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1Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2
3PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 3, 2010
4
5UFC 121 PPV POLL RESULTS
6
7Thumbs up 271 (88.3%)
8
9Thumbs down 15 (04.9%)
10
11In the middle 21 (06.8%)
12
13BEST MATCH POLL
14
15Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago 186
16
17Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar 83
18
19Matt Hamill vs. Tito Ortiz 13
20
21WORST MATCH POLL
22
23Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann 97
24
25Tom Lawlor vs. Patrick Cote 86
26
27Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga 38
28
29Matt Hamill vs. Tito Ortiz 10
30
31Jon Madsen vs. Gilbert Yvel 9
32
33WWE BRAGGING RIGHTS PPV POLL RESULTS
34
35Thumbs up 23 (17.2%)
36
37Thumbs down 79 (59.8%)
38
39In the middle 32 (23.9%)
40
41BEST MATCH POLL
42
43Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler 124
44
45WORST MATCH POLL
46
47Layla vs. Natalya 43
48
49Kane vs. Undertaker 36
50
51Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett 25
52
53Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 10/26
54
55Bellator will be finishing its third season with a show on 10/28 from Hollywood, FL, with little announced going forward.
56
57Bellator came into this season with two English language TV deals, a Fox Sports Net (also airing on Comcast Sports Net) deal for 13 weeks of two hour live Thursday night prime time shows, and a Saturday night 30 minute show, usually airing the main event from Thursday and highlights of the other matches, which aired, depending on the market, anywhere from 2 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.
58
59~~~~
60
61Wrestling Observer Newsletter
62
63PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 15, 2010
64
65TNA TURNING POINT PPV POLL RESULTS
66
67Thumbs up 0 (00.0%)
68
69Thumbs down 68 (100.0%)
70
71In the middle 0 (00.0%)
72
73BEST MATCH POLL
74
75Sabin & Shelley vs. Team 3-D 60
76
77WORST MATCH POLL
78
79Jeff Jarrett vs. Samoa Joe 17
80
81Abyss vs. Pope D’Angelo Dinero 15
82
83Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Morgan 11
84
85Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 11/9.
86
87Even though virtually every major revenue stream except toy sales and television rights fees were down, World Wrestling Entertainment increased its profit margin over the last quarter, as well as the same period last year. This was due to a combination of cost cutting and government tax credits,
88
89For the July through September quarter, the company took in $109,564,000 and finished with a $14,337,000 profit. During the same period last year, the revenue was $111,254,000, but the profits were $8,939,000. The second quarter was $106,842,000 in total revenue and $6,251,000 in profits.
90
91~~~~
92
93Wrestling Observer Newsletter
94
95PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 24, 2010
96
97WEC 52 POLL RESULTS
98
99Thumbs up 69 (100.0%)
100
101Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
102
103In the middle 0 (00.0%)
104
105BEST MATCH POLL
106
107Cub Swanson vs. Mackens Semerzier 69
108
109WORST MATCH POLL
110
111None receiving more than a few votes
112
113UFC 122 POLL RESULTS
114
115Thumbs up 18 (26.5%)
116
117Thumbs down 26 (38.2%)
118
119In the middle 24 (35.3%)
120
121BEST MATCH POLL
122
123Duane Ludwig vs. Nick Osipczak 25
124
125Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner 13
126
127Karlos Vemola vs. Seth Petruzelli 11
128
129Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Goran Reljic 9
130
131WORST MATCH POLL
132
133Yushin Okami vs. Nate Marquardt 34
134
135Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 11/23
136
137Based on phone calls, e-mails and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 11/16.
138
139A bunch of guys from Sacramento headed to Las Vegas on 11/11 for a going-away party.
140
141“We’re going to the UFC,” said Urijah Faber, the face of WEC and MMA on Versus from the day the ink on the first television contract was signed four years ago. “It’s been an awesome run in the WEC. I love those guys. It’s time to step it up and win my belt in the UFC and live the dream. I’ve been in title contention for like six years now. When I started, there was no 135 pound weight class. I was the best guy at 145, or in contention. It’s a whole new era here.”
142~~~~
143
144Wrestling Observer Newsletter
145
146PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 29, 2010
147
148WWE SURVIVOR SERIES PPV POLL RESULTS
149
150Thumbs up 55 (35.3%)
151
152Thumbs down 51 (32.7%)
153
154In the middle 50 (32.1%)
155
156BEST MATCH POLL
157
158Daniel Bryan vs. Ted DiBiase 98
159
160Dolph Ziggler vs. Kaval 21
161
162Team Mysterio vs. Team Del Rio 19
163
164WORST MATCH POLL
165
166Kane vs. Edge 61
167
168Natalya vs. LayCool 39
169
170Gabriel & Slater vs. Kozlov & Marella 20
171
172Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett 17
173
174UFC 123 PPV POLL RESULTS
175
176Thumbs up 72 (68.6%)
177
178Thumbs down 10 (09.5%)
179
180In the middle 23 (21.9%)
181
182BEST MATCH POLL
183
184Mark Munoz vs. Aaron Simpson 43
185
186George Sotiropolous vs. Joe Lauzon 34
187
188~~~~
189
190Wrestling Observer Newsletter
191
192PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 October 4, 2010
193
194UFC 119 PPV POLL RESULTS
195
196Thumbs up 47 (39.2%)
197
198Thumbs down 28 (23.3%)
199
200In the middle 45 (37.5%)
201
202BEST MATCH POLL
203
204Sean Sherk vs. Evan Dunham 80
205
206Chris Lytle vs. Matt Serra 25
207
208Matt Mitrione vs. Joey Beltran 18
209
210WORST MATCH POLL
211
212Frank Mir vs. Mirko Cro Cop 96
213
214Melvin Guillard vs. Jeremy Stephens 14
215
216Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 9/28.
217
218About the only solace Frank Mir took out of the 9/25 UFC 119 match with Mirko Cro Cop, is that he won via late knockout, and would have likely won had the fight gone to a decision.
219
220A loss at this point, coming off losing two of his three previous fights, would have been devastating.
221~~~~
222
223Wrestling Observer Newsletter
224
225PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 October 11, 2010
226
227WWE HELL IN A CELL PPV POLL RESULTS
228
229Thumbs up 51 (40.5%)
230
231Thumbs down 50 (39.7%)
232
233In the middle 25 (19.8%)
234
235BEST MATCH POLL
236
237Bryan vs. Miz vs Morrison 62
238
239Wade Barrett vs. John Cena 49
240
241WORST MATCH POLL
242
243Kane vs. Undertaker 64
244
245Natalya vs. Michelle McCool 31
246
247Edge vs. Jack Swagger 8
248
249WEC 51 POLL RESULTS
250
251Thumbs up 83 (100.0%)
252
253Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
254
255In the middle 0 (00.0%)
256
257BEST MATCH POLL
258
259Donald Cerrone vs. Jamie Varner 80
260
261WORST MATCH POLL
262
263None received more than five votes
264
265Based on phone calls, e-mails and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday 10/5.
266~~~~
267
268Wrestling Observer Newsletter
269
270PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 October 25, 2010
271
272UFC 120 POLL RESULTS
273
274Thumbs up 37 (71.2%)
275
276Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
277
278In the middle 15 (28.8%)
279
280BEST MATCH POLL
281
282Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama 38
283
284Carlos Condit vs. Dan Hardy 11
285
286WORST MATCH POLL
287
288Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne 43
289
290Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 10/19.
291
292Deadline Hollywood reported this past week that the USA Network was looking at reviving Tough Enough, the reality show that many claim spawned Ultimate Fighter.
293
294WWE has not confirmed the story, but according to those inside, it’s almost a done deal.
295
296
297~~~~~
298
299Spike has added two replay times for Reaction. Besides Thursday at 11 p.m., it’ll be replayed on Friday night/Saturday morning at 12:30 a.m. and on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Reaction was originally earmarked for ten shows. The ratings were good for the time slot, particularly when they artificially were able to jack them up by putting the Impact main event on Reaction. So they not only got a renewal but replay broadcasts. I think the show is a big positive because not only is it more TV revenue, but it builds the issues with less silliness than Impact does. Whether it helped make a difference with Bound for Glory is too early to tell. If the baseline shows like Turning Point move up a bit, then it has a dual effect, but the key is, even if it doesn’t, it’s not the kind of show that overexposes the matches and works against the PPV model. Clearly it has no effect on arena business.
300~~~~
301
302Wrestling Observer Newsletter
303
304PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 October 25, 2010
305
306UFC 120 POLL RESULTS
307
308Thumbs up 37 (71.2%)
309
310Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
311
312In the middle 15 (28.8%)
313
314BEST MATCH POLL
315
316Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama 38
317
318Carlos Condit vs. Dan Hardy 11
319
320WORST MATCH POLL
321
322Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne 43
323
324Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 10/19.
325
326Deadline Hollywood reported this past week that the USA Network was looking at reviving Tough Enough, the reality show that many claim spawned Ultimate Fighter.
327
328WWE has not confirmed the story, but according to those inside, it’s almost a done deal
329
330
331~~~~
332
333Not only in the U.K., but in Australia as well, the version of Impact they are getting every week is cutting off the main event without a conclusion.
334
335The Bound for Glory angle and big TV rating that followed didn’t seem to help the weekend house shows. The crowds ranged from 700 to 900 for the four Midwest shows. Doing 900 fans at the Sears Center in Chicago is pretty sad, particularly since Chicago is historically such a great wrestling city. However, TNA still does fine overall with the $20 Polaroids with the top star after the show and Don West-led merchandise sales.
336~~~~
337
338The 10/10/10 promotion was strong, and the company seemed to have a little momentum going in. The level of response we got was the same as Hardcore Justice, so one would expect this did probably double or more of the usual TNA PPV, and at a higher price as they charged $39.95 instead of $34.95. There were about 3,500 fans in the Ocean Center, but that figure was heavily papered. Still, when Daytona Beach was announced, there were a lot of skeptics, with the idea that why would fans pay high ticket prices in Daytona Beach when they can drive to Orlando and see the PPVs regularly for free. The shows appear more big time out of the Impact Zone, and the crowd itself was hot.
339
340The show had its ups and downs. I thought there was enough good to where it was a thumbs up show going into the final angle. I think a lot of people knew the angle was coming and in general terms what it would be. It was a good start, but like every angle, it all depends on the follow-up. Most reaction to the show, and it was mixed, was largely based on the angle.
341
342There were a few technical glitches on the show. The company’s Internet feed went down and had to cancel the Internet showing for international markets. The DirecTV PPV airing had the first 16 minutes of commentary in German, and then at times, the Spanish bled through. The Dish Network had video and audio problems. The cable viewers didn’t have those problems.
343
344
345~~~~
346
347Wrestling Observer Newsletter
348
349PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 September 6, 2010
350
351
352UFC 118 PPV POLL RESULTS
353
354Thumbs up29 (15.7%)
355
356Thumbs down88 (47.6%)
357
358In the middle68 (36.8%)
359
360
361BEST MATCH POLL
362
363Joe Lauzon vs. Gabe Ruediger73
364
365Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis62
366
367Randy Couture vs. James Toney20
368
369Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn11
370
371WORST MATCH POLL
372
373Demian Maia vs. Mario Miranda61
374
375Nik Lentz vs. Andre Winner52
376
377Gray Maynard vs. Kenny Florian29
378
379Randy Couture vs. James Toney23
380
381Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn14
382
383Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 9/1.
384
385Most people who have studied the history of boxer vs. wrestler confrontations knew what was going to happen when Randy Couture met James Toney.
386
387~~~~
388
389Wrestling Observer Newsletter
390
391PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 September 13, 2010
392
393TNA NO SURRENDER PPV POLL RESULTS
394
395Thumbs up 51 (67.1%)
396
397Thumbs down 6 (07.9%)
398
399In the middle 19 (25.0%)
400
401BEST MATCH POLL
402
403Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy 61
404
405WORST MATCH POLL
406
407Velvet Sky vs. Madison Rayne 46
408
409Based on phone calls, e-mails and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 9/7
410
411TNA prepared for its biggest show of the year, Bound for Glory, billed as being on a day that only comes once a century, 10/10/10, with its last PPV to determine the finalists in its title tournament.~~~
412
413Wrestling Observer Newsletter
414
415PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 September 20, 2010
416
417ROH IPPV POLL RESULTS
418
419Thumbs up 74 (97.4%)
420
421Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
422
423In the middle 2 (02.6%)
424
425BEST MATCH POLL
426
427Hero & Castagnoli vs. Haas & Benjamin 69
428
429WORST MATCH POLL
430
431Stevens & Necro Butcher vs. Mahoney & Redwood 36
432
433Eddie Edwards vs. Shawn Daivari 10
434
435DRAGON GATE USA ENTER THE DRAGON II PPV POLL
436
437Thumbs up 32 (100.0%)
438
439Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
440
441In the middle 0 (00.0%)
442
443BEST MATCH POLL
444
4458-man elimination tag 28
446
447WORST MATCH POLL
448
449Naruki Doi vs. Drake Younger 23
450
451Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 9/14.
452
453Matt Hardy’s future in WWE is in question regarding a behavioral issue that is being kept quiet that took place in Europe.
454
455~~~~~
456
457Wrestling Observer Newsletter
458
459PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 September 27, 2010
460
461Two currently active wrestlers, Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho, joined historical figure Wladek Zbyszko in the 2010 class of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
462
463Mysterio, 35, and Jericho, 39, who were two of the top finishers last year, cracked the barrier in an interesting election.
464
465Mysterio, who started wrestling at the age of 14 and was pushed as a star from the age of 17, has to be considered a major historical figure, for breaking down the size barrier first in Mexico and even moreso, in the U.S. When he started wrestling, a man who was 5-2 and 115 pounds would have been considered a complete joke in pro wrestling. In fact, when Rey Misterio Jr. was brought to Antonio Pena by Konnan in 1992, for the start of the AAA promotion, Pena wanted to put him in the minis division. Mysterio was actually smaller than Jerrito Estrada, one of Pena’s top mini performers at the time. His making it as almost an immediate star in Mexico was one thing, but he had to overcome being laughed out of the WCW dressing room when he made his debut, and the size phobia of Vince McMahon, who originally didn’t even want to sign him when WCW folded in 2001. It’s not just that he got a roster spot or even garnered popularity in WWE over the past decade, but he became a world champion, an idea that would have been considered preposterous a few years earlier. He was one of the top merchandise sellers, a proven TV ratings mover, particularly in strong Hispanic markets, and a genuine drawing card as a headliner in many markets.
