THE ROUND-UP
The Latest from the F4W Staff
NEWS
WWE SmackDown ratings down for first time in over a month
Bret Hart files lawsuit over 2015 wrist surgery
WWE SmackDown video highlights: Nakamura makes the save for Orton
WWE 205 Live results: Drew Gulak leads The Zo Train
Orton & Nakamura vs. Owens & Zayn set for WWE Clash of Champions
Changes made to two WWE Clash of Champions title matches
WWE SmackDown live results: More build to Clash of Champions
AUDIO
WOL: WWE match patterns, Smackdown, Clash of Champions, more! 12/6
Big Audio Nightmare: Are you buying a 205 Live house show? 12/6
B&V&C: Retro Raw and Nitro from 19 years ago this week! 12/5
FIGURE FOUR WEEKLY: Figure Four Weekly 12/4/2017: Looking at WWE’s match of the year candidates
While there’s still some time for WWE to shape how the company’s 2017 will be remembered, the beginning of December marked the end of this year’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards calendar. The insane output of high-end matches New Japan Pro Wrestling had during the voting period will rightfully lead to a strong showing in the Match of the Year category, but WWE’s in-ring year shouldn’t be forgotten.
Subscribers click here to continue.
WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER: December 4, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: AJ Styles, Minoru Suzuki and more enter the Hall of Fame
What is usually the most talked about issue of the year, the Hall of Fame double issue is out with biographies of the five new entrants, why they were so important historically, as well as a breakdown of the voting in not just total votes, but broken down among those in the industry, reporters and historians.
Among the stories covered include the birth of major league pro wrestling in Japan and how it got so big so quickly including the booking behind it, the heyday of pro wrestling in Australia, as well as both the East and West Coast scene in the 60s and 70s. Plus, look at next year’s ballot.
This issue contains a feature on the history of Starrcade, how it started, its successes and failures over the years, including how Starrcade led to the growth of Crockett Promotions as well as the ending of the company. Look at the role Vince McMahon played in the killing of Crockett Promotions, the transition to Turner Broadcasting, the decisions that killed Starrcade as a major event, the rebirth of Starrcade, the Hogan vs. Sting and Goldberg vs. Nash matches and the tradition of Thanksgiving in Greensboro.
Read the full coverage of what led to the first Starrcade, what famous Starrcade matches were never supposed to happen, how tragedies and backstage brawls changed plans, how Starrcade led to the departure of Dusty Rhodes as booker of WCW and the role of Ric Flair.
There is also a feature on the career of Jim Cornette as a manger, including how he got into wrestling, how dominant he was as the best manager in his heyday, his biggest successes, the high point of Mid South Wrestling and Crockett Promotions, the economics of why SMW didn’t work and how wrestling changed in the 90s and why it is so different today, and why the reality is that ECW, SMW and JCP all went down for the same reason.
Subscribers click here to continue.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to [email protected]. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52. If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.)
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue, or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.
WON BACK ISSUE: November 20, 2000 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Shinya Hashimoto fired from NJPW, Wrestlemania X7 sets records
Shinya Hashimoto, who headlined more big gates at the Tokyo Dome than any wrestler in history, was shockingly fired by New Japan Pro Wrestling on 11/13 after a weekend filled with turmoil after news got out he was negotiating with Pro Wrestling NOAH. The story was among many things that is threatening the future of the All Japan/New Japan relationship, which started off with the big success on 10/9 at the Tokyo Dome and has since seemed to start falling apart.
Subscribers click here to continue.
WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
Variety announced that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a ceremony honoring Johnson will take place on December 13th. The process for getting a star calls for the celebrity to be nominated by themselves or a third party, with a fee that also has to be paid.
Reby Hardy posted a picture of a WWE camera crew interviewing her at home today for future Network content:
Paige tweeted that she’s recording an episode of Lilian Garcia’s “Chasing Glory” podcast today. The show will be uploaded on Monday.
