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1Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2
3PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
4
5ISSN10839593
6
7April 11, 2016
8
9 
10
11WRESTLEMANIA 32 POLL RESULTS
12
13Thumbs up 121 (27.7%)
14
15Thumbs down 181 (41.4%)
16
17In the middle 135 (30.9%)
18
19 
20
21BEST MATCH POLL
22
23Charlotte vs. Banks vs. Lynch 248
24
25IC title ladder match 128
26
27Chris Jericho vs. A.J. Styles 20
28
29Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose 14
30
31 
32
33WORST MATCH POLL
34
35Battle Royal 108
36
37Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon 92
38
39Roman Reigns vs. HHH 87
40
4110 womens tag 45
42
43Usos vs. Dudleys 29
44
45League of Nations vs. New Day 19
46
47Rock vs. Erick Rowan ` 18
48
49Kalisto vs. Ryback 9
50
51 
52
53NXT TAKEOVER POLL RESULTS
54
55Thumbs up 444 (99.6%)
56
57Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
58
59In the middle 2 (00.4%)
60
61 
62
63BEST MATCH POLL
64
65Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn 403
66
67Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe 16
68
69Jordan & Gable vs. Dash & Dawson 14
70
71Asuka vs. Bayley 10
72
73 
74
75WORST MATCH POLL
76
77Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin 314
78
79Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe 32
80
81Jordan & Gable vs. Dash & Dawson 23
82
83Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 4/5.
84
85 
86
87There has never been anything in the history of pro wrestling quite like this past weekend.
88
89Never have more fans attended more events, nor has more talent been in the same place then in Dallas.
90
91
92
93~~~
94
95Wrestling Observer Newsletter
96
97PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
98
99ISSN10839593
100
101April 18, 2016
102
103 
104
105NEW JAPAN INVASION ATTACK POLL RESULTS
106
107Thumbs up 215 (99.5%)
108
109Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
110
111In the middle 1 (00.5%)
112
113 
114
115BEST MATCH POLL
116
117Kushida vs. Will Ospreay 176
118
119Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada 29
120
121Romero & Baretta vs. Ricochet & Sydal 9
122
123 
124
125WORST MATCH POLL
126
127Fale & Takahashi vs. Robinson & Taguchi 118
128
129Tonga & Loa vs. Makabe & Honma 57
130
131Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday, 4/12.
132
133
134~~~~
135
136Wrestling Observer Newsletter
137
138PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
139
140ISSN10839593
141
142April 25, 2016
143
144 
145
146UFC ON FOX POLL RESULTS
147
148Thumbs up 50 (57.5%)
149
150Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
151
152In the middle 37 (42.5%)
153
154 
155
156BEST MATCH POLL
157
158Rose Namajunas vs. Tecia Torres 51
159
160Raquel Pennington vs. Bethe Correia 23
161
162 
163
164WORST MATCH POLL
165
166Cezar Ferreira vs. Owale Bamgbose 16
167
168Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 4/19.
169
170 
171
172I’ve decided to retire young.
173
174Thanks for the cheese
175
176Catch ya’s later.
177
178Conor McGregor on Twitter on 4/19
179
180 
181
182In just three sentences, the entire world of MMA may have changed.
183
184UFC was planning its biggest set of shows in history, built around a Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz fight, which was expected to be the biggest money event in company history.
185
186
187killin
188
189~~
190
191Wrestling Observer Newsletter
192
193PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 August 1, 2016
194
195WWE BATTLEGROUND POLL RESULTS
196
197Thumbs up 154 (88.5%)
198
199Thumbs down 1 (05.7%)
200
201In the middle 19 (10.9%)
202
203BEST MATCH POLL
204
205Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens 114
206
207Ambrose vs. Rollins vs. Reigns 33
208
209Cena & Enzo & Cass vs. Styles & Club 18
210
211WORST MATCH POLL
212
213The Miz vs. Darren Young 116
214
215Natalya vs. Becky Lynch 17
216
217Rusev vs. Zack Ryder 15
218
219Breeze & Fandango vs. Usos 11
220
221Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday, 7/26.
222
223~~
224
225Wrestling Observer Newsletter
226
227PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 August 8, 2016
228
229UFC 201 POLL RESULTS
230
231Thumbs up 109 (99.1%)
232
233Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
234
235In the middle 1 (00.9%)
236
237BEST MATCH POLL
238
239Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Rose Namajunas 60
240
241Erik Perez vs. Francisco Rivera 26
242
243Damien Brown vs. Cezar Arzamendia 23
244
245WORST MATCH POLL
246
247Ryan Benoit vs. Fredy Serano 37
248
249NJPW G-1 IN NAGOYA
250
251Thumbs up 56 (100.0%)
252
253Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
254
255In the middle 0 (00.0%)
256
257BEST MATCH POLL
258
259Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tetsuya Naito 25
260
261Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega 24
262
263WORST MATCH POLL
264
265Toru Yano vs. Tomoaki Honma 45
266
267Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 8/2.
268
269There really wasn't a lot of big news coming out of the second quarter WWE conference call.
270
271~~~~
272
273Wrestling Observer Newsletter
274
275PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 August 15, 2016
276
277 
278
279NEW JAPAN G-1 IN OSAKA
280
281Thumbs up 38 (100.0%)
282
283Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
284
285In the middle 0 (00.0%)
286
287 
288
289BEST MATCH POLL
290
291Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kazuchika Okada 38
292
293 
294
295WORST MATCH POLL
296
297Bad Luck Fale vs. Togi Makabe 9
298
299Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday 8/9.
