Diamond Dallas Page Responds To Kevin Nash's Recent Critical Remark On Twitter!

Scott Hall moved in with Diamond Dallas Page last week to undergo his DDP YOGA program. Kevin Nash was initially critical of the news, writing on his Twitter, "Scott told everyone 2 months ago he was going to DDP'S going to be there that weekend.Show me the tape when he walks in the door... This is my friends life,not a PSA.You want the truth it's not for you to know."

Raj Giri of WrestlingINC.com spoke to DDP following Nash's tweet, who said that he and Nash have cleared the air.

"Kev gave me a call and we talked it all out," Page said. "I understood where he was coming from, and he understood what I was trying to do and we worked it out. He was just being protective of Scott [Hall], which is what he's been for years. One of the things that didn't come out, and we should have put it up, was [the video of] that call was made on January 2nd [2013]. And that was what sent Kev over the edge, because that's not what's happening right now in the time line. I just talked to him [Scott], he's gone through detox and he's sober 19 days which is an awesome start.

"It just hurt originally. But you know, once I saw Kev's side and everything, it hurt a little less [but] it still hurt [laughs]. But not anymore. Brothers will fight, but we come back together stronger than ever. It was just one of those things. Scott and I used to call him 'Big Grouchy' years ago. The one thing that's great about Nash is that he says what he feels. But if he's wrong, he'll pick up the phone and apologize. He's supportive of everything we're doing, and I think that Tweet he sent backed that. Kev actually talked about coming up and spending a couple of days with us in the middle of March, which would be awesome."

Page also discussed Hall moving into the house and changes to the documentary they are doing, you can read the full article by clicking here.

TNA Releases Lockdown Music Video!

Former WWE Star's Niece Wrestling On Impact Wrestling!

This Thursday on Impact Wrestling, former WWE developmental talent and Tough Enough competitor Ivelisse Velez will compete against Lei'D Tapa in a "Gut Check Challenge." Tapa is the niece of former WWE Superstar Barbarian.

Tapa wrote on Twitter Tuesday: "Looking forward to being on @TNAIMPACTWRESLING FOR @TNAGutCheck..so thankful for opportunity to show what i love to do!!"

Who Brainstormed The Jack Swagger/Zeb Colter Storyline?

WWE's ongoing xenophobic storyline with "Dirty" Dutch Mantel as Jack Swagger's manager Zeb Colter was reportedly brainstormed by Kevin Eck, a former writer for Baltimore Sun who joined the sports-entertainment organization in 2011.

Will The Rock Be At WWE Extreme Rules?

The official Facebook page of WWE announced last Thursday that WWE Champion Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson would be among those present for Extreme Rules at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri on May 19. Johnson, however, noted to Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer that he will be in Europe filming MGM and Paramount Pictures' Hercules during this time frame. Meltzer contacted WWE's media relations department for clarification, but drew no answer.

Matt Riddle Fired From UFC Following Second Failed Marijuana Test!

It’s never a good time to fail a drug test, but with the UFC looking for reasons to fire fighters, Matt Riddle (Pictured) couldn’t have picked a worse time to flunk ANOTHER screening for marijuana.

Riddle revealed to MMAJunkie Radio Tuesday that he has been released from the planet’s premier mixed martial arts promotion following his second positive exam in three bouts.

“Deep Water” initially collected an impressive submission win over Chris Clements at UFC 149, but the fight was overturned to a no contest after marijuana was found in his system. Riddle posted a less than impressive unanimous decision victory over Che Mills 10 days ago at UFC on FUEL TV 7. The verdict will likely be overturned to a no contest, as well.

Mills was released from the UFC four days after the loss.

UFC President Dana White already ripped Riddle for his lay-and-pray game plan against Mills, so it wasn’t going to take much to get handed a pink slip.

Riddle is the owner of a medical marijuana license in his home state of Nevada. While the 27-year-old said he would continue to medicate after failing his first test, Riddle claimed he would abstain from smoking three weeks before showtime to avoid any urinalysis issues.

The strategy clearly didn’t go according to plan for the welterweight.

Riddle currently owns a 8-3 (1 NC) professional record. All of his scraps have taken place inside the Octagon after graduating from “The Ultimate Fighter 7″ in June 2008.

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VINCE LOSES IT BACKSTAGE AT RAW!

For those asking about the rumors of Vince McMahon being upset about the piledriver during CM Punk vs. John Cena, we are told it was an improvised spot and not something cleared ahead of time and McMahon absolutely "freaked out" over it backstage at the video monitors.

MVP Says He's Done With New Japan & Is Open To Working For WWE Or TNA!

Former WWE Superstar MVP announced that he's done wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He tweeted on Tuesday morning:

“I would like to thank New Japan for allowing me to realize a dream! I LOVE Japan & will forever be grateful! I left on good terms as always."

“I WILL return to wrestling eventually. The door is open for a return to WWE, NJPW & even TNA. However my focus now is developing my TV show."

MVP has been wrestling for New Japan since 2011 and wrestled his final match for the promotion on January 4th at the Tokyo Dome.

He also tweeted the following about his new TV project and says he's currently a free agent:

“I’m currently working on a TV project with Lionsgate TV. I’ll release more details soon. But right now I’m not affiliated with ANY company. And for the record my show has NOTHING to do with wrestling. I’m excited about it. The people at Lionsgate TV have been awesome!”

RAW Ratings & Demographic Data

Monday's edition of WWE RAW did a 3.46 rating (up 5% from last week) and 4.70 million viewers (up 1%).

Here's the hourly viewership data:

Hour 1: 4.86 million
Hour 2: 4.70 million
Hour 3: 4.56 million

RAW ranked #2 on cable for the night, behind "Pawn Stars" on History Channel.

Raw ranked #1 in the key male demographics, but #2 in adults 18-34. Amongst males, the teen demo dropped to the lowest level in months but them18-34 demo was at a four-week high.

Chris Jericho Talks about Triple H Gaining Power Backstage In WWE!

WWE superstar Chris Jericho appeared on Konnan's MLW Radio show this week and had this to say about Triple H gaining power backstage in WWE:


"It's a changing of the guard. We're in a transitional period right now between bosses. Vince is handing the reigns over to Triple H and Triple H has a lot of responsibilities and a lot of power now and it's going to keep increasing because eventually Vince is going to give it up and stop. I don't know if he'll do it until he dies. I think over the next two or three years Triple H will be making most of the big decisions and Vince will be brought on as a consultant.

I know for this deal that I made to come back this time, I talked completely with Triple H. I didn't talk with Vince at all and I'd always talked to Vince about any deal I ever had. Triple H is pretty much the boss, although Vince is always going to be the boss. But Triple H is in charge of more and more and more and developmental is a big part of that.

To be honest with you, he's doing a great job. In the early 90s it's no secret there was no love lost between he and I. We didn't like each other, we didn't get along. We had great matches, but there was always a personality issue. That stopped years and years ago and now I consider Triple H a pretty good friend. I'll be completely flatly honest, I think he's the right guy to take over the company. I think he's prepared for it. He's learning a lot about how to be the corporate guy. There's so much more than just calling finishes and signing guys. He's got to run the whole corporate side of it. Go to all the meetings, do all that stuff. I think it's in very good hands if Vince ever retires or passes away."

WWE HALL OF FAME UPDATES!!

There are plans to have 1-2 more inductees for the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame class. Ivan Koloff and Kamala's names have been discussed. The company has reached out to at least Kamala about being inducted.

