFC 227 FROM THE STAPLES CENTER IN LOS ANGELES
Fight Pass at 6:15 p.m. Eastern time
Wuliji Buren (135.5) vs. Marlon Vera (135.5)
Danielle Taylor (115.25) vs. Weili Zhang (115.5)
Alex Perez (126) vs. Jose Torres (125)
FX at 8 p.m. Eastern time
Sheymon Moraes (146) vs. Matt Sayles (145.75)
Kyung Ho Kang (136) vs. Ricardo Ramos (135.5)
Montel Jackson (136) vs. Ricky Simon (135.25)
Brett Johns (135.25) vs. Pedro Munhoz (135)
PPV at 10 p.m. Eastern time
Kevin Holland (184.75) vs. Thiago Santos (185.5)
J.J. Aldrich (115.75) vs. Polyana Viana (115)
Renato Moicano (146) vs. Cub Swanson (145.25)
Demetrious Johnson (125) vs. Henry Cejudo (125) for the flyweight title
T.J. Dillashaw (135) vs. Cody Garbrandt (134.75) for the bantamweight title
NEW JAPAN G-1 CLIMAX TOURNAMENT SATURDAY NIGHT LATE AT 2 A.M. EASTERN AND 11 P.M. PACIFIC FROM THE EDION ARENA IN OSAKA ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
Juice Robinson & Shota Umino vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Sho
Tetsuya Naito & Sanada vs. David Finlay & Toa Henare
Hirooki Goto & Yoh vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taka Michinoku
Kota Ibushi & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
Kenny Omega & Chase Owens vs. Toru Yano & Gedo
Yoshi-Hashi vs. Bad Luck Fale
Minoru Suzuki vs. Hangman Page
Jay White vs. Togi Makabe
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Michael Elgin
Kazuchika Okada vs. Evil
Sunday has WWE Raw in Savannah, GA and Smackdown in Albany, GA.
WWN/EVOLVE ON SUNDAY AT 4 P.M. EASTERN TIME FROM THE MELROSE, MA MEMORIAL HALL
J.D. Drake vs. Dom Garrini
Anthony Henry vs. Jon Davis
Shane Strickland vs. Saieve Al Sabah
Jaka vs. Josh Briggs
Chris Dickinson vs. Tracy Williams
Matt Riddle vs. Austin Theory
Joey Janela vs. Darby Allin for WWN title
Raw will be live on Monday night from Jacksonville, FL. Matches announced are Ronda Rousey’s first Raw match against Alicia Fox, and Bobby Roode vs. Mojo Rawley. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman are not scheduled on the show. There is also a Smackdown house show in Gainesville, FL.
Smackdown and 205 Live take place Tuesday in Orlando with Sheamus & Cesaro vs. New Day for a shot at the Bludgeon Brothers’ Smackdown tag titles at SummerSlam.
F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: The next step in WWE’s Women’s Evolution
WWE’s “women’s evolution” took its logical next step last week as the company announced its first all-women’s pay-per-view. Aptly, the PPV will be called “Evolution.” It will take place at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York on October 28. WWE is hyping that over 50 wrestlers from the past and present will be involved, with Trish Stratus, Lita, and Beth Phoenix already advertised.
WON NEWSLETTER: (July 30, 2018) Wrestling Observer Newsletter: All women PPV WWE Evolution announcement, more
The lead stories in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter cover the lives, careers and deaths of Brian Christopher Lawler, Nikolai Volkoff and Brickhouse Brown.
With Lawler, look at his death, his recent arrest, the decision to not bail him out, growing up in Memphis, how he started in pro wrestling, how he got his first push and his USWA heyday.
Look the death of Nikolai Volkoff, what led to it, the true story of his name and where he got the gimmick as opposed to the public explanation that was always told.
Find out about the strange circumstances surrounding the death of Brickhouse Brown, how he was pronounced dead and came back to life, and his description of what happened when he was dead the first time.
Read the update on the current SummerSlam show, business notes, Lesnar vs. Reigns, as well as the market value of tickets for all the rest of the summer major events.
Also there is more on the WWE FOX deal, new programming that both has and hasn’t been discussed, updated contract information, new season of Total Divas, why Cain Velasquez was training at the Performance Center, and Sting talks if he will wrestle again.
Look at the debut of ITV World of Sport wrestling, why it was put on network TV in that time slot, ratings for the show and what they mean, who watched, why people were surprised about the viewership and what it means.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to [email protected]. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52. If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.)
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.
SATURDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
John Cena indicated that he’s been added to WWE’s house show in Shanghai, China on September 1: “The 6th move of doom. Ready for #WWEShanghai. Sept 1st.” Cena hasn’t wrestled since April’s Greatest Royal Rumble. He’s also advertised for WWE’s Super Show-Down PPV in Australia this October.
Jerry Lawler spoke to CW 30 in Memphis for a story on Brian Christopher Lawler’s funeral. A tribute video for Brian was played at the funeral.
Glenn Jacobs spoke to Sports Illustrated about how supportive Vince McMahon was of his campaign to become mayor of Knox County, Tennessee: “Vince wants all of us to do well, no matter what we’re doing, because it reflects well on the company. On a personal level, between me and him, it’s important to me that he is proud of me. He’s done so much for me and for my family. He sent me a text that got me all choked up.” Sports Illustrated noted that Jacobs had to compose himself when answering the question.
After Daniel Bryan challenged The Miz to a match at SummerSlam on SmackDown, WWE is doing a storyline where Miz has declined the challenge and is saying that he deserves better than facing Bryan.