300
301WWE’s SummerSlam and UFC 202 anchor one of the biggest weekends for major shows of this or almost any other year.
302~~~~
303
304Wrestling Observer Newsletter
305
306PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
307
308ISSN10839593
309
310August 22, 2016
311
312 
313
314G-1 CLIMAX DAY ONE AT SUMO HALL
315
316Thumbs up 93 (98.9%)
317
318Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
319
320In the middle 1 (01.10%
321
322 
323
324BEST MATCH POLL
325
326Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada 94
327
328 
329
330WORST MATCH POLL
331
332Briscoes vs. Captain & Yoshitatsu 52
333
334Tama Tonga vs. Bad Luck Fale 22
335
336 
337
338G-1 CLIMAX DAY TWO AT SUMO HALL
339
340Thumbs up 103 (99.0%)
341
342Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
343
344In the middle 1 (01.0%)
345
346 
347
348BEST MATCH POLL
349
350Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito 104
351
352 
353
354WORST MATCH POLL
355
356Toru Yano vs. Yoshi-Hashi 58
357
358 
359
360G-1 CLIMAX DAY THREE AT SUMO HALL
361
362Thumbs up 101 (100.0%)
363
364Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
365
366In the middle 0 (00.0%)
367
368 
369
370BEST MATCH POLL
371
372Kenny Omega vs. Hirooki Goto 101
373
374 
375
376WORST MATCH POLL
377
378Gedo & Jado vs. Captain & Yoshitatsu 68
379
380Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 8/16.
381
382 
383
384The biggest weekend of the summer, featuring one of UFC’s biggest fights in history, WWE’s third biggest show of the year, what is, theoretically, NXT’s biggest show of the year (although in reality it’s the second biggest), as well as the sixth Super J Cup in history, runs from 8/19 to 8/21.
385~~~
386
387WWE SUMMERSLAM POLL RESULTS
388
389Thumbs up 126 (46.8%)
390
391Thumbs down 33 (12.3%)
392
393In the middle 110 (40.9%)
394
395 
396
397BEST MATCH POLL
398
399A.J. Styles vs. John Cena 249
400
401Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins 8
402
403 
404
405WORST MATCH POLL
406
407Gallows & Anderson vs. New Day 73
408
409The Miz vs. Apollo Crews 57
410
411Smackdown 6 women’s match 56
412
413Rusev vs. Roman Reigns 19
414
415Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton 14
416
41712 man tag 10
418
419 
420
421UFC 202 POLL RESULTS
422
423Thumbs up 205 (100.0%)
424
425Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
426
427In the middle 0 (00.0%
428
429 
430
431BEST MATCH POLL
432
433Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 203
434
435 
436
437WORST MATCH POLL
438
439Artem Lobov vs. Chris Avila 56
440
441Raquel Pennington vs. Elizabeth Phillips 27
442
443 
444
445NXT TAKEOVER BROOKLYN POLL RESULTS
446
447Thumbs up 247 (92.2%)
448
449Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
450
451In the middle 21 (07.8%)
452
453 
454
455BEST MATCH POLL
456
457Dawson & Wilder vs. Ciampa & Gargano 172
458
459Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe 68
460
461Asuka vs. Bayley 28
462
463 
464
465WORST MATCH POLL
466
467Ember Moon vs. Billie Kay 168
468
469Bobby Roode vs. Andrade Cien Almas 33
470
471 
472
473ROH DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR POLL RESULTS
474
475Thumbs up 113 (79.6%)
476
477Thumbs down 10 (07.0%)
478
479In the middle 19 (13.4%)
480
481 
482
483BEST MATCH POLL
484
485Adam Cole vs. Jay Lethal 82
486
487Three-way tag title 24
488
489Hangman Page vs. Jay Briscoe 18
490
491Kazuchika Okada vs. Dalton Castle 10
492
493 
494
495WORST MATCH POLL
496
497Yano & Barreta & Romero vs. Tonga & Roa & Takahashi88
498
499 
500
501NJPW SUPER J CUP POLL RESULTS
502
503Thumbs up 24 (47.1%)
504
505Thumbs down 10 (19.6%)
506
507In the middle 17 (33.3%)
508
509 
510
511BEST MATCH POLL
512
513Matt Sydal vs. Will Ospreay 27
514
515Young Bucks vs. Sabin & Shelley 13
516
517 
518
519WORST MATCH POLL
520
521Taichi vs. Jushin Liger 37
522
523Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 8/23.
524
525 
526
527UFC Athletes,
528
529 
530
531Our team’s been honored to represent UFC and work with a number of you on the entertainment side for the past few years. We’ve had a front row seat as both a partner and as a fan to witness your dedication to this sport and UFC’s remarkable work in growing MMA’s popularity and elevating the organization on a global scale.
532
533 
534
535We couldn’t be more excited for what the future holds for UFC and for all of you. As UFC’s new operating partner, we will be working with Dana and the UFC team to amplify the work that’s already been done by mobilizing all of the sports and entertainment assets we have available to us in our international network.
536
537 
538
539We look forward to working with you and welcome any ideas and feedback as we begin this new chapter together.
540
541 
542
543Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell
544
545Co-CEOs, WME/IMG
546
547 
548
549Lorenzo Fertitta, the CEO and person who historically should be remembered as perhaps the most important figure in making MMA into a worldwide sport left the office for the final time on 8/17.