As I noted in the PWInsider Elite section, Bruno Sammartino's induction will headline the ceremony. The company hopes to have Arnold Schwarzenegger induct him, something Bruno intends to talk to Arnold about when he is inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame during the Arnold Classic.

In regards to the other scheduled inductees, it's expected that Terry Funk and/or Jim Ross (possibly both) will induct Mick Foley. The company is considering Maria Menounos for Bob Backlund as the two are friends and obviously, WWE would love for the celebrity rub. Sgt. Slaughter's name has also been brought up for Backlund as has, interestingly enough, Roddy Piper.

In speaking around to those in the company, it was believed Donald Trump would most likely be inducted by a member of his family, possibly Ivanka Trump.

There's no word on Trish Stratus' inductor yet, although as I noted in the Elite section, Lita and/or Dave Finley would make the most sense. They could also go with Edge as they are both from Toronto and were trained by Ron Hutchison at the same school.

NEWEST GM IN WWE IS...(SPOILER)

Mick Foley returned to WWE TV at last night's TV Taping in Oklahoma City as the Saturday Morning Slam General Manager.

Since Slam is taped several weeks in advance due to the nature of Saturday morning programming censors, he won't actually pop up until Mid-March on TV.

GUESS WHAT TV SHOW RIC FLAIR WILL BE APPEARING ON NEXT!

You can't make this one up.

Ric Flair filmed an episode of ABC's "Celebrity Wife Swap" about a week ago in Charlotte, NC.
Yes, the same Flair that is currently fighting legally with his most recent ex-wife.
No idea who Flair was swapping with.
The new season of "Celebrity Wife Swap" debuted yesterday with the series' best all time numbers. Mick Foley appeared on the first season.

UNDERTAKER-WRESTLEMANIA UPDATE!!

As we mentioned in the PWInsider Elite section, Undertaker is expected back on TV shortly, possibly as soon as Monday's Old School Raw.

Undertaker vs. CM Punk was confirmed for Wrestlemania about a week ago and WWE Creative is now scrambling to fast-track the match's storyline. They started phase one with Punk's promo on Monday referring to himself as an "icon" above Superstars and God.
One concern within some facets of creative is that with Punk having lost two PPVs in a row and again to Cena, that a loss to Undertaker at Wrestlemania could really damage one of the two names who show they can draw on the road currently, the other being John Cena.

REY MYSTERIO-WWE UPDATE!

Steven Fernandes noted last night that Rey Mysterio has been removed from all advertised appearances through Wrestlemania on the WWE website. Mysterio was backstage at this week's TV Tapings, for what that is worth.

FULL SMACKDOWN SPOILERS FROM OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

They opened with a dark match.  Bo Dallas beat Curt Hawkins.
Main Event:
 Sheamus beat Cody Rhodes with the Brogue Kick in a competitive match.
Mark Henry beat Justin Gabriel.  Well, he destroyed him.
Saturday Morning Slam:
Booker T announced that Mick Foley in the GM for Saturday Morning Slam. Since Mick writes kids' books, Booker says he is the perfect man for the job.
Dolph Ziggler, AJ and Big E Langston came out and AJ said the GM said that she should be running the show.  Daniel Bryan came out and disagreed.  Mick Foley made a match between Dolph and Bryan.  Bryan won, of course.
Brodus Clay and Tensai, with new matching outfits, destroyed Epico and Primo.
SmackDown:
Alberto Del Rio beat Damien Sandow.  Again, of course.
Jim Ross is here and will interview Zeb and Swagger later.
Daniel Bryan and Kane have a rematch with the PTP tonight.  This time Bryan has one hand tied behind his back.  Kane is going to be blindfolded.  They are arguing.
Antonio Cesaro beat The Miz 2-1 in a best of three falls match. Miz was not happy.
Randy Orton will face The Big Show later.  Sheamus said he has his back.
JR brought out Swagger and Zeb.  JR talked about their Oklahoma roots and JR recruiting him out of college.  Swagger said OU had no heart.  Ross asked Swagger what happened to him and Zeb stepped up and did an anti immigrant rant.  They said Alberto isn't American and needs to leave.  It led to Swagger taking a swipe at JR, which led to Alberto coming out.  Swagger said JR isn't a real American and left.
Next up was the tag match. Bryan put a goat face on Kane's mask.  The story was that Kane had the win for the team but tagged in Bryan and Bryan then lost.  After the match Kane took off the mask and saw the goat face and hit Bryan.  He then left.
Sin Cara beat Heath Slater (who was with Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre).
Fandango did a promo saying he is trained in the art of the dance, or something like that.  Matt Striker said his name wrong so he will debut when Striker can say it correctly.
Randy Orton beat The Big Show after The Shield ran in and attacked Orton.  Show didn't want their help and KO'd Roman.  After the match, Sheamus came in and kicked Show.
Dark Match:
Kane came out when Show left.  He joined Orton and Sheamus vs. The Shield.  They won, sending some of the crowd home happy.

RAW AUDIENCE RISES

The 2/26 edition of Raw did 4,707,000 viewers, up a bit from last week.  Hour one was the most watched of the evening while hour three was the least, which has been the trend the last few weeks.

Date	Average Audience	Hour 1	Hour 2	Hour 3
7/23/2012	6,019,000	5,439,000	6,318,000	6,300,000
7/30/2012	4,495,000	4,064,000	4,719,000	4,701,000
8/6/2012	4,367,000	4,007,000	4,648,000	4,446,000
8/13/2012	4,134,000	3,795,000	4,252,000	4,354,000
8/20/2012	4,478,000	4,352,000	4,657,000	4,352,000
8/27/2012	4,482,000	4,160,000	4,786,000	4,499,000
9/3/2012	4,203,000	4,308,000	4,395,000	3,907,000
9/10/2012	4,136,000	3,777,000	4,362,000	4,270,000
9/17/2012	4,052,000	4,111,000	4,119,000	3,925,000
9/24/2012	3,787,000	3,769,000	3,990,000	3,603,000
10/1/2012	3,502,000	3,436,000	3,598,000	3,472,000
10/8/2012	4,108,000	4,191,000	4,067,000	4,065,000
10/15/2012	3,989,000	4,067,000	4,013,000	3,886,000
10/22/2012	3,554,000	3,578,000	3,653,000	3,432,000
10/29/2012	4,102,000	4,306,000	4,217,000	3,783,000
11/5/2012	4,076,000	4,066,000	4,279,000	3,883,000
11/12/2012	4,194,000	4,154,000	4,399,000	4,027,000
11/19/2012	3,835,000	3,873,000	3,923,000	3,710,000
11/26/2012	3,920,000	4,147,000	4,126,000	3,488,000
12/3/2012	3,437,000	3,580,000	3,370,000	3,360,000
12/10/2012	3,764,000	3,743,000	3,876,000	3,672,000
12/17/2012	4,230,000	4,290,000	4,410,000	3,990,000
12/24/2012	3,143,000	2,940,000	3,271,000	3,219,000
12/31/2012	3,552,000	3,397,000	3,644,000	3,614,000
1/7/2013	4,420,000	4,290,000	4,320,000	4,650,000
1/14/2013	4,550,000	4,500,000	4,680,000	4,470,000
1/21/2013	4,317,000	4,370,000	4,419,000	4,162,000
1/28/2013	5,020,000	4,860,000	5,270,000	4,930,000
2/4/2013	4,810,000	4,863,000	4,857,000	4,711,000
2/11/2013	4,260,000	4,350,000	4,250,000	4,180,000
2/18/2013	4,662,000	4,818,000	4,674,000	4,493,000
2/25/2013	4,707,000	4,860,000	4,700,000	4,560,000

Photo: Brock Lesnar receives staples in his head after bloody brawl with TripleH on WWE RAW!!

