UFC FIGHT NIGHT 94 HIDALGO LIVE RESULTS: DUSTIN POIRIER VS. MICHAEL JOHNSON

Welcome to our live coverage of UFC Fight Night 94: Poirier vs. Johnson, emanating from the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. 

The show is headlined by a five-round lightweight bout as Dustin Poirier puts his four-fight win streak on the line against Michael Johnson. In the co-main event, Uriah Hall takes on Derek Brunson in a battle of top-ten ranked middleweights.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 PM EST.

Some additional coverage:

- UFC Fight Night 94 DFS Playbook

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UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT)

> Alejandro Perez (17-6, 3-1 UFC) vs. Albert Morales (6-0, 0-0 UFC)

Bantamweights

R1- They spent the round on the feet with both men trading punches and kicks. Morales was landing harder and kept Perez on the retreat. Morales controlled the center of the Octagon and was the better defensive fighter. Perez did open a cut on the cheek of Morales with a left hand. Morales landed more of his strikes and this was his round. They both landed punches after the bell and got warnings from the referee. Solid round, but not spectacular. 10-9 Morales.

R2- This fight remained on the feet and Perez started landing more than he did in the first round. Both men landed big punches and Morales' right eye was starting to swell up. Morales was working well by landing the leg kicks and hindered the movement of Perez. Morales was the one backing up Perez. It was a better round for Perez and again both men landed punches after the bell. Closer round. 10-9 Morales, 20-18 Morales.

R3- Perez got deducted a point before the round for landing a punch after the bell in round two. I don't agree with that. They both came out swinging and Perez got a takedown and was looking for the finish. Morales was in a lot of trouble. Perez then went down and Morales landing a blatant illegal knee that went uncalled. Perez survived and both got up and Morales was very tired. Morales was very bloodied up. Both men got tired but survived to the end. Solid fight. 9-9, 29-27 Morales.

Official Result- Alejandro Perez vs. Albert Morales declared a majority draw (27-29 Morales, 28-28, 28-28)

Instant Analysis- I have to start off by saying this. Kerry Hatley is one of the worst referees in the sport. Not only was his point deduction of Alejandro Perez a bad call, since both men should've been deducted since they both landed punches after the bell, he missed a blatant illegal knee from Albert Morales that anyone could see. The call cost Perez the fight, but I thought Morales won the fight so we were looking at a potential bad decision. The fight was solid but both men have a long way to go if they are ever going to contend. 135 pounds is a tough division, and I don't like future contention status for either fighter.

> Erick Montano (7-3, 1-0 UFC) vs. Randy Brown (7-1, 1-1 UFC)

Welterweights

R1- Brown worked early in the clinch looking to use his size advantage. Montano was able to hit Brown but Brown went right back into the clinch and almost scored a big takedown but then landed a nice flying knee. It was mostly clinching in the round and neither man was able to land solidly when they were separated. Montano did land some leg kicks towards the end before Brown pushed him against the fence. 10-9 Brown.

R2- Brown went back to work in the clinch and finally got the takedown he was looking for but Montano got to his feet and got his own takedown. Montano landed a big right hand from inside the guard. Brown got to his feet and grabbed the fence to avoid a takedown but Montano ended up scoring it anyways. Brown wasn't doing much to get out of danger on the bottom as Montano had him planted down good. A great round for Montano. 10-9 Montano, 19-19.

R3- Morales went right for a takedown but Brown got him in a front choke and Montano tapped out! Finish out of nowhere for Brown.

Official Result- Randy Brown def. Erick Montano by submission (guillotine choke) at :18 of Round 3

Instant Analysis- Randy Brown got a solid victory after pulling the submission out of nowhere, but the fight showed some holes he still needs to improve on. He called out Bryan Barberena after the fight but that is a tough call out. Brown has to improve on his defense on the mat as his striking is solid for his experience level. Erick Montano was doing great until he found himself caught in the submission. It was a solid showing for him but he tapped quickly once he was in trouble. He will be looking to work his way back as the abilities are there, and finishes will come along.

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FS1 PRELIMS (8 PM ET/5 PM PT)

> Jose Quinonez (4-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Joey Gomez (6-1, 0-1 UFC)

Bantamweights

R1- Quinonez got a couple of early takedowns but Gomez was able to get up both times. They were both landing solid punches and kicks. Quinonez got another takedown and was in control on the mat. Quinonez landed some body kicks that knocked Gomez down and he looked for the finish but Gomez landed an upkick and they got to their feet. Quinonez went back and landed more body kicks and this was his round. 10-9 Quinonez.

R2- Gomez was doing better on his feet but Quinonez scored a takedown and worked from the top. Gomez was able to get up. Gomez started getting the better of the striking and dropped Quinonez with a left hand but Quinonez recovered to his feet. Gomez continued to find openings but Quinonez was pressuring him and looking to score the takedown. Close round but Gomez won the battle on the feet. 10-9 Gomez, 19-19.

R3- The pace slowed at the start until Quinonez dropped Gomez with a knee but left enough time for Gomez to recover, but then Quinonez was able to get into full mount on the mat. Quinonez was controlling on the mat and looking for submissions and almost had Gomez in a choke but Gomez escaped to his feet. They traded on the feet and both men had solid finishes to the fight. 10-9 Quinonez, 29-28 Quinonez.

Official Result- Jose Quinonez def. Joey Gomez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Instant Analysis- This was a very good fight between both men. Both are lower-level bantamweights, but they are solid fighters for their position. Jose Quinonez showed good takedowns and good top control, and his striking was very good. Joey Gomez also had good striking, and while his defense on the mat needs work, he was able to escape from being mounted to his feet, so that was good for him. As back-and-forth as it was early, Jose Quinonez definitely won this fight.

> Antonio Carlos Junior (5-2 1 NC, 2-2 1 NC UFC) vs. Leonardo Augusto Leleco (11-2 1 NC, 0-1 UFC)

Middleweights

R1- Nothing much happened early in this fight until Leleco landed a right hand. Carlos Junior then went for a takedown but couldn't score on it. Leleco showed good takedown defense and Carlos Junior went for more and landed an illegal knee so there was a break. Carlos Junior was deducted a point for that knee. Carlos Junior went quickly back to work and scored a takedown as he needed to get this as an even round. Carlos Junior with a late takedown. 9-9.

R2- Carlos Junior came out looking to grapple and scored a takedown and was dominant from the top as Leleco had no answer to getting up from the bottom. Carlos Junior just kept landing punch after punch and Leleco was doing nothing to get up. He finally got to his feet against the fence but was taken back down. Leleco went for a guillotine but didn't have enough time. Complete dominant round for Carlos Junior. 10-8 Carlos Junior, 19-17 Carlos Junior.

R3- Leleco was needing a finish but looked exhausted as Carlos Junior went to work in the clinch. Carlos Junior got the takedown but Leleco got back to his feet. Leleco kept grabbing the fence in looking to defend the takedown but Carlos Junior got a big takedown. Leleco has done absolutely nothing in this fight and is very tired. Carlos Junior working for the rear-naked choke. He got it locked in and Leleco tapped out with just 15 seconds left.

Official Result- Antonio Carlos Junior def. Leonardo Augusto Leleco by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:46 of Round 3

Instant Analysis- Antonio Carlos Junior completely dominated this fight to get back on the winning track. The point deduction was very bad and it showed the inconsistencies in referees as the same situation didn't see a deduction in an earlier fight. Thankfully, the hand being down rule is going away on January 1. Leonardo Leleco had an awful performance and was just overmatched in this fight. With an 0-2 record and being finished twice, and putting on bad performances, he's likely going to be cut from the roster. Carlos Junior is a former TUF winner and he's had his ups-and-downs, but I like his potential at just 26-years-old.