466~~~~
467
468Wrestling Observer Newsletter
469
470PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 September 27, 2010
471
472Two currently active wrestlers, Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho, joined historical figure Wladek Zbyszko in the 2010 class of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
473
474Mysterio, 35, and Jericho, 39, who were two of the top finishers last year, cracked the barrier in an interesting election.
475~~~~
476
477He continued to work on the farm and also made money from owning a percentage of the wrestling promotion in Argentina. He and his brother hired young men to work on the farm that they would train to wrestle, the biggest of the names being a very young Johnny Valentine and a teenage Harley Race, who with that foundation training were considered two of the toughest men of their eras. Stanislaus, who starred in the 1950 movie “Night and the City,” passed away on September 23, 1967, at the age of 88. Wladek died on June 10, 1968, at the age of 75.
478Thanks to wrestling historian Steve Yohe for the research and the bulk of the writing of this story
479
480WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS PPV POLL RESULTS
481
482Thumbs up 23 (24.0%)
483
484Thumbs down 19 (19.8%)
485
486In the middle 54 (56.3%)
487
488
489BEST MATCH POLL
490
491Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz 63
492
493Six-pack for WWE title 28
494
495WORST MATCH POLL
496
497Michelle McCool vs. Melina 45
498
499Undertaker vs. Kane 19
500
501Tag Team gauntlet 18
502
503Big Show vs. C.M. Punk 11
504
505ULTIMATE FIGHT NIGHT POLL RESULTS
506
507Thumbs up 33 (78.6%)
508
509Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
510
511In the middle 9 (21.4%)
512
513BEST MATCH POLL
514
515Charles Oliveira vs. Efrain Escudero 20
516
517Cole Miller vs. Ross Pearson 19
518
519WORST MATCH POLL
520
521Nate Marquardt vs. Rousimar Palhares 14
522
523Jim Miller vs. Gleison Tibau 12
524
525Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 9/21.
526
527Probably the most significant change in the WWE’s drug policy since its inception in 2006 was announced this past week with the company banning all use of muscle relaxers, in specific Carisoprodol (somas) and Meprobamate (Miltown and Meprospan), even with a valid doctor’s prescription.
528
529The policy change came just days after an incident took place backstage at a show in the U.K. involving Matt Hardy, which led to Hardy being taken off the road.
530~~~~~
531
532Wrestling Observer Newsletter
533
534PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 April 6, 2011
535
536UFC FIGHT NIGHT
537
538Thumbs up 52 (63.4%)
539
540Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
541
542In the middle 30 (36.6%)
543
544BEST MATCH POLL
545
546Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia 46
547
548Michael McDonald vs. Edwin Figueroa 24*
549
550Amir Sadollah vs. DaMarques Johnson 11
551
552WORST MATCH POLL
553
554Anthony Johnson vs. Dan Hardy 42
555
556Mike Russow vs. Jon Madsen 8*
557
558*Based on responses from people either live in the arena or saw the prelims on facebook as these fights didn’t air on television.
559
560Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 3/29.
561~~~~
562
563Wrestling Observer Newsletter
564
565PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 April 11, 2011
566
567WRESTLEMANIA 27 PPV POLL RESULTS
568
569Thumbs up227 (35.2%)
570
571Thumbs down213 (33.1%)
572
573In the middle204 (31.7%)
574
575BEST MATCH POLL
576
577Undertaker vs. HHH538
578
579Randy Orton vs. C.M. Punk 35
580
581Edge vs. Albert Del Rio 18
582
583Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio 14
584
585WORST MATCH POLL
586
587Show & Kane & Kingston & Marella vs. Corre219
588
589Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler154
590
591The Miz vs. John Cena143
592
5936 man mixed tag 35
594
595Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio 10
596
597Undertaker vs. HHH 9
598
599ROH HONOR TAKES CENTER STAGE #1 IPPV POLL RESULTS
600
601Thumbs up37 (100.0%)
602
603Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
604
605In the middle 0 (00.0%)
606
607BEST MATCH POLL
608
609Eddie Edwards vs. Christopher Daniels18
610
611Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong12
612
613WORST MATCH POLL
614
615Michael Elgin vs. El Generico15
616
617ROH HONOR TAKES CENTER STAGE #2 IPPV POLL RESULTS
618
619Thumbs up41 (100.0%)
620
621Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
622
623In the middle 0 (00.0%)
624
625BEST MATCH POLL
626
627Haas & Benjamin vs. Richards & Edwards 33
628
629WORST MATCH POLL
630
631Tomasso Ciampa vs. Homicide16
632
633DRAGON GATE USA IPPV
634
635Thumbs up17 (100.0%)
636
637Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
638
639In the middle 0 (00.0%)
640
641BEST MATCH POLL
642
643Pac vs Akira Tozawa15
644
645WORST MATCH POLL
646
647Jon Moxley vs. Arik Cannon 8
648
649Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 4/5.
650
651There was a meeting this past week at Titan Towers where the decision was finalized by Vince McMahon, although it had been pretty much expected for some time, that World Wrestling Entertainment is no more.
652~~~~
653
654Thumbs up41 (100.0%)
655
656Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
657
658In the middle 0 (00.0%)
659
660Wrestling Observer Newsletter
661
662PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 April 25, 2011
663
664TNA LOCKDOWN PPV POLL RESULTS
665
666Thumbs up 26 (52.0%)
667
668Thumbs down 19 (38.0%)
669
670In the middle 5 (10.0%)
671
672BEST MATCH POLL
673
674Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle 37
675
676WORST MATCH POLL
677
678Sting vs. RVD vs. Mr. Anderson 18
679
680Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne 13
681
682Based on phone calls, e-mails and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 4/19.
683
684Not content to sit on a pat hand, Vince McMahon is going back to the gambling table that throughout his adult life has made him, and at times broken him, for what could be his final major act.
685
686
687~~~
688
689Wrestling Observer Newsletter
690
691PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 August 8, 2011
692
693STRIKEFORCE POLL RESULTS
694
695Thumbs up 104 (85.2%)
696
697Thumbs down 8 (06.6%)
698
699In the middle 10 (08.2%)
700
701BEST MATCH POLL
702
703Dan Henderson vs. Fedor Emelianenko 105
704
705Miesha Tate vs. Marloes Coenen 11
706
707WORST MATCH POLL
708
709Tyron Woodley vs. Paul Daley 41
710
711Alexis Davis vs. Julie Kedzie 22*
712
713Tim Kennedy vs. Robbie Lawler 14
714
715*Match didn’t air on television. Based on responses from people who attended the show live in Chicago.
716
717Based on phone calls, e-mails and fax messages to the Observer as of 8/2.
718
719During the heyday of Fedor Emelianenko, the former holder of the mythical title of the Baddest man on the planet, one of his trademarks was that the few times he was in serious trouble and seemingly on the verge of defeat, the switch went off.
720
721
722~~~~
723
724Wrestling Observer Newsletter
725
726PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 August 10, 2011
727
728Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem was released from his contract by the promotion shortly after a business dispute which led to him being replaced in the heavyweight Grand Prix tournament.
729
730The fallout days later led to Zuffa also dropping fellow Golden Glory fighters Marloes Coenen, who was in the semi-main event of Saturday’s Strikeforce show; Jon Olav Einemo, who lost to Dave Herman in his only UFC appearance, and Valentijn Overeem, a Strikeforce heavyweight. The only fighter who was not cut in their camp was Sergei Kharitonov, who is in the Grand Prix tournament, and would likely be cut if he loses to Josh Barnett.
731
732~~~~
733
734Wrestling Observer Newsletter
735
736PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 August 15, 2011
737
738UFC 133 PPV POLL RESULTS
739
740Thumbs up 67 (77.9%)
741
742Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
743
744In the middle 19 (22.1%)
745
746BEST MATCH POLL
747
748Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz 69
749
750Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce 11
751
752WORST MATCH POLL
753
754Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya 52
755
756Constantinos Philippou vs. Jorge Rivera 14
757
758TNA HARDCORE JUSTICE PPV POLL RESULTS
759
760Thumbs up 1 (02.0%)
761
762Thumbs down 37 (74.0%)
763
764In the middle 12 (24.0%)
765
766BEST MATCH POLL
767
768Kurt Angle vs. Sting 25
769
770Fortune vs. Immortal 6 man 19
771
772WORST MATCH POLL
773
774Mickie James vs. Winter 28
775
776Pope D’Angelo Dinero vs. Devon 15
777
778Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 8/9
779
780After a quarter that looked good on paper only because of WrestleMania, Vince McMahon was noticeably frustrated with certain divisions, most notably the movie division and the home video division.
781
782But even with continued declines in house shows and PPV, he was again talking like the company was on the cusp of a business turnaround, the same way he’s done since the Nexus angle in June of last year.
783
784~~~~~
785
786Wrestling Observer Newsletter
787
788PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 August 24, 2011
789
790WWE SUMMERSLAM PPV POLL RESULTS
791
792Thumbs up 132 (75.0%)
793
794Thumbs down 25 (14.2%)
795
796In the middle 19 (10.8%)
797
798BEST MATCH POLL
799
800Randy Orton vs. Christian 136
801
802C.M. Punk vs. John Cena 22
803
804WORST MATCH POLL
805
806Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix 71
807
808Mark Henry vs. Sheamus 52
809
810UFC ON VERSUS 5 POLL RESULTS
811
812Thumbs up 97 (100.0%)
813
814Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
815
816In the middle 0 (00.0%)
817
818BEST MATCH POLL
819
820Ben Henderson vs. Jim Miller 66
821
822Chris Lytle vs. Dan Hardy 21
823
824WORST MATCH POLL
825
826Ronnie Markes vs. Karlos Vemola 15
827
828Donald Cerrone vs. Charles Oliveira 8
829
830Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of 8/16.
831
832Shinsuke Nakamura, 31, the longtime rival of current IWGP heavyweight champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, became the top contender for the title once again, by winning the 21st annual G-1 Climax tournament on 8/14 at Sumo Hall in Tokyo.
833
834Nakamura first defeated Minoru Suzuki to win the B block tournament with a 7-2 record, and then defeated A block champion Tetsuya Naito in the finals before a legitimate sellout crowd of 11,500 fans for a PPV show. Naito defeated Tanahashi in the final match of the A block, and finished tied for first with the champion, but advanced based on the head-to-head win.
835
836
837~~~~
838
839Wrestling Observer Newsletter
840
841PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 December 12, 2011
842
843UFC ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALS POLL RESULTS
844
845Thumbs up 115 (100.0%)
846
847Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
848
849In the middle 0 (00.0%)
850
851BEST MATCH POLL
852
853Diego Brandao vs. Dennis Bermudez 103
854
855WORST MATCH POLL
856
857Johnny Bedford vs. Louis Gaudinot 31
858
859Michael Bisping vs. Jason Miller 25
860
861Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 12/6.
862
863A combination of declining buy rates and the launch of the new WWE Network will spell a major change in the PPV landscape as WWE will be officially moving many of its events to its network that is scheduled for an April launch.
864~~~
865
866Wrestling Observer Newsletter
867
868PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 December 19, 2011
869
870UFC 140 PPV POLL RESULTS
871
872Thumbs up 110 (100.0%)
873
874Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
875
876In the middle 0 (00.0%)
877
878BEST MATCH POLL
879
880Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida 35
881
882Constantinos Philippou vs. Jared Hamann 29
883
884Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 20
885
886WORST MATCH POLL
887
888Brian Ebersole vs. Claude Patrick 25
889
890TNA FINAL RESOLUTION PPV POLL RESULTS
891
892Thumbs up 32 (94.1%)
893
894Thumbs down 2 (05.9%)
895
896In the middle 0 (00.0%)
897
898BEST MATCH POLL
899
900James Storm vs. Kurt Angle 20
901
902Bobby Roode vs. A.J. Styles 11
903
904WORST MATCH POLL
905
906Crimson & Morgan vs. Pope & Devon 29
907
908Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 12/13.
909
910~~~~
911
912Wrestling Observer Newsletter
913
914PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 December 26, 2011
915
916WWE TLC PPV POLL RESULTS
917
918Thumbs up 85 (84.2%)
919
920Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
921
922In the middle 16 (15.8%)
923
924BEST MATCH POLL
925
926Punk vs. Del Rio vs. Miz 99
927
928WORST MATCH POLL
929
930Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly 40
931
932Big Show vs. Mark Henry 35
933
934HHH vs. Kevin Nash 26
935
936STRIKEFORCE POLL RESULTS
937
938Thumbs up 3 (09.4%)
939
940Thumbs down 5 (15.6%)
941
942In the middle 24 (75.0%)
943
944BEST MATCH POLL
945
946Gegard Mousasi vs. Ovince St. Preux 16
947
948K.J. Noons vs. Billy Evangelista 14
949
950WORST MATCH POLL
951
952Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal 25
953
954Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday 12/20.