BIG AMERICAN NAMES DEPART NEW JAPAN!

From the "this is interesting" department, New Japan Pro Wrestling removed MVP, Low Ki and Shelton Benjamin from their roster yesterday. MVP wrote on his Twitter page that he had quit the company but the door was open for a return. He noted he would return to wrestling eventually but wanted to work on a TV show he was trying to develop. There's been talk of WWE wanting to bring in some well versed in-ring veterans and all three would hit that description, so we will see.

Women Wrestlers Do The Harlem Shake Including Amazing Kong (WWE Kharma)!

Video: CM Punk vs John Cena WWE Raw 02 25 2013

All Japan Pro Wrestling purchased!!

The Japanese corporation Speed Partners purchased 100% of the stock of All Japan Pro Wrestling, and will be forming two separate companies to handle both the wrestling and merchandising end.

Nobuo Shiraishi, the president of Speed Partners, made the announcement on Tuesday in Japan.  It is expected to lead to major changes in the struggling company.

All Japan Pro Wrestling was formed in 1972 by Shohei "Giant" Baba, and had major popularity booms in the 80s on televison and in the 90s as a big show promotion until the death of Baba and eventually, almost every top star leaving to form Pro Wrestling NOAH.

Over the past decade, the company has struggled while being run for much of the period by Keiji Muto.

VIDEO: HHH/Lesnar bloody brawl from Raw!

WWE confirms Donald Trump in Hall of Fame!

WWE announced this afternoon that Donald Trump would be inducted into the company's Hall of Fame on 4/6 in New York.

Trump has made a few very successful appeareances for the company, including its biggest PPV event ever and its highest rated television show in years.

As in last week's Observer, it was noted that a video was produced for Raw last week for Trump going in the Hall of Fame, but it didn't air.

Brock Lesnar Injury Update!

Brock Lesnar needed 12 staples to close the cut on his forehead from going too hard and fast into the ringpost in the brawl with HHH early in the show.

He was fine backstage after being attended to. 

WWE Raw TV report - Cena vs. Punk for shot at Rock's title!

WWE Monday Night Raw

February 25, 2013

Dallas, TX

Robert McCarron

Brock & Triple H Battle

Mr. McMahon opened the show tonight, walking to the ring with the assistance of crutches. Vince called out Heyman for their fight, which brought out the manager of champions himself. Paul said he wouldn't take it easy on Vince tonight, and cut off his own speech to spear Vince. Paul hit Vince with his own crutch a couple of times before Vince hulked up and grabbed the crutch. Vince turned the tables and beat down Paul until Brock Lesnar entered. Brock backed Vince up, then TIME TO PLAY THE GAME began. Triple H, in no hurry, walked to the ring and began a battle with Brock. The two brawled. HHH whipped Brock into the post on the outside, busting Brock open big time. Brock bled quite a bit here. There were chairshots, lots of blood, spinebusters and more before Brock bailed and tried to brush off the attack. We basically saw Triple H get his revenge on his loss and the attack on Vince a few weeks ago. So, I guess they wrestle now for more revenge? The brawl was great, but I'm surprised they did so much with still a few weeks to go before WrestleMania.

The Ryback vs The Show Off

Ryback beat Dolph, despite plenty of interference from AJ and Big E Langston. This was Ryback's most competitive Raw match in a while, maybe even ever. Dolph got a lot of offense in, but finally lost to the Shellshock after Big E did his best to get his friend's boyfriend the win.

A trailer for Halle Berry's "The Call" aired. David Otunga has a minor role.

CM Punk Speaks

Tonight is more important than John Cena, more important than the Rock, and more important than WrestleMania. He said that tonight is about CM Punk, the single most important superstar of this era. He closed by calling himself God. JBL did that already, and honestly, did it better.

There will be a new Hall of Fame announcement tonight~! Oh, it's now. Donald Trump, y'all. Worst of the HoF video packages so far.

Thank Punk It's Not A Mania Match

Mark Henry squashed Great Khali with the World's Strongest Slam, hopefully ending my fear that they were building these two for WrestleMania. This great battle quickly led to a shill for The Marine 3.

Another promo for FAN...DAN...GO aired. Still estimating his debut date as November 4, 2013.

Miz TV featuring Jake Hager, Wayne Keown, and Jose Rodriguez

Something tells me Zeb won't be taking us behind the curtain so much tonight, unlike his video posted to his YouTube channel over the weekend. Well, an awkward beginning as no one knew they were live and Miz' mic didn't work, and you could hear someone yelling to the ring to "Go, we're live" at least twice. Miz, Zeb, Swagger, Ricardo, and Del Rio were all in the ring to start. Zeb and Del Rio went back and forth about 'illegals', the Mexican citizenship process, Del Rio's people, yada yada yada. This was really the first time Zeb basically called out Mexicans specifically. Anyway, finally, Del Rio challenged Zeb and Jack to do something to "make us leave." Swagger then said his only line of the night, "We will see you at WrestleMania... We the people!"

WWEActive: Jack Swagger blindsided Miz on the entrance ramp during the break.

Next week will be "Old School Raw" again. I remember the first one being pretty fun. Although, I can't even remember last week's Raw so I may be mistaken.

Tale of Who Should Win vs Who Will Win

Randy Orton pinned Antonio Cesaro again with an RKO out of nowhere. Cesaro and Orton wrestled an even bout, with Orton even tossing in a few throws to sort of match the offense of Cesaro. The finish saw Orton catch Cesaro in mid-air with an RKO as Cesaro was trying to hit a flying clothesline from the middle rope.

Backstage, Daniel Bryan said he could beat the Prime Time Players by himself while blindfolded. Kane said he could do it with one arm tied behind his back. Vickie and Brad Maddox appeared, with them making D-Bry and Kane vs PTP'ers for tonight. Bryan would have to be blindfolded, while Kane will have one arm tied behind his back. Brad Maddox was fantastic here talking over Vickie and getting sad when he was shushed.

For whatever reason, we got a replay of the WrestleMania 21 buildup video featuring John Cena and JBL doing a Few Good Men parody.

Miz vs Jack Swagger was made for tonight.

Sheamus' Oscar Snubs

Sheamus, in a tuxedo, came out to discuss last night's Oscars. Sheamus said he was upset with the academy for overlooking the great actor Wade Barrett. Sheamus cut to a trailer of Dead Man Down again, the move that Wade has a small part in. Sheamus mocked Wade's small part. Wade came out and called Sheamus jealous. After a few words between them, Wade went for an attack but Sheamus ducked and tried a Brogue Kick. Wade ducked that and bailed.

They're Still Best Friends

R-Truth pinned Cody Rhodes in a basic match. Damien Sandow was at ringside doing commentary. He's still Cody's best friend, even if they don't tag anymore. It's hard telling if they're building Sandow vs Truth, or an actual tag feud between Truth/Kofi and Rhodes/Sandow.

Youtube.com/WeThePeopleZeb - Jack and Zeb talk about illegals stealing our jobs.