> Augusto Montano (15-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Belal Muhammad (9-1, 0-1 UFC)

Welterweights

R1- Montano fighting for the first time in 15 months. He landed an early groin strike, probably to get it out of his system. Muhammad hurt him with a right hand. Both men were trading punches and kicks. Montano poked Muhammad in the eye and got another warning. Muhammad landed a head kick as Montano kept his hands low. Montano with some inside leg kicks. Montano was getting his timing down on his leg kicks and defended a takedown. Muhammad landed another head kick. 10-9 Muhammad.

R2- They came out trading with both men landing but Montano was getting the better of it. Muhammad got a takedown. Muhammad easily passes guard and takes the back. Muhammad got to the top but Montano scrambled to his feet. Muhammad misses a head kick. Montano lands a combo. Muhammad with a short elbow. Close round. 10-9 Muhammad, 20-18 Muhammad.

R3- They were trading. Muhammad scored the takedown and took the back looking for the choke. Montano survived the attempt and they got to their feet and traded. Muhammad got a big takedown with some big ground-and-pound looking for the finish. Muhammad with a lot of punches and Herb Dean finally called it off. Big win for Muhammad.

Official Result- Belal Muhammad def. Augusto Montano by TKO (punches) at 4:19 of Round 3

Instant Analysis- Belal Muhammad had a solid showing in a losing effort to Alan Jouban in his UFC debut, but he backed that up with an impressive win here in becoming the first fighter to stop Augusto Montano. He showed excellent timing on his takedowns, and got them at the right moments, and Montano had nothing for him on the mat. His ability to turn on the pressure late made the difference in the fight. He is a solid addition to the 170-pound roster. Montano falls to 1-2 inside the Octagon, and that was coming off of a year-long suspension. He's had two straight bad showings after an impressive debut, and I do think he's going to get cut from the roster. I believe that would be justified because he doesn't seem well-prepared for UFC competition.

> Gabriel Benitez (18-5, 2-1 UFC) vs. Sam Sicilia (15-6, 5-5 UFC)

Featherweights

R1- Benitez went right after Sicilia with leg kicks. They started trading as both men were looking for that knockout blow. Benitez showing off strong leg kicks. Sicilia landed a strong body kick but Benitez fired back with some strong leg kicks. Those kicks are massive and Sicilia isn't checking them. Sicilia just looking for the big right hand. Benitez with a strong right due to those leg kicks and it'll be interesting to see how Sicilia responds now. 10-9 Benitez.

R2- Benitez landed a straight left hand and dropped Sicilia. Big elbows from Benitez but Sicilia survives and gets to his feet. Benitez with more leg kicks. Benitez locked in a guillotine as Sicilia went for a takedown and Sicilia is out cold! Benitez with the big submission win!

Official Result- Gabriel Benitez def. Sam Sicilia by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:20 of Round 2

Instant Analysis- This was the best fight of the night so far with a lot of good action. Gabriel Benitez was excellent on his feet in constantly landing those leg kicks which took away some of Sam Sicilia's offensive attack. He dropped Sicilia with a left hand and was able to counter a takedown attempt nicely with the guillotine choke. It is the best he has looked in the UFC as he has now won three of four. It will be interesting to see his further progression, but he looked really impressive here. Sicilia is now 5-6 in the UFC but he always comes to fight. He showed serious improvements early but his inability to check leg kicks hindered him. He tried to go to his wrestling but left his neck open and Benitez capitalized. I would like to see him remain in the UFC as he is a fun featherweight fighter.

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MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1 | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)

> Chas Skelly (15-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. Maximo Blanco (12-7-1 1 NC, 4-4 UFC)

Featherweights

R1- They both went right away and landed flying front kicks and Skelly locked in an anaconda choke and Blanco went to sleep. Less than 30 seconds. Big finish.

Official Result- Chas Skelly def. Maximo Blanco by submission (D'arce choke) at :19 of Round 1

Instant Analysis- This was so quick that any analysis would be hard to say. Chas Skelly went right out and pulled a trick out of Maximo Blanco's playbook with a flying front kick to start the fight and capitalized on Blanco being in bad position. Interesting win for Skelly as he moves to 5-2 and he should get a solid opponent in his next bout. Blanco always plays with fire and he lost here. He falls to 4-5 in the UFC but he always brings good action to the Octagon. Go out of your way to watch a replay of this.

> Chris Wade (11-2, 4-1 UFC) vs. Islam Makhachev (12-1, 1-1 UFC)

Lightweights

R1- They traded early and Makhachev went right for the takedown. Wade had his neck but he got out. Wade reversed to top position. Makhachev went for a triangle choke but Wade defended well and Makhachev got warned for his toes being locked onto the cage. Wade got into more dominant position and landed from the top but the crowd started booing. Slow close round. 10-9 Makhachev.

R2- Makhachev landed a left hand and Wade grabbed the neck for a guillotine choke and ended up on top in dominant position. Makhachev rolled out and took the back but Wade reversed into the neck but Makhachev swept into side control. Good ground action here. Makhachev has dominant side control. He takes the back looking to get the hooks in. They scramble and Makhachev remains with back control. Lots of scrambling. Wade looking for a late heel hook. 10-9 Makhachev, 20-18 Makhachev.

R3- Lots of grappling in this round as both men scramble and spent time on top. Wade went for a guillotine but didn't have it and it allowed Makhachev to end up on top against the fence. Makhachev in the half-guard and landing from the top as he gets to mount and then takes the back. Makhachev lands punches from the back. Makhachev just dominating this round on the mat but he doesn't have Wade in any real danger. Some excellent grappling in this fight though it slowed in the third. 10-9 Makhachev, 30-27 Makhachev.

Official Result- Islam Makhachev def. Chris Wade by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Instant Analysis- This fight had some high-level grappling though it slowed in the third round. Islam Makhachev bounced back nicely and showed he is one of the better grapplers in the division, but his striking still needs some work, though there was improvement. He has some good skills and trains with a top camp, so the future is bright for him. For Chris Wade, this is now two straight losses after four straight wins to start his UFC career. For the second straight fight, he was just out-grappled, which leaves a lot of questions to be answered for a strong wrestler like him. His striking is solid, but not great, and he definitely needs a win when he gets another fight inside the Octagon.

> Roan Carneiro (20-10, 3-4 UFC) vs. Kenny Robertson (15-4, 4-4 UFC)

Welterweights

R1- Carneiro quickly took the fight to the mat. Robertson scrambled to his feet. Carneiro with the tie-up but Robertson slipped out and landed a right hand. Robertson telegraphing himself and Carneiro with a big body kick. Both men missing on wild punching attempts. Carneiro with a big leg kick. You can see both mens' punches coming a mile away. Not the most exciting round. Close round. 10-9 Carneiro.

R2- Carneiro scores a takedown after Robertson misses some loopy punches. Robertson swept and landed a hammerfist. Robertson landing short elbows from the top. Carneiro goes for a submission but Robertson gets out. Carneiro not doing much from the bottom. Carneiro had a shoulder lock and swept into full mount. Carneiro not doing much from the mount. Crowd boos. Close round. 10-9 Robertson, 19-19.

R3- Neither man doing much early but Carneiro landing the jab. Carneiro lands a big uppercut that stuns Robertson. Robertson caught his bearings. Very slow pace here. Robertson lands a right hand. They trade jabs. Robertson with a left hand. Robertson with a combo as the crowd boos. Both men very tired. Carneiro with an uppercut. Carneiro clinches. Close fight all around. 10-9 Carneiro, 29-28 Carneiro.

Official Result- Roan Carneiro def. Kenny Robertson by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

Instant Analysis- This was a very boring fight. The weight cut looked to slow down Roan Carneiro late, and Kenny Robertson wasn't much better. Neither man could get the edge anywhere in the fight and it was three close rounds. Unfortunately, they were also three bad rounds. Carneiro is getting up there in age and I don't sense he has much left. Robertson didn't fare much better. Neither man deserves to be anywhere near the main card. Onto the next one.

HOT RUMOR ALERT- Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor is a done deal for UFC 205.