550
551The UFC staff was all told to come for a meeting, and as it turned out, the guest of honor was busy at first and they had to regroup and come back later. Fertitta, 48, took a $2 million investment in 2001 to a $4 billion sale 15 years later. Aside from making a killing in business, he saved a sport that was on its deathbed in the U.S. The sale was officially completed with the money changing hands this past week, a similar letter to the one above was sent to all company employees, and the new era of UFC began with UFC 202.
552~~~~~
553
554Wrestling Observer Newsletter
555
556PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
557
558ISSN10839593
559
560December 12, 2016
561
562 
563
564WWE TLC PPV POLL RESULTS
565
566Thumbs up 114 (65.1%)
567
568Thumbs down 3 (01.7%)
569
570In the middle 58 (33.1%)
571
572 
573
574BEST MATCH POLL
575
576A.J. Styles vs. Dean Ambrose 153
577
578The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler 13
579
580 
581
582WORST MATCH POLL
583
584Nikki Bella vs. Carmella 75
585
586Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch 43
587
58810 man tag 14
589
590 
591
592ROH FINAL BATTLE PPV POLL RESULTS
593
594Thumbs up 219 (94.0%)
595
596Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
597
598In the middle 14 (06.0%)
599
600 
601
602BEST MATCH POLL
603
604Young Bucks vs. Briscoes 82
605
606Scurll vs. Ospreay vs. Lee 79
607
608Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Cole 51
609
610 
611
612WORST MATCH POLL
613
614Silas Young vs. Jushin Liger 106
615
616Rebellion vs. Dijak & Sabin & Shelley 15
617
618Cody Rhodes vs. Jay Lethal 9
619
620Kingdom vs. Rush & White & Kushida 8
621
622Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of 12/6.
623
624 
625
626Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon was named by president-elect Donald Trump to his cabinet as the administrator of the Small Business Administration on 12/7.
627
628“Linda has a tremendous background and is widely recognized as one of the country’s top female executives advising businesses around the globe,” Trump said. “She helped grow the WWE from a modest 13-person operation to a publicly traded global enterprise with more than 800 employees in offices worldwide. Linda is going to be a phenomenal leader and champion for small businesses and unleash America’s entrepreneurial spirit across the country.”
629
630McMahon, 68, had donated $6.5 million to Rebuilding America Now, a super PAC that supported Trump’s presidential bid.
631
632Most news stories listed McMahon as the co-founder of the WWE, although that wouldn’t be the case. Linda McMahon did work with Vince McMahon from 1982 on after he purchased the WWF from his father and his father’s business partners for $1 million for a company that probably grossed seven times that in a year. Their original company, Titan Sports, was founded by the two of them, but the promotion they purchased run by his father dates back to the 1950s, the Capital Wrestling Corporation out of Washington, DC. Prior to that, Vince McMahon Sr.’s father, Jess McMahon, promoted pro wrestling in the Northeast dating back to the 1920s.
633
634Linda McMahon was CEO of the company until leaving in 2009 to prepare for two unsuccessful senate campaigns. At one point during Trump’s bid for the Republican nomination, she was highly critical of his comments regarding women.
635
636“Those were just over the top,” she said. “They were deplorable, objectionable absolutely. He’s not helping, certainly, to put women in the best light. Maybe he regrets them. Maybe he doesn’t. I realize he punches hard when he punches back, but that’s just over the top.”
637
638But as his momentum grew, she said that he wasn’t her first choice for the nomination, but said she was a strong supporter of his.
639
640“Once you’re his friend, he is loyal to the end. He’s an incredibly loyal, loyal friend.”
641
642Linda McMahon worked alongside Vince McMahon in building the company, which started expanding in 1983 and 1984. When she was running for senate, they pushed the narrative that she built the business, but the business was always built by Vince McMahon, who was always the person in charge of both the business and creative end and made every key decision. While she absolutely had input on the business side, and pushed the company into getting involved in image boosting programs, in many ways her business success was more the success of Vince McMahon, and her departure in 2009 made no significant difference when it came to company success.
643
644The McMahons were the leading donator to the Trump Foundation, donating $5 million during the period Trump did angles for WWE including the headline angle at the 2007 WrestleMania, where Vince McMahon’s hair was up and got shaved, against Trump’s hair, in the Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley match that did a record 825,000 North American and 425,000 international buys.
645
646Ironically, when McMahon made his national expansion in 1984, one of the key people backing him up and making the real business moves was his Director of Operations, Jim Barnett, the long-time promoter of various major pro wrestling companies. Barnett was the last person who went from pro wrestling to a national political appointment when he served on the National Council for the Arts under President Jimmy Carter. Barnett was promoting in Georgia at the time, as well as when Carter was Governor and later President.
647
648Carter, who came from a family of wrestling fans, nominated Barnett for that position in 1980, just two years before Barnett was forced out as President of Georgia Championship Wrestling by Alan Rogowski (Ole Anderson). Barnett had hired Rogowski as booker years earlier. Rogowski had threatened to go public and to authorities on charges Barnett was embezzling from the company and as a deal to keep it quiet and not muddy his name publicly, Barnett agreed to resign from the company. At the time of his nomination, Barnett promoted not only Georgia Championship Wrestling, the most-watched pro wrestling group in the country because of its national exposure on cable, but also promoted the Atlanta Symphony, and also owned a percentage of Championship Wrestling from Florida and Southeastern Wrestling Corporation out of Knoxville, and when nominated for the spot, Vince McMahon’s father called Barnett “an outstanding promoter, probably the best in the country.”