Team Hell No vs Prime Time Players

Team Hell No beat Titus O'Neil and, after recovering nine months from an injured knee (or not), Darren Young. Bryan wrestled blindfolded, while Kane wrestled with one arm tied behind his back. Bryan started the match with comedy. Young and Titus had whistles, and they were confusing Bryan as to where the two were. Bryan also kicked Kane not realizing it was him. Kane got a tag, and beat down the PTP'ers with one arm. Kane pinned Darren after a chokeslam, and afterwards Bryan's blindfold was removed and the two celebrated their victory.

Dean Ambrose and those two other guys came down to the ring, challenging the entire roster to create an army to stop The Shield from bringing justice and honor to WWE. Seth spoke, talking about their Pay Per View wins over the last three months. Seth asked if there was anyone else who wanted to step up against the Shield. Sheamus came out, challenging the Shield to fight him on the ramp. Roman and Dean took him up on it, but Randy Orton snuck in the ring to RKO the remaining Seth Rollins.

Miz vs Swagger

Jack Swagger beat Miz with the Patriot Act in a fine match. The two went back and forth for a while, until Swagger got the advantage and worked on Miz' leg for a lengthy period. With Miz lame, Swagger locked in the Patriot Act ankle lock, which Michael Cole still can't properly name, for the submission win.

Cole and Lawler blatantly shilled Sonic fast food, with a tray filled with unhealthy goodies on the announce table in front of Lawler.

A recap video of last week's main event angle was played, with Rock debuting the new title belt and Punk attacking Cena with the old title belt.

Tout: WWE is back on the Tout train, showing some fans' thoughts on Triple H's attack on Brock Lesnar.

Backstage, John Cena promoted tonight's main event.

Tout: They aired Undertaker's entrance at a house show in Waco over the weekend. Lawler speculated if Undertaker will return for WrestleMania this year. Well, fifteen minutes from now we may know.

Main Event: God vs John Cena

Cena beat Punk to confirm his title match at WrestleMania. This match had a big main event PPV feel, and the crowd treated it as such. This was the most lively the crowd had been, just a notch above the opening show angle. Punk had control for most of the match, but the end saw back and forth exchanges of submission finishers in a heated series the crowd was really into. Later, the two exchanged reversals of each man's finishers climaxing with Cena hitting a powerbomb to a near fall. Cena followed that up with his top rope leg drop for an even closer near fall that really pumped the crowd up into a frenzy. After a brief back and forth, Cena landed an AA on Punk for another near fall. These two were clicking really well as we went past the 11:05 mark. They did a near count out spot, with Cena making it in just before a ten count for another near finish. That was followed with Punk nailing a GTS for a near finish. Cena countered another GTS attempt into the STFU, but Punk escaped. Then, in an OMG moment, Punk landed a piledriver on John Cena. That takes balls. The crowd responded big to that, and it went with the story that Punk is doing everything he can think of to get his title back. The final sequence saw Punk miss his flying elbow, leading to a hurricanrana from Cena and the AA for the pinfall victory. This was great, and WWE's Match of the Year to this point. They made the right call ending the show with Cena celebrating, because this is what you want the crowd to remember.

Rock vs Cena is official now for WrestleMania. We save Undertaker's return for another week.

That main event stole the show, and did as much as you could do to make the WWE title match at Mania feel like the most important thing in the world. Overall, I'd have to say a good show because of the opening and closing segments. Not much else was promoted for Mania, though. Nothing new, anyway.

Video: Bret "Hitman" Hart: The Dungeon Collection

Video: TNA Backstage Pass Ep.2!

TNA Backstage Pass: Episode 2 di jsodragon

TANK ABBOTT RETURNING TO MMA

After a four year break from MMA competition, UFC legend Tank Abbott is returning this coming April at a King Of The Cage event, fighting Ruben Villareal. Abbott last competed in February 2009, defeating Mike Bourke at a Wargods/Ken Shamrock Productions event. Villareal has only won one of his last eight fights, but that lone victory comes over MMA legend Don Frye. KOTC: Fighting Legends takes place on April 13th from the Gold Country Casino in Oroville, California with the aforementioned fighters headlining.

---

International superstar Ciclon Negro passes away at 80

Romon Rodriguez, best known as Ciclon (sometimes spelled Cyclon and Cyclone) Negro, among the most underrated performers of the last 50 years, passed away at the age of 80.

He had been living in Melbourne, FL.

Rodriguez was a former boxer who would do stunts to show how hard his head was, breaking boards over it and things even worse, but was a headliner all over the world during a career that went from 1956 to 1982.  While he is not talked about much these days, among wrestlers he was considered one of the best performers in the ring of his era.

He started in his native Venezeula in 1956, and came to North America for the first time in 1960.  His best runs were in San Francisco, where he headlined at the Cow Palace on several occasions, Florida, where he had main event runs at different times against the likes of Jack Brisco and Dusty Rhodes, as well as in Australia and Japan (where he was a masked star, Caribs Hurricane, against The Destroyer).

His greatest success came in the early 70s working out of Amarillo, where he had legendary Texas death matches against the likes of Dory Funk Sr. and Terry Funk.  He was the top heel in the territory for years and considered one of the biggest drawing cards in history in that part of the country.

In 1974, when there was such a great demand for Brisco as world champion, the Amarillo promotion created the International title.  The idea was it would be the No. 2 title in the NWA, and they would book the heel champoin in different territories similar to how the world champion was booked.  Negro was picked to be champion, but only a few territories were interested in paying a premium price to have a No. 2 title that would make their own regional belt seem like No. 3, and the title idea disappeared.   

ROH TV report

2/23/2013 ROH TV Report

Kevin Kelly and Caleb Seltzer introduce the show from the Du Burns Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. They preview tonight’s finals of the Top Prospect tournament with Tadarius Thomas vs Matt Taven. Footage is shown from last week with Kevin Steen stopping Rhino from attacking Jay Lethal, Steen’s opponent at the 11^th Anniversary Show.

Kevin Steen comes to the ring and says that people say he has changed. Steen says ROH has changed a lot over the past few years. Steen says when he won the title last year he wasn’t proud of the victory and wasn’t proud to be ROH Champion. The only reason he was happy was because he thought it would help him kill this company. He didn’t want to kill this company because he hated it, he loves ROH and always has. He wanted to put ROH out of its misery because of what Jim Cornette was doing to it. ROH was once about young talented wrestlers busting their asses to prove they belong in this industry and since Jim Cornette is gone it is about what it should be, pro wrestling.   You can call him a lot of things and you can say he is sick, but you can’t say he doesn’t love pro wrestling. He has dedicated his life to it, he has bled for it and cried for it and is not stopping any time soon. He has realized since Jim Cornette’s departure he cares about this company and is proud to be ROH Champion. That is why he is giving Jay Lethal a title shot even though he doesn’t have to, because he deserves it.   He doesn’t deserve it because he is a good wrestler or because he has beaten a lot of good wrestlers, he deserves it because he is the one that got rid of Jim Cornette. Steen says Lethal is great, but since winning the title Steen has beaten Eddie Edwards, Davey Richards, Roderick Strong, Rhino, Michael Elgin, and El Generico to name a few. He has put himself through hell and now more than ever he will do anything and everything to keep the title. He asks Lethal what makes him think he can beat him and says that the truth is Lethal can’t beat him.