955
956~~~~
957
958Wrestling Observer Newsletter
959
960PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 February 7, 2011
961
962WWE ROYAL RUMBLE PPV POLL RESULTS
963
964Thumbs up258 (66.8%)
965
966Thumbs down 59 (15.3%)
967
968In the middle 69 (17.9%)
969
970BEST MATCH POLL
971
972Royal Rumble165
973
974Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler147
975
976The Miz vs. Randy Orton 9
977
978WORST MATCH POLL
979
980Torres vs. McCool vs. Layla vs. Natalya279
981
982The Miz vs. Randy Orton 24
983
984Royal Rumble 11
985
986STRIKEFORCE POLL RESULTS
987
988Thumbs up96 (99.0%)
989
990Thumbs down 1 (01.0%)
991
992In the middle 0 (00.0%)
993
994BEST MATCH POLL
995
996Nick Diaz vs. Evangelista Cyborg Santos84
997
998Ronaldo Jacare Souza vs. Robbie Lawler12
999
1000WORST MATCH POLL
1001
1002Herschel Walker vs. Scott Carson8
1003
1004Roger Gracie vs. Trevor Prangley8
1005
1006Based on phone calls, e-mails and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 2/1
1007
1008~~~~
1009
1010Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1011
1012PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 February 14, 2011
1013
1014UFC 126 PPV POLL RESULTS
1015
1016Thumbs up 99 (76.2%)
1017
1018Thumbs down 14 (10.8%)
1019
1020In the middle 17 (13.1%)
1021
1022BEST MATCH POLL
1023
1024Donald Cerrone vs. Paul Kelly 43
1025
1026Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin 31
1027
1028Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader 15
1029
1030Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort 14
1031
1032Paul Taylor vs. Gabe Ruediger 8
1033
1034WORST MATCH POLL
1035
1036Miguel Angel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos 74
1037
1038Demetrious Johnson vs. Kid Yamamoto 10
1039
1040DRAGON GATE PHILADELPHIA
1041
1042Thumbs up 37 (100.0%)
1043
1044Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1045
1046In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1047
1048BEST MATCH POLL
1049
1050Masato Yoshino & Pac vs. Naruki Doi & Ricochet 25
1051
1052WORST MATCH POLL
1053
1054Yamato vs. Brodie Lee 16
1055
1056DRAGON GATE NEW YORK
1057
1058Thumbs up 31 (91.2%)
1059
1060Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1061
1062In the middle 3 (08.8%)
1063
1064BEST MATCH POLL
1065
1066Naruki Doi & Ricochet vs. 18
1067
1068WORST MATCH POLL
1069
1070Brodie Lee vs. Jimmy Jacobs 9
1071
1072Austin Aries vs. Rich Swann 8
1073
1074~~~~
1075
1076Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1077
1078PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 February 21, 2011
1079
1080STRIKEFORCE HEAVYWEIGHT GRAND PRIX FIRST ROUND
1081
1082Thumbs up 136 (98.6%)
1083
1084Thumbs down 1 (00.7%)
1085
1086In the middle 1 (00.7%)
1087
1088BEST MATCH POLL
1089
1090Antonio Silva vs. Fedor Emelianenko 101
1091
1092Chad Griggs vs. Gian Villante 11
1093
1094WORST MATCH POLL
1095
1096Valentijn Overeem vs. Ray Sefo 20
1097
1098TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS PPV POLL RESULTS
1099
1100Thumbs up 32 (69.6%)
1101
1102Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1103
1104In the middle 14 (30.4%)
1105
1106BEST MATCH POLL
1107
1108Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle 42
1109
1110WORST MATCH POLL
1111
1112Madison Rayne vs. Mickie James 14
1113
1114Bully Ray vs. Devon 8
1115
1116Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 2/15.
1117
1118
1119~~~
1120
1121Thumbs up 32 (69.6%)
1122
1123Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1124
1125In the middle 14 (30.4%)
1126
1127Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1128
1129PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 February 28, 2011
1130
1131WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER PPV POLL RESULTS
1132
1133Thumbs up 181 (97.3%)
1134
1135Thumbs down 1 (00.5%)
1136
1137In the middle 4 (02.2%)
1138
1139BEST MATCH POLL
1140
1141Smackdown Chamber match 143
1142
1143Raw Chamber 16
1144
1145The Miz vs. Jerry Lawler 15
1146
1147WORST MATCH POLL
1148
1149Slater & Gabriel vs. Marella & Kozlov 135
1150
1151Based on phone calls, e-mails and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 2/22.
1152
1153Has the return to pro wrestling of The Rock made wrestling cool again?
1154
1155It’s a question that is too early to be answered, but it was very clear that after Dwayne Johnson returned to pro wrestling with an appearance on the 2/14 Raw show from Anaheim, that a lot of people who have had little or no interest in wrestling suddenly took notice, particularly Johnson’s remarks saying that he would never leave wrestling again.
1156
1157~~~~
1158
1159restling Observer Newsletter
1160
1161PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 January 10, 2011
1162
1163UFC 125 PPV POLL RESULTS
1164
1165Thumbs up 109 (95.6%)
1166
1167Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1168
1169In the middle 5 (04.4%)
1170
1171BEST MATCH POLL
1172
1173Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 114
1174
1175Rare case of every single person writing in having the same match as the best match
1176
1177WORST MATCH POLL
1178
1179Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera 67
1180
1181Antonio McKee vs. Jacob Volkmann 17**
1182
1183Dong Hyun Kim vs. Nate Diaz 8
1184
1185**Based on live show responses, match didn’t air on PPV
1186
1187Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, Jan. 4.
1188
1189Chael Sonnen pleaded guilty on 1/3 to a money laundering charge involving charges of defrauding a lending institution to make a real estate sale, and the next day was given an indefinite suspension from the UFC by Dana White.
1190
1191Sonnen, 33, will be sentenced on 3/28, but it is believed the guilty plea will keep him out of jail. The government is recommending Sonnen to be sentenced to two years probation and to be fined $10,000, as well as give up his real estate license, terms Sonnen agreed to in conjunction with his plea. The judge doesn’t have to accept that recommendation but the odds are that will be his punishment.
1192
1193Sonnen, a licensed real estate broker in West Linn, OR, admitted before federal judge Michael Mosman that a financial transaction he was involved with included him submitting a false letter and sales agreement addendum that led to Decision One Mortgage, a sub-prime lending agency that has since gone out of business. The letter writteen by Sonnen led to Decision One Mortgage paying $69,091 to Crown Plumbing, a company owned by his mother, for repairs to a home Sonnen was selling. Sonnen had negotiated with Joel Rosabal and Chadwick Amsden, employees of Lighthouse Financial Group, an area mortgage brokerage service in Vancouver, WA. There were actually no plumbing repairs done to the home and of the $69,091, approximately $65,000 went to the prospective buyer of the home so Sonnen could close the deal.
1194~~~~
1195
1196Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1197
1198PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 January 17, 2011
1199
1200TNA GENESIS PPV POLL RESULTS
1201
1202Thumbs up31 (50.8%)
1203
1204Thumbs down24 (39.3%)
1205
1206In the middle 6 (09.8%)
1207
1208BEST MATCH POLL
1209
1210Beer Money vs. Motor City Machine Guns46
1211
1212Kazarian vs. Jay Lethal 8
1213
1214WORST MATCH POLL
1215
1216Matt Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam18
1217
1218Abyss vs. Douglas Williams14
1219
1220Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett 8
1221
1222Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 1/11.
1223
1224The announcement on Tuesday of Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos as coaches for the 13th season of Ultimate Fighter may have surprised some, particularly since Lesnar by his own admission is still in the early stages of learning the game. But from a business standpoint, the two fighters as opposing coaches, and then opponents in a pay-per-view main event in June, makes sense on any number of levels.
1225
1226~~~~
1227
1228Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1229
1230PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 July 4, 2011
1231
1232UFC ON VERSUS POLL RESULTS
1233
1234Thumbs up 79 (98.8%)
1235
1236Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1237
1238In the middle 1 (01.2%)
1239
1240BEST MATCH POLL
1241
1242Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry 53
1243
1244Charles Oliveira vs. Nik Lentz 17
1245
1246Charlie Brenneman vs. Rick Story 8
1247
1248WORST MATCH POLL
1249
1250Matt Brown vs. John Howard 39
1251
1252ROH BEST IN THE WORLD
1253
1254Thumbs up 74 (100.0%)
1255
1256Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1257
1258In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1259
1260BEST MATCH POLL
1261
1262Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards 72
1263
1264WORST MATCH POLL
1265
1266Tomasso Ciampa vs. Colt Cabana 33
1267
1268Homicide vs. Rhino 10
1269
1270Based on e-mails and phone messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 6/28.
1271
1272C.M. Punk’s interview at the end of the 6/27 Raw, ripping on the McMahons, employees kissing Vince McMahon’s ass, John Laurinaitis, talking about being a Paul Heyman guy just like Brock Lesnar, vowing to leave the company with the championship with 7/17, and teasing taking it to New Japan Pro Wrestling or Ring of Honor will end up likely being the most talked about wrestling promo in years.
1273
1274The promo went farther than any promo in recent memory, perhaps WWE history, as Punk talked about breaking down the “fourth wall,” and talked about what many criticize WWE for, and about the only thing seemingly off limits was any mentions of TNA. As far as worked shoots go, this was as far as WWE has ever gone, including the acknowledgment of previously forbidden subjects such as if Vince McMahon would die, and if so, how the company was being turned over to Stephanie and HHH.
1275
1276~~~~~
1277
1278
1279Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1280
1281PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 July 11, 2011
1282
1283UFC 132 PPV POLL RESULTS
1284
1285Thumbs up 153 (100.0%)
1286
1287Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1288
1289In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1290
1291BEST MATCH POLL
1292
1293Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber 123
1294
1295Anthony Njokuani vs. Andre Winner 8
1296
1297WORST MATCH POLL
1298
1299Brian Bowles vs. Takeya Mizugaki 29*
1300
1301Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman 15
1302
1303Aaron Simpson vs. Brad Tavares 14*
1304
1305Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber 13
1306
1307*Matches didn’t air on the broadcast but did air via facebook and to those in the arena live
1308
1309Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of 7/5.
1310
1311The aftermath of the C.M. Punk interview, the Vince McMahon/John Cena in-ring and a match on 7/5 in Brisbane, Australia between Cena and Punk, likely a run-through of their PPV match on 7/17, as well as other moves this past week points to a direction to Punk as a babyface going forward.
1312
1313~~~~~
1314
1315Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1316
1317PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 July 18, 2011
1318
1319TNA DESTINATION X PPV POLL RESULTS
1320
1321Thumbs up 93 (80.2%)
1322
1323Thumbs down 4 (03.4%)
1324
1325In the middle 19 (16.4%)
1326
1327BEST MATCH POLL
1328
1329Aries vs. Low Ki vs. Evans vs. Ion 73
1330
1331A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels 34
1332
1333WORST MATCH POLL
1334
1335Brian Kendrick vs. Abyss 38
1336
1337Doug Williams vs. Mark Haskins 37
1338
1339Shark Boy & Young vs. Generation Me 23
1340
1341Based on phone calls, e-mails and fax messages to the Observer as of 7/12.
1342
1343~~~~~
1344
1345Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1346
1347PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 July 25, 2011
1348
1349WWE MONEY IN THE BANK PPV POLL RESULTS
1350
1351Thumbs up 394 (100.0%)
1352
1353Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1354
1355In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1356
1357BEST MATCH POLL
1358
1359C.M. Punk vs. John Cena 349
1360
1361Smackdown MITB 37
1362
1363WORST MATCH POLL
1364
1365Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella 336
1366
1367Mark Henry vs. Big Show 15
1368
1369Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday 7/19.
1370
1371Somewhere, Brian Pillman was watching Money in the Bank and probably had a smile on his face.
1372
1373~~~~
1374
1375Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1376
1377PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 June 6, 2011
1378
1379UFC 130 PPV POLL RESULTS
1380
1381Thumbs up 36 (32.4%)
1382
1383Thumbs down 37 (33.3%)
1384
1385In the middle 38 (34.2%)
1386
1387BEST MATCH POLL
1388
1389Brian Stann vs. Jorge Santiago 51
1390
1391Demetrious Johnson vs. Miguel Torres 28
1392
1393Rick Story vs. Thiago Alves 16
1394
1395WORST MATCH POLL
1396
1397Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson 35
1398
1399Quinton Jackson vs. Matt Hamill 25
1400
1401Renan Barao vs. Cole Escovedo 20
1402
1403Tim Boetsch vs. Kendall Grove 9
1404
1405Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 5/31
1406
1407Nobukazu Hirai, 41, a second generation wrestler who wrestled for All Japan as Super Hate, suffered a stroke at some point on 5/29 in Kobe, likely during a match with Kenso (Kenzo Suzuki).
1408~~~~
1409
1410Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1411
1412PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593: June 13, 2011
1413
1414UFC ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALS
1415
1416Thumbs up: 76 (97.4%)
1417
1418Thumbs down: 1 (01.3%)
1419
1420In the middle: 1 (01.3%)
1421
1422BEST MATCH POLL
1423
1424Clay Guida vs. Anthony Pettis: 60
1425
1426Kyle Kingsbury vs. Fabio Maldonado: 12
1427
1428WORST MATCH POLL
1429
1430Chris Cope vs. Chuck O’Neil: 26
1431
1432Shamar Bailey vs. Ryan McGillvray: 11
1433
1434Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 6/7.
1435
1436The aftermath of the stroke involving Nobukazu Hirai led to a situation that forced Keiji Muto to resign as president of All Japan Pro Wrestling.
1437
1438Muto, 48, announced he was leaving his post as president, but would continue his career as a wrestler (at this stage Muto works a very limited schedule due to his knee problems), and would still have an office position as one of the company’s Board of Directors. Another member of the Board, Masayuki Uchida, who is not a wrestler was announced as the new president by Muto in a 6/7 press conference.
1439~~~~~
1440
1441Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1442
1443PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 June 20, 2011
1444
1445UFC 131 PPV POLL RESULTS
1446
1447Thumbs up 111 (98.2%)
1448
1449Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1450
1451In the middle 2 (01.8%)
1452
1453BEST MATCH POLL
1454
1455Dave Herman vs. John Olav Einemo 38
1456
1457Joey Beltran vs. Aaron Rosa 29
1458
1459Mark Munoz vs. Demian Maia 28
1460
1461WORST MATCH POLL
1462
1463Donald Cerrone vs. Vagner Rocha 16
1464
1465TNA SLAMMIVERSARY PPV POLL RESULTS
1466
1467Thumbs up 17 (38.6%)
1468
1469Thumbs down 5 (11.4%)
1470
1471In the middle 22 (50.0%)
1472
1473BEST MATCH POLL
1474
1475A.J. Styles vs. Bully Ray 38
1476
1477WORST MATCH POLL
1478
1479Mickie James vs. Angelina Love 23
1480
1481Crimson vs. Samoa Joe 18
1482
1483Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 6/14.
1484
1485On 6/9, after the conclusion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship press conference in Vancouver, B.C., company president Dana White announced a change that had been talked about for years–starting in the fall, all main events on UFC shows will be five rounds.
1486
1487~~~~
1488
1489Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1490
1491PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 June 27, 2011
1492
1493STRIKEFORCE HEAVYWEIGHT GRAND PRIX POLL RESULTS
1494
1495Thumbs up 32 (25.4%)
1496
1497Thumbs down 52 (41.3%)
1498
1499In the middle 42 (33.3%)
1500
1501BEST MATCH POLL
1502
1503Jorge Masvidal vs. K.J. Noons 71
1504
1505WORST MATCH POLL
1506
1507Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum 57
1508
1509Chad Griggs vs. Valentijn Overeem 15
1510
1511Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers 8
1512
1513WWE CAPITOL PUNISHMENT PPV POLL RESULTS
1514
1515Thumbs up 36 (48.0%)
1516
1517Thumbs down 16 (21.3%)
1518
1519In the middle 23 (30.7%)
1520
1521BEST MATCH POLL
1522
1523C.M. Punk vs. Rey Mysterio 48
1524
1525Randy Orton vs. Christian 14
1526
1527WORST MATCH POLL
1528
1529Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show 28
1530
1531Wade Barrett vs. Ezekiel Jackson 25
1532
1533John Cena vs. R-Truth 21
1534
1535Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 6/21
1536
1537A mishap when it came to texting ended up leaving some big surprises during the “Power of the People” Raw on 6/20 in Baltimore.