> Evan Dunham (#15, 17-6, 10-6 UFC) vs. Rick Glenn (18-3-1, 0-0 UFC)

Lightweights

R1- Dunham with a combo and then scores a takedown. Dunham postured up and Glenn tried to land some upkicks but Dunham went back into the guard. Dunham takes the back and has the rear-naked choke locked in. Glenn fights to survives and somehow gets out. That was an incredible escape. Dunham ends up on top to end the round. Big round for Dunham. 10-8 Dunham.

R2- Glenn lands a left hand but gets taken down by Dunham. Dunham is by far the superior ground fighter. They get to their feet. Dunham has the body locked and lands a knee. Dunham looking fantastic here. Dunham lighting Glenn up with some combos. Glenn firing back. Dunham slowing just a little. They trade strikes. Time out called due to a groin strike. Back to action but round ends with nothing happening. 10-9 Dunham, 20-17 Dunham.

R3- Glenn coming out strong as he needs to finish Dunham here. Dunham with the clear advantage in strikes landed. They trade left hands. Glenn is landing and hurts Dunham. Glenn has more energy at this stage. Dunham lands a combo. Dunham lands another combination. Dunham lands a big head kick followed by a hard right hand. Both men tired. Back-and-forth on the feet and both men are landing. Dunham with a big head kick. Dunham hurts Glenn with a punch. Dunham tries a late armbar. Fun fight. 10-9 Dunham, 30-26 Dunham.

Official Result- Evan Dunham def. Rick Glenn by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Instant Analysis- This was a fun fight, especially the latter stages of the final round as both men started swinging while clearly tired. Evan Dunham looked fantastic early, and even when his conditioning started going, he was still effective on his feet and had Rick Glenn hurt late. It was a solid showing on short notice for Glenn, who has earned himself a couple of fights in the UFC with this effort. Dunham is back into contention with four straight wins, and time for a top match-up for him. This is a very solid win for Dunham. Glenn may settle back to the featherweight division, and I look forward to more fights inside the Octagon for him.

> Uriah Hall (#9, 12-6, 5-4 UFC) vs. Derek Brunson (#10, 15-3, 6-1 UFC)

Middleweights

R1- Hall came right out after Brunson and they clinched. Brunson with a big knee against the fence. Brunson drops Hall with a big left hand and then lands punches on the ground and Herb Dean stops it! Hall protests but Brunson gets the big win.

Official Result- Derek Brunson def. Uriah Hall by TKO (punches) at  1:41of Round 1

Instant Analysis- Derek Brunson now has four straight first-round wins with this stoppage, and he has put himself in line for a chance at getting a title shot. This is a big win for him and one that he needed to get if he were ever going to contend. A 7-1 record in the UFC middleweight division is very, very good. Uriah Hall came out strong but got caught. He probably could've continued and the replay shows it was probably early. He is now 5-5 in the UFC but still a quality fighter and with this controversial stoppage, he shouldn't lose much ground.

> Dustin Poirier (#7, 20-4, 12-3 UFC) vs. Michael Johnson (#10, 16-10, 8-6 UFC)

Lightweights

R1- They trade punches and kicks early. Johnson lands a solid combo and Poirier is cut a little under his eye. Johnson with a big left hand that knocks Poirier down and he finishes him off with several more punches on the ground! Big knockout for Johnson.

Official Result- Michael Johnson def. Dustin Poirier by knockout (punches) at 1:35 of Round 1

Instant Analysis- This is a huge win for Michael Johson, who had lost his last two fights. Another loss would've knocked him out of the title picture completely, but this is a statement win, and his biggest win to date in the UFC. He has earned himself a big fight in his next bout and adds to the stacked lightweight title picture. Dustin Poirier was on the cusp of title contention but now suffers his first loss since dropping down to 155 pounds. He is still one of the best fighters at lightweight, but he has lost every opportunity he has had to break into that true elite category. He takes a step backwards, but with his talent, he should be able to put together some wins and get himself back into contention.

Final Thoughts- This was a show of highs-and-lows. Michael Johnson and Derek Brunson had excellent victories in the two big fights to put their names into crowded title pictures. Evan Dunham had an excellent showing despite slowing down late. Chas Skelly had one of the more memorable finishes in recent UFC memory, and that quick win is worth going out of your way to see. Gabriel Benitez had a very impressive showing in finishing Sam Sicilia. That was the good. There was some bad, and some bad fights, but more good than bad. Not the best of shows, but not the worst of shows either, and the two last fights having good performances gave the event a boost.

NXT DES MOINES, IA, LIVE RESULTS: ASUKA VS. EMBER MOON; NAKAMURA IN TAG MAIN EVENT

Submitted by Jared Walsh from the Hy-Vee Hall. Thanks to David Anderson for his report and mainimage.

Estimated attendance: 1000

- Rich Swann def. Tino Sabbatelli via pinfall

Short, fun opener. Swann definitely had some momentum after the Cruiserweight Classic and was quite over with the fans.

- Daria Berenato def. Peyton Royce via pinfall

- Tye Dillinger def. Riddick Moss via pinfall 

The people approved of the Perfect 10 in a big way.

- Hideo Itami defeated Austin Aries via pinfall. Crowd made a lot of noise after Itami hit the GTS to pick up the victory.

- NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival def. TM61 to retain

Lots of near falls, great back and forth action, and wonderfully entertaining heel tactics from the Revival. Dash and Dawson draw real hatred from the crowd -- a rarity today.

- NXT Women's Champion Asuka def. Ember Moon by submission

Fans were relatively into this match. The women embraced afterwards as the crowd cheered for what was a pretty good match.

- NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & No Way Jose defeated Bobby Roode & Samoa Joe

The crowd was a big fan of all four men, and much of the match built around each man's particular pose. Some great action towards the end sent the fans home in high spirits as this match certainly received the biggest cheers of the evening. Post-match, Nakamura thanked the Iowa fans for coming out, and he received a massive ovation as he posed and made his way out.

WWE will return to Des Moines with the SmackDown roster on October 23.

ROH RELOADED PITTSBURGH, PA, LIVE RESULTS

Submitted by Joe Kazmer from Stage AE

- Women of Honor: Kelly Klein, Veda Scott & Britt Baker def. Mandy Leon, Crazy Mary Dobson & Faye Jackson

Klein choked out Mary via a guillotine.

- ACH def. Will Ferrara after a 450 splash to the back.

- Jon Gresham def. Delirious with a rolling crucifix pin.

- Frankie Kazarian def. Chris Sabin

Kamaitachi distracted Sabin. Kazarian gave Sabin a vertical suplex, and pinned Sabin while Kamaitachi held Sabin's feet down.

- Alex Shelley def. Kamaitachi with a side cradle after hitting him with a reverse Russian legsweep into the second turnbuckle.

- The Briscoes def. Silas Young & Beer C​it​y Bruiser, Rowe & Hansen and Rhett Titus & Kenny King​ (w/The Cabinet)​ in a four-way tag match

Titus​ and King knelt during the Code of Honor to protest the oppression they experience in ROH (a nod to the recent Colin Kaepernick U.S. anthem kneeling controversy) which led to them being assaulted by everyone. Jay Briscoe hit Bruiser with a neckbreaker, and Mark Briscoe pinned him after a Froggy Bow.

- Cheeseburger def. Chris LeRusso after a running palm strike

After the match, BJ Whitmer and ​a large flunkie attacked Cheeseburger and LeRusso. Colby Corino tried to make the save, but was laid out. Steve Corino arrived and had a bizarre, quiet confrontation with BJ and his son.

- Lio Rush def. Caprice Coleman (w/The Cabinet)

The Cabinet took another knee during the Code of Honor. Rush pinned Caprice with ​the Rush Hour​​.

- Jay White def. Christopher Daniels with​ something resembling a Michinoku Driver

- ​Jay Lethal, Dalton Castle (w/ The Boys) & Colt Cabana def. The Bullet Club (ROH Champion Adam Cole/Young Bucks)

​Colt dropped Nick Jackson on the top turnbuckle. Lethal hit the Lethal Injection, and Castle finished him off with the Bang-a-Rang.