Tadarius Thomas and Matt Taven are both interviewed with footage being shown of their matches in ROH. Thomas says that since he has joined ROH he has gone through a lot of emotions and the first one is that more than anything he is glad to be in an arena with all these top guys. Taven says the first time he was in ROH was in 2009 and it is 2013 and he is finally getting his chance. Thomas says he has been on the independents for the last four years but ROH is the top and the best athletes. Taven says he was jealous of Thomas last year as he got a spot Taven wanted and is now the last man in his way for him to get what he wants and what he thinks he deserves. Thomas says his knowledge of Taven and his background is very limited and what he knows of him is what he sees in his matches and pretty much all that matters is what he does in the ring. Thomas says that what he brings to the ring is something that Taven probably hasn’t seen, his African Brazilian style Capoeira which makes him very unorthodox. Taven says for years he has floated around and made his name here and there but this tournament is his break-out opportunity. Thomas says he has accumulated some losses that he is not too proud of but he has learned from them. Taven says people are talking about him the way he wants and this tournament will skyrocket him. Thomas says this tournament will jump-start him like Frankenstein. Taven says that Thomas is a humble guy but tonight he is a giant stepping stone for him. Thomas says he hopes Taven is ready because he is going to bring everything he has to the table. Taven says he wants the TV Title shot and nothing including Taven will get in his way.

After a commercial break Kelly and Seltzer say they are surprised that Truth Martini has not joined them on commentary for the match as he has added expertise throughout the tournament. Matt Taven comes to the ring followed by Tadarius Thomas. Bobby Cruise announces that the winner of the match and the tournament will get a shot at the ROH TV Title at the 11^th Anniversary Show. The “Tale Of The Tape” shows that Thomas is 31 and Taven is 26. They circle each other to start and Thomas takes Taven’s back and then exchanging headlocks. Taven attempts a roll-up but Thomas grabs the ropes. Taven hits a dropkick and attempts to kick a seated Thomas who avoids it and hits capoeira kicks and attempts a pin. Taven gets whipped to the corner but he jumps to the top rope and hits a crossbody with Thomas rolling through for a pin attempt. Taven hits a lateral press and takes a headlock. Taven punches Thomas as Truth Martini is shown at ringside. Thomas hits two armdrags and a dropkick. Taven hits a back-kick and starts working on Thomas’s ribs which were injured in his match with QT Marshall last week. Taven hits a backbreaker and a gutbuster and attempts a pin. Taven hits a delayed vertical suplex followed by a springboard somersault senton for a pin attempt. Taven hits an elbow in the corner and whips Thomas to the opposite corner where he vaults over into a sunset flip. Thomas hits a La Magistral cradle and then whips Taven to the corner where Taven hits a step-up enzuiguri. Taven hits Thomas with punches. Thomas whips Taven into the ropes and Martini grabs Taven’s foot. Thomas slams Taven to the mat and hits an elbow in the corner followed by a legsweep. Thomas gets whipped into the corner but he hits Taven with a boot to the face. Thomas hits punches and then a hangman clothesline as Martini is cheering him on. Taven misses a headkick allowing Thomas to hit a dragon suplex. Taven gets out of a vertical suplex attempt and attempts a headkick but Thomas gets out of the way and Taven hits referee Todd Sinclair. Martini takes off his boot and throws it to Thomas but Thomas refuses. Taven grabs the boot and attempts to hit Thomas who avoids it. Thomas tries to roll up Taven but Martini hits Thomas in the head with his Book Of Truth. Taven covers Thomas and Sinclair is recovered and counts the pin. Taven wins the tournament and seems hesitant at first to ally with Martini but Martini talks in his ear and they shake hands and celebrate. Taven will be facing Adam Cole for the ROH TV Title at the 11^th Anniversary Show.

On Inside Ring Of Honor footage is shown of the brawl between Charlie Haas and BJ Whitmer last week. Haas says Whitmer won’t be at the 11^th Anniversary show. Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander are interviewed regarding their match against Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs. The match with Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards vs Rocky Romero and Alex Kozlov is previewed with Richards talking about his former tag team with Romero. Edwards says they were partners but he and Richards are brothers. Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly are interviewed regarding their ROH World Tag Team Title match saying that Jay and Mark Bricscoe are the most decorated team in ROH history but they will make it short-lived. Truth Martini is shown laughing about the Matt Taven vs Adam Cole match. Michael Elgin is interviewed regarding his match with Roderick Strong saying that he was taught growing up that you don’t pick fights you can’t win and that is what Strong has done and he has signed his own death warrant. Jay Lethal is interviewed regarding his match with Kevin Steen and says he has Steen’s number and he is focused as his parents are miles away and he has no distractions.

After a commercial break Jay Lethal comes to the ring and says that it is great that Steen all of sudden has a change of heart and loves ROH and wants to be an honorable champion but he also thinks he is full of crap. Lethal says that Steen is a master of mind-games and getting into people’s heads. Steen came out and told everyone what they wanted to hear. Lethal says that the mind-games Steen played on Davey Richards to win the title was amazing but it will not happen to him. Lethal says he has forgiven the past and his parents will be miles away and he has removed all distractions. Lethal says that when they discuss the great ROH Champions after March 2 they will say there was Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and then there was “one of us.” Lethal says that he thinks he can win on March 2 because Steen thinks that he can’t.

Veda Scott is shown interviewing Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong regarding their match against Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards and Kyle O’Reilly. Strong says he is 2-0 against Elgin and tonight will help him prove Elgin is very breakable and Strong is unbeatable. Fish notes that he and O’Reilly just beat the American Wolves to earn their ROH Title shot but if ROH wants them to go out and beat them again they’ll do so. O’Reilly asks if the wolves are going to bark all day or if they are going to bite.

Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish come to the ring as Jay and Mark Briscoe join the commentary table. Roderick Strong comes out in his own entrance. Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards and Michael Elgin then come to the ring together. All six met start brawling to start the match and it spills to the floor. Edwards starts chopping Fish and Richards is fighting O’Reilly. Two referees work to get the match in the ring as the show goes to commercials. On return Richards and Edwards hits Fish with double elbows and then tag in Elgin who hits Fish with a very long delayed vertical suplex. Richards then takes on Fish with O’Reilly interfering allowing Fish to take advantage. O’Reilly drops a knee on Richards’ face. Strong tags in and starts chopping Richards. Strong hits a dropkick and then holds Richards while Fish vaults in with a senton on Richards. Fish hits kicks and punches and Richards starts to come back but gets cut off. O’Reilly tags in and starts trading forearms with Richards but O’Reilly takes him down with a kick. Strong tags in and holds up Richards for a delayed vertical suplex but Richards fights out with knees to the head. Strong takes control and tags in Fish. Richards is fighting out with shoulders to Fish’s stomach but Strong tags in and hits Richards with strikes. O’Reilly tags in and puts a submission hold on Richards. They get to their feet and O’Reilly hits a dragon-screw legwhip. Fish tags in as the match goes to commercials. When the show returns Richards is still on defense and is being double-teamed by Fish and O’Reilly with O’Reilly dropkicking Richards into a DDT. Richards fights back and tags in Edwards who hits a double missile dropkick on Fish and O’Reilly. Edwards unloads with chops on Fish and then catches a charging Fish with a boot to the face. Edwards hits a running kick (almost a Shining Wizard) to the face of Fish who fights back and hits a falcon arrow. Strong tags in and Edwards attempts to hit a lung-blower from the top rope but Strong blocks and attempts a Boston Crab. They exchange chops and Richards tags in to hit an alarm clock with Edwards. Fish and O’Reilly are in the ring and attempt to charge Edwards and Richards who avoid them and send them to the floor. Edwards and Richards then hit kicks to their back and follow up with suicide dives. This leaves Elgin and Strong in the ring and Elgin throws Strong into the corner and hits clotheslines. Elgin hits an STO followed by corner-to-corner clotheslines and a side-slam. Fish and O’Reilly enter the ring and try to stop Elgin with O’Reilly hopping on his back with a sleeperhold. Elgin walks with O’Reilly on his back and grabs Fish in a waist-lock and gives him a back suplex while falling back on O’Reilly. Edwards goes to the top rope and hits a double stomp on Strong while Richards hits a double stomp from another corner. Elgin lifts Strong for a suplex but drops him into a slam on the mat. O’Reilly breaks up a pin attempt. Elgin is hitting clotheslines on Fish but O’Reilly hits him with a boot to the face. Strong attempts a double-knee gutbuster but Elgin lands on his feet. O’Reilly and Fish hit him with Double Elimination. Fish and O’Reilly start trading punches with Richards and Edwards. Strong hits Richards with a double-knee backbreaker. Strong faces off with Elgin who attempts a death-valley drive and then an O’Connor Roll but Strong fights out with kicks. Strong hits an enzuiguri and then a sick-kick for a pin attempt. Elgin hits a punch but Strong hits him with a number of knees to the face followed by a suplex into a double-knee backbreaker to score the pin and win the match.