1538
1539~~~~~~
1540
1541restling Observer Newsletter
1542
1543PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 March 7, 2011
1544
1545UFC 127 PPV POLL RESULTS
1546
1547Thumbs up 64 (72.7%)
1548
1549Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1550
1551In the middle 24 (27.3%)
1552
1553BEST MATCH POLL
1554
1555Brian Ebersole vs. Chris Lytle 46
1556
1557Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera 10
1558
1559WORST MATCH POLL
1560
1561Nick Ring vs. Riki Fukuda 15
1562
1563B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch 13
1564
1565Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera 9
1566
1567ROH IPPV POLL RESULTS
1568
1569Thumbs up 33 (89.2%)
1570
1571Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1572
1573In the middle 4 (10.8%)
1574
1575BEST MATCH POLL
1576
1577Christopher Daniels vs. Eddie Edwards 16
1578
1579Haas & Benjamin vs. Briscoes 11
1580
1581Hero & Castagnoli vs. Titus & King 10
1582
1583WORST MATCH POLL
1584
1585Sara Del Rey vs. MsChif 14
1586
1587El Generico vs. Michael Elgin 8
1588
1589Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday 3/1.
1590
1591Jim Ross has an oft-repeated saying that “Business is about to pick up.” Well, in this case, the return to the WWE of The Rock has caused that very thing to happen.
1592~~~~
1593
1594Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1595
1596PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 March 16, 2011
1597
1598UFC ON VERSUS 3 POLL RESULTS
1599
1600Thumbs up 87 (100.0%)
1601
1602Thumbs down 0 (00.0% )
1603
1604In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1605
1606BEST MATCH POLL
1607
1608Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann 87
1609
1610WORST MATCH POLL
1611
1612Igor Pokrajac vs. Todd Brown 16
1613
1614STRIKEFORCE ON SHOWTIME POLL RESULTS
1615
1616Thumbs up 46 (92.0%)
1617
1618Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1619
1620In the middle 4 (08.0%)
1621
1622BEST MATCH POLL
1623
1624Dan Henderson vs. Rafael Feijao 29
1625
1626Marloes Coenen vs. Liz Carmouche 19
1627
1628WORST MATCH POLL
1629
1630Jorge Masvidal vs. Billy Evangelista 33
1631
1632Based on e-mails, phone calls, fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 3/8.
1633
1634There are no major surprises when it comes to WWE’s annual business year-in-review. Throughout the year, the story has been largely the same, drops in almost every category except for television rights fees, both international and domestic, and licensing, due to the Mattel deal.
1635
1636
1637
1638~~~~~~
1639
1640Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1641
1642PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 March 21, 2011
1643
1644TNA VICTORY ROAD PPV POLL RESULTS
1645
1646Thumbs up 3 (04.7%)
1647
1648Thumbs down51 (79.7%)
1649
1650In the middle10 (15.6%)
1651
1652BEST MATCH POLL
1653
1654A.J. Styles vs. Matt Hardy29
1655
1656Ultimate X13
1657
1658WORST MATCH POLL
1659
1660Sting vs. Jeff Hardy19
1661
1662Hernandez vs. Matt Morgan18
1663
1664Based on e-mails, phone messages and fax message to the Observer as of 3/15.
1665
1666On 3/12, when UFC President Dana White announced that Zuffa had purchased Strikeforce, its leading worldwide competitor, the term he used to describe things going forward was “business as usual.”
1667
1668~~~~
1669
1670Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1671
1672PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 March 28, 2011
1673
1674UFC 128 PPV POLL RESULTS
1675
1676Thumbs up 124 (91.2%)
1677
1678Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1679
1680In the middle 12 (08.8%)
1681
1682BEST MATCH POLL
1683
1684Jon Jones vs. Mauricio Shogun Rua 57
1685
1686Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland 30
1687
1688Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Njokuani 27
1689
1690Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus 10
1691
1692WORST MATCH POLL
1693
1694Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller 38
1695
1696Mike Pyle vs. Ricardo Almeida 16
1697
1698Based on phone calls, e-mails and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 3/22.
1699
1700It is very possible that March 19, 2011, may go down in history as a turning point, the beginning of the era of someone who could become the breakthrough star UFC has ever had.
1701
1702Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1703
1704PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 May 10, 2011
1705
1706UFC 129 PPV POLL RESULTS
1707
1708Thumbs up 204 (91.5%)
1709
1710Thumbs down 14 (06.3%)
1711
1712In the middle 5 (02.2%)
1713
1714BEST MATCH POLL
1715
1716Jose Aldo Jr. vs. Mark Hominick 173
1717
1718Rory MacDonald vs. Nate Diaz 15
1719
1720WORST MATCH POLL
1721
1722Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields 141
1723
1724Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jason Brilz 8
1725
1726WWE EXTREME RULES PPV POLL RESULTS
1727
1728Thumbs up 126 (99.2%)
1729
1730Thumbs down 1 (00.8%)
1731
1732In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1733
1734BEST MATCH POLL
1735
1736Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio 98
1737
1738John Cena vs. The Miz vs. John Morrison 18
1739
1740WORST MATCH POLL
1741
1742Kane & Show vs. Jackson & Barrett 57
1743
1744Cole & Swagger vs. Lawler & Ross 27
1745
1746Layla vs. Michelle McCool 12
1747
1748Based on phone calls, e-mails and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 5/3.
1749
1750Randy Couture ended his career at UFC 129 as the most decorated UFC champion in history, and someone who will likely always be remembered as a unique all-time legend.
1751
1752Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1753
1754PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 May 23, 2011
1755
1756TNA SACRIFICE PPV POLL RESULTS
1757
1758Thumbs up 8 (17.4%)
1759
1760Thumbs down 38 (82.6%)
1761
1762In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1763
1764BEST MATCH POLL
1765
1766Angle & Chyna vs. Jeff & Karen Jarrett 19
1767
1768Kazarian vs. Max Buck 8
1769
1770WORST MATCH POLL
1771
1772Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne 14
1773
1774Hernandez & Anarquia vs. Moore & Neal 10
1775
1776Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday 5/17.
1777
1778Due to his diverticulitis flaring up, Brock Lesnar was forced to pull out of the 6/11 main event against Junior Dos Santos and his career, at least short-term, becomes a question mark.
1779
1780Lesnar, who turns 34 in July, was unable to train at the level he felt he needed to since starting camp for the fight. He had been taking antibiotics for several weeks that had kept him from hard training.
1781~~~~~~~~
1782
1783Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1784
1785PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 May 30, 2011
1786
1787You inspired me more than this world will ever know. Enjoy.
1788
1789You were a tower of power that was too sweet to be sour.
1790
1791You were funky like a monkey every minute of every hour.
1792
1793For you, space was the place and time distortion had to be.
1794
1795And your fans here on Earth wanted the madness for eternity.
1796
1797You met every challenge with fists clenched and face-to-face.
1798
1799You ever fought and defeated dragons and snakes.
1800
1801Flying off the ropes with an elbow drop.
1802
1803There was no way you could ever be stopped.
1804
1805Identifiable by your voice alone.
1806
1807Even being dubbed the Macho King when you sat on your throne.
1808
1809We hung on your words with interviews memorable and classic.
1810
1811And we knew it was serious when you took off your glasses.
1812
1813I promise not to lose you in the sands of time.
1814
1815For you will always be that all-time hero of mine.
1816
1817Jamar “Jay Lethal” Shipman, who paid tribute to Randy Savage by imitating him as a TNA wrestler from 2006 to 2008.
1818
1819Randy “Macho Man” Savage, a pro wrestling icon whose fame reached far past the wrestling ring as a television pitchman with the phrase, “Snap into a Slim Jim, Oooh yeah!,” passed away on 5/20 after reportedly suffering a heart attack while driving, leading to an auto accident.
1820
1821~~~~
1822
1823Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1824
1825PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 7, 2011
1826
1827UFC 137 PPV POLL RESULTS
1828
1829Thumbs up 46 (61.3%)
1830
1831Thumbs down 15 (20.0%)
1832
1833In the middle 14 (18.7%)
1834
1835BEST MATCH POLL
1836
1837Nick Diaz vs. B.J. Penn 72
1838
1839WORST MATCH POLL
1840
1841Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione 51
1842
1843Clifford Starks vs. Dustin Jacoby 22
1844
1845Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 11/1.
1846
1847In a world where people rack their brains, do media, spend time on social media, and hire managers and publicists with the intention of making them stars, one guy does none of that. And somehow, he is on the verge of being a bigger star than almost all of them.
1848~~~~
1849
1850Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1851
1852PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 7, 2011
1853
1854UFC 137 PPV POLL RESULTS
1855
1856Thumbs up 46 (61.3%)
1857
1858Thumbs down 15 (20.0%)
1859
1860In the middle 14 (18.7%)
1861
1862BEST MATCH POLL
1863
1864Nick Diaz vs. B.J. Penn 72
1865
1866WORST MATCH POLL
1867
1868Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione 51
1869
1870Clifford Starks vs. Dustin Jacoby 22
1871
1872Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 11/1.
1873
1874In a world where people rack their brains, do media, spend time on social media, and hire managers and publicists with the intention of making them stars, one guy does none of that. And somehow, he is on the verge of being a bigger star than almost all of them.
1875
1876~~~~
1877
1878Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1879
1880PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 21, 2011
1881
1882UFC ON FOX (U.S. VERSION ONE HOUR SHOW)
1883
1884Thumbs up 13 (11.4%)
1885
1886Thumbs down 86 (75.4%)
1887
1888In the middle 15 (13.2%)
1889
1890UFC ON FOX (INTERNATIONAL/FULL CARD VERSION)
1891
1892Thumbs up 87 (98.9%)
1893
1894Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1895
1896In the middle 1 (01.1%)
1897
1898BEST MATCH POLL
1899
1900Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida 85
1901
1902WORST MATCH POLL
1903
1904Aaron Rosa vs. Matt Lucas 21
1905
1906TNA TURNING POINT PPV POLL RESULTS
1907
1908Thumbs up 3 (08.8%)
1909
1910Thumbs down 25 (73.5%)
1911
1912In the middle 6 (17.6%)
1913
1914BEST MATCH POLL
1915
1916Bobby Roode vs. A.J. Styles 33
1917
1918WORST MATCH POLL
1919
1920Gail Kim vs. Madison Rayne 22
1921
1922Matt Morgan vs. Crimson 12
1923
1924Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 11/15.
1925
1926The UFC has spearheaded a lawsuit filed on 11/15 in a unique attempt to speed up the process of legalization in New York.
1927
1928Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1929
1930PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 21, 2011
1931
1932UFC ON FOX (U.S. VERSION ONE HOUR SHOW)
1933
1934Thumbs up 13 (11.4%)
1935
1936Thumbs down 86 (75.4%)
1937
1938In the middle 15 (13.2%)
1939
1940UFC ON FOX (INTERNATIONAL/FULL CARD VERSION)
1941
1942Thumbs up 87 (98.9%)
1943
1944Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1945
1946In the middle 1 (01.1%)
1947
1948BEST MATCH POLL
1949~~~~~
1950
1951Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1952
1953PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 28, 2011
1954
1955WWE SURVIVOR SERIES PPV POLL RESULTS
1956
1957Thumbs up 128 (80.0%)
1958
1959Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1960
1961In the middle 32 (20.0%)
1962
1963BEST MATCH POLL
1964
1965C.M. Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio 104
1966
1967Rock & Cena vs. Miz & R-Truth 32
1968
1969Dolph Ziggler vs. John Morrison 19
1970
1971WORST MATCH POLL
1972
1973Big Show vs. Mark Henry 92
1974
1975Beth Phoenix vs. Eve Torres 42
1976
1977UFC 139 PPV POLL RESULTS
1978
1979Thumbs up 132 (100.0%)
1980
1981Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1982
1983In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1984
1985BEST MATCH POLL
1986
1987Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua 130
1988
1989WORST MATCH POLL
1990
1991Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury 43
1992
1993Miguel Angel Torres vs. Nick Pace 25*
1994
1995*Fight didn’t air on television, based on those watching complete show on Facebook and live.
1996
1997Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 11/22.
1998
1999~~~~~
2000
2001Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2002
2003PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 October 3, 2011
2004
2005UFC 135 PPV POLL RESULTS
2006
2007Thumbs up 95 (77.2%)
2008
2009Thumbs down 9 (07.3%)
2010
2011In the middle 19 (15.4%)
2012
2013BEST MATCH POLL
2014
2015Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson 31
2016
2017Takeya Mizugaki vs. Cole Escovedo 29*
2018
2019Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi 19
2020
2021Josh Koscheck vs. Matt Hughes 15
2022
2023WORST MATCH POLL
2024
2025Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton 64
2026
2027Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell 14
2028
2029Junior Assuncao vs. Eddie Yagin 10*
2030
2031*Matches that aired on facebook but not on TV or PPV
2032
2033Based on e-mail and phone responses to the Observer as of Tuesday, 9/27.
2034
2035A survey put out by WWE regarding its proposed new television channel got a lot of attention this past week, because it was the first time the company has revealed what are at least thoughts regarding its direction.
2036
2037It appears that if the company would have its way, it would want to be part of a premium tier of cable stations that a consumer would pay $7 to $12 per month extra for, and mentioned linking up in the tier with an eclectic group of about 30 channels in the package that would include the NFL Network, NBA TV, The Biography Channel, Fuel TV and Fox Business News. This is not an idea brought to them, but likely a best case scenario idea by WWE.
2038~~~~
2039
2040Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2041
2042PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 October 12, 2011
2043
2044WWE HELL IN A CELL PPV POLL RESULTS
2045
2046Thumbs up 44 (58.7%)
2047
2048Thumbs down 8 (10.7%)
2049
2050In the middle 23 (30.7%)
2051
2052BEST MATCH POLL
2053
2054Del Rio vs. Punk vs. Cena 58
2055
2056Sheamus vs. Christian 9
2057
2058WORST MATCH POLL
2059
2060Sin Cara vs Sin Cara 37
2061
2062Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly 19
2063
2064UFC ON VERSUS POLL RESULTS
2065
2066Thumbs up 104 (100.0%)
2067
2068Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2069
2070In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2071
2072BEST MATCH POLL
2073
2074Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson 50
2075
2076Matt Wiman vs. Mac Danzig 23
2077
2078Josh Neer vs. Keith Wisniewski 17*
2079
2080T.J. Grant vs. Shane Roller 13*
2081
2082WORST MATCH POLL
2083
2084Stefan Struve vs. Pat Barry 22
2085
2086*Fights didn’t air on television. Based on responses both from people there live or who saw the fights on Facebook.