NJPW DESTRUCTION IN TOKYO RESULTS: SHIBATA VS. BOBBY FISH; KUSHIDA VS. BUSHI

Here are results from this morning’s New Japan Destruction event. It’s the first of three big shows taking place over the next couple of weeks, all featuring big title matches. Tonight’s big matches are Katsuyori Shibata defending the NEVER title against Bobby Fish, and KUSHIDA defending the Jr. Heavyweight title in the main event against BUSHI.

Roppongi Vice defeated David Finlay & Henare

This was the typical young lion match you see on every opener. Henare is still pretty green and not as good as other young lions that have come up in the system, but there’s always room for improvement, especially at this stage. He took the loss after being planted by Beretta’s dudebuster. Fine match.

On New Japan World's Twitter, he mentioned David Finlay is no longer a young lion. This makes sense as he’s changed his gear and got a win with the stunner on the last Lion’s Gate show.

Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata defeated Captain New Japan & Yoshitatsu

This was the same story as usual, with Yoshitatsu starting to grow tired of CNJ constantly losing. Both Yoshitatsu and CNJ were pretty much overwhelmed by Nakanishi. Yoshitatsu made the tag and CNJ cleared house. With YT helping him, they got rid of Nagata, but Nakanishi came back and the tide turned back to them. Nagata got the win with an exploder suplex. This was okay.

Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask defeated Jushin Liger, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan

None of the guys really have a program at the moment so there wasn't much here in this typical six-man NJPW tag. It's interesting that Liger and Tiger Mask are on different teams since they usually team together. There were some cool interactions between Liger and Honma. Eventually Honma got the win for his team, pinning Liger with the top rope kokeshi.

Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & Gedo defeated Chase Owens, Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa

This was okay. The GoD just don't feel over at all and have stalled big time in a lot of ways here. The best moments of the match were when Goto and Tonga were in as they have really good chemistry with one another. Ishii picked up the win, drilling Roa with the brainbuster.

Kyle O’Reilly defeated Juice Robinson

This was pretty fun. O'Reilly looks a bit bigger than usual and looked great here. Robinson went for a sunset flip but O’Reilly grabbed an arm and went for an armbar, and worked on Robinson’s arm. O’Reilly worked on him a while until Robinson cut him off and did a huge dive to the outside. O'Reilly made a comeback with the guillotine but Robinson got up, only to fall back down. O’Reilly transitioned into a leglock, then added in an armbar and Robinson submitted.

YOSHI-HASHI, Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay defeated Yujiro Takahashi, Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale

Yujiro, who was accompanied by many women continuing his transition to a lame Godfather like gimmick, did a big introduction for Omega. A lot of the focus was on Okada and Fale since they are due for a clash somewhere down the line. Ospreay was tagged in, and he and Kenny had a really fun back and forth. YOSHI-HASHI got in and traded some offense with Yujiro, eventually getting the with the pumphandle driver he calls Karma.

Fale jumped Okada after the match and tried to give him the Bad Luck Fall but was stopped before he could land it. Once the heels were cleared, YOSHI-HASHI cut a promo.

Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Tetsuya Naito, EVIL & SANADA

This was another good six man. A lot of the early portion of the match was on Elgin and Naito, but Tanahashi and SANADA had some exchanges as well. Taguchi made a comeback and, for whatever reason, did the white eyes armbar like Yuji Nagata except he got cross-eyed. He eventually got trapped in the Skull End submission, and had no other alternative but to tap.

Naito destroyed Elgin’s leg after the match. I think they’ve done this in previous matches, so that might play a part in their upcoming IC title match later this month.

NEVER Champion Katsuyori Shibata defeated Bobby Fish to retain

This was really good, but not out of this world, and felt short more than anything. But, a lot of the match was pretty intense and full of hard impact spots, interesting considering how banged up Shibata is.

They start off with some pretty good mat wrestling with Shibata getting the better of it. Fish takes it outside and works on Shibata’s still taped up shoulder, including wrapping it around the barricade. Fish hit a suplex into a DDT that looked downright scary, and was dangerous (stupid?) for Shibata to take considering he nearly couldn’t compete in this match due to an already bad neck.

Shibata started to make his comeback and hit the dropkick in the corner. Fish got in a suplex, but Shibata immediately fired back with a German suplex then the penalty kick, but couldn’t get the cover. Fish went for a brainbuster but Shibata hit him with a giant headbutt, put him in a sleeper, and then got the win with the PK.

O'Reilly entered the ring and made it clear he’s next in line. Shibata responded by kicking him and they had a staredown. Shibata then cut a promo sealing the deal.

BUSHI defeated KUSHIDA to win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title

The last few minutes were good, but a lot of this was interference and LIJ tomfoolery. It never really got going to another level, and as a main event was pretty much a disappointment. It was ok.

The mysterious Ingobernable that made his debut at the Road to Destruction event on Monday was here, again seconding BUSHI. Eventually, they made it to the outside where BUSHI trapped KUSHIDA’s arm with a chair and hit a running dropkick. BUSHI remained in control until KUSHIDA escaped from the top rope where he was draped, and laid out BUSHI.

The mysterious Ingobernable interfered but bumped into BUSHI. Then, the two accidently collided into one another. There was a ref bump that ended up with KUSHIDA getting misted. Naito strolled down to the ring and helped BUSHI connect with a tope suicida. BUSHI was going for the finish when Elgin came in and took them both out, then beat up Naito all the way to the back.

They had a big slugfest as the match resumed. KUSHIDA started to wrench the arm, then sunk in the kimura. BUSHI tried to escape, but couldn’t until he grabbed an unsuspecting KUSHIDA in a roll-up for a near fall. BUSHI countered another kimura attempt with a Canadian destroyer in a cool spot.

BUSHI eventually made his way to the top rope and hit the codebreaker, but KUSHIDA kicked out. He went for a second and hit it, covered and got the three count to win the title. After the match, BUSHI cut a promo and misted the title.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

This was fine up and down the card, but it felt like a “Road to” show until the top two matches, and neither really blew me away. This was a show where you can tell them going with the three show idea really dilutes the idea of these big shows feeling special.

BELLATOR 161 LIVE RESULTS: KONGO VS JOHNSON; WARREN VS KAKAI

Welcome to our live coverage of Bellator 161 from the HEB Center in Cedar Park, TX. Cheick Kongo and Tony Johnson Jr square off in the main event of the four fight card on Spike TV.

In other bouts, Joe Warren takes on former UFC fighter Sirwan Kakai in a bantamweigh tilt, Derek Campos and Djamil Chan face off at 155 and in a women's flyweight fight, a pair of fighters with perfect records will do battle as Anastasi Yankova goes up against Veta Arteaga. 

With the recent signing of former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen having occured yesterday, there's a possiblity the "Bad Guy" could make his first public appearance for the company as well. 

The action kicks off at 9 pm eastern on Spike TV.

The show kicked off with a taped promo of Chael Sonnen in total heel mode. He said that he doesn't care anything about the fans, only about their money and promised to make an appearance 15 minutes into the show....I think....It was very different.

DEREK CAMPOS (16-6) VS DJAMIL CHAN (13-2) LIGHTWEIGHTS

Chan is 2 years younger and 5 inches taller but Campos has a 1 inch reach advantage. Nick Wright is the referee. 

ROUND 1- Chan knocked down Campos with a punch 3:00 in but he got up fairly quickly. He was rocked pretty badly though. 

They stayed on the feet for the remainder of the round. Campos controlled the pace the whole round but Chan hit harder and got the knockdown. 10-9 Chan

ROUND 2 - Announcers are promising "lots more" Chael Sonnen tonight. Campos controlling the cage again this round and landing more punches as well.