As would be expected with her having been at at the Performance Center, USA Today noted that Ronda Rousey is finalizing the details of her plans with WWE.
Roman Reigns’ match against Triple H at WWE’s house show in Abu Dhabi on Friday will now be an Intercontinental title defense for Reigns,
Tickets to NXT’s WrestleMania weekend TakeOver show in New Orleans will go on sale at 12 p.m. local time on December 15th.
The Lapsed Fan podcast uploaded their interview with Dave Meltzer about the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Screwjob.
Kevin Owens, Bret Hart, and Eugene Tremblay have been voted into the Quebec Wrestling Hall of Fame. The voting panel consists of journalists, experts, historians, and former wrestlers.
The Miami Herald interviewed Alexa Bliss about being a playable character in WWE 2K18.
Season two of “But I’m Chris Jericho” is set to debut on YouTube tomorrow.
Pro Wrestling
In an excerpt of an interview with ESPN, Cody Rhodes said that they’ll have a date and venue within two weeks for the 10,000 seat show he and The Young Bucks are self-financing: “We’ll have a date and a place within two weeks. That’s why I went ahead and commented on the original story, because it’s far enough along in the process that people need to know it’s happening.”
The WWE United Kingdom Championship will be on the line as Pete Dunne defends against Joseph Conners at PROGRESS Wrestling’s show in Sheffield this weekend.
Smash Wrestling in Canada announced that they’ve suspended Michael Elgin’s bookings for December 17th and January 19th and Limitless Wrestling in Maine announced that Elgin has been replaced by Jeff Cobb on their January 19th show. The issues stem from how Elgin handled a sexual assault allegation that was made against Sean Orleans, who was a former student of Elgin’s and wrestled for his Glory Pro promotion until being let go after the allegation was made public. Both promotions released statements about their shows being inclusive, welcoming, fun, and safe environments, with Smash Wrestling citing Elgin’s potential knowledge of the incident before it was publicly revealed as the reason for their decision. Cobb being announced as Elgin’s replacement comes after private messages of Elgin criticizing Cobb as a tag team partner in NJPW had been released. Elgin issued a statement about the situation before later deactivating his Twitter account.
NJPW uploaded Hiroshi Tanahashi’s appearance on their monthly “Wonderland” talk show with English subtitles.
Jay White will be back in NJPW for the World Tag League finals show as the build to his match against Tanahashi at the Tokyo Dome continues.
ROH’s 16th anniversary weekend will take place at Sam’s Town in Las Vegas on March 9th and 10th, with a pay-per-view and television tapings scheduled for those dates. Tickets are on sale now for Ringside members and will go on sale to the general public at 1 p.m. ET on Friday.
UFC/MMA
Georges St-Pierre told TSN that he’s not sure if he’ll fight at middleweight again and said he doesn’t think that he will.
Ariel Helwani reported that preliminary talks are underway to make Robert Whittaker vs. Luke Rockhold official for UFC 221 in Perth.
Kelvin Gastelum argued that he should get the shot against Whittaker instead of Rockhold.
Rockhold said the UFC should invest in their fighters instead of Dana White.
Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou is slated for UFC 220 in Boston on January 20th.
Today marks the three-year anniversary of the UFC announcing that CM Punk had signed a deal to fight for the promotion.
Michael Bisping said he can see why taking his fight against Gastelum was the wrong move but said he doesn’t regret it. GSP said he respects Bisping for taking the Gastelum fight but questioned why the UFC would allow it.
Jose Aldo posted a statement on his loss to Max Holloway.
Roy Nelson and Matt Mitrione’s Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix matchup will headline Bellator 194 on February 16th.
Today in Professional Wrestling History: Gordy & Williams win AJPW tag titles
CONTACT INFORMATION
Poll opinions: [email protected]
Feedback: [email protected]
Show results and news tips: [email protected]
Wrestling Observer Radio questions: [email protected]
Support the Empire~! with F4W shirts. Grab yours today!
Comments are closed