The show was fun this week with the build-up to the Taven vs Thomas match making it seem important and the match being a good one building to the TV title match. The main event was actually pretty good and Mark Briscoe was really entertaining on commentary. This show was a good build-up to the 11^th Anniversary Show next weekend.

Dave Musgrave

Oshawa, Ontario

Dragon Gate results 2-24 Castleford, UK

Dragon Gate Results

Castleford UK

Martin Kirby beat Xtreme Dean in the pre show match

Marty Scurll beat Mark Haskins
Yamato beat Noam Dar (amazing match)
Tozawa beat Lion Kid

BxB Hulk beat Genki Horiguchi H.A Gee Mee
Masaki Mochizuki beat Naruki Doi
Shingo & Jimmy Susumu beat CIMA & Ricochet (superb contest)

Out of this world level event, the best I have been to in my 20 years as a fan.

Matt Barker

CMLL TV report 2-23

by Mark Black

Dragon Rojo Jr vs El Hijo Del Fantasma in a lightning match
Match started with Fantasma hit a huracanranna that sent Rojo to the floor.  Fantasma used a tope suicida onto Rojo which got a pop from the crowd.  Dragon Rojo Jr did a double foot stomp from the top rope for a near fall.  Fantasma hit a plancha to the floor onto Rojo Jr.  Rojo did a flying dropkick from the ramp to the floor onto Fantasma.  Dragon Rojo Jr got the pin with a slingshot sit out powerbomb.

Winner:  Dragon Rojo Jr

Final Thoughts:  Match was decent   Crowd got into Fantasma's flying.  The one thing I dont like about these lightning matches is they are usually rushed and and it doesnt build to anything.

Namajague/Averno/Mephisto vs Angel De Oro/Stuka Jr/Valiente
The rudos start out attacking the technicos on the ramp.  Rudos got the pin when Mephisto used his Demon Driller which is a double underhook sitout facebuster,(similar to Christopher Daniels Angels Wings), onto Valiente & Averno had Angel De Oro up for a bodyslam and he turned it into a Rock Bottom.  Second fall started with Namajague attacking Stuka Jr.  Rudos got good heat for beating down Stuka Jr.  Stuka did a tope suicida to the floor onto Namajague which the crowd liked.  Angel De Oro hit an Asai Moonsault from the middle rope to the floor onto Averno & Valiente hit a moonsault from the top rope onto Mephisto which the crowd popped for.  Rudos got the win when Namajague low blowed Stuka Jr and rolled him up.

Winners:  Namajague/Averno/Mephisto

Final thoughts:  This match consisted of mainly brawling and seemed to set up a mask vs mask match with Stuka Jr & Namajague which it did a good job of, but I was really looking forward the Averno's matwork which is always really good when he busts it out.

Super Porky/La Mascara/Atlantis vs Ultimo Guerrero/Euforia/Niebla Roja
Atlantis & Guerrero went right after each other before the bell.  Rudos pretty much dominated most of the first fall.  Euforia & Ultimo Guerrero used a double suplex onto Porky and Niebla came off the top rope with a splash to get the pin and Euforia used an abdominal stretch into a powerslam onto La Mascara for the pin and to win the first fall.  Technicos made a comeback in the second fall.  Atlantis hit Ultimo Guerrero with a quebradora backbreaker and La Mascara hit Euforia with a superkick.  All three rudos were on the mat laid out and Super Porky came off the top rope with a splash and the Technicos piled on top for the pin.  That Porky splash really got a big pop from the crowd!  Third fall saw Atlantis & Guerrero starting to brawl and Atlantis ripped off Guerrero's mask for a split second but Guerrero got it back on.  La Mascara hit Guerrero with a huracanranna and then hit one one Euforia from the top rope.  At one point in the match all three rudos were sitting one in front of the other when Porky used a sit down splash onto them which the crowd loved!  La Mascara hit a tope suicida onto Euforia.  Atlantis went for a quebradora backbreaker onto Guerrero but Guerrero rolled him up for the pin and the win.

Winners:  Ultimo Guerrero/Euforia/Neibla Roja

Final Thoughts.  This was the best match on the show and worth watching. Both Atlantis & Ultimo Guerrero did a good job of building up what seems to be a hair vs hair match. The most over wrestler on the entire show was Super Porky.  The crowd loves him and popped for everything that he did really loves him.  La Mascara looked really good in everything he did

Photo: Ric Flair Appears on WWE NXT!

WWE NXT TV report- Ric Flair Appears

WWE NXT

February 21, 2013

LIVE! From Full Sail University

by Emerson “I am a Rouseymaniac” Witner

Any questions, comments concerns or emotional outbursts? Contact me:

e-mail: ewitner@yahoo.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Krazy.E.Man

Twitter: @TheReallyRealEW

Here's what you need to know about NXT:

-They have a champion, it's Big E. Langston, who defeated Seth Rollins for the title on January 10. The show was taped after The Shield debuted at Survivor Series, but before Big debuted on Raw. Big originally refused to go to Raw when Vickie Guerrero offered him a spot, but did go to Raw once AJ lost power. Go figure.

-They also have Tag Team Champions, Oliver Grey and Adrian Neville. They won the belts in a tournament, which concluded February 14 when they defeated The Wyatt Family.

-Dusty Rhodes is the Authority Figure, but his job title seems to change from week to week.

-The insanely popular Paige, Emma, Audrey Marie and the love of my life, Sasha Banks were the only four NXT Diva's until February 7 when ring announcer Summer Rae (not Summer Rain) attacked Paige.

-Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Rowan (Husky Harris, Brodie Lee and Erick Rowan) have formed a weird family, called simply The Wyatt Family.

-Kassius Ohno and Leo Kruger have formed an alliance and seemed determined to get William Regal to drop the headset and get in the ring.

And that's everything you need to know about NXT. (Now we know!) (And knowing is half the battle) (G.I. Joe!)

-Tom Phillips replaces Tony Dawson this week. Of course he wasn't much better than Tony. For instance...

Tom: What do you think El Local (Low-Cal) means?