Campos landing a lot of nice punch combos but doesn't look like he's hurting Chan at all. Campos got a takedown with 15 seconds left. 10-9 Campos, 19-19

ROUND 3 - Jimmy Smith has the same score I do through 2. Campos got a takedown earlier this round and the crowd exploded as he moved right into side control.

Chan worked him back to half guard but Campos controlling him pretty well and doing enough damage to avoid a standup. Announcers spent a good portion of the round debating whether round 1 was a 10-8, which tells you how exciting this round was. 

Chan got up with 15 seconds left and landed some shots but not enough. 10-9 Campos, 29-28 overall

RESULT - DEREK CAMPOS (17-6) by decision (29-28 x 3)

HOT TAKE - Good fight to kick off the show. Campos was completely dominant. He's probably not going to contend for a title but he's a good opening match guy for these regular shows.

Chael Sonnen was interviewed by Sean Grande and Jimmy Smith via satellite. He called Grande "simple" and said that he's in Bellator for the money....simple. He then cut a Superstar Graham promo putting over the size of his arms.

More with Chael later. It's smart that they're pacing these out to keep viewers. 

ANASTASIA YANKOVA (3-0) VS VETA ARTEAGA (2-0) WOMEN'S FLYWEIGHTS

This is actually a catchweight bout at 131 lbs. Arteaga is 3 years older and one inch shorter. Reach is identical. Kerry Hatley is the ref.

ROUND 1 - Yankova looks way bigger but Arteaga all over her to start. Yankova looked out on her feet 1:00 in but the ref let it continue and she seemed to recover.

They pretty much just threw wild punches at a crazy pace for the first 3 minutes before Yankova tied her up in a cage clinch. Crazy punch exchange to close the round. 10-9 Arteaga but Yankova really came on at the end. 

ROUND 2 - Pace was much slower to start and Arteaga actually went for the cage clinch early but Yankova broke away. Yankova starting to mix in kicks after throwing almost exclusively punches through the first round and a half.

Yankova with a slight advantage on the standup and is the aggressor. They went back to the clinch 4:00 in and Yankova landed some nice elbows. Really close but 10-9 Yankova and 19-19 overall

ROUND 3 - Jimmy Smith has both rounds for Arteaga. Pace has slowed right down but Yankova is definitely controlling the cage in this round. 

Arteaga is really tired and Yankova keeps forcing her to the cage with punch combos. Yankova had the most dominant round so it comes down to how you scored the second most likely. 10-9 Yankova, 29-28 overall

RESULT - ANASTASIA YANKOVA (4-0) by split decision (29-28 x 2; 28-29)

HOT TAKE - Yankova looked really good here, very similar to UFC bantamweight Valentina Shevchenko and they probably have a similar natural weight. When Bellator has a title fight in this division, she'll almost certainly be one of the fighters.

In her post-fight promo, Jimmy Smith tried to promote a fight with Ilemi-Lei Macfarlane but she said "my head not quite work" and then asked for a rematch with Veta Arteaga to prove she was better. Crowd booed the decision and a lot of the promo. 

They teased an upcoming interview with Chael Sonnen with a clip of him calling out Tito Ortiz and claiming that Tito is running from him trying to find a doctor to say he's not medically cleared to fight. 

Chael said that he fights at "Gangster weight", saying they don't even need a scale. He said that they had better sign two opponents to face him because one guy always doesn't show up.

He put over Liam McGeary and Phil Davis and said he looked forward to facing either of them. He closed the interview off by saying "The pleasure is yours". Rumors are that Tito and Chael will fight in November and that number could very well break the viewership record set by the Gracie/Shamrock Kimbo/Dada show. 

Taped interview with Joe Warren hyping up the co-main aired next and was pretty great as usual. Most of Warren's expletives were deleted but not all. 

JOE WARREN (12-5) VS SIRWAN KAKAI (12-4) BANTAMWEIGHTS

Warren is 13 years older and has a 4 inch reach advantage. Warren has outstruck his opponents 429-146 in Bellator. Big John is the referee.

ROUND 1 - Warren dominated an early wrestling battle, mostly against the cage. He did get a takedown but Kakai gut up fairly quickly.

Kakai got a takedown of his own at 3:30. He kept himi down slightly longer but didn't really do any damage. 

Kakai scored with a series of elbows during a corner clinch that may be enough to steal a pretty even round. 10-9 Kakai

ROUND 2 - Warren got a takedown right away and took Kakai's back. Kakai got right up and shook him fairly easily though.

Kakai was getting the better of the standup so Warren clinched up on the cage, which is what he does. Warren knocked him down with a jump knee and went right into his guard at 3:00.

Kakai caught him with an armbar from the bottom. Warren powered out and scored with punches and elbows, taking his back. 

Warren with a rear naked choke but Kakai escaped. Warren took his back again at the end of the round. 10-9 Warren, 19-19 overall

ROUND 3 - Warren hit him with a flying knee to start again and may have broken his nose. Kakai stayed on his feet though. Jimmy has both rounds for Warren.

Warren with a standing guillotine 1:00 in and gets the quick tap.

RESULT - JOE WARREN (14-5) by submission (neck crank) at 1:04 of Round 3

HOT TAKE - Warren has a win over the current bantamweight champion and may have earned a title shot with this win. At the very least, he'll go up against Joe Taimanglo in a title eliminator as Taimanglo also beat Kakai and had a win last month over Darrion Caldwell. 

Warren now has 12 wins, 2nd most in Bellator history. Warren asked for a title shot in his post-fight interview. He also put over his wife and kids for allowing him to train so much. 

Sean Grande sent thoughts and prayers to Kenny Florian, who lost his younger brother earlier this week. This led into a video package with Tony Johnson Jr talking about his brother, who committed suicide 3 weeks ago. He dedicated the fight to him. 

MAIN EVENT:

CHEICK KONGO (24-10-2) VS TONY JOHNSON JR (10-2) HEAVYWEIGHTS

Cheick Kongo has the most combined wins in Bellator and UFC of any heavyweight in history. He's also 11 years older, 3 inches taller and has a 7 inch reach advantage. 

Johnson has a 27 lb weight advantage though. Big John is once again the referee.

ROUND 1 - Most of the fights involving both of these guys have been grinding wrestlefests and this one starts off as expected. Johnson looks and fights like a taller, fatter Daniel Cormier. 

They get broken up after a low blow by Kongo. The fight is boring so the announcers talk about contenders for the vacant title including Bobby Lashley, King Mo and Sergei Kharitonov. Kharitonov signed like a year and a half ago and is at least five years past his prime but has yet to fight here.

Big John warning the guys to work as Johnson is just grinding Kongo against the cage. He finally breaks it up at 3:45. Johnson nails some nice punches so Kongo goes to the cage clinch and gets a takedown at 4:30.

Kongo right into mount and unloads on Johnson with punches and elbows. The last 30 seconds stole the round for Kongo. 10-9 Kongo

ROUND 2 - Johnson gets an early takedown. Johnson takes his back at 1:00 and gets a full body lock. 

Johnson working for a rear naked choke as the announcers remind us that Johnson has never submitted anyone and Kongo has only lost once by submission (to Frank Mir) and didn't tap out.

Both are in a sitting position with Johnson controlling Kongo's back as he lands just enough punches to avoid a standup. He doesn't have the right leverage to secure a choke though.

Crowd booing heavily and almost on cue, Kongo tries to escape but ends up trapped in mount. Johnson does almost nothing with the position and rides out the round on top. 10-8 Johnson, 19-18 overall

ROUND 3 - At the end of the 2nd, McCarthywas warning Johnson to work and almost stood him up from mount. Kongo initiates a cage clinch early and gets a takedown 1:15 in. 

Neither guy doing anything on the ground but amazingly McCarthy waited until 2:30 to warn them to work. Johnson to his feet at 3:15 but still stuck in a clinch and Kongo takes him down again. 

