Afternoon guys! I just came across this article from Yahoo! on the big MMA fights that are on tap to take place over the summer. The ones I'm looking forward to: Mir vs. Lesnar @ UFC 100, Gina vs. Cris, Forrest vs. Anderson, Fedor vs. Josh Barnett, & Couture vs. Noguiera.
It’s MMA Summer Blockbuster Season
By Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports Jun 15th, 4:35 pm EDT
Saturday night’s Ultimate Fighter Finale card in Las Vegas will kick off an 11-week period that will reshape the landscape of mixed martial arts in North America.
Questions will be answered. Records will be set. Careers will reach new heights and others may very well end.
The summer season will peak with UFC 100 on July 11th in Las Vegas will answer the question as to what exactly is the ceiling for mixed martial arts on pay-per-view. The main event between Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir itself has all the elements necessary to being the biggest drawing heavyweight match in North America. The UFC heavyweight and interim heavyweight titles will be unified in a rematch of one of the most memorable fights and talked about fights in company history.
But the show is augmented by the top two welterweights in the world, as Georges St. Pierre, defends the championship against Thiago Alves, who stylistically may be St. Pierre’s biggest challenge on the current scene.
Gina Carano is ready for the biggest women’s fight in MMA history.
The combination of the UFC 100 milestone and the main events will likely not only be the biggest pay-per-view event in company history, the biggest of any kind this year, and the largest non-boxing pay-per-view event in history.
But for all the hype Lesnar vs. Mir will receive, one could make a strong case that from a pure sports ranking standpoint, the biggest heavyweight fight ever on U.S. soil will take place three weeks later at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Affliction’s third pay-per-view show.
Consensus No. 1 ranked Fedor Emelianenko puts up his reputation as the most successful fighter in the history of the sport, against Josh Barnett. Emelianenko has been considered the top heavyweight since he beat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on March 16th, 2003, in Yokohama, Japan to capture the PRIDE championship. In a sport where the rule of thumb is that longevity at the top is fleeting and anyone can win on a given day, Emelianenko has defied the odds. Barnett has been a top-ranked heavyweight since his UFC heavyweight title win over Randy Couture in 2002.
Regardless of which heavyweight fight is bigger, there is no argument that the Aug. 15th battle between Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will be the highest profile woman’s fight in the sport’s history. Carano, a ratings juggernaut, because of her looks and crowd-pleasing fighting style, has the potential to become the biggest mainstream star in the sport. But in Santos, she faces an exciting destruction machine that has mowed down all competition.
The story behind the summer’s top ten blockbusters:
UFC: Clay Guida vs. Diego Sanchez, Las Vegas, June 20th: Sanchez (22-2), the enigmatic winner of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, then fighting as a middleweight, continues his run for a lightweight title shot against Guida (25-9). A former junior college national wrestling champion, Guida is easily the company’s most popular mid-level fighter. His constant aggression, unique charisma, great heart and chin (which he will need since Sanchez will have a significant edge in the stand-up game) endless stamina has led to Guida being in three of the greatest matches in recent years with Gilbert Melendez, Roger Huerta and Tyson Griffin. But he also lost all three. UFC: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir, Las Vegas, July 11th: There was probably no fight in MMA history more hotly debated beforehand than the February 2nd, 2008, match between the two. Mir, a former UFC heavyweight champion on a comeback after a nearly career ending motorcycle wreck, beat former pro wrestling superstar Lesnar, making his UFC debut, in 90 seconds. But Lesnar dominated the entire fight until being caught in a leglock. Was it a rookie mistake of inexperience by Lesnar that the last 17 months of training has nixed, or a reality that Lesnar has an Achilles heel against submission fighters that he’ll never shake? Since that time, Lesnar (3-1) shut down his critics by beating Couture and becoming the UFC heavyweight champion. Mir’s win over Lesnar catapulted himself to a match with UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, where in a huge upset, Mir (12-3) became the first fighter ever to finish the legendary Brazilian. UFC: Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves, Las Vegas, July 11th: Welterweight king St. Pierre (18-2), tied for the top spot in the Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound rankings, has been unstoppable for two straight years in taking down and dominating three of the best wrestlers in the sport in Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. Alves (16-3), looks to be his most difficult challenge because neither Hughes nor Koscheck could take Alves down, and his stand-up game is more explosive than the champion. UFC: Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping, Las Vegas, July 11th: A drama between the coach of Team U.S. and Team U.K. on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter. Bisping (17-1) would likely get a middleweight title shot with a win, which would be the biggest MMA event ever in the Liverpool, England’s native country. But Henderson (24-7), the only man to hold world championships in two weight classes at the same time, is the heavy favorite. The big question is age, as Henderson will be six weeks shy of his 39th birthday at fight time and gives up a decade on Bisping.