2087
2088Based on e-mails and phone calls as of Tuesday, 10/4.
2089
2090In an article in WWE Magazine, HHH, the future heir to the promotion, did what apparently was an explanation article where he talked about drawing. It was an interesting look at his mindset.
2091
2092“People don’t pay just to see wrestlers. They pay to see stars, larger-than-life athletes, heroes and villains. Stuff they can’t see in their own backyard. Punk misses the boat on Kevin Nash, and I’m not saying this to side with my friend, but Punk does look like the short order cook at Waffle house.”
2093
2094~~~~~
2095
2096Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2097
2098PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 October 17, 2011
2099
2100UFC 136 PPV POLL RESULTS
2101
2102Thumbs up 152 (100.0%)
2103
2104Thumbs down 0 (0.0%)
2105
2106In the middle 0 (0.0%)
2107
2108BEST MATCH POLL
2109
2110Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia 108
2111
2112Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 42
2113
2114WORST MATCH POLL
2115
2116Jose Aldo Jr. vs. Kenny Florian 46
2117
2118Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago 19
2119
2120Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 10/11.
2121
2122Probably the most talked about WWE DVD release of this year is the Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels set that comes out at the end of the month.
2123
2124The DVD is based on a long sit-down interview conducted over the summer in Stamford, CT, edited down to two hours, with Jim Ross asking the questions, facing Hart and Michaels, who are sitting together, dressed casually, talking about mostly their WWF careers. There is almost no talk except in passing on Michaels and Hart pre-WWF except for an early video feature on their childhoods and breaking in. There is no talk on Michaels since retirement, but obviously there is talk of Hart post-WWE in passing, a quick discussion of his two years in WCW down to a few sentences (“A painful experience. I was very disappointed to go there with the lack of brilliance everywhere.”), and his stroke and the deaths of many of his friends (his parents not mentioned, but Owen Hart, Rick Rude, Davey Boy Smith, Brian Pillman and Curt Hennig were referenced).
2125
2126~~~~~
2127
2128Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2129
2130PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 October 31, 2011
2131
2132WWE VENGEANCE PPV POLL RESULTS
2133
2134Thumbs up 40 (41.7%)
2135
2136Thumbs down 19 (19.8%)
2137
2138In the middle 37 (38.5%)
2139
2140BEST MATCH POLL
2141
2142Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena 73
2143
2144Mark Henry vs. Big Show 8
2145
2146WORST MATCH POLL
2147
2148Beth Phoenix vs. Eve Torres 45
2149
2150Dolph Ziggler vs. Zack Ryder 20
2151
2152Miz & R-Truth vs. Punk & Miz 10
2153
2154Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 10/25.
2155
2156The Rock will do his first wrestling match in seven-and-a-half years, teaming with John Cena, to face The Miz & R-Truth in the main event of the 25th Survivor Series on 11/20 in Madison Square Garden.
2157
2158~~~~~
2159
2160Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2161
2162PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 September 5, 2011
2163
2164UFC 134 RIO PPV POLL RESULTS
2165
2166Thumbs up 89 (84.0%)
2167
2168Thumbs down 12 (11.3%)
2169
2170In the middle 5 (04.7%)
2171
2172BEST MATCH POLL
2173
2174Rousimar Palhares vs. Dan Miller 55
2175
2176Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami 20
2177
2178Edson Barboza vs. Ross Pearson 17
2179
2180Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub 10
2181
2182WORST MATCH POLL
2183
2184Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami 11
2185
2186Mauricio Shogun Rua vs. Forrest Griffin 10
2187
2188Paulo Thiago vs. David Mitchell 9
2189
2190Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 8/30.
2191
2192World Wrestling Entertainment made a major formatting change on 8/29 with the announcement by figurehead authority figure HHH that Raw would every week become a joint branded show.
2193
2194The decision came after the Raw rating the week before falling beneath the 3.0 threshold, and with the start of regular season Monday Night Football two weeks away, which historically takes 10% off the Raw rating for nearly four months. Another aspect is that in recent weeks, the Raw segments featuring the big names, John Cena, C.M. Punk, HHH and Kevin Nash, have done solid quarter hours, but the show falters with secondary names out there. The idea is that adding Smackdown headliners Randy Orton, Christian, Sheamus and Mark Henry in theory would be stronger when it comes to maintaining the Raw audience than secondary level Raw stars. Another aspect is that at the weekend house shows, generally, the Smackdown house shows have not been doing well. Since Smackdown only draws about 55% the viewership of Raw, a large percentage of WWE fans aren’t seeing the Smackdown stars. Moving them to Raw will mean more people will see them, and hopefully that results in strengthening the Smackdown house show business, as well as build up more interest in the Smackdown wrestlers when it comes to PPV matches.
2195~~~
2196
2197Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2198
2199PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 September 21, 2011
2200
2201STRIKEFORCE GRAND PRIX SEMIS POLL RESULTS
2202
2203Thumbs up 48 (100.0%)
2204
2205Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2206
2207In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2208
2209BEST MATCH POLL
2210
2211Luke Rockhold vs. Ronaldo Jacare Souza 29
2212
2213WORST MATCH POLL
2214
2215Rafael Feijao Cavalcante vs. Yoel Romero 15
2216
2217King Mo vs. Roger Gracie 11
2218
2219TNA SPITTING GUNK IN PEOPLE’S FACES PPV POLL RESULTS
2220
2221Thumbs up 12 (25.0%)
2222
2223Thumbs down 32 (66.7%)
2224
2225In the middle 4 (08.3%)
2226
2227BEST MATCH POLL
2228
2229Austin Aries vs. Brian Kendrick 28
2230
2231WORST MATCH POLL
2232
2233Winter vs. Mickie James 33
2234
2235Angle vs. Sting vs. Anderson 13
2236
2237Based on e-mails, phone calls and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 9/13.
2238
2239There is probably nothing that makes wrestling fans groan and call bullshit that when a top star announces his retirement. Doing retirement matches, and then coming out of retirement had been wrestling tradition since the beginning of time, but unlike in the past, now it’s also a waste of time.
2240
2241It’s done to draw numbers and ratings and fails every time. Did one person believe Sting was going to retire this week? Does anyone believe any stipulations? It’s almost like why do, as it’s been argued that when you announce retirements or things like HHH will give up his job as COO if he loses a match, it’s almost more of a turn off. The latter can’t be proven by business, but what can and has been proven is that the former is true, nobody cares.
2242
2243And so, in what seems to be a ratings hotshot, Hulk Hogan on 9/14 claimed he was going to retire from wrestling and would bow out at the 9/21 Impact tapings, where TNA is taping for 10/6 and 10/13, the final two shows for Bound for Glory. Will the biggest star in history, who has done a fake retirement angle or two in the past, bow out right before the biggest show of the year, when the plan has been a singles match with Sting, that’s actually been built up since January 2009? Almost surely not, unless he simply can’t do the match. And that is a possibility, but everyone should and will think this to be a work.
2244
2245
2246~~~
2247
2248Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2249
2250PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 September 26, 2011
2251
2252WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS PPV POLL RESULTS
2253
2254Thumbs up 51 (30.0%)
2255
2256Thumbs down 74 (43.5%)
2257
2258In the middle 45 (26.5%)
2259
2260BEST MATCH POLL
2261
2262HHH vs. C.M. Punk 57
2263
2264Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton 31
2265
2266John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio 25
2267
2268Ziggler vs. Swagger vs. Morrison vs. Riley 15
2269
2270WORST MATCH POLL
2271
2272HHH vs. C.M. Punk 41
2273
2274Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix 37
2275
2276Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase 31
2277
2278UFC FIGHT NIGHT POLL RESULTS
2279
2280Thumbs up 32 (58.2%)
2281
2282Thumbs down 10 (18.2%)
2283
2284In the middle 13 (23.6%)
2285
2286BEST MATCH POLL
2287
2288Evan Dunham vs. Shamar Bailey 19*
2289
2290Lance Benoist vs. Matt Riddle 12*
2291
2292Jake Ellenberger vs. Jake Shields 10
2293
2294T.J. Waldburger vs. Mike Stumpf 10*
2295
2296WORST MATCH POLL
2297
2298Erik Koch vs. Jonathan Brookins 25
2299
2300*Match didn’t air on Spike, but aired on Facebook. This indicates the facebook fights seem to be growing in popularity because even when undercard fights have been the best on the show, we’ve never had this kind of a response where such a high percentage of those voting picked a fight that didn’t air on the televised broadcast as the best fight.
2301
2302ROH DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR IPPV POLL RESULTS
2303
2304Thumbs up 51 (100.0%)
2305
2306Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2307
2308In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2309
2310BEST MATCH POLL
2311
2312Eddie Edwards vs. Roderick Strong 37
2313
2314WORST MATCH POLL
2315
2316Andy Ridge vs. Grizzly Redwood 9*
2317
2318*Match didn’t air on iPPV, based on responses from those attending live
2319
2320Based on e-mails, phone messages and fax messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 9/20.
2321
2322The Rock will be teaming with John Cena at Survivor Series on 11/20 in Madison Square Garden, which will be his first match in seven-and-a-half years. The two will be part of a five vs. five elimination match. Talks of other names in that match included Sheamus and C.M. Punk on the face side and Alberto Del Rio & The Miz & R-Truth on the heel side, but things are always changing, and a few days later the talk was to not put Punk or Del Rio in the match. The names in the match may change but the big picture direction on what Rock is doing is all Rock and Vince, who decide everything together.
2323
2324~~~~~
2325
2326Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2327
2328PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 April 9, 2012
2329
2330WRESTLEMANIA XXVIII PPV POLL RESULTS
2331
2332Thumbs up 429 (65.4%)
2333
2334Thumbs down 124 (18.9%)
2335
2336In the middle 103 (15.7%)
2337
2338BEST MATCH POLL
2339
2340Undertaker vs. HHH 463
2341
2342C.M. Punk vs. Chris Jericho 87
2343
2344Rock vs. John Cena 55
2345
2346WORST MATCH POLL
2347
2348Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan 279
2349
2350Kelly & Menounos vs. Phoenix & Torres 232
2351
2352Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy 29
2353
2354Kane vs. Randy Orton 14
2355
2356ROH NIGHT ONE
2357
2358Thumbs up 30 (65.2%)
2359
2360Thumbs down 16 (34.8%)
2361
2362In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2363
2364BEST MATCH POLL
2365
2366Kevin Steen vs. El Generico 21
2367
2368Mike Bennett vs. Lance Storm 8
2369
2370WORST MATCH POLL
2371
2372Benjamin & Haas vs. Coleman & Alexander 15
2373
2374Adam Cole vs. Adam Pearce 9
2375
2376DRAGON GATE USA NIGHT ONE
2377
2378Thumbs up 56 (83.6%)
2379
2380Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2381
2382In the middle 11 (16.4%)
2383
2384BEST MATCH POLL
2385
2386Akira Tozawa vs. Masaaki Mochizuki 47
2387
2388WORST MATCH POLL
2389
2390Fish & Dreamer vs. Reed & Konley 19
2391
2392Sabu & Davis vs. Sanchez & Cannon 16
2393
2394Samurai Del Sol vs. Johnny Vandal 11
2395
2396RING OF HONOR DAY TWO
2397
2398Thumbs up 37 (100.0%)
2399
2400Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2401
2402In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2403
2404BEST MATCH POLL
2405
2406Davey Richards vs. Michael Elgin 37
2407
2408WORST MATCH POLL
2409
2410Tommaso Ciampa vs. Cedric Alexander 16
2411
2412DRAGON GATE USA NIGHT TWO
2413
2414Thumbs up 29 (100.0%)
2415
2416Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2417
2418In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2419
2420BEST MATCH POLL
2421
2422Six man main event 15
2423
2424Chuck Taylor Invitational 7
2425
2426Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 4/3.
2427
2428Brock Lesnar returned to WWE on Raw on 4/2 after signing a one-year contract, which almost overshadowed WrestleMania itself.
2429
2430~~~~~
2431
2432Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2433
2434PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 April 30, 2012
2435
2436UFC 145 PPV POLL RESULTS
2437
2438Thumbs up 85 (70.2%)
2439
2440Thumbs down 20 (16.5%)
2441
2442In the middle 16 (13.2%)
2443
2444BEST MATCH POLL
2445
2446Eddie Yagin vs. Mark Hominick 49
2447
2448Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans 19
2449
2450Chris Clements vs. Keith Wiesniewski 15
2451
2452WORST MATCH POLL
2453
2454Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero 41
2455
2456Mark Bocek vs. John Alessio 25
2457
2458Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans 18
2459
2460Anthony Njokuani vs. John Makdessi 11
2461
2462Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 4/24.
2463
2464Last summer, after the Money in the Bank PPV, we noted the most successful “B” shows from 2005 to the present on domestic PPV. When the John Cena vs. C.M. Punk number came in, finishing at 146,000 North American buys after a strong build-up, there was a question if they would ever see a “B” show hit 160,000 again--a mark last hit for the 2010 Elimination Chamber show. That’s also the number hit by Survivor Series this past November, where Rock had his first match in more than eight years.
2465
2466
2467
2468~~~~
2469
2470Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2471
2472PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 April 30, 2012
2473
2474UFC 145 PPV POLL RESULTS
2475
2476Thumbs up 85 (70.2%)
2477
2478Thumbs down 20 (16.5%)
2479
2480In the middle 16 (13.2%)
2481
2482BEST MATCH POLL
2483
2484Eddie Yagin vs. Mark Hominick 49
2485
2486Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans 19
2487
2488Chris Clements vs. Keith Wiesniewski 15
2489
2490WORST MATCH POLL
2491
2492Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero 41
2493
2494Mark Bocek vs. John Alessio 25
2495
2496Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans 18
2497
2498Anthony Njokuani vs. John Makdessi 11
2499
2500Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 4/24.