Ref warns them to work again at 4:30 as Kongo seems content to ride out the round on top and take a decision as it's unlikely 2 refs would've given Johnson a 10-8 2nd. 10-9 Kongo, 28-28

RESULT - CHEICK KONGO by majority decision (28-28; 29-28 X 2)

HOT TAKE - After 3 really entertaining fights to start the show, Cheick Kongo did what Cheick Kongo does and dragged the show to a grinding halt with a boring main event. They keep putting him in main event, people keep watching and he keeps stinking up the joint. 

Hard to give this show a thumbs up after a main event like this but there was enough entertaining stuff early to make it not a complete waste of time. 

TNA IMPACT WRESTLING RESULTS: SENOR BENJAMIN, ARON REX, EMPTY ARENA MATCH!

Previously on Impact: Last week on Impact, The Hardys batted Decay in an epic spectacle, Delete or Decay. It ended with Abyss and Crazy Steve abducting Senor Benjamin. Additionally, Billy Corgan retired the King of the Mountain championship, and introduced the Grand Championship. A tournament to crown a the first Grand Champion began last week.

Tonight on Impact: The Grand Championship tournament continues when the debuting Aron Rex takes on Trevor Lee, and Eddie Edwards faces Mahabali Shera. Also, Rockstar Spud will battle Braxton Sutter in an Exposed Turnbuckle Empty Arena Match. Plus, we findout the fate of The Hardys following Delete or Decay.

Show Recap:

- Impact starts with Broken Matt in the woods recapping Delete or Decay and the destruction to House Hardy. Matt conducted a regeneration ceremony by pushing an injured Jeff into the water. Jeff came out wearing a purple shirt and matching tie. He said the champ is back and you can’t see me. He lit a cigarette before being pushed back in and came back a regenerated Jeff, Nefarious Brother Nero. Matt then set off to find Vanguard 1.

- In the Impact Zone, Jeremy Borash brings out TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley. Lashley bragged about injuring Ethan Carter III last week. Grado came to the ring and called Lashley a coward for attacking EC3. Lashley jumped him and gave him a spear. Lashley took the mic and said nobody in TNA can beat him. This brings out Moose.

Moose and Lashley brawl with Moose getting the better of Lashley. Moose challenged Lashley to a match later.

- Next we get a recap of the rules for the Grand Championship. Each match consists of three 3-minute rounds, and they can end by pinfall or submission. Each match will also have judges using a 10-point scoring system. If the match ends in a draw, it goes to the judges for a decision.

-In the back, Lashley turned down Moose’s challenge for a match later.

Aron Rex defeated Trevor Lee in the first round of Grand Championship tournament

Josh Mathews informs us that the judges are scoring on aggressiveness, controlling the match, and physicality. Rex wins the first round when two judges scored in his favor. Rex wins the match in the second round by pinfall to advance in the tournament.

- In the back, J.B. introduced Knockouts Champion and Leader of the Knockouts Maria Kanellis. Maria announced Gail Kim’s Hall of Fame induction will take place next and not at Bound For Glory.

- Backstage, the unseen interview guy asked Aron Rex a series of questions but all of his answers were "Drew".

- Matt found Vanguard 1 offline and stuck in a tree. Matt held Vanguard 1 in his arms and cried. He prayed to the Seven Deities. Vanguard 1 comes online and has flashbacks of all the good times he had with Senor Benjamin. Vanguard 1 flew away in search of Benjamin.

- Maria and Allie are in the ring. The crowd chanted for Allie, so Maria called her stupid and dumb. Gail comes to the ring and Maria showed a Hall of Fame video package of Maria beating up Gail. Maria gave Gail a picture of herself as a present instead of a stupid watch. Allie had a present for her hero Gail, but Maria destroyed it. This brings out Dixie. Dixie reminded Maria that it’s a conflict of interest to be the Knockouts Champion and the leader. Dixie announced that Gail will be in the Gauntlet match later for a shot at the Knockouts title at Bound For Glory.

Braxton Sutter defeated Rockstar Spud in a Exposed Turnbuckle Empty Arena Match

They fought all over the empty Impact Zone before finally getting in the ring. The finish of the match came when Sutter sent Spud mouth first into the exposed turnbuckle and scored the pin. Spud bled from the mouth.

-  Vanguard 1 finds Senor Benjamin in a shed and brings Matt to release him. Matt told Benjamin to prepare the weapons and House Hardy for Bound For Glory because a great war is coming.

- Backstage, Moose wonders if Lashley is going to accept his challenge or run off.

- Broken Matt, Jeff, and Reby are in the ring. They recap Delete or Decay and promise to permanently delete Decay. This brings out Decay. Rosemary mentions that Maxel belongs with them. She also brought up that they destroyed Bram. Matt challenged Decay to a match at Bound For Glory he called The Great War. The crowd chanted “War”. Decay got in the ring and Rosemary called Reby an unfit mother. The Hardys and Decay brawled with the Hardy clearing the ring.

- In the back, Mike Bennett tried to convince Lashley to take the match with Moose but Lashley refused.

Gail Kim won a Knockouts Gauntlet Match

Order of entry: Jade, Laurel Van Ness, Sienna, Gail Kim, Marti Bell, Raquel and Madison Rayne.

Allie was actually the second entrant, but Maria prevented her from entering. She replaced Allie with the debuting Laurel Van Ness. The final four was Sienna, Laurel, Gail and Raquel. Sienna dumped Raquel on the outside. Mariaordered Allie to interfere but it backfired and Laurel ended up eliminated.

It came down to a one-on-one match between Sienna and Gail. Finish of the match came when Sienna went for the Silencer but Gail countered with Eat Defeat for the victory.

Eddie Edwards defeated Mahabali Shera in the first round of the Grand Championship Tournament

The judges give the first round to Edwards with a 10-9 score. Shera wins the second round on spilt decision. Edwards won the match in the third round with a submission victory to advance to the semi finals.

- Moose came out to fight Lashley. Lashley said that instead of fighting tonight, they should fight at Bound For Glory for the big payday. Moose agreed but can’t wait for BFG and attacked Lashley. They brawled around ringside. Moose set up for the Go To Hell but the Bennett ran out and attacked Moose. This gave Lashley the chance to spear Moose. Bennett and Lashley double teamed Moose.

This brings out EC3 with his ribs taped up. EC3 ran wild on both Bennett and Lashley. Show ended with Moose and Bennett fighting on one side of the ring and EC3 and Lashley brawling on the other side.

Next Week: The build up for TNA’s biggest event of the year, Bound For Glory, continues next week!

NXT TV TAPING SPOILERS: SANITY DEBUTS; SAMOA JOE WREAKS HAVOC

- Dark Match: Jack Gallagher defeated Noam Dar

This was all you could ever want in a comedy match. Gallagher rolled Dar into a ball and kicked him in the bum. They did a rolling near fall reversal circle for a while, and Gallagher won with a running dropkick.

NXT TV taping spoilers -- 

- Samoa Joe came out for a promo. He said that he has Shinsuke Nakamura’s medical report and it says Nakamura is out 6-12 weeks. He wants to either face Nakamura or have him stripped of the title. Mr. Regal came out and said he will handle what Joe caused. Joe went face-to-face with Regal before leaving.

- Austin Aries defeated Oney Lorcan

Physical match, Lorcan used a headlock early to keep the advantage until Aries sent him over the top to the floor on a scary spot. Aries won with the Horns of Aries for the submission victory. Aries got on the mic and called Hideo Itami a coward, leading to Itami making his way to the ring as Aries bailed.

- Billie Kay defeated Aliyah

Big boot by Kay for the win.

- Cedric Alexander defeated Andrade "Cien" Almas

Amazing stuff here, crowd was behind Alexander all the way. This was the best match Almas has had in NXT. Alexander won it with a lumbar check and the two embraced after the match.

- Regal announced the return of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The tournament begins “tonight” and will culminate at NXT TakeOver: Toronto.