649
650Barnett, who at the time was also booking the NWA world champion and was also the treasurer of the NWA at the time Rogowski forced him out of the promotion, was out of wrestling until being hired by the McMahons. In 1983, he, Vince McMahon Sr., and Vince McMahon Jr. quit the NWA. Barnett was the Director of Operations for Titan Sports when it went national, a key player in a lot of business aspects including procuring television deals as the company expanded.
651
652Linda McMahon had spent $100 million in two failed senate campaigns, but in doing so, gained political contacts in the Republican Party and since 2012 has worked behind-the-scenes in local party politics. Her name had been talked about for a cabinet position from shortly after Trump was elected.
653
654Linda McMahon would become the second person from the pro wrestling industry currently serving a cabinet position in a major country. Former Olympic wrestler and pro wrestling star Hiroshi Hase, 55, is currently the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in the cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Japan.
655
656The WWE’s next-to-last PPV show of the year, the TLC show from Dallas, featured two great matches and the rest kind of filler, built around yet another sensational performance by A.J. Styles.
657
658Styles suffered an ankle injury in his TLC match WWE title defense, where he beat Dean Ambrose due to a heel turn by James Ellsworth. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out of action, but on television he portrayed it like it would be a week or so.
659
660It appears that Styles will go back to working on top with John Cena over the WWE title, who returns on 12/26 for a house show in Madison Square Garden, and is expected to work regularly from that point on. The storyline will revert back to the idea that Cena is attempting to tie Ric Flair’s record of 16 championships. Ambrose appears to be moving to work with The Miz over the IC title.
661
662There were two title changes on the show, as Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton beat Heath Slater & Rhyno for the tag team titles, and Alexa Bliss beat Becky Lynch for the women’s title. Slater & Rhyno are in the process of breaking up as a team, as Wyatt & Orton are going to work a program with Jason Jordan & Chad Gable over the belts. As noted before, the star power of Wyatt & Orton elevates the tag team titles greatly.
663
664WWE’s final PPV show of the year will be Roadblock End of the Line, on 12/18 from Pittsburgh. The matches already official are Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal title, Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte in a 30 minute Iron Man match, Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho and Big Cass vs. Rusev. There will likely be a tag team title match coming out of a three-way match with The New Day vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Sheamus & Cesaro that takes place on 12/12 at Raw in Philadelphia. The cruiserweight title looks to be Rich Swann vs. T.J. Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick in a three-way. Braun Strowman is expected to face either Big Show (they tested out bodyslam matches at house shows and just brought Show back to television this past week) or Sami Zayn. With the Universal title and women’s title matches being long, that’s enough to fill the card although they could always build another women’s match.
665~~~
666
667restling Observer Newsletter
668
669PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 December 19, 2016
670
671 
672
673UFC 206 POLL RESULTS
674
675Thumbs up 128 (99.2%)
676
677Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
678
679In the middle 1 (00.8%)
680
681 
682
683BEST MATCH POLL
684
685Cub Swanson vs. Doo Ho Choi 122
686
687 
688
689WORST MATCH POLL
690
691Viviane Pereira vs. Valerie Letourneau 61
692
693 
694
695NEW JAPAN TAG TOURNAMENT FINALS
696
697Thumbs up 52 (71.2%)
698
699Thumbs down 1 (01.4%)
700
701In the middle 20 (27.4%)
702
703 
704
705BEST MATCH POLL
706
707Makabe & Honma vs. Tonga & Roa 62
708
709 
710
711WORST MATCH POLL
712
713Fale & Takahashi vs. Nakanishi & Henare 25
714
715Gunn & Yoshitatsu vs. Owens & Soldier 24
716
717Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 12/12.
718~~~
719
720Wrestling Observer Newsletter
721
722PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 December 26, 2016
723
724 
725
726WWE ROADBLOCK END OF THE LINE
727
728Thumbs up 71 (36.4%)
729
730Thumbs down 70 (35.9%)
731
732In the middle 54 (27.7%)
733
734 
735
736BEST MATCH POLL
737
738Sheamus & Cesaro vs. New Day 103
739
740Charlotte vs Sasha Banks 68
741
742Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns 13
743
744 
745
746WORST MATCH POLL
747
748Rusev vs. Big Cass 83
749
750Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman 45
751
752Swann vs. Kendrick vs. Perkins 18
753
754Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks 9
755
756Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 12/20.
757
758 
759
760In pro wrestling this past year, one of the biggest stories behind-the-scenes has been what people have called the golden age of independent wrestling.
761
762With the advent of Internet streaming, there are talented wrestlers who have been able to make a decent, and in some cases very good living being world travelers, most of which are affiliated with New Japan, ROH or Lucha Underground, and led to the advent of Flo Slam, which has made some deals paying significant rights fees for live content.
763
764WWE is also aggressively making moves, whether it be signing talent that just a few years ago they’d have dismissed based on size and/or look, expanding content for the network and aggressively pursuing women wrestlers, with the idea of creating more and more content.
765
766The WWE’s press conference on 12/15 to announce a two-night tournament next month to create a United Kingdom champion appears to be the first step in a goal of doing small-time independent style promotions in both Europe and Asia.