2501
2502Last summer, after the Money in the Bank PPV, we noted the most successful “B” shows from 2005 to the present on domestic PPV. When the John Cena vs. C.M. Punk number came in, finishing at 146,000 North American buys after a strong build-up, there was a question if they would ever see a “B” show hit 160,000 again--a mark last hit for the 2010 Elimination Chamber show. That’s also the number hit by Survivor Series this past November, where Rock had his first match in more than eight years.
2503
2504~~~~~
2505
2506Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2507
2508PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 August 20, 2012
2509
2510UFC 150 PPV POLL RESULTS
2511
2512Thumbs up 96 (85.0%)
2513
2514Thumbs down 4 (03.5%)
2515
2516In the middle 13 (11.5%)
2517
2518BEST MATCH POLL
2519
2520Donald Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard 85
2521
2522Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar 23
2523
2524WORST MATCH POLL
2525
2526Jake Shields vs. Ed Herman 78
2527
2528TNA HARDCORE JUSTICE PPV POLL RESULTS
2529
2530Thumbs up 29 (76.3%)
2531
2532Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2533
2534In the middle 9 (23.7%)
2535
2536BEST MATCH POLL
2537
2538Ladder match 20
2539
2540Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode 18
2541
2542WORST MATCH POLL
2543
2544Madison Rayne vs. Miss Tessmacher 37
2545
2546Red Bastien, one of the best in-ring talents of his generation and friendliest out of the ring passed away on 8/11 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.
2547
2548Bastien was one of pro wrestling’s most notable high-flyers of the 50s and 60s, the master of a balletic flying head scissors, easily the best in the history of the business. While the flying head scissors was a standard babyface move in that era, Bastien’s unique ability to pause at the top and twist in taking the opponent down was never matched. He had a unique look, with his red hair and thick handlebar mustache. Smaller than most wrestlers of his era, probably 5-foot-9 and 210 pounds, he was almost always cast as a babyface, with the philosophy, “sell until you almost die.”
2549
2550
2551~~~~~
2552
2553Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2554
2555PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 August 27, 2012
2556
2557WWE SUMMERSLAM PPV POLL RESULTS
2558
2559Thumbs up 77 (42.5%)
2560
2561Thumbs down 51 (28.2%)
2562
2563In the middle 53 (29.3%)
2564
2565BEST MATCH POLL
2566
2567Brock Lesnar vs. HHH 86
2568
2569Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler 66
2570
2571Punk vs. Show vs. Cena 8
2572
2573WORST MATCH POLL
2574
2575Kingston & R-Truth vs. O’Neil & Young 81
2576
2577Daniel Bryan vs. Kane 28
2578
2579Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio 14
2580
2581Brock Lesnar vs. HHH 8
2582
2583STRIKEFORCE POLL RESULTS
2584
2585Thumbs up 101 (95.3%)
2586
2587Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2588
2589In the middle 5 (04.7%)
2590
2591BEST MATCH POLL
2592
2593Miesha Tate vs. Julie Kedzie 99
2594
2595Ovince St. Preux vs. T.J. Cook 8
2596
2597WORST MATCH POLL
2598
2599Adlan Amagov vs. Keith Berry 52
2600
2601Tarec Saffiedine vs. Roger Bowling 14
2602
2603Based on phone calls and e-mail messages to the Observer as of 8/21.
2604
2605~~~~~
2606
2607Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2608
2609PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 December 10, 2012
2610
2611NEW JAPAN TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT FINALS POLL RESULTS
2612
2613Thumbs up 29 (87.9%)
2614
2615Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2616
2617In the middle 4 (12.1%)
2618
2619BEST MATCH POLL
2620
2621Anderson & Goto vs. Smith Jr. & Archer 24
2622
2623WORST MATCH POLL
2624
26258 man tag 27
2626
2627Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 12/4.
2628
2629WWE champion C.M. Punk undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on 12/4 has led to a revamping once again of the 12/16 TLC PPV show, the company’s debut event at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
2630
2631~~~~~
2632
2633Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2634
2635PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 December 17, 2012
2636
2637UFC ON FOX POLL RESULTS
2638
2639Thumbs up 123 (100.0%)
2640
2641Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2642
2643In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2644
2645BEST MATCH POLL
2646
2647Daron Cruickshank vs. Henry Martinez 53
2648
2649Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz 32
2650
2651Scott Jorgensen vs. John Albert 17
2652
2653WORST MATCH POLL
2654
2655Raphael Assuncao vs. Mike Easton 83
2656
2657Rory MacDonald vs. B.J. Penn 14
2658
2659TNA FINAL RESOLUTION PPV POLL RESULTS
2660
2661Thumbs up 18 (43.9%)
2662
2663Thumbs down 10 (24.4%)
2664
2665In the middle 13 (31.7%)
2666
2667BEST MATCH POLL
2668
2669Christopher Daniels vs. A.J. Styles 40
2670
2671WORST MATCH POLL
2672
2673Rob Van Dam vs. Kenny King 24
2674
2675Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 12/11.
2676
2677~~~~
2678
2679Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2680
2681PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 December 24, 2012
2682
2683WWE TLC PPV POLL RESULTS
2684
2685Thumbs up 140 (100.0%)
2686
2687Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2688
2689In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2690
2691BEST MATCH POLL
2692
2693Shield vs. Kane & Bryan & Ryback 139
2694
2695WORST MATCH POLL
2696
2697Eve Torres vs. Naomi 85
2698
2699Del Rio & Miz & Brawler vs. 3MB 19
2700
2701UFC TUF AUSTRALIA VS. U.K. FINALS
2702
2703Thumbs up 82 (100.0%)
2704
2705Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2706
2707In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2708
2709BEST MATCH POLL
2710
2711Robert Whittaker vs. Bradley Scott 25
2712
2713Mike Wilkinson vs. Brendan Loughlaner 23
2714~~~
2715
2716Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2717
2718PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 February 6, 2012
2719
2720WWE ROYAL RUMBLE PPV FEEDBACK
2721
2722Thumbs up 45 (16.4%)
2723
2724Thumbs down 161 (58.8%)
2725
2726In the middle 68 (24.8%)
2727
2728BEST MATCH POLL
2729
2730C.M. Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler 151
2731
2732Royal Rumble 87
2733
2734Bryan vs. Show vs. Henry 9
2735
2736WORST MATCH POLL
2737
2738John Cena vs. Kane 78
2739
2740Women 8 man tag 76
2741
2742Brodus Clay vs. Drew McIntyre 49
2743
2744Royal Rumble 14
2745
2746Bryan vs. Show vs. Henry 9
2747
2748UFC ON FOX 2 FEEDBACK
2749
2750Thumbs up 29 (16.0%)
2751
2752Thumbs down 79 (43.6%)
2753
2754In the middle 73 (40.3%)
2755
2756BEST MATCH POLL
2757
2758Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping 70
2759
2760Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz 51*
2761
2762Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis 9
2763
2764Cub Swanson vs. George Roop 8
2765
2766WORST MATCH POLL
2767
2768Chris Weidman vs. Demian Maia 84
2769
2770Mike Russow vs. Jon Olav Einemo 31*
2771
2772*Match didn’t air on FOX, but on Fuel prelims
2773
2774Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 1/31.
2775
2776WWE and UFC both put on major shows this past weekend, and neither was very good. WWE’s Royal Rumble, the No. 2 show of the year, seemed to garner a lot of interest, but a so-so undercard followed by one of the most forgettable Rumbles ever opened WrestleMania season like a wet noodle. But it will likely have zero bearing on things going forward.
2777~~~~~
2778
2779Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2780
2781PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 February 20, 2012
2782
2783TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS PPV POLL RESULTS
2784
2785Thumbs up 27 (45.0%)
2786
2787Thumbs down 26 (43.3%)
2788
2789In the middle 7 (11.7%)
2790
2791BEST MATCH POLL
2792
2793Austin Aries vs. Alex Shelley 55
2794
2795WORST MATCH POLL
2796
2797Gunner vs. Garett Bischoff 41
2798
2799Based on e-mail and phone messages to the Observer as of Tuesday, 2/14.
2800
2801The saga of Nick Diaz continued this week.
2802
2803Hours after Carlos Condit had agreed to terms to face Diaz in a rematch for both the interim welterweight title and be the next opponent of Georges St. Pierre when he makes his expected November return, the Nevada State Athletic Commission received the results of Diaz's drug test taken a few hours after his loss to Carlos Condit on the 2/4 show in Las Vegas. The test came back positive for marijuana.
2804~~~~~
2805
2806Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2807
2808PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 February 27, 2012
2809
2810WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER PPV POLL RESULTS
2811
2812Thumbs up 71 (36.8%)
2813
2814Thumbs down 52 (26.9%)
2815
2816In the middle 70 (36.3%)
2817
2818BEST MATCH POLL
2819
2820Smackdown Chamber match 129
2821
2822Raw Chamber match 31
2823
2824John Cena vs. Kane 10
2825
2826WORST MATCH POLL
2827
2828Jack Swagger vs. Justin Gabriel 97
2829
2830Beth Phoenix vs. Tamina Snuka 37
2831
2832John Cena vs. Kane 31
2833
2834Raw Chamber match 19
2835
2836UFC ON FUEL POLL RESULTS
2837
2838Thumbs up 81 (100.0%)
2839
2840Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2841~~~
2842
2843Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2844
2845PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 January 16, 2012
2846
2847TNA GENESIS PPV POLL RESULTS
2848
2849Thumbs up 2 (05.9%)
2850
2851Thumbs down 15 (44.1%)
2852
2853In the middle 17 (50.0%)
2854
2855BEST MATCH POLL
2856
2857Aries vs. Sorensen vs. Kash vs. Ion 24
2858
2859Abyss vs. Bully Ray 13
2860
2861WORST MATCH POLL
2862
2863Abyss vs. Bully Ray 12
2864
2865STRIKEFORCE POLL RESULTS
2866
2867Thumbs up 8 (25.0%)
2868
2869Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2870
2871In the middle 24 (75.0%)
2872
2873BEST MATCH POLL
2874
2875Tarec Saffiedine vs. Tyler Stinson 25
2876
2877WORST MATCH POLL
2878
2879Tyron Woodley vs. Jordan Mein 29
2880
2881Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday 1/10.
2882
2883The baddest woman on the planet, the day before her most devastating career win, tested positive for anabolic steroids according to a release sent out on 1/6 by the California State Athletic Commission.
2884~~~~
2885
2886Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2887
2888PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 July 2, 2012
2889
2890UFC ON FX POLL RESULTS
2891
2892Thumbs up 18 (23.7%)
2893
2894Thumbs down 38 (50.0%)
2895
2896In the middle 20 (26.3%)
2897
2898BEST MATCH POLL
2899
2900Cub Swanson vs. Ross Pearson 32
2901
2902Brian Ebersole vs. T.J. Waldburger 15
2903
2904Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher 12
2905
2906Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida 10
2907
2908WORST MATCH POLL
2909
2910Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida 56
2911
2912UFC 147 PPV POLL RESULTS
2913
2914Thumbs up 60 (100.0%)
2915
2916Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2917
2918In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2919
2920BEST MATCH POLL
2921
2922Cezar Ferreria vs. Sergio Moraes 42
2923
2924Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva 24
2925
2926WORST MATCH POLL
2927
2928Hacran Dias vs. Yuri Alcantara 48
2929
2930ROH BEST IN THE WORLD IPPV POLL RESULTS
2931
2932Thumbs up 55 (96.5%)
2933
2934Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2935
2936In the middle 2 (03.5%)
2937
2938BEST MATCH POLL
2939
2940Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly 29
2941
2942Kevin Steen vs. Davey Richards 27
2943
2944WORST MATCH POLL
2945
2946Mike Mondo vs. Mike Bennett 25
2947
2948Briscoes vs. Guardians of Truth 24
2949
2950All Night Express vs. Haas & Benjamin 9
2951
2952Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday, 6/26.
2953
2954~~~~
2955
2956Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2957
2958PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 July 16, 2012
2959
2960UFC 148 PPV POLL RESULTS
2961
2962Thumbs up 108 (61.0%)
2963
2964Thumbs down 27 (15.3%)
2965
2966In the middle 42 (23.7%)
2967
2968BEST MATCH POLL
2969
2970Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz 142
2971
2972Cung Le vs. Patrick Cote 11
2973
2974WORST MATCH POLL
2975
2976Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Gleison Tibau 60
2977
2978Mike Easton vs. Ivan Menjivar 51
2979
2980Costa Philippou vs. Riki Fukuda 24
2981
2982Demian Maia vs. Dong Hyun Kim 10
2983
2984TNA DESTINATION X PPV POLL RESULTS
2985
2986Thumbs up 111 (100.0%)
2987
2988Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2989
2990In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2991
2992BEST MATCH POLL
2993
2994Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode 72
2995
2996A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels 37
2997
2998WORST MATCH POLL
2999
3000Andrews vs. Jigsaw vs. Only vs. Darsow 28
3001
3002Zema Ion vs. Flip Casanova 26
3003
3004Kenny King vs. Doug Williams 24
3005
3006Mason Andrews vs. Kid Kash 10
3007
3008Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 7/10.
3009
3010After one of its biggest shows in history, a two-plus year promotion that wound up setting records for UFC in just about every category possible except PPV numbers, the question becomes what is next for Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.
3011
3012~~~~~
3013
3014Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3015
3016PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 July 23, 2012
3017
3018WWE MONEY IN THE BANK PPV POLL RESULTS
3019
3020Thumbs up 91 (74.6%)
3021
3022Thumbs down 12 (09.8%)
3023
3024In the middle 19 (15.6%)
3025
3026BEST MATCH POLL
3027
3028C.M. Punk vs. Daniel Bryan 96
3029
3030Smackdown MITB match 19
3031
3032WORST MATCH POLL
3033
3034Ryback vs. Reks & Hawkins 54
3035
3036Divas trios match 22
3037
3038Primo & Epico vs. O’Neil & Young 19
3039
3040UFC ON FX POLL RESULTS
3041
3042Thumbs up 67 (95.7%)
3043
3044Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3045
3046In the middle 3 (04.3%)
3047
3048BEST MATCH POLL
3049
3050Andrew Craig vs. Rafael Natal 41
3051
3052James Te Huna vs. Joey Beltran 10
3053
3054WORST MATCH POLL
3055
3056Marcelo Guimares vs. Dan Stittgen 24
3057
3058Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Anthony Njokuani 8
3059
3060STRIKEFORCE ON SHOWTIME POLL RESULTS
3061
3062Thumbs up 13 (22.0%)
3063
3064Thumbs down 22 (37.3%)
3065
3066In the middle 24 (40.7%)
3067
3068BEST MATCH POLL
3069
3070Nate Marquardt vs. Tyron Woodley 57
3071
3072WORST MATCH POLL
3073
3074Roger Gracie vs. Keith Jardine 28
3075
3076Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Kennedy 13
3077
3078Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 7/17.
