THE ROUND-UP
The Latest from the F4W Staff
RKO… Out of somewhere!
NEWS
SmackDown ratings remain consistent with last week’s strong number
Raw draws second-best viewership since start of NFL season
UFC’s return to Australia garners third-lowest ratings of the year for FS1
WWE SmackDown video highlights: Wyatt & Orton take on American Alpha
Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. Randy Orton & Bray Wyatt set for WWE TLC
WWE 205 Live results: Brian Kendrick defends against Rich Swann
AUDIO
B&V&C: Retro Raw and Nitro from this week in 1997! DX, Starrcade, more! 11/29
WOL: Sasha vs. Charlotte Flair, Raw, Roadblock END OF THE LINE, more! 11/29
WOR: RAW report, Smackdown, 205 Live, Billy Corgan settlement, MMA notes, more! 11/29
CALL BACKS
CM Punk: I’m pretty confident that my next fight will be in the UFC
Goldberg agrees to Royal Rumble appearance, future dates with WWE
Marty Scurll defeats Will Ospreay to win the ROH TV title
FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY: 11/17/2016: More on Buddy Rose
During his time splitting time between the Portland and San Francisco territories, Buddy Rose continued to make trouble with the California State Athletic Commission throughout 1978 and 1979. For some reason, all of the incidents appear to have taken place in San Jose, like the one discussed last week where he was being penalized for a ref bump… click here to continue.
WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: Nov 28, 2016: WWE Survivor Series, Goldberg agrees to more matches
The story behind Bill Goldberg suddenly becoming the biggest pro wrestling star in 2016 is the lead story in this week’s new double issue of the Observer. The story looks at the decision-making involved in having Goldberg beat Brock Lesnar so quickly at Survivor Series. We look at what went wrong in Goldberg’s first WWE run, why things are different now, and why so much of this is timing. We look at other options, the business behind Survivor Series, as well as full coverage of the show with poll results, match-by-match coverage and star ratings.
We also look at NXT Takeover Toronto, WWE’s decision on major PPV weekends regarding scheduling, more people suing WWE, the NXT tour of Australia, cutting the cord, the ECW special on WWE Network, notes on top athletes who were trying out at the Performance Center this past week off the Olympic team, and more.
We’ve got a huge feature on Ed Francis and the story of 50th State pro wrestling, the promotion that ran in Hawaii during the 60s and 70s. We look at the popularity of the product, the masterminds behind it, the biggest stars, and the different phases of the company.
We also have a look at the WWE Network vs. the old PPV methodology and how it affected profits over the past three years. We look at why most people when examining this issue don’t see the full picture. We look at why profits from the network are down this year even with more subscribers, and also look at UFC profits during the same last three years.
We also look at the two UFC shows over the weekend, as well as full details of the television head-to-head battle between UFC and Bellator.
All of this and more in a huge double-issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter available only for subscribers… click here to continue.
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.
WON BACK ISSUE: November 8, 1999: Life and Death of Owen Hart documentary, RINGS tournament, plus more – The most publicized story ever in North American pro wrestling, the tragic death of Owen Hart on 5/23, is brought vividly back to life with the documentary “The life and death of Owen Hart.” The one-hour piece, debuted in Ontario on TVO on 11/3, in the rest of Canada on 11/6 on the A Channel and will be part of A&E’s bio week on pro wrestling, with an 11/16 showing… click here to continue.
WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE
Austin Aries joined the commentary team with Mauro Ranallo and Corey Graves for 205 Live last night. He suggested possibly challenging for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at some point in the future.
Rich Swann defeated Brian Kendrick on the show to become the new Cruiserweight Champion. The other matches were The Bollywood Boyz vs. Drew Gulak & Tony Nese and Jack Gallagher vs. Ariya Daivari. TJ Perkins, HoHo Lun, Noam Dar, Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado, Akira Tozawa, Mustafa Ali, and Gran Metalik were also introduced in front of the crowd.
The TSR Arena in Phoenix, Arizona tweeted that Elimination Chamber is returning in 2017 and they’ll have details soon.
The SmackDown Women’s Championship match between Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss at TLC will be a tables match. Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt will challenge Heath Slater and Rhyno for the tag titles.
ESPN has an article on Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa becoming NXT tag team champions.
Linda McMahon met with President-elect Donald Trump today. When asked if she would have a spot in his administration she said, “That remains to be seen. Stay tuned,” The Hartford Courant has an article on the meeting.
What?
PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING
Alberto Del Rio posted that he’ll be missing tonight’s What Culture Pro Wrestling iPPV due to flight problems.
EVOLVE has mini-documentaries on Zack Sabre Jr. and Catch Point.
Cody Rhodes did an interview about his upcoming appearance at Final Battle.
Matt Riddle was announced for wXw’s 2017 16 Carat Gold tournament.
Pete Dunne will face Zack Sabre Jr. at PROGRESS Wrestling’s show on December 11th in Sheffield.
Will Ospreay will face Dragon Lee and KUSHIDA in a triple threat match at ROH’s TV taping on December 4th in Philadelphia.
UFC / MMA
Jon Jones is scheduled to appear on the Joe Rogan Experience tomorrow.
Sage Northcutt attempts to rip an apple apart.
VARIETY
Rock, successful at everything…
The Rock appeared on the cover of the latest edition of Sports Illustrated.
Former WWE/AWA/NWA/WCW Ring Announcer Gary Michael Cappetta sat down with Under the Mat Radio discussing such topics as how he ended up working for the WWE, AWA, and NWA at the same time, who protected him while working for WWE back in the late 70’s and what Vince Jr thought of him.
Former WCW/WWE Superstar and Tough Enough trainer Bill DeMott sat down with Under the Mat Radio discussing such topics as, how he started using the moonsault, his thoughts on Brock vs Goldberg match at Survivor Series and his thoughts on Goldberg.
LIVE PRO WRESTLING! Saturday January 21, 2017, C*4: Capital City Championship Combat presents “FIRE WALK WITH ME, “Vanier Columbus Club, 260 McArthur Ave, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Today in Professional Wrestling History (11/30): November to Remember 1997
CONTACT INFORMATION
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