Affliction: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett, Anaheim, Calif., August 1st: At least on paper, Barnett (24-5) looks to be Emelianenko’s biggest challenge since his win over Mirko Cro Cop four years ago. Barnett is good enough at all facets of the game that he shouldn’t be the latest in the line of victims of in-ring drive-bys from the 30-1 (1 no-contest) native of Stary Oskol, Russia, who is the other half of the No. 1 pound-for-pound debate. This as the last of the old-school heavyweight match-ups of the heyday of Japanese MMA, with Fedor as the long-time champion of PRIDE, and Barnett as the heavyweight King of Pancrase, a rival organization.
UFC: Anderson Silva vs Forrest Griffin, Philadelphia, August 8th: Silva (24-4), the UFC middleweight champion, moves up in weight to try extending his all-time UFC winning streak record to 10, against the former light heavyweight champion. Griffin (16-5) can’t match Silva for speed or skill, but he is physically bigger and likely stronger. But what Griffin is expected to do, given his incredible fighting heart, is break Silva’s streak of two terrible main events, that have made UFC officials wary of headlining a show with “The Spider” against the wrong opponent.
UFC: B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian, Philadelphia, August 8th: With six straight wins, Florian (11-3) has proven that looks are deceiving. Looking more like a college biology student than a fighter, Florian combines quick Muay Thai skills with high level jiu-jitsu, and has improved greatly since his first shot at the lightweight title three years ago. Penn (13-5-1), the champion, has to both physically and mentally rebound from his high-profile shellacking at the hands of St. Pierre on Jan. 31st, the most devastating loss of his career.
WEC: Miguel Angel Torres vs. Brian Bowles, Las Vegas, August 9th: Torres (37-1) defends the WEC bantamweight title and brings a 17 match winning streak to the summer’s biggest lower-weight-class fight against Bowles (7-0), who has finished every opponent to date. Torres, who fights an emotional crowd-pleasing style, had two of the most exciting fights of the past 13 months in wins over Yoshiro Maeda and Takeya Mizugaki.
Strikeforce: Gina Carano vs. Cristiane Santos, San Jose, Calif., August 15th: This fight is almost a marketing dream, as the reaction at live arenas to Carano at ringside while watching Santos destroy opponents has been unlike anything ever seen in U.S. MMA history. Carano (7-0) and Santos (7-1) are both known for their Muay Thai skills and have always had exciting fast-paced fights. A key aspect of the fight is that both women are used to doing three 3:00 rounds, and this will be five 5:00 rounds to crown the first Strikeforce women’s champion. Going 9:00 vs. 25:00 is a completely different mentality, particularly in setting a fast pace both are used to. The woman who adapts best will have a huge advantage.
UFC: Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Portland, Ore., August 29th: Two of the sport’s legends are both coming off devastating losses. Couture (16-9), who will be 46 at fight time, is clearly on borrowed time. Then again, he’s won his last four world championships on borrowed time. Nogueira (31-5-1) is 13 years younger, but fought on Dec. 27 like he was 13 years older. Whether years of beatings have finished him, or whether fighting after being hospitalized with a staph infection made him look like a walking zombie will be determined here. With an impressive win, either man could get a shot at the Lesnar vs. Mir winner, and in the case of Couture, that has potential to be one of the biggest pay-per-views in the sports history. A devastating loss would surely be the end of the either. [/quote]
WWE SmackDown/ECW House Show Results (6/14/09) - Hershey, Pennsylvania
John Morrison def. Mike Knox
The Hart Dynasty def. Hurricane & Evan Bourne
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat def. Drew McIntyre
Chris Jericho def. Rey Mysterio To Retain
The Great Khali def. Dolph Ziggler
Melina, Gail, & Eve def. Layla, Alicia, & Natalya
Tommy Dreamer def. Jack Swagger
CM Punk def. Jeff Hardy
WWE DVD News - 12 Rounds, Extreme Rules, Allied Powers: The World's Greatest Tag Teams, The Bash
12 Rounds On DVD & Blu-Ray June 30th - Extreme Cut Edition (Incl. 2 Alternate Endings)
WWE Extreme Rules On DVD July 7th
WWE Allied Powers: The World's Greatest Tag Teams On DVD July 24th
WWE The Bash On DVD July 28th
Several WWE News & Notes: CM Punk Remembers Misawa, Batista, More
RAW to be held @ Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, OK. on Monday, September 21st, 2009.