3079
3080WWE is peaking for a loaded 7/23 episode of Raw, a show that will likely be the most-watched episode of the show this year, and a show to establish 8 p.m. as the new regular starting time for three hour shows.
3081
3082~~~~
3083
3084Thumbs up 91 (74.6%)
3085
3086Thumbs down 12 (09.8%)
3087
3088In the middle 19 (15.6%)
3089
3090~~~~~
3091
3092Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3093
3094PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 July 30, 2012
3095
3096UFC 149 PPV POLL RESULTS
3097
3098Thumbs up 1 (00.6%)
3099
3100Thumbs down 133 (79.6%)
3101
3102In the middle 33 (19.8%)
3103
3104BEST MATCH POLL
3105
3106Matt Riddle vs. Chris Clements 52
3107
3108Bryan Caraway vs. Mitch Gagnon 44
3109
3110Antonio Kuivanen vs. Mitch Clarke 20
3111
3112Nick Ring vs. Court McGee 8
3113
3114WORST MATCH POLL
3115
3116Tim Boetsch vs. Hector Lombard 69
3117
3118Cheick Kongo vs. Shawn Jordan 29
3119
3120Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday, 7/24.
3121
3122In what was the biggest episode of Raw in years, the 1,000th edition of the show seemed to build angles for both next year’s Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, as well as featured the planned big summer angle, the heel turn of C.M. Punk.
3123
3124The Rock made the first of his two appearances on the show during a segment involving Punk and Daniel Bryan. During the segment, Rock said that he would be challenging for the WWE title at the Royal Rumble on 1/27 in Phoenix. Later in the show, they had a face-to-face with Rock and John Cena.
3125
3126The idea of Rock vs. Cena being for the title was at first broached for last year’s WrestleMania and openly talked about in interviews. The idea was that if it was going to be the biggest match in pro wrestling history, as it was billed, then it should be for the championship. However, the decision was made to not go in that direction. After WrestleMania, Rock did an interview teasing that he was looking to win the title one more time.
3127
3128With Punk turning heel at the end of the show, by both failing to help Cena while Big Show was giving him a beating, and then Punk coming out of nowhere to give Rock a flying clothesline when Rock was about to drop the people’s elbow on Show, the show ended with Rock vs. Punk as the match people would most want to see, shot in an angle that was viewed by more people than has viewed any segment of Raw of late.
3129
3130Logic would indicate Rock beating Punk for the title, and then losing it to the perpetually screwed Cena at WrestleMania in New York. Of course, with the New York audience, there is the potential for the same dynamic at Mania where the 90% or more of the crowd is against Cena, but they’ve got months to have Cena continually save fair maidens in distress. Cena has been a stronger babyface since Mania, working with Brock Lesnar and John Laurinaitis, but with Rock, things may revert back. WWE also doesn’t like to make things too predictable, but there’s no point in having Rock get laid out by Punk if he’s not Rock’s next opponent.
3131
3132The show also teased a celebrity angle with Daniel Bryan and Charlie Sheen for SummerSlam on 8/19. The angle started when Bryan was left at the altar by A.J., who took the job as Raw General Manager instead of marrying Bryan (no, there was no explanation about making sense of one having anything to do with the other). Sheen, who did three interviews on Skype during the broadcast since he shut down his Twitter account and was under contract to WWE for the show, made fun of Bryan, calling him an Oompa Loompa. Bryan later, in an interview with Sean Mooney (in for one shot), said he’d love to put Sheen in the Yes lock. Sheen, in his final appearance, brought up how he isn’t hard to find and for Bryan to come and get him the next time he’s in Los Angeles, which is the site of SummerSlam. So they are doing something there. Sheen was wearing a hat plugging his show, “Anger Management,” but it’ll be interesting how much he agrees to do and how much they are paying him. He’s really the biggest name current real-life non-wrestling celebrity they’ve used as a PPV drawing card probably since Donald Trump.
3133~~~~
3134
3135Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3136
3137PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 June 4, 2012
3138
3139UFC 146 PPV POLL RESULTS
3140
3141Thumbs up 119 (99.2%)
3142
3143Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3144
3145In the middle 1 (00.8%)
3146
3147BEST MATCH POLL
3148
3149Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva 31
3150
3151Darren Elkins vs. Diego Brandao 26
3152
3153Stipe Miocic vs. Shane Del Rosario 15
3154
3155Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda 11
3156
3157WORST MATCH POLL
3158
3159C.B. Dollaway vs. Jason Miller 37
3160
3161Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 5/29.
3162
3163Two of the most important PPV numbers of the year were released by WWE with the numbers for WrestleMania, featuring John Cena vs. The Rock, and Extreme Rules, featuring Cena vs. Brock Lesnar.
3164
3165WrestleMania is now estimated at doing 1,214,000 buys, which breaks down to 711,000 in North America and 503,000 internationally. The number is lower than the 1.3 million figure the company released several weeks ago. From what we were told at the time, as noted here when the 1.3 million figure was announced, the revenue for the show seemed to add up to 1.22 million buys, is that they were expecting that with late buys the show would top 1.25 million. Thus, if rounded up, they could honestly say 1.3 million. They probably shouldn’t have announced the 1.3 million number when they did, since based on the numbers they had, they were far short of it, it was likely done because the company record was 1,250,000 in 2007, and they wanted to announce they had set a new record. And it is ahead of the pace as far as reported numbers from that show, and the odds are better than even that this show will end up breaking that record. But that’s not a sure thing.
3166~~~~~
3167
3168Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3169
3170PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 June 4, 2012
3171
3172UFC 146 PPV POLL RESULTS
3173
3174Thumbs up 119 (99.2%)
3175
3176Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3177
3178In the middle 1 (00.8%)
3179
3180BEST MATCH POLL
3181
3182Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva 31
3183
3184Darren Elkins vs. Diego Brandao 26
3185
3186Stipe Miocic vs. Shane Del Rosario 15
3187
3188Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda 11
3189
3190WORST MATCH POLL
3191
3192C.B. Dollaway vs. Jason Miller 37
3193
3194Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 5/29.
3195
3196Two of the most important PPV numbers of the year were released by WWE with the numbers for WrestleMania, featuring John Cena vs. The Rock, and Extreme Rules, featuring Cena vs. Brock Lesnar.
3197
3198WrestleMania is now estimated at doing 1,214,000 buys, which breaks down to 711,000 in North America and 503,000 internationally. The number is lower than the 1.3 million figure the company released several weeks ago. From what we were told at the time, as noted here when the 1.3 million figure was announced, the revenue for the show seemed to add up to 1.22 million buys, is that they were expecting that with late buys the show would top 1.25 million. Thus, if rounded up, they could honestly say 1.3 million. They probably shouldn’t have announced the 1.3 million number when they did, since based on the numbers they had, they were far short of it, it was likely done because the company record was 1,250,000 in 2007, and they wanted to announce they had set a new record. And it is ahead of the pace as far as reported numbers from that show, and the odds are better than even that this show will end up breaking that record. But that’s not a sure thing.
3199
3200
3201~~~~~
3202
3203Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3204
3205PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 June 18, 2012
3206
3207TNA SLAMMIVERSARY PPV POLL RESULTS
3208
3209Thumbs up 123 (99.2%)
3210
3211Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3212
3213In the middle 1 (00.8%)
3214
3215BEST MATCH POLL
3216
3217Angle & Styles vs. Daniels & Kazarian 104
3218
3219Austin Aries vs. Samoa Joe 15
3220
3221WORST MATCH POLL
3222
3223Devon & Bischoff vs. Robbies 33
3224
3225Miss Tessmacher vs. Gail Kim 31
3226
3227Bobby Roode vs Sting 14
3228
3229Joseph Park vs. Bully Ray 11
3230
3231James Storm vs. Crimson 10
3232
3233UFC ON FX POLL RESULTS
3234
3235Thumbs up 68 (100.0%)
3236
3237Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3238
3239In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3240
3241BEST MATCH POLL
3242
3243Eddie Wineland vs. Scott Jorgensen 49
3244
3245Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall 17
3246
3247WORST MATCH POLL
3248
3249Mike Pierce vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha 37
3250
3251Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 6/12.
3252
3253Coming off Slammiversary, with TNA appearing at first glance to have the most momentum it has had in some time, the question becomes: In 2012, when wrestling interest overall is at a low point, what is the ceiling for a distant No. 2 promotion?
3254
3255~~~~~
3256
3257Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3258
3259PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 June 25, 2012
3260
3261WWE NO WAY OUT PPV POLL RESULTS
3262
3263Thumbs up 8 (06.5%)
3264
3265Thumbs down 52 (41.9%)
3266
3267Thumbs in the middle 64 (51.6%)
3268
3269BEST MATCH POLL
3270
3271Punk vs. Kane vs. Bryan 86
3272
3273Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler 26
3274
3275WORST MATCH POLL
3276
3277Santino Marella vs. Ricardo Rodriguez 97
3278
3279Ryback vs. Grymes & Delany 13
3280
3281Layla vs. Beth Phoenix 8
3282
3283Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 6/19.
3284
3285With the exception of the stipulation in the main event, WWE’s No Way Out show on 6/17 from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ, felt more like an extended episode of an average Smackdown show.
3286
3287The big story is that they didn’t go in the John Cena being fired direction that they’ve done twice already, and instead went with John Laurinaitis being fired after Cena beat Big Show in the cage match main event.
3288
3289~~~~
3290
3291Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3292
3293PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 March 5, 2012
3294
3295UFC 144 PPV POLL RESULTS
3296
3297Thumbs up 145 (100.0%)
3298
3299Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3300
3301In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3302
3303BEST MATCH POLL
3304
3305Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar 132
3306
3307WORST MATCH POLL
3308
3309Ryan Bader vs. Rampage Jackson 33
3310
3311Jake Shields vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama 25
3312
3313Chris Cariaso vs. Takeya Mizugaki 15
3314
3315Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 2/28.
3316
3317The latest on the WrestleMania build revolved around the end of the 2/27 Raw show in Portland, OR, and an in-ring confrontation between The Rock and John Cena.
3318
3319It was a strong segment, that left the impression WrestleMania is going to be huge. And it probably will be, even though there were some disturbing business signs with a disappointing rating, and a segment that actually lost audience when Cena came out.
3320
3321
3322Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3323
3324PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 March 12, 2012
3325
3326STRIKEFORCE POLL RESULTS
3327
3328Thumbs up 141 (100.0%)
3329
3330Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3331
3332In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3333
3334BEST MATCH POLL
3335
3336Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate 133
3337
3338WORST MATCH POLL
3339
3340Josh Thomson vs. K.J. Noons 102
3341
3342Pat Healy vs. Caros Fodor 16
3343
3344UFC ON FX POLL RESULTS
3345
3346Thumbs up 96 (100.0%)
3347
3348Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3349
3350In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3351
3352BEST MATCH POLL
3353
3354Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall 46
3355
3356Shawn Jordan vs. Oli Mitchell 17
3357
3358Martin Kampmann vs. Thiago Alves 14
3359
3360WORST MATCH POLL
3361
3362Costa Philippou vs. Court McGee 34
3363
3364Andrew Craig vs. Kyle Noke 9
3365
3366ROH 10TH ANNIVERSARY IPPV POLL RESULTS
3367
3368Thumbs up 46 (100.0%)
3369
3370Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3371
3372In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3373
3374BEST MATCH POLL
3375
3376Edwards & Cole vs. Richards & O’Reilly 31
3377
3378WORST MATCH POLL
3379
3380Mike Bennett vs. Homicide 15
3381
3382Kevin Steen vs. Jimmy Jacobs 8
3383
3384Doug Furnas, man whose combination of power and agility was freakish in nature, and matched by few men in history, was found dead in his home in Tucson on 3/3, at the age of 52.
3385
3386~~~~~~~
3387
3388Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3389
3390PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 March 26, 2012
3391
3392TNA VICTORY ROAD PPV POLL RESULTS
3393
3394Thumbs up 41 (64.1%)
3395
3396Thumbs down 8 (12.5%)
3397
3398In the middle 15 (23.4%)
3399
3400BEST MATCH POLL
3401
3402Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy 52
3403
3404Styles & Anderson vs. Daniels & Kazarian 9
3405
3406WORST MATCH POLL
3407
3408Gail Kim vs. Madison Rayne 32
3409
3410James Storm vs. Bully Ray 13
3411
3412Devon vs. Robbie E 10
3413
3414Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday, 3/20.
3415
3416With two weeks to go, the WrestleMania line-up is just about complete. The show seemed to turn a corner with Raw, from it being a WrestleMania to it being a big WrestleMania.
3417
3418Plus, they are copying the UFC/HBO Boxing format of doing a one hour Countdown style show for the Rock vs. Cena match which they’ve been filming for several weeks.
3419~~~~~
3420
3421Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3422
3423PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 May 9, 2012
3424
3425WWE EXTREME RULES PPV POLL RESULTS
3426
3427Thumbs up 317 (84.8%)
3428
3429Thumbs down 32 (08.6%)
3430
3431In the middle 25 (06.7%)
3432
3433BEST MATCH POLL
3434
3435John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar 168
3436
3437Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan 109
3438
3439C.M. Punk vs. Chris Jericho 45
3440
3441WORST MATCH POLL
3442
3443Layla vs. Nikki Bella 90
3444
3445Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show 88
3446
3447Ryback vs. Relic & Hatton 51
3448
3449Brodus Clay vs. Dolph Ziggler 18
3450
3451Based on e-mail and phone calls as of Tuesday, 5/1.
3452
3453A change in movie business philosophy and the new network were the prime topics of discussion at the annual WWE stockholders meeting on 4/27 at the company offices.
3454
3455
3456~~~
3457
3458Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3459
3460PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 May 23, 2012
3461
3462TNA SACRIFICE PPV POLL RESULTS
3463
3464Thumbs up 41 (100.0%)
3465
3466Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3467
3468In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3469
3470BEST MATCH POLL
3471
3472Kurt Angle vs. A.J. Styles 28
3473
3474Daniels & Kazarian vs. Joe & Magnus 10
3475
3476WORST MATCH POLL
3477
3478Crimson vs. Eric Young 32
3479
3480ROH BORDER WARS IPPV POLL RESULTS
3481
3482Thumbs up 35 (77.8%)
3483
3484Thumbs down 10 (22.2%)
3485
3486In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3487
3488BEST MATCH POLL
3489
3490Kevin Steen vs. Davey Richards 28
3491
3492WORST MATCH POLL
3493
3494Haas & Benjamin vs. Briscoes 15
3495
3496Roderick Strong vs. Fit Finlay 11
3497
3498Based on e-mail and phone messages to the Observer as of Tuesday 5/15.