Matt Hardy tweeted that he’s recently learned that his lower back and pelvis have started to fuse together. Hardy wrote that the leg drop/splash combo that he and Jeff Hardy would always do is most likely the reason for it.
NXt’s Instagram posted a couple of photos of Paul Heyman working with wrestlers at the WWE Performance Center. The caption was: “Ladies and gentlemen… Who is better than @paulheyman to teach you how to address a sold out crowd?”
Roman Reigns helped Georgia Tech (where he played football in college) debut their new football uniforms at an event last night. Reigns wasn’t booked for last night’s house show in Augusta, Georgia but will be on the rest of this weekend’s Raw shows.
WWE hosted a 16-year-old named Tyler at their headquarters yesterday for a Make A Wish visit and gave his family tickets to Survivor Series. Donald Trump retweeted Vince McMahon’s tweet about the visit.
WWE has an interview with Xia and Robbie Brookside about Xia being in this year’s Mae Young Classic.
A new episode of Table for Three with Nia Jax, Natalya, and Beth Phoenix will air after Raw on Monday.
The WWE Network is adding collections on Chris Jericho and The Miz on Monday. The first set of “Superstar Picks” will also debut on the Network, with the first collection of matches chosen by Sasha Banks.
While wearing NWO gear, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall were filming something at Hogan’s Beach Shop in Florida this week. What they were filming for and whether it was a WWE project or not isn’t known.
“WWE 24: The Best of 2018 — Director’s Cut” will be released on DVD this December.
This week’s WWE video top 10 list looks at the Bella Twins’ best moments.
Pro Wrestling
With four shows remaining until the August 12 finals, the G1 Climax is entering its final stretch. The A Block will be in action in Osaka overnight, with the show starting at 2 a.m. Eastern time:
Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Michael Elgin
Jay White vs. Togi Makabe
Minoru Suzuki vs. Hangman Page
YOSHI-HASHI vs. Bad Luck Fale
Kenny Omega & Chase Owens vs. Toru Yano & Gedo
Kota Ibushi & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
Hirooki Goto & Yoh vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taka Michinoku
Tetsuya Naito & SANADA vs. David Finlay & Toa Henare
Juice Robinson & Shota Umino vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Sho
Tickets for ROH and NJPW’s G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden will start at $30 per ticket and go up to $300.
Tenille Dashwood & Viper will face Kay Lee Ray & Chardonnay at ROH’s Honor Re-United show in Edinburgh on August 16.
Will Ospreay reflected on him and Bea Priestley becoming homeowners and thanked the fans, his family, and everyone he’s worked for.
Rachael Ellering confirmed that she’ll still be in this year’s Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix despite being a participant in the Mae Young Classic.
NJPW has released Bullet Club cologne.
Flip Gordon will be hosting an “All Out” pre-show party in the Sears Centre Arena parking lot prior to All In. Tickets will cost $20 and are only available to those with tickets to All In. They are set to go on sale on August 8 noon Central time and will come with an event T-shirt.
Downstait revealed the official theme song they recorded for All In.
John Hennigan was interviewed by CBS Local Sports about being on the next season of Survivor and working for Impact Wrestling, Lucha Underground, and MLW.
UFC/MMA
Nate Diaz tweeted “I’m not fighting on that show fuk the @ufc” after Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov was announced at yesterday’s press conference. McGregor is facing Nurmagomedov on October 6, while Diaz is scheduled to face Dustin Poirier at Madison Square Garden on November 3. Diaz spoke to TMZ after the tweet and said he’ll fight at MSG if he feels like it. He said the UFC needs to start overpromoting him instead of underpromoting him.
Dana White told TSN that the UFC expects McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov to fall in the two million PPV buys ballpark. White said the company hasn’t talked about booking Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva and isn’t in the process of making it.
Brock Lesnar has been tested by USADA three times since entering back into the drug testing pool on July 3.
The UFC uploaded the final episode of Embedded for tonight’s PPV.
Daily Professional Wrestling History: Lex Luger wins WCW title from Hollywood Hogan
12th Annual F4W Empire Vegas Convention
Greetings friends and fans of the F4W / Wrestling Observer website. The 12th annual F4W / Wrestling Observer Empire Las Vegas Convention~! is just around the corner.
This year’s event will be taking place in Las Vegas from August 16th to the 20th and will again be in conjunction with WWE’s SummerSlam weekend a.k.a. Super China Buffet Day~! There will still be the usual events, but our big draw will be WWE’s summer blockbuster PPV, SummerSlam. As per tradition, we will all gorge ourselves at a Las Vegas buffet, and then watch SummerSlam in a rented out movie theater. All information and ticketing prices are available now. Sign up ASAP as spots are limited for some events.
This year will also feature a Future Stars Wrestling show which will include the first ever Granny’s Doubles Match Classic! Already booked for the show are the teams Mia Yim & Leva Bates, Shotzi Blackheart & ???, Samantha Heights & Brittany Blake, and Miranda Alize & Kylie Rae. Also just booked for the show is a tag team Grappling Battel~! featuring Bryan Alvarez & Jack Jamieson vs. The Beach Bums (PeachMachine & Mikey G), You won’t want to miss this show! Check out the convention’s Facebook page for all additional information.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Poll opinions: [email protected]
Feedback: [email protected]
Show results and news tips: [email protected]
Wrestling Observer Radio questions: [email protected]
Support the Empire~! with F4W shirts. Grab yours today!