WNW Reader Jonathan Hebert Sent The Following… CM Punk wrote "Misawa" on his wrist tape on RAW for those of you who missed it.
Wrestling News World reader Duncan sent word that official WWE website has changed the promotional poster for The Bash pay-per-view to feature Jeff Hardy instead of Batista. You can check it out at this link.
Morning guys! Here's your daily wrestling update, the first of two for today: First up, I have your RAW results + previews for tonight's ECW, Thursday's Superstars, & Friday's Friday Night SmackDown!. In the next update, you'll get the latest headlines making news in the wrestling world & the latest House Show results from here Stateside & around the world. Enjoy!
RAW Final Results:
Matches -
Triple H def. John Cena, Kofi Kingston, MVP, Big Show, Matt Hardy, The Miz, William Regal, Ted DiBiase, & Cody Rhodes In A 10-Man Battle Royal
Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Carlito & Primo def. The Hart Dynasty By Disqualification
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk def. Jeff Hardy, And Edge In A Triple Threat Match
Mickie James def. Rosa Mendes
Randy Orton def. Triple H, John Cena, And Big Show In A Fatal Four Way To Win The WWE Championship
ECW Champion Tommy Dreamer def. Christian
Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho def. Rey Mysterio
Evening guys! Some more news to pass along: an update on Rey's status w/ WWE & results from house shows for both RAW (Nimes, France) & SmackDown! (Binghamton, NY.). Enjoy!
Rey Mysterio/WWE Update Written By Richard Gray On Jun 14th, 2009 - 2:29:23 PM
For those that missed it in our house show results, Rey Mysterio is back on the road with WWE. There were rumors last week he had left the company after he did not work TV. However, we learned on Thursday he was still with the company but there was more to the story. Mysterio worked a triple-threat match at last night's house show in Binghamton, New York against Chris Jericho and World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk. Punk retained the belt in the match.
WWE Raw House Show Results (6/13/09) - Nimes, France
*14,000 fans attended last night in The Arena of Nimes, France. *MVP and Maryse were signing autographs in the Planet Saturn Shop in the afternoon.
Single Match - Goldust def. William Regal after Hornswoggle's interference.
WWE Divas Championship - Maryse def. Kelly Kelly to retain her championship.
Unified WWE Tag Team Championships - The Colons def. Priceless via DQ when Rhodes and Dibiase brought a chair into the ring.
United States Championship - Kofi Kingston def. Matt Hardy after a Trouble In Paradise to retain the US Title.
Single Match - The Big Show def. MVP with a Chokeslam.
Single Match - John Cena def. The Miz with an Attitude Adjustment.
Single Match - Triple H def. Randy Orton with a Pedigree. After the match, Legacy attacked Triple H but John Cena made the save. They celebrated in the ring with the French flag.
WWE SmackDown House Show Results (6/13/09) - Binghamton, New York
* John Morrison b. Mike Knox * Hart Dynasty b. Hurricane/Evan Bourne * Ricky Steamboat b. Drew McIntyre * Great Khali b. Dolph Ziggler * Gail Kim/Melina/Eve b. Natalya/Layla/Alicia * Tommy Dreamer b. Jack Swagger To Retain The ECW Championship * CM Punk b. Jeff Hardy & Rey Mysterio To Retain The WHC
Morning guys! Here is your second update w/ some headlines making the rounds currently - including the return of "The Hurricane" at a SmackDown / ECW House Show, highlights from Gool Ol' JR's latest blog, & more.
Free Concert Prior To WWE PPV Written By Devin Cutting On Jun 12th, 2009 - 9:11:58 PM
Adelitas Way and Rev Theory will perform a special free concert for the WWE Universe before The Bash in Sacramento, Calif.! The live concert is outside the Arco Arena on Sunday, June 28th, at 2 p.m. PT, before The Bash.
Adelitas Way – the band behind the “WWE Superstars” official theme song, “Invincible” – will be introduced by Raw Diva Kelly Kelly before their 2:10 p.m. performance. Then at 3 p.m., Rev Theory – who provides Randy Orton’s theme song, “Voices” – will perform for the WWE Universe. Afterward, Rev Theory will hold a special autograph signing at 3:30 p.m.
WWE Universe, don’t miss your chance to see Adelitas Way and Rev Theory before The Bash! This live concert event is free, and no tickets are necessary for this outdoor event.