William: It obviously means The Local, it's right there.

(Audrey Marie is pulling Sasha Banks' arms behind her back)

Tom: Tell the audience what that does right there.

William: If you need me to explain to you what that does, you shouldn't be sitting next to me.

1.) Bray Wyatt (w/The Family) defeated Yoshi Tatsu in 1:35. This is Bray's first tv match since July, when he went down with a knee injury. Bray dropped Yoshi 31 seconds into the match with a Samoa Joe-esque uranage. After a corner splash, Bray finished off Yoshi with an STO after kissing his forehead. Bray cradled Yoshi during the fall.

-After the match Bray ordered his men into the ring and forced them to watch footage of their loss last week to Neville and Gray. Bray wondered how they could let Bray down after everything he did for them. Bray asked Rowan how it felt that his brother cost him the NXT Tag Titles. Bray ordered Rowan to hit Luke, which he did.

Bray then told Luke to hit Rowan, which Luke did. Luke and Rowan kept punching one another, before Bray stopped it. They couldn't have put two better people with Bray Wyatt. I just hope WWE doesn't fuck it up when they call these men up.

-To the back where Renee Young is with the love of my life, Sasha Banks. Sasha is excited to find out who her secret admirer is. Sasha receives an envelope which said her secret admirer was right behind her. Before she could even turn around she was attacked from behind! But by who?

It was....Audrey Marie! Audrey had been off injured apparently and she told Sasha to stay out of her way.

-To a different part of the back where Daniel Bryan told us not to copy what they do in the ring. NO!

-6 weeks until WrestleMania!!!!!!!!!!!!

2.) Xavier Woods pinned El Local in 4:38. Xavier is former TNA Tag Team Champion Consequences Creed who, for some reason, is stuck in the 1990's. I don't mean that to sound like a dick. I say it because that is his character. William said that despite the mask, you can tell that El Local is dreadfully ugly. Something tells me that Local would make an excellent Spanish ring announcer for someone on the main roster. Local shows his great Luchadore background by doing all ground work. I haven't watched much Lucha in my life, but I don't recall 3 minutes of rest holds. Xavier picked up the win with a Tornado DDT.

In case you don't know, Local is Ricardo Rodriguez under a mask.

-Back to the back where Renee Young is talking to Dr. Michael Sampson, who is the physician for Paige, whose shoulder was hurt by Summer Rae. Doc said that Paige isn't ready to get back in the ring, but will be re-evaluated in a few days.

-For some reason we got a CM Punk video package. Hey, any excuse for some Living Colour is okay by me.

3.) Sasha's Secret Admirer Emerson Witner...I mean Audrey Marie pinned The Love Of My Life, Sasha Banks in 2:04. Despite being a heel about 5 minutes ago, Audrey played baby face to the crowd, which made the fans not react to my love. Apparently Sasha Banks is Snoop Dogg's favorite Diva. Well he has good taste. There was nothing to this match and Audrey pinned my girl in two minutes with her wacky finisher.

-Back to the back to the back where Renee Young is interviewing former ring announcer Summer Rae. Summer does not feel bad about injuring Paige last week. Her only regret is she broke her nail while slapping Paige. Summer is looking to become the greatest WWE Diva of all time. Summer is now referred to as The First Lady of NXT.

-Renee Young is in another part of the arena as she talks to the fans of Qatar about shows that are happening this weekend. Apparently the main event for the shows were John Cena and Ryback vs CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler. I wonder who won that match.

-To the ring where the injured Tyson Kidd is introduced to the arena. Sadly the man I thought would be getting a giant push in 2013 got a giant push into the injured reserve. Tyson hobbled into the ring and gave an interview about not being able to wait until he can return to the ring.

Tony Dawson told us that “for those who do not know” Tyson was injured and had major surgery. The man hobbled out on crutches with his entire leg in a brace. I think most people put two and two together.

The interview now turns to.....CM Punk. A month or so ago Punk made a comment about Tyson on tv and Kidd said that he goes out every week and is the absolute best he can be.

This brings out Leo Kruger who said simply that he will end Tyson's career. Like a wounded animal, Tyson is weak and vulnerable. Leo got into the ring and kicked at Tyson's good knee. Tyson's “long time partner” Justin Gabriel made the save. I know I have said this before, but Kidd and Gabriel's first match as a team was at WrestleMania 28 where Gabriel was injured and out for two months. But hey. 11 months is a long time!

-It was Kofi Kingston's turn to do a Don't Try This At Home video. 

4.) In a special challenge match, NXT Champion Big E. Langston went to a Double Disqualification with Conor O'Brien in 8:03. Sadly we no longer live in an alternate universe and it is acknowledged that Big is on Raw as a heel while here as a baby face. This match was by far the longest of the NXT career of Big. They had a strongman match, even though you wouldn't normally think of Conor as a strong man. Remember when he was trying to usher in the Rattitude Era? Conor got the heat when Big missed a corner charge and went crashing shoulder-first into the post. Sadly Conor is quite boring as a single. Why did Kenneth Cameron have to fuck up? Conor got a 2 count off of a full nelson slam. Big fought out of the Developmental Chinlock and went on a rampage. They exchanged punches in the corner. The referee tried on several occasions to break them up, but they finally shoved him to the mat and he threw the match out.

Big and Conor continued to fight afterwards, with Big sending Conor packing...but from behind comes Corey Graves! Graves stole the NXT Title and ran off! Graves wants the championship!

See ya next week!

New Japan 2/11 Osaka house show report and preview of next big show

By Ryan Clingman

New Japan Pro-Wrestling February 11th 2013 Road to New Beginning

Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka, Japan

Overall Thoughts:

This show in many ways was your default New Japan house show with many of the same matches that you have come to expect like the junior tag match and other multiman matches. There were some unique matches on the show with three or for building to the New Japan anniversary show. I found it interesting that they decided to book another tag match featuring Anderson and Tanahashi for the mainevent, but with the stipulation going into the anniversary show match with Devitt being that Tanahashi will relinquish the title if he loses, I wouldn't be surprised if Tanahashi enters the New Japan Cup looking to regain his title.

If you haven't seen some of the New Japan house shows over the last six months or so it could be fun for you to check this out, but for everybody else the only real key match here was the mainevent, with the majority of the show being pretty forgettable.

Match by Match:

1. BUSHI & Sho Tanaka vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe

I don't mean this as an insult to any of the men involved, but from the outside looking in Watanabe, Tanaka and Takahashi all looked pretty indistinct wearing the same Young Lions gear. Obviously Watanabe is the broadest and stiffest of the three, but in some of the fast sequences I could see some people having to do a double take. It looks like they are going with Takahashi and Watanabe as a team for the time being, which seems like a good idea. The finish was quite unexpected as Watanabe had Tanaka in a Boston crab, Tanaka looked like he was going to fight his way out, but landed up submitting in 09:13. Takahashi, Watanabe and Tanaka all have promise.

** 1/2

2. Gedo, Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) & Jado vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA) & Tiger Mask

This was pretty much a given going in, but they did everything that you would expect from an opening level multiman juniors match featuring the men involved. The heels got the heat on Liger until doing a quadrupedal hug spot, which allowed Liger to make the hot tag to KUSHIDA. Rocky Romero came in after a while with more lariats, but Tiger Mask eventually pinned Gedo with a Tiger Driver in 11:18. After the match Koslov and Romero cut promos saying how the titles were theirs. These junior matches are usually fun and work on the house shows, but after such a long period of doing pretty much the same match they really need to freshen up the formula. Plus it doesn't make much sense having Forever Hooligans ask for a title shot after they lost at the iPPV.