767
768~~~~
769
770Wrestling Observer Newsletter
771
772PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 February 1, 2016
773
774WWE ROYAL RUMBLE POLL RESULTS
775
776Thumbs up 296 (84.6%)
777
778Thumbs down 18 (05.1%)
779
780In the middle 36 (10.3%)
781
782BEST MATCH POLL
783
784Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens 201
785
786Royal Rumble 124
787
788Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch 24
789
790Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio 10
791
792WORST MATCH POLL
793
794Four team match 93
795
796New Day vs. Usos 84
797
798Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio 66
799
800Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch 35
801
802Royal Rumble 29
803
804NJPW FANTASTICA MANIA DAY ONE
805
806Thumbs up 61 (84.7%)
807
808Thumbs down 1 (01.4%)
809
810In the middle 10 (13.9%)
811
812BEST MATCH POLL
813
814Barbaro Cavernario vs. Titan 33
815
816Guerrero & Mephisto vs. Mistico & Volador Jr. 28
817
818WORST MATCH POLL
819
820Naito & Evil vs. Atlantis & Robinson 25
821
822Ten man tag 10
823
824NJPW FANTASTICA MANIA DAY TWO
825
826Thumbs up 42 (93.3%)
827
828Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
829
830In the middle 3 (06.7%)
831
832BEST MATCH POLL
833
834Guerrero & Okada & Mephisto vs. Mistico & Volador Jr. & Tanahashi 35
835
836WORST MATCH POLL
837
838Gedo & Yoshi-Hashi & Hechicero vs. Kushida & Robinson & Fuego
839
8407
841
842NJPW FANTASTICA MANIA DAY THREE
843
844Thumbs up 57 (100.0%)
845
846Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
847
848In the middle 0 (00.0%)
849
850BEST MATCH POLL
851
852Kamaitachi vs. Dragon Lee 57
853
854WORST MATCH POLL
855
856Panther & Maya Jr. vs. Komatsu & Tanaka 16
857
858Jushin Liger vs. Virus 11
859
860Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of 1/26.
861
862HHH won his 14th world championship at the Royal Rumble on 1/24 in Orlando. This is still planned as the means to the end game of setting up the big coronation of Roman Reigns as the company’s top star by winning the title at WrestleMania on 4/3 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
863
864The long Reigns push, which was scheduled for him to beat Brock Lesnar for the title at WrestleMania in 2015, but stalled based on fan response, had gotten more successful of late with the return of Vince McMahon as a heel adversary.
865
866~~~~
867
868Wrestling Observer Newsletter
869
870PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 February 8, 2016
871
872 
873
874UFC ON FOX POLL RESULTS
875
876Thumbs up 86 (82.7%)
877
878Thumbs down 5 (04.8%)
879
880In the middle 13 (12.5%)
881
882 
883
884BEST MATCH POLL
885
886Jimmie Rivera vs. Iuri Alcantara 49
887
888Tony Martin vs. Felipe Olivieri 25
889
890Ben Rothwell vs. Josh Barnett 16
891
892Wilson Reis vs. Dustin Ortiz 9
893
894 
895
896WORST MATCH POLL
897
898Anthony Johnson vs. Ryan Bader 30
899
900Tarec Saffiediene vs. Jake Ellenberger 10
901
902Damon Jackson vs. Levan Makashvili 10
903
904Rafael Natal vs. Kevin Casey 8
905
906 
907
908Bret Hart announced on 2/1 that he would be undergoing surgery for prostate cancer.
909
910Hart didn’t give a lot of details past saying the surgery would be taking place this week.
911
912The announcement came less than two weeks after older brother Smith Hart announced he had prostate and bone cancer (in his hip).
913
914
915~~~
916
917Wrestling Observer Newsletter
918
919PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 February 22, 2015
920
921 
922
923NEW JAPAN NEW BEGINNINGS IN OSAKA
924
925Thumbs up 107 (81.1%)
926
927Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
928
929In the middle 25 (18.9%)
930
931 
932
933BEST MATCH POLL
934
935Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii 129
936
937 
938
939WORST MATCH POLL
940
941Tenzan & Kojima vs. Nakanishi & Nagata 45
942
943Bullet Club vs. Briscoes & Yano 32
944
945 
946
947NEW BEGINNINGS IN NIIGATA
948
949Thumbs up 117 (100.0%)
950
951Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
952
953In the middle 0 (00.0%)
954
955 
956
957BEST MATCH POLL
958
959Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi 107
960
961Kushida vs. Bushi 9
962
963 
964
965WORST MATCH POLL
966
967Bucks & Hall vs. Liger & Tiger Mask & Captain 38
968
969Briscoes & Yano vs. Bullet Club 32
970
971Based on phone calls ane e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday, 2/16.
972
973 
974
975World Wrestling Entertainment released its 2015 financials, ending the year with a record setting $658,7768,000 in revenue, and a far from record setting $24,144,000 in profits.
976
977Those numbers compare favorably with $542,620,000 in revenue in 2014 and $30,072,000 in losses in 2014. The turnaround is largely because the network is in its second year and doesn’t have the first year start-up costs and the period of first building subscribers numbers. In addition, WWE’s television rights fees worldwide increased from $176,700,000 in 2014 to $231,100,000, of which $35,100,000 was in additional profit from the prior year.
978
979The company’s business at this point is built around rights fees and network revenues. Rights fees, based on current contracts, will continue to increase over the next few years. They are a fixed total not dependent upon how creative or interest levels are doing currently. Obviously when current contracts are up, at that point interest levels and ratings will be key factors in new negotiations, as will the big picture state of the television industry.