FCW TV Taping Results (6/11/09) Written By Richard Gray On Jun 13th, 2009 - 11:15:53 AM
Below are quick results from Thursday night's Florida Championship Wrestling television taping from Tampa, Florida. The results are courtesy of Mike Spears and FloridaIndies.com:
Hour One:
* Wes Brisco Wrestled Troy Jackman * FCW Tag Team Champions Caylen Croft & Trent Beretta Beat Eric Escobar & Heath Slater * Sweet Papi Sanchez Squashed Dylan Klein * Tyler Reks Pinned FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion Drew McIntyre To Win The Title
Hour Two:
* Johnny Curtis Pinned Kris Logan * Justin Angel Pinned Trent Beretta After The 450 Splash * Angela Fong Defeated Rose Mendes In Under A Minute * Aiden Frost Beat Chris Raaber * FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion Tyler Reks Beat Agent T By DQ
Hour Three:
* David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd (w/ Natalya) Defeated DJ Gabriel & Ricky Ortiz * Mr. Tarver Pinned Sicodelico * Johnny Curtis Beat Caylen Croft * Dylen Klein Pinned Brett DiBiase With His Feet On The Ropes * Troy Jackman (w/ Fletcher Chase) Beat Bo Rotunda * Alex Riley (w/ Beverly), Drew McIntyre & Lance Hoyt Defeated Justin Angel, Eric Escobar & Heath Slate In A 6-Man Tag Elimination w/ Alex Riley Being The Sole Survivor
Hurricane Returns, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat Works Written By Richard Gray On Jun 13th, 2009 - 9:44:47 PM
To follow-up on an earlier item, Gregory Helms worked tonight's SmackDown/ECW house show from Binghamton, New York as Hurricane. Hurricane teamed with Evan Bourne and lost to The Hart Dynasty in an ECW tag match.
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat also worked tonight's house show, defeating WWE developmental worker Drew McIntyre.
WWE Raw House Show Results (6/12/09) - Belgrade, Serbia Written By Richard Gray On Jun 13, 2009 - 10:00:33 PM
Below are quick results from yesterday's WWE Raw house show in Belgrade, Serbia:
* Goldust b. William Regal * WWE Divas Champion Maryse b. Kelly Kelly To Retain * Unified Tag Team Champions Carlito & Primo b. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase To Retain * WWE United States Champion Kofi Kingston b. Matt Hardy To Retain * Big Show b. MVP * John Cena b. The Miz * Triple H b. Randy Orton
Jim Ross Thinks HBK Will Retire Before Undertaker, ECW Title Situation, Batista's Injury, More Written By Richard Gray On Jun 13th, 2009 - 10:18:04 PM
Jim Ross has a new blog on his official website. Below are the highlights:
- I do think that Taker will compete longer than HBK but I don't think either are ready to say adiós as of yet. When either retires it will be handled with class and with huge fanfare and it isn't on the drawing board as we speak. I fully expect both Taker and Shawn to be back touring no later than the WWE's Fall International Tour but likely much earlier than that.
- We're getting lots of emails about C.M. Punk and whether he is fish or fowl as in a fan favorite or a villain nowadays after beating Jeff Hardy while cashing in Punk's Money in the Bank Contract last Sunday in New Orleans. Now, Punk may well wind up out of favor with some fans, perhaps even the majority of the fans, but I don't know that. If it happens, so be it. If Punk's opportunistic endeavors at Extreme Rules make him a bigger star albeit a despised one, then that's a good thing. Punk does have an attitude as I have mentioned before and is arguably not the most popular guy in the SD locker room but there are also no cash bonuses being paid for being named Mr. Congeniality. If you want to boo Punk, then have at it, but don't hold it against him simply because he was smart in cashing in his MIB contract at an opportune time. Do I think at the end of the day Punk will gain favor with the fans? It damned sure won't happen in Charlotte Monday night and I would say that chances are it probably won't happen in the near future either. For the record, Punk appears to me, and I might be dead wrong, that he really doesn't care one way or another. One thing about this matter is that is adds a different dimension and dynamic to Friday Night Smackdown which I think helps the broadcast.
- I thought it was pretty cool that Joey Styles snapped the ECW World Title on Tommy Dreamer backstage at Extreme Rules and that both men had tears in their eyes while doing it. Some younger fans may roll their eyes at this information but it is called "passion" and truly loving what one does and respecting their roots. If that is wrong then many of us are on the other side of being right.
- Dave Batista tore a biceps tendon and not the biceps itself as I understand it but "The Animal" will still likely be on the shelf for about 4 months but only Mother Nature knows for sure how fast the big guy will heal. Dave's back at home in Florida and one always heals better with the old, home field advantage in their favor.