** 3/4

3. Hirooki Goto & Wataru Inoue vs. Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI

Inoue and Ishii had a fiery chop exchange early on. Goto and HASHI went at it and Goto landed his fireman's carry over the knee neckbreaker, but HASHI kicked out and landed a big lariat for two. Ishii and Inoue were tagged in while Goto ad HASHI went at it on the floor. Inoue kicked out of a top rope brainbuster, and Goto ran in with a big lariat. Inoue landed his buster, but HASHI was in to break it up. Goto pulled off a plancha on HASHI, and a fired up Ishii went after Inoue with a stiff clothesline and brainbuster for the win in 12:33. I found it interesting that they beat Goto and Inoue while they are in the midst of a program with Sakuraba and Shibata. Hopefully this becomes part of a trend for Ishii, as he really is one of the most underutilized people in the company.

***

4. Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tama Tonga & Captain New Japan vs. TAKA Michinoku, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer & Hiro Tonai

Michinoku did his usual “lets get crazy!” spot before the bell, which was the signal for KES to jump the face team before the bell. Unlike at the pay-per-view Tenzan and Kojima did not avoid the ambush. Suzuki-gun had their way at the start of the match, but Kojima was tagged in and landed a flurry of chops on both Smith and Michinoku.. Kojima landed his ace crusher, but Suzuki-gun snuck behind the face team and knocked them off the apron. New Japan was still open for the tag, but in a spot, which was either unintentionally humorous or cringe worthy, Archer and or Kojima were out of place so Kojima had to wait in place for ages before Archer could break up the tag, only for Archer to get it seconds later. Tonga landed his splash and New Japan grabbed the Caribbean death grip on Archer, but Smith came in for the killer bomb for the win in 11:19.

** 3/4

5. Yuji Nagata, Togi Makabe & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Takashi Iizuka & Toru Yano

Surprisingly enough they didn't stick to the usual formula of having Iizuka and Yano use foreign objects for most of the match and then have the babyface comeback. No, in fact they didn't even remove the turnbuckle pad. Instead, they had a pretty average match, the babyfaces ran wild at the end, but Yano landed a low blow and chain shot on Makabe for the DQ. Despite the fact that the Takahashi/Makabe match at the pay-per-view seemed like it was just a way to get both men on the show, it looks like they are continuing with the program by the looks of it. At least this way it made more sense than having Yano get disqualified after Iizuka and Yano have done their shtick.

** 1/2

6. Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada w/ Gedo vs. Minoru Suzuki & Kengo Mashimo w/ TAKA Michinoku

There were some great exchanges between Okada and Suzuki early on with Okada and Suzuki both screaming at each other to hit one another. Suzuki then began to choke Okada with the barricade at the same time that Mashimo went after Nakamura. Nakamura landed his big knee in the corner on Suzuki for two, Suzuki brushed his boot against Nakamura's face, which led to a strike exchange. In came Mashimo, and Nakamura managed to make the tag to Okada who grabbed a flapjack. The referee was pulled to the outside, which allowed Michinoku to run in with a boot on Okada. Okada however managed to land his dropkick and rainmaker on Mashimo for the win in 11:10. The match didn't go as long as I expected, but as a house show match it served its purpose building the Suzuki-gun/CHAOS program further.

*** 1/4

7. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Prince Devitt & Karl Anderson

I was surprised that they went with this tag match following the New Beginning show, considering the fact that Tanahashi had already defeated Anderson the previous night. It wasn't much of an issue, but these tags are normally used to set up title matches, which in a round about way is the case considering that Devitt was in the match and Tanahashi pinned him giving impetus to make their match a non-title match. Devitt and Anderson worked over Taguchi before he made the hot tag and Devitt was sent off of the apron to the floor by Tanahashi. Anderson landed the spinebuster for two and he and Tanahashi had a forearm exchange. Devitt dropped Taguchi and Tanahashi to the floor for the topé con giro. This allowed him to land the double foot stomp, he went for Bloody Sunday, but couldn't get Tanahashi up, which allowed Tanahashi to land the highfly flow. Devitt got the knees up off of a highfly flow. Taguchi landed the chicken wing face buster and Anderson was thrown to the floor, which allowed Tanahashi to land the highfly flow for the win in 14:11. They worked a very good match, even if the story going in and coming out is a little strange. Out of everything on the show this is the one thing that you should search for. After the match Tanahashi attempted to help Devitt up, but Devitt pushed him away, which led to a shoving contest and Devitt walking off. Tanahashi then did his long promo to close the show off and he and Taguchi did the air guitar, and Tanahashi sang.

*** 3/4

New Japan 41st Anniversary Show – Tanahashi vs. Devitt

New Japan are running their 41st Anniversary show on the 3rd of March at Korakuen Hall, which will not be on internet-pay-per-view, but will be broadcast live on Samurai TV in Japan. It is shaping up to be a pretty interesting card, particularly when it comes to the mainevent match between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Prince Devitt.

The match was originally set up before New Japan's last pay-per-view, the New Beginning, when Devitt pinned Tanahashi in a tag match teaming up with Karl Anderson to face Tanahashi and Taguchi. The finish came as a major surprise, as it isn't customary for junior heavyweights to pin heavyweights in that kind of match, plus in theory it would set up a title match at the next show, which I know a lot of people were excited about. Well, Tanahashi got his pinfall back in a tag team match the night after the pay-per-view, but they are still doing the match at the Anniversary show, but not for the title.

Instead Tanahashi said that if he does not win his match he will vacate the title, which makes me think that they may be doing a similar thing to what All Japan did with Get Wild last year, as in have Tanahashi lose to Devitt and then enter the New Japan cup to reclaim the title. Initially I wasn't a big fan of it being non-title, as it took the edge off the match, but after they added the new stipulation I changed my stance somewhat. It makes logical sense for it to be non-title given the fact that Tanahashi pinned Devitt, and the nearfalls will be even more believable given the stipulation.

In terms of the match itself I am expecting nothing less than a phenomenal match. It is in many ways a dream match as you have Tanahashi who is probably the strongest case for best wrestler in the world, and Prince Devitt who is one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. Neither man ever has a bad match, and when they are given the mainevent they always shine so the chances of this match being great are very high.

The other big match on the show is Shinsuke Nakamura defending his Intercontinental Championship against one half of the IWGP Tag-Team champions, Lance Archer, in what should be a very intriguing match. It is a part of the ongoing Suzuki-gun/CHAOS feud and I fully expect Nakamura to retain. The other Suzuki-gun/CHAOS match on the show is an eight-man elimination match with Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Gedo and Jado versus Minoru Suzuki, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Kengo Mashimo and TAKA Michinoku. Given the fact that it is an elimination match it could be very good, as all of the members of CHAOS apart from Jado and most of the people on Suzuki-gun have the opportunity to take part in some great sequences.

I expect the match to come down to Okada and Suzuki with Suzuki getting the win in some devious way – that would make the most sense if they are building towards Okada finally getting the big win. Apart from your standard multiman matches on the show there is also a Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match with the Time Splitters versus Jushin Liger and Tiger Mask, in a match where I am not expecting anywhere close to greatness, but it should be a very fun match.

The card looks really good at this point, and I would recommend that you keep eye out for it.

By: Ryan Clingman Cubedcirclewrestling.com