980
981Network revenues are also growing, although at a far slower pace than the company projected and Wall Street expected.
982~~
983
984Wrestling Observer Newsletter
985
986PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 February 29, 2016
987
988 
989
990WWE FAST LANE POLL RESULTS
991
992Thumbs up 114 (50.7%)
993
994Thumbs down 56 (24.9%)
995
996In the middle 55 (24.4%)
997
998 
999
1000BEST MATCH POLL
1001
1002Reigns vs. Lesnar vs. Ambrose 132
1003
1004A.J. Styles vs. Chris Jericho 78
1005
1006Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler 13
1007
1008 
1009
1010WORST MATCH POLL
1011
1012Curtis Axel vs. R-Truth 161
1013
1014Charlotte vs. Brie Bella 31
1015
1016Show & Kane & Ryback vs. Wyatts 18
1017
1018 
1019
1020BELLATOR POLL RESULTS
1021
1022Thumbs up 23 (15.8%)
1023
1024Thumbs down 101 (69.2%)
1025
1026In the middle 22 (15.1%)
1027
1028 
1029
1030BEST MATCH POLL
1031
1032Derek Campos vs. Melvin Guillard 68
1033
1034Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 34
1035
1036Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Daniel Pineda 31
1037
1038 
1039
1040WORST MATCH POLL
1041
1042Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 137
1043
1044Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock 9
1045
1046Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday, 2/16.
1047
1048Early on Raw, during a mock ceremony where Vince McMahon presented daughter Stephanie with the Vincent J. McMahon award, “the highest honor the company can present,” suddenly, familiar music played.
1049
1050~~~~
1051
1052Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1053
1054PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 January 11, 2016
1055
1056NEW JAPAN WRESTLE KINGDOM 10
1057
1058Thumbs up 242 (99.6% )
1059
1060Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1061
1062In the middle 1 (00.4%)
1063
1064BEST MATCH POLL
1065
1066Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi 165
1067
1068Shinsuke Nakamura vs. A.J. Styles 68
1069
1070Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii 21
1071
1072WORST MATCH POLL
1073
1074New Japan Rumble 118
1075
1076Briscoes & Yano vs. Bullet Club 63
1077
1078UFC 195 POLL RESULTS
1079
1080Thumbs up 178 (100.0%)
1081
1082Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1083
1084In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1085
1086BEST MATCH POLL
1087
1088Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit 178
1089
1090*This is one of the very rare occasions when every single person responding listed the same match for best match.
1091
1092WORST MATCH POLL
1093
1094Justine Kish vs. Nina Ansaroff 20
1095
1096Drew Dober vs. Scott Holtzman 11
1097
1098Alex Morono vs. Kyle Noke 10
1099
1100Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 1/5.
1101
1102At press time, John Cena confirmed that he will be undergoing shoulder surgery on 1/7.
1103
1104The injury is believed to be either a torn labrum or a torn rotator cuff. We’ve been told both from those within the company. This comes shortly after frequent training partner Cesaro had recent surgery for a torn rotator cuff. It continues the large number of shoulder injuries and surgeries in WWE over the past year.
1105
1106No other details are available past that the normal recuperation period from that surgery is in excess of six months, so whatever plans there were regarding Cena, the Royal Rumble, and WrestleMania, are now out the window. When Seth Rollins went down with knee surgery, the WrestleMania plan was for Roman Reigns defending the WWE title against Cena. We do know that plan had changed and a new card had been made with different matches for both men, although because the company is so sensitive, nobody would confirm anything past that.
1107~~~
1108
1109Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1110
1111PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 January 18, 2016
1112
1113TNA ONE NIGHT ONLY POLL RESULTS
1114
1115Thumbs up 2 (12.5%)
1116
1117Thumbs down 14 (87.5%)
1118
1119In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1120
1121BEST MATCH POLL
1122
1123Wolves vs. Angle & Galloway vs. Godderz & Drake 16
1124
1125WORST MATCH POLL
1126
1127Women’s Gauntlet 13
1128
1129Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday, 1/12.
1130
1131New Japan Pro Wrestling announced on 1/12 that they were stripping Shinsuke Nakamura of his IC title, rather than having him lose it in the ring to Kenny Omega.
1132
1133~~~~
1134
1135Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1136
1137PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 January 25, 2016
1138
1139 
1140
11412015 WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER AWARDS
1142
1143The following are the results of the 36th annual Wrestling Observer Newsletter readership awards, along with a listing of the previous winners in the various categories. On a worldwide basis, these are the most covered mainstream international pro wrestling awards. The awards are based on the time frame from December 1, 2014 through November 30, 2015. Readers are encouraged to send in their comments on the results.
1144
1145 
1146
1147"CATEGORY A" AWARDS - WINNERS
1148
1149 
1150
1151DETERMINED BY POINTS ON A 5-3-2 BASIS.