3499
3500The continuing saga of Nick Diaz took its latest turn this weekend when he no-showed an iPPV Jiu Jitsu match with world champion Braulio Estima in Long Beach.
3501~~~~
3502
3503restling Observer Newsletter
3504
3505PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 May 28, 2012
3506
3507WWE OVER THE LIMIT PPV POLL RESULTS
3508
3509Thumbs up 73 (54.5%)
3510
3511Thumbs down 21 (15.7%)
3512
3513In the middle 40 (29.9%)
3514
3515BEST MATCH POLL
3516
3517C.M. Punk vs. Daniel Bryan 123
3518
3519WORST MATCH POLL
3520
3521John Laurinaitis vs. John Cena 71
3522
3523Ryback vs. Camacho 38
3524
3525STRIKEFORCE ON SHOWTIME POLL RESULTS
3526
3527Thumbs up 93 (100.0%)
3528
3529Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3530
3531In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3532
3533BEST MATCH POLL
3534
3535Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson 84
3536
3537Daniel Cormier vs. Josh Barnett 8
3538
3539~~~~
3540
3541Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3542
3543PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 5, 2012
3544
3545Want to make a special note to wish everyone in the Northeast the best after Hurricane Sandy. Hopefully the worst is over and everything can get back to normal as quickly as possible. We wish all of you affected the best of luck and our prayers.
3546
3547WWE HELL IN A CELL PPV POLL RESULTS
3548
3549Thumbs up 49 (29.2%)
3550
3551Thumbs down 68 (40.5%)
3552
3553In the middle 51 (30.4%)
3554
3555BEST MATCH POLL
3556
3557Big Show vs. Sheamus 107
3558
3559Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio 19
3560
3561C.M. Punk vs. Ryback 8
3562
3563WORST MATCH POLL
3564
3565Torres vs. Layla vs. Kaitlyn 84
3566
3567C.M. Punk vs. Ryback 24
3568
3569Kane & Bryan vs. Rhodes & Sandow 13
3570
3571Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 10/30.
3572
3573WWE’s method of doing PPV shows with a theme put together a year ahead of time while booking is changed weekly, put them in a bad position for the Hell in a Cell match.
3574
3575The injury to John Cena, and a lack of depth on top, led to C.M. Punk facing Ryback in the main event. Ryback was unbeaten, at least on television, while using that gimmick, winning squash matches over one or two guys, in Bill Goldberg 1998 fashion, almost always in two minutes or less.
3576
3577
3578~~~
3579
3580Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3581
3582PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 19, 2012
3583
3584UFC ON FUEL FROM MACAU POLL RESULTS
3585
3586Thumbs up 13 (19.7%)
3587
3588Thumbs down 19 (28.8%)
3589
3590In the middle 34 (51.5%)
3591
3592BEST MATCH POLL
3593
3594Jon Tuck vs. Tiequan Zhang 32
3595
3596Takanori Gomi vs. Mac Danzig 31
3597
3598WORST MATCH POLL
3599
3600Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Hougland 15
3601
3602Alex Caceres vs. Motobu Tezuka 11
3603
3604TNA TURNING POINT PPV POLL RESULTS
3605
3606ew japan power struggle 12012 date
3607BEST MATCH POLL
3608
3609Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries 46
3610
3611Storm vs. Roode vs. Styles 8
3612
3613WORST MATCH POLL
3614
3615Doc vs. Joseph Park 32
3616
3617Young & ODB vs. Tara & Jessie 18
3618
3619Kurt Angle vs. Devon 8
3620
3621NEW JAPAN POWER STRUGGLE IPPV POLL RESULTS
3622
3623Thumbs up 39 (100.0%)
3624
3625Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3626
3627In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3628
3629BEST MATCH POLL
3630
3631Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yujiro Takahashi 36
3632
3633WORST MATCH POLL
3634
3635Ten man tag 23
3636
3637Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 11/13.
3638
3639Here’s something to ponder: if the senatorial election was held this week instead of last week, would WWE have done the angle it did on Raw on 11/12?
3640~~~~
3641
3642Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3643
3644PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 26, 2012
3645
3646UFC 154 PPV POLL RESULTS
3647
3648Thumbs up 159 (93.0%)
3649
3650Thumbs down 3 (01.8%)
3651
3652In the middle 9 (05.2%)
3653
3654BEST MATCH POLL
3655
3656Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit 169
3657
3658WORST MATCH POLL
3659
3660Francis Carmont vs. Tom Lawlor 129
3661
3662Antonio Carvalho vs. Rodrigo Damm 14
3663
3664WWE SURVIVOR SERIES PPV POLL RESULTS
3665
3666Thumbs up 49 (39.5%)
3667
3668Thumbs down 13 (10.5%)
3669
3670In the middle 62 (50.0%)
3671
3672BEST MATCH POLL
3673
3674Team Ziggler vs. Team Foley 59
3675
3676Team Mysterio vs. Team Titus 24
3677
3678Sheamus vs. Big Show 8
3679
3680C.M. Punk vs. Ryback vs. John Cena 8
3681
3682WORST MATCH POLL
3683
3684Eve Torres vs. Kaitlyn 71
3685
3686Antonio Cesaro vs. R-Truth 15
3687
3688Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 11/20.
3689
3690The main event at Survivor Series with C.M. Punk defending the WWE title in a three-way against Ryback and John Cena saw them keep the course, with one aspect of the finish being expected. It was Ryback who laid out John Cena with the shell shock but it was Punk who scored the pin.
3691
3692~~~
3693
3694restling Observer Newsletter
3695
3696PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 October 1, 2012
3697
3698UFC 152 PPV POLL RESULTS
3699
3700Thumbs up 132 (72.9%)
3701
3702Thumbs down 20 (11.0%)
3703
3704In the middle 29 (16.0%)
3705
3706BEST MATCH POLL
3707
3708T.J. Grant vs. Evan Dunham 91
3709
3710Demetrious Johnson vs. Joseph Benavidez 32
3711
3712Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort 24
3713
3714Marcus Brimage vs. Jimy Hettes 15
3715
3716Michael Bisping vs. Brian Stann 15
3717
3718WORST MATCH POLL
3719
3720Matt Hamill vs Roger Hollett 141
3721
3722Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 9/25.
3723
3724Jerry Lawler invited the Memphis media to his home on 9/19 and talked about his health issues.
3725
3726Lawler noted that he was still having trouble with short-term memory. While he didn’t say it, it was noted when Lawler recovered in the Montreal hospital, he thought he was still in Aruba, where he had worked two days earlier. Lawler said that at that point, he can remember Bret Hart and C.M. Punk in the ring during the first segment of Raw on 9/10, but didn’t remember anything else about the show, including his own match. He said when watching his tag match on the show in Montreal, it felt like he was watching a tape from ten years ago, and his memory ended with the first segment of Raw and picked up in the hospital bed. There were no out of life experiences or any memories of anything when his heart stopped beating, as some people clinically dead have talked about.
3727
3728
3729~~~~
3730
3731Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3732
3733PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 October 15, 2012
3734
3735UFC ON FX POLL RESULTS
3736
3737Thumbs up 18 (28.1%)
3738
3739Thumbs down 24 (37.5%)
3740
3741In the middle 22 (34.4%)
3742
3743BEST MATCH POLL
3744
3745Diego Nunes vs. Bart Palaszewski 32
3746
3747Michael Johnson vs. Danny Castillo 20
3748
3749WORST MATCH POLL
3750
3751Marcus LeVesseur vs. Carlo Prater 18
3752
3753Jake Ellenberger vs. Jay Hieron 15
3754
3755NEW JAPAN KING OF PRO WRESTLING IPPV POLL RESULTS
3756
3757Thumbs up 54 (100.0%)
3758
3759Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3760
3761In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3762
3763BEST MATCH POLL
3764
3765Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki 47
3766
3767WORST MATCH POLL
3768
3769Opening trios match 19
3770
3771Tetsuya Naito vs. Yujiro Takahashi 12
3772
3773Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 10/9.
3774
3775After a week where Raw had its lowest rating since 1997, Impact had its lowest rating in years for a Thursday show and Ultimate Fighter had the lowest rating in its history, each company had different reactions.
3776
3777~~~~~
3778
3779Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3780
3781PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 October 23, 2012
3782
3783UFC 153 PPV POLL RESULTS
3784
3785Thumbs up 109 (99.1%)
3786
3787Thumbs down 1 (00.9%)
3788
3789In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3790
3791BEST MATCH POLL
3792
3793Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva 108
3794
3795WORST MATCH POLL
3796
3797Sergio Moraes vs. Rene Fortee 32
3798
3799Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Dave Herman 8
3800
3801TNA BOUND FOR GLORY PPV POLL RESULTS
3802
3803Thumbs up 104 (92.9%)
3804
3805Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3806
3807In the middle 8 (07.1%)
3808
3809BEST MATCH POLL
3810
3811Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries 46
3812
3813James Storm vs. Bobby Roode 37
3814
3815Three-way tag title match 25
3816
3817WORST MATCH POLL
3818
3819Tara vs. Miss Tessmacher 40
3820
3821Joey Ryan vs. Al Snow 38
3822
3823ROH GLORY BY HONOR IPPV POLL RESULTS
3824
3825Thumbs up 44 (100.0%)
3826
3827Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3828
3829In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3830
3831BEST MATCH POLL
3832
3833Kevin Steen vs. Michael Elgin 30
3834
3835Jay Lethal vs. Davey Richards 14
3836
3837WORST MATCH POLL
3838
3839Tadarius Thomas vs. Rhino 25
3840
3841Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 10/16.
3842
3843Rocky was a nice movie, but Anderson Silva on 10/13 quickly showed that it wasn’t real life.
3844
3845After injuries decimated the planned UFC 153 show, Anderson Silva, not in training, agreed to save the show provided he only have to cut to 205 pounds and do a three round fight. Getting an opponent on short notice wasn’t easy with virtually every major guy in the weight class either injured or booked. They could have gone with Chael Sonnen for match three, but they didn’t dare.
3846
3847~~~~~
3848
3849Thumbs up 44 (100.0%)
3850
3851Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
3852
3853In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3854
3855~~~~
3856
3857Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3858
3859PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 September 17, 2012
3860
3861TNA NO SURRENDER PPV POLL RESULTS
3862
3863Thumbs up 18 (26.1%)
3864
3865Thumbs down 22 (31.9%)
3866
3867In the middle 29 (42.0%)
3868
3869BEST MATCH POLL
3870
3871Daniels & Kazarian vs. Angle & Styles 75
3872
3873WORST MATCH POLL
3874
3875Miss Tessmacher vs. Tara 27
3876
3877Jeff Hardy vs. Bully Ray 25
3878
3879Bully Ray vs. James Storm 10
3880
3881Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 9/11.
3882
3883The 9/10 Raw at the Bell Centre in Montreal figured to have a weird element of historical significance to it, as sort of a cathartic closure of one of the biggest news stories in the history of the business, the 1997 Survivor Series screw job, which took place in the same building when it was called the Molson Centre.
3884
3885Instead, the show will wind up as among the most historical of the 1,007 episodes of wrestling’s most famous television show. Jerry Lawler, 62, an icon of the industry, suffered a massive heart attack that was nearly fatal, while broadcasting a match.
3886
3887~~~~~~
3888
3889Wrestling Observer Newsletter
3890
3891PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 September 24, 2012
3892
3893WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS PPV POLL RESULTS
3894
3895Thumbs up 97 (99.0%)
3896
3897Thumbs down 1 (01.0%)
3898
3899In the middle 0 (00.0%)
3900
3901BEST MATCH POLL
3902
3903C.M. Punk vs. John Cena 97
3904
3905WORST MATCH POLL
3906
3907Eve Torres vs. Layla 56
3908
3909ROH DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR IPPV POLL RESULTS
3910
3911Thumbs up 0 (00.0%)
3912
3913Thumbs down 19 (59.4%)
3914
3915In the middle 13 (40.6%)
3916
3917BEST MATCH POLL
3918
3919Kevin Steen vs. Rhino 11
3920
3921Adam Cole vs. Mike Mondo 10
3922
3923WORST MATCH POLL
3924
3925Strong & Elgin vs. Irish Airborne 13
3926
3927Jacobs & Corino vs. Titus & Haas 12
3928
3929Based on e-mails and phone messages to the Observer as of Tueday, 9/17.
3930
3931Like he did almost every Monday night for decades in Memphis, when things seemed their absolute worst, Jerry Lawler pulled the strap down.
3932
3933But this time it wasn’t make-believe. After suffering a nearly fatal massive heart attack on 9/10 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Lawler has made a remarkable recovery and returned home seven days later.
3934
3935Tests done on Lawler indicated no brain damage, which was the big fear since his heart had stopped beating for a period that is generally estimated to have been ten to 15 minutes. During the week Lawler sent a short video message on Tout, as well as some thank you messages to the fans for all their concern. He will be interviewed via satellite on the 10/1 Raw show.
3936
3937As far as his future, it is way too early to know much of anything. His doctors told him that they didn’t see any reason why, after recovering, that he shouldn’t be able to wrestle again. The one thing in this case is that the WWE is going to be very cautious, given Lawler’s age. They really don’t like using older people in the ring to begin with except for special nostalgia-based comedy roles.
3938
3939A number of wrestlers have come back from heart attacks to wrestle, although they were also in most cases quite a bit younger. Perhaps the most notable was Johnny Valentine, who suffered a heart attack in March, 1973, when he was 44 and one of the biggest stars in wrestling. In those days, things were covered up and the term heart attack wasn’t used publicly. Instead they said he had suffered a heart blockage. But a few months later, Valentine returned, and continued to headline all over the world. After that point, Valentine was a key part of turning around the Carolinas territory with his stiff, brutal matches with Wahoo McDaniel, until being crippled in a plane crash (the same one where Ric Flair suffered his broken back) ended his in-ring career in 1975.
3940
3941Whether Buddy Rogers really had a heart attack or not in 1963 is something that has been debated for decades, although he did not wrestle much after 1963, and at that time he was in his early 40s, and was one of the biggest stars in the history of the business. Rogers made a few short in-ring comebacks over the next two decades.