- Tye Dillinger defeated Angelo Dawkins

Dillinger hit the Tye Breaker for the win. After the match, Bobby Roode met Dillinger at the ramp and said he needs a perfect partner to win the Dusty Classic. Their team would be Perfectly Glorious.

- The Ealy Brothers vs. The Revival never happened as Samoa Joe destroyed the giant twins as Revival watched from the ramp, zipped their jackets back up, and left. Joe demanded Regal bring him Nakamura or he would keep on destroying people.

- The Authors Of Pain defeated two enhancement talents in a squash match. Paul Ellering said the next chapter will unleash a plethora of pain.

- Asuka defeated Liv Morgan

Asuka got the armbar submission fast. She then proclaimed that no one is ready for her.

- Hideo Itami defeated Lince Dorado

Competitive match with Itami showcasing all he's got before hitting the GTS for the win. Aries hopped the rail and attacked Itami from behind after the match, but was fought off and Itami sent Aries packing.

- The Authors of Pain defeated The Bollywood Boyz in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic match

Total destruction by the AOP as they hit their leg sweep finish for the win.

- Rich Swann defeated Patrick Clark

Great crowd reaction for Swann. He hit the handspring elbow moonsault for the win.

- Peyton Royce w/ Billie Kay defeated Danielle Kamela

Perfect Plex by Royce for the win.

- Dan Matha came out for his debut match, but was destroyed by Joe. Joe demanded that Regal hand him the title in one week.

- NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival defeated Andrade "Cien" Almas & Cedric Alexander in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic match

This was everything you'd expect from these four. As Almas sat in the ropes doing his tranquilo taunt, Alexander dove over him onto Revival in a major spot early. The heels worked over Almas until the hot tag when Alexander ran wild before Revival hit the Shatter Machine.

Almas turned on Alexander after the match, beating him down and dropping him on the steps. The crowd was all over Almas.

- Sanity (Sawyer Fulton & Alexander Wolfe w/ Eric Young and Nikki Cross) defeated Tye Dillinger & Bobby Roode in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic match

Roode never took his robe off and allowed Dillinger to be destroyed. The Sanity act is visually great with smoke and apocalyptic outfits. Young and Cross didn't reveal themselves until after the match.

- Billie Kay w/ Peyton Royce defeated Liv Morgan

Royce grabbed Morgan's foot as a distraction to allow Kay to hit the big boot and get the win.

- TM61 defeated Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic match

Great reaction for Sabbatelli and Moss who are live event regulars. TM61 won it with Thunder Valley on Sabbatelli.

- Blake vs Murphy went to a no contest as Samoa Joe destroyed them both and called out Nakamura. Nakamura showed up in a neck brace, took it off, and they had a wild brawl. Nakamura hit a Kinshasa on a security guard and Joe in the center of the ring to send everyone home happy.

CHAEL SONNEN SIGNS MULTI-FIGHT DEAL WITH BELLATOR MMA

As we've learned in MMA, never say never.

After telling anyone that would ask that his in-cage career was done, 39-year-old Chael Sonnen will return to the action with Bellator MMA, announced via the Associated Press Thursday night.

A Bellator press release says Sonnen will fight at 205 pounds, but in a quote in the release, he says he's not sticking to one weight class. Sonnen and his new boss Scott Coker will hold a conference call Friday while Sonnen is expected to be on screen at Bellator's Friday night show on Spike.

Sonnen, who signed a multi-year, multi-fight deal, told the AP, "I'm a heel. Heels lie." He also told theAP's Greg Beacham that he wants his first fight to be in November: "The Bad Guy vs. The Bad Guy." The second Bad Guy in that equation is assumed to be fellow Bellator signee and one-time Sonnen opponent-to-be Wanderlei Silva.

However, Ariel Helwani tweeted that he's been told he wants Tito Ortiz "ASAP".

Sonnen also told Beacham that the reason he signed with Bellator and not UFC: "Zeros apostrophe S".

“Chael is an incredible athlete that has competed at the very highest levels of the sport,” Bellator MMA President Scott Coker said, “I know that he is going to continue to do just that here at Bellator. When we were in the process of signing him, Chael was adamant that he wants to compete in three divisions here.

"He already has unfinished business with Wanderlei Silva, but he also wants to fight guys like Tito Ortiz, Fedor Emelianenko and even Rory MacDonald at middleweight. These are all fights that I'd be very inclined to watch, so hopefully we can put some, if not all of these matchups together starting before the end of the year.”

The longtime UFC middleweight contender came to prominence in 2009-10 during a run that saw him win three in a row en route to a shot at then-middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Sonnen had called out "The Spider" in promos and interviews as he evolved into a true character that was beloved by some and reviled by others.

After losing in heartbreaking fashion to Silva during their first 2010 meeting, Sonnen was put on the shelf for a year due to testing for elevated testosterone levels. He fought his way back to a big money rematch with Silva and was bested via 2nd round TKO.

The final three fights of his UFC career were at light heavyweight where he went 1-2 with a light heavyweight title shot and loss against then-champion Jon Jones in that mix. Sonnen was last seen getting beat by Rashad Evans by first round TKO in November 2013.

This summer, Sonnen completed a two-year ban from the Nevada State Athletic Commission due to testing positive for multiple drugs.

TNA'S OWNERSHIP SITUATION UPDATE !!

Billy Corgan has publicly talked of wanting to buy a majority interest in TNA. It is believed that as of right now, TNA is owned by Dixie Carter, Corgan and Aroluxe. Corgan and Aroluxue got their points in the company by funding the recent television tapings. Carter at this point still owns in the neighborhood of 70 percent of the company, but Corgan was able to get control and the Presidency of the company for putting recent money in. Aroluxe didn’t raise enough money by the end of August to buy the company, which had been expected to happen. Corgan and his investors are working on putting together a deal. The winner in this appears to be John Gaburick. The feeling was he was gone if Aroluxe had gotten the company, while he’s apparently on Corgan’s good side. Carter apparently wants at least $4 million for her stock in the company. There is the feeling this deal needs to go through because they need the money to do the next set of tapings which start on 10/2, which will cost somewhere between $600,000 and $800,000 total. If they get the tapings done, TNA will at least have everything in the can through the end of November, at which point the new ownership would have to fund another set of tapings

ADAM COLE - ROH UPDATE !!

Since the subject of Adam Cole’s contract has been asked about, since it’s no secret WWE wants him and was at one point directly saying they’d fast-track him to the NXT title, but he’s now the ROH champion, this is the situation. He’s under contract through 12/31, but because he missed four months due to his injuries, ROH is claiming the contract continues through the end of April

COMPLETE STORY ABOUT ALBERTO DEL RIO AND WWE, AND HIS FUTURE !!

The former Alberto Del Rio, back to being Alberto El Patron, held a press conference in Mexico City on 9/9, while WWE announced that he was released from his contract with the promotion.

The sides had actually cut ties two weeks ago, but for whatever reason, WWE didn’t announce it yet. Part of it could have been unresolved issues involving Paige.

Paige was with Del Rio at the press conference but never spoke. At one point this past week she did quit WWE, but there were talks afterwards of attempting to mend fences and at press time things had been settled and she was scheduled to return, perhaps as early as the 9/19 Raw in Memphis, which would be after her 30 day suspension expired. In actuality, her return depends on her various injuries and there is no date scheduled as of yet, but that would be the earliest date possible. It was a touchy situation since a decision was almost made to fire Paige several weeks ago, to the point I was alerted about a firing to come on deadline, which was to be her, but at that point there was a change of heart. That was back during the week where several people had been let go and before the announcement of her Wellness policy failure. She had gotten legal representation this past week.

She posted a statement on 9/14 saying, “Let me begin by saying that the rumors I’m leaving the WWE are completely false! I certainly look forward to returning back to action at some point, once my injury is treated, and on a healthy return. Although I was disappointed by my suspension, I respect the WWE’s Wellness Policy. However, let me be clear that I was not suspended for failing a drug test, it was merely due to a procedural issue. I took the test, I passed it. I arranged said test to happen after I wasn’t at my home when Aegis contacted me. So I drove 200 miles to do it. Unfortunately, I didn’t do it in time, according to Aegis.”