1152
1153 
1154
1155FIRST PLACE VOTES IN PARENTHESIS
1156
1157 
1158
1159LOU THESZ/RIC FLAIR AWARD
1160
1161(WRESTLER OF THE YEAR)
1162
1163~~~~
1164
1165Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1166
1167PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
1168
1169ISSN10839593
1170
1171July 4, 2016
1172
1173 
1174
1175ROH BEST IN THE WORLD POLL RESULTS
1176
1177Thumbs up 51 (70.8%)
1178
1179Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1180
1181In the middle 21 (29.2%)
1182
1183 
1184
1185BEST MATCH POLL
1186
1187Bucks & Cole vs. Moose & War Machine 29
1188
1189Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe 18
1190
1191B.J. Whitmer vs. Steve Corino 15
1192
1193 
1194
1195WORST MATCH POLL
1196
1197Daniels & Kazarian vs. Sabin & Shelley 17
1198
1199ACH vs. Silas Young 10
1200
1201B.J. Whitmer vs. Steve Corino 8
1202
1203Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 6/28.
1204
1205 
1206
1207The 26th annual G-1 Climax tournament, which in the last few years, has gained more international interest as the period with a large percentage of what will be the year’s best matches, was officially announced this past week.
1208
1209New Japan announced the format, identical to last year, with 19 shows over 28 days, split into A block and B block shows. A.J. Styles, who competed in the 2014 and 2015 tournaments, called it the most physically difficult and professionally rewarding thing he’d ever done. All 19 shows are scheduled to air live on New Japan World.
1210
1211As of right now, the first show on 7/18, and the final three shows on 8/12, 8/13 and 8/14, will be broadcast in both English and Japanese with Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino as announcers.
1212
1213Each wrestler will have nine singles matches, and on the days when their block doesn’t have singles matches, will be working tag team matches. While there will be some short matches and some matches that aren’t physically arduous, there are the exceptions to the rule, as, particularly on the big shows, expectations are high to produce PPV main event quality bouts.
1214
1215The 2013 and 2014 tournaments were probably the best two pro wrestling tournaments in history. Last year couldn’t quite match up, but it may also have had the best finish, with the last three nights headlined by three of the year’s best matches, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. A.J. Styles (a match both men now refer to as the greatest match of their respective careers), Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kazuchika Okada, and the two winners, Tanahashi vs. Nakamura, being as good as three straight night main events as you would ever see.
1216
1217Living up to that standard will be difficult this year, with Styles and Nakamura out, and Tanahashi not nearly at 100 percent due to neck and shoulder problems.
1218
1219The cast of characters is similar to last year. Newcomers this year are Kenny Omega, Tama Tonga (the only American in the tournament), Seiya Sanada, Evil, Yoshi-Hashi, and NOAH wrestlers Naomichi Marufuji and Katsuhiko Nakajima. While good, from a quality standpoint they can’t match the level of those who departed.
1220
1221It’s notable that even though ROH is not running any shows during the tournament, nobody from ROH is in the tournament, not even heavyweight tag team champions Mark & Jay Briscoe. The junior heavyweights are usually not put in the tournament, although many expected Kushida, as champion, in and that didn’t happen.
1222
1223The only non-regulars are Marufuji and Nakajima, as well as Toru Yano, who had been a regular until a few months ago. All three have been working with NOAH. While Marufuji is a name star, and Nakajima is likely to have excellent matches, it’s notable that they didn’t bring back Minoru Suzuki, who has had sensational matches in years past (most notably his 2014 match with Styles), nor Takashi Sugiura or Go Shiozaki, who are NOAH’s top singles guys of late. Shiozaki not being there makes sense, because NOAH wouldn’t want their champion to be losing singles matches.
1224~~~
1225
1226Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1227
1228PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
1229
1230ISSN10839593
1231
1232July 11, 2016
1233
1234 
1235
1236NEW JAPAN KIZUNA ROAD POLL RESULTS
1237
1238Thumbs up 29 (82.9%)
1239
1240Thumbs down 1 (02.9%)
1241
1242In the middle 5 (14.3%)
1243
1244 
1245
1246BEST MATCH POLL
1247
1248Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomoaki Honma 17
1249
1250Kojima & Ricochet & Sydal vs. Bucks & Omega 17
1251
1252 
1253
1254WORST MATCH POLL
1255
1256Takahashi & Page vs. Captain & Yoshitatsu 32
1257
1258Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday, 7/5.
1259
1260 
1261
1262The biggest week in UFC history with four live events, takes place with UFC 200, Brock Lesnar, five championship fights, the Hall of Fame and even a potential sale of the company all in the news.
1263
1264Since the report by Jeremy Botter of Flo Wrestling of a sale on 6/20, to the WME/IMG/Wanda Capital group, all has been quiet on that front. This led to denials of such a sale, and even with it having all the ramifications of being the biggest news story this year, nobody else has been able to confirm the story. Over the weekend, sources with direct knowledge of the sale continued to deny the sale has been completed, or that it’s been decided who the future owners will be.
1265~~~
1266
1267Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1268
1269PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
1270
1271ISSN10839593
1272
1273July 18, 2016
1274
1275 
1276
1277Dear Athletes
1278
1279 
1280
1281We are writing to personally advise you of a change to UFC. Renowned entertainment, sports and fashion giant WME-IMG has entered into an agreement to acquire UFC. Silver Lake Partners, KKR, MSD Capital LP and MSO Partners, LP will join WME-IMG as new strategic investors. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.
1282
1283 
1284
1285From the moment Zuffa LLC purchased UFC over 15 years ago, you, the athletes, have always been the central focus of the promotion. That will not change. WME-IMG, who has been involved with UFC for many years, is focused on the continual global expansion of mixed martial arts and committed to further promoting you on the global stage.