The story those close to her were saying was that WWE went to drug test her at home and she wasn’t there, as she was in Texas at the time with Del Rio. When they couldn’t find her, the claim is that was considered a violation. She claimed that she did take the test, although that was said to be several days later, and passed that test.

As part of the agreement to allow Del Rio to get out of his contract slightly early, both sides had agreed not to disparage the other in public. The contract of Jose Alberto Rodriguez, 39, was to expire at the end of September and he’d already informed the company in June that he was not taking his option period. The contract, signed last September, but hidden from everyone until his debut at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on 10/17, was a multi-year deal, but he had the ability to opt out after one year if he gave the company written notice.

The notice allowed for a negotiations period, where he was offered more money in the form of being paid as a regular cast member of “Total Divas,” since Paige was a regular on the show. But he was unhappy with the schedule and travel already, plus he had major issues with creative. WWE is very sensitive, particularly now, with any charges of racial discrimination so it was important to get an agreement where he wouldn’t disparage the company.

At the press conference, Del Rio said that he had done everything he could in WWE, and said he was bored and unhappy, and hated getting on the plane every week. He claimed that his son once hid his bags so he wouldn’t leave. He said that was leaving to spend more time with his family and when asked, said he did not rule out some day returning to WWE. In later interviews, he said he had no interest in returning. Then again, when he was fired the first time, he said he would never return, and then did.

He said that he’s talked to both CMLL and AAA, but he will only work for a certain price point, which according to insiders who have been involved with negotiations with him, is about $4,000 per shot. At press time we’ve been able to confirm that CMLL, TNA, New Japan, AAA, Lucha Underground and ROH have made inquiries into booking him and Elite also has interest. He mentioned Elite I his Mexico press conference but said he had not talked with them. He said that he would like to return to Arena Mexico and he would also like to do tag team matches with his father, Dos Caras.

He noted, that like Cody Rhodes, he wants to be a freelance wrestler and not sign any exclusive contracts with anyone. There will be interesting political waters since up to this point, TNA, Lucha Underground and ROH have all wanted to have exclusive television rights in the U.S. of anyone they push.

ROH and New Japan are the least likely. ROH is less likely to pay the kind of numbers he wants, plus Roderick Strong, who he loved working with, is no longer with the company. According to those close to him, he enjoyed working with Strong a lot after making the deal to work ROH in 2014. But unless he were to get a big guarantee per show, that group is less likely. Because he doesn’t want to be away from his kids for a long period of time, he’s not open to doing a New Japan tour, but as far as doing a big show here and there, he’d be up for it. But that is unlikely to happen unless he also signs with CMLL. But CMLL is less likely to pay big money for match as compared to Lucha Underground. TNA in the past has wanted to build around him as the top star, but, like AAA, there are financial issues now where they may not be able to afford it but that depends on what kind of financial backing they can get for revitalizing the company if Dixie Carter sells.

He said that his plan is to do about 60 matches per year for the next two years, and then retire. He said he’s in negotiations to become the President or CEO of an MMA company. It’s known that he’s in negotiations with Campbell McLaren’s Combate Americas group, and had worked there as a television announcer before he went back to WWF in 2015. He’s made it clear at this stage he’s not interested in fighting, but Combate Americas has had interest in positioning him as the company’s public face.

He also has two significant television acting opportunities (one of which is a reality show) and will be opening up a restaurant in San Antonio called La Chilanguita, a Mexican family restaurant, on 9/28. His idea is to franchise Mexican family restaurants across the country, but that’s a very tough business.

Rodriguez never brought up the status of his girlfriend, nor both of them being suspended at the same time for Wellness violations.

In a later interview with Mas Lucha, Rodriguez claimed he failed his drug test and got suspended due to using testosterone replacement therapy prescribed by a doctor. We can confirm that Del Rio’s suspension was because he tested over the 6-1 allowable T:E limit and that he tested positive for a banned PED and not recreational drugs. He claimed the failure wasn’t fair but when you sign with the company you have to adhere to the rules. WWE had banned usage of any TRT back in 2007 except for those already under contract that were using it, and said they would not sign anyone new on it. Those rules may have been relaxed in recent years, but it’s not clear they’ve been for testosterone. There are TUE’s (therapeutic use exemptions) granted for some drugs in the policy but in all cases the WWE doctors have to be the ones to sign off on them and not outside doctors. It’s very easy for wrestlers to find doctors who will prescribe them anything in almost any dosages (Chris Benoit’s prescription for testosterone replacement therapy, which WWE approved of before cracking down although getting it from an outside doctor, saw him test at 59.6-1 and had roughly five times the normal amount of testosterone in his system at the time of his death). WWE had to combat that by not accepting prescriptions for banned medications from outside doctors.

He claimed his physical change was from hiring a nutritionist and noted he was in better physical shape at near 40 than he was at 20. He also said that he was happy he didn’t have to deal with a Wellness policy going forward.

In the same interview, he brought up Andrade Cien Almas in NXT, the former La Sombra, and said that he was his good friend and he wants to come back to Mexico. He said that others from Mexico have had problems getting over in WWE because they have to mentally completely give up the Lucha style and start re-learning, which he said he did, and you have to learn to do their style. He said Almas asked him of things get better once you get to the main roster, and he said he told him that actually, things then get worse.

Rodriguez claimed he recently had a discussion with his father about his life where his father asked him if he wanted to be a main event wrestler for his entire life, like his uncle (Aaron “Mil Mascaras” Rodriguez, one of the four biggest stars in the history of Lucha Libre), or if he wants to enjoy his life. Rodriguez said that he made the decision that he wants to enjoy his life.

The issue with him in wrestling is that it was very important for him to be on top. His qualms with Lucha Underground, besides some financial issues, were that he was promised he would be the top guy in the company, and while he was the highest paid, he didn’t believe he was pushed as the top guy. In WWE, he signed a major contract, and was in line to make more next year as a “Total Divas” cast member, but wasn’t happy with how he was being used creatively. While his ROH tenure ended exactly as agreed to by both sides, he’s essentially walked away four times, twice from WWE (the first time he was fired but he was promised they’d bring him back in a few months and he said that he was never coming back unless he was hired back immediately, which he later rescinded many months later), and once each with AAA (which did push him to the top as he was their mega heavyweight champion when he signed with WWE) and Lucha Underground.

Rodriguez as a general rule is charging $4,000 for independent dates but there are different arrangements being made depending on the company. Because of the political situation involving New Japan, CMLL and AAA, if New Japan gives him a strong enough deal, that would mean he’d end up with CMLL and not AAA. Elite is still working as far as wrestlers go with CMLL.

It was also announced that he and his brother, Guillermo Rodriguez, who is known in Mexico as El Hijo de Dos Caras, would be working a show for Paige’s families’ WAW (AWA promotion in Norwich, England, against Zack & Roy Knight, who are Paige’s two older brothers. In addition, Wrestle Culture Pro Wrestling, also in the U.K., announced that he would be appearing at their tapings on 9/15 at the O2 Academy in Newcastle. He’s also replacing Rey Mysterio Jr. on a 9/24 show in Tijuana teaming with Jeff Cobb against La Mascara & Rush in the main event. CMLL was going to pull all of its talent from the Tijuana show and not allow them to work for the promotion if Mysterio Jr. worked the show, since they claim he is a AAA wrestler. The promotion booked Mysterio on the same show with CMLL talent with the idea that Mysterio is no longer under contract to AAA, and is an independent, but he did work TripleMania and does have another AAA booking coming up. Del Rio also has an announced 10/12date in Yakima, WA at the Sun Dome against Mysterio Jr., for the debut of the Lucha Ilimitado promotion. He claimed he’s got 35 dates booked between now and the end of December.