1286
1287 
1288
1289Upon closing of the deal, Lorenzo Fertitta will be stepping down as Chairman and CEO of the organization, however Lorenzo and Frank will retain a minority ownership interest in the business. UFC President Dana White will continue in his role and will also retain a minority ownership interest.
1290
1291 
1292
1293The organization’s leadership, a team of great executives had-picked to help lead the business, will remain in place to carry on their work and continue to lead the team of dedicated employees who promote your careers as mixed martial arts athletes.
1294
1295 
1296
1297You remain a very important part of a highly driven, dedicated and motivated organization that will continue to deliver world-class experience and opportunities and opportunities for you as athletes and for the greatest fans in the world.
1298
1299 
1300
1301Thank you.
1302
1303The Zuffa Executive Team
1304
1305What in many ways was the biggest week in UFC history ended with almost nothing but questions about the future.
1306
1307After months of denials by Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta of stories that the company was for sale, the company confirmed it was not just true but the sale was completed. The new owners are WME-IMG, the former William Morris Endeavor, at the same record-setting price tag of $4 billion that had been reported for months.
1308
1309It was roughly double the largest sports franchise sale in history, that being the 2012 sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers for $2 billion. Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta purchased the company from Bob Meyrowitz and Semaphore Entertainment Group in 2001 for $2 million. They will garner in the neighborhood of $3 billion or more for their stock in the company. The exact figure is unknown since WME-IMG actually purchased less than 90 percent and both Fertitta Brothers will remain with a small amount of stock in the new company.
1310
1311
1312~~~
1313
1314FC 200 POLL RESULTS
1315
1316Thumbs up 128 (51.2%)
1317
1318Thumbs down 33 (13.2%)
1319
1320In the middle 89 (35.6%)
1321
1322 
1323
1324BEST MATCH POLL
1325
1326Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar 124
1327
1328Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt 42
1329
1330Amanda Nunes vs. Miesha Tate 24
1331
1332Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne 20
1333
1334Kelvin Gastelum vs. Johny Hendricks 9
1335
1336 
1337
1338WORST MATCH POLL
1339
1340Daniel Cormier vs. Anderson Silva 88
1341
1342Sage Northcutt vs. Enrique Marin 44
1343
1344Julianna Pena vs. Cat Zingano 42
1345
1346Kevin Gastelum vs. Johny Hendricks 28
1347
1348T.J. Dillashaw vs. Raphael Assuncao 12
1349
1350Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt 10
1351
1352Amanda Nunes vs. Miesha Tate 8
1353
1354Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 7/12.
1355
1356 
1357
1358UFC is very much in a similar state as WWE will be going forward. It’s a healthy business that even in a year with bad luck, it will still be profitable. But to flourish, it’s about big stars. And right now, after UFC 200, everything is a big question mark.
1359
1360
1361~~~
1362
1363Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1364
1365PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 July 25, 2016
1366
1367 
1368
1369NEW JAPAN G-1 CLIMAX FIRST DAY
1370
1371Thumbs up 93 (100.0%)
1372
1373Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1374
1375In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1376
1377 
1378
1379BEST MATCH POLL
1380
1381Naomichi Marufuji vs. Kazuchika Okada 60
1382
1383Seiya Sanada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi 17
1384
1385Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tomohiro Ishii 14
1386
1387 
1388
1389WORST MATCH POLL
1390
1391Omega & Takahashi vs. Gedo & Yoshi-Hashi 43
1392
1393Togi Makabe vs. Tama Tonga 24
1394
1395Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 7/19.
1396
1397 
1398
1399The WWE draft ended up just as planned from the start, with the same dynamics of Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins as the top Raw program and John Cena vs. A.J. Styles as the top Smackdown program.
1400
1401~~~~~
1402
1403Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1404
1405PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
1406
1407ISSN10839593
1408
1409June 20, 2016
1410
1411 
1412
1413UFC 199 POLL RESULTS
1414
1415Thumbs up 177 (100.0%)
1416
1417Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1418
1419In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1420
1421 
1422
1423BEST MATCH POLL
1424
1425Polo Reyes vs. The other Dong Hyun Kim 69
1426
1427Dan Henderson vs. Hector Lombard 55
1428
1429Max Holloway vs. Ricardo Lamas 14
1430
1431Brian Ortega vs. Clay Guida 11
1432
1433Michael Bisping vs. Luke Rockhold 10
1434
1435 
1436
1437WORST MATCH POLL
1438
1439Sean Strickland vs. Tom Breese 56
1440
1441Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber 32
1442
1443Kevin Casey vs. Elvis Mutapcic 10
1444
1445Dustin Poirier vs. Bobby Green 9
1446
1447 
1448
1449WWE NXT THE END POLL RESULTS
1450
1451Thumbs up 154 (87.0%)
1452
1453Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1454
1455In the middle 23 (13.0%)
1456
1457 
1458
1459BEST MATCH POLL
1460
1461Revival vs. American Alpha 112
1462
1463Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries 46
1464
1465Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor 9
1466
1467 
1468
1469WORST MATCH POLL
1470
1471Asuka vs. Nia Jax 82
1472
1473Andrade Almas vs. Tye Dillinger 60
1474
1475 
1476
1477NJPW BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS FINALS
1478
1479Thumbs up 42 (100.0%)
1480
1481Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1482
1483In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1484
1485 
1486
1487BEST MATCH POLL
1488
1489Will Ospreay vs. Ryusuke Taguchi 41
1490
1491 
1492
1493WORST MATCH POLL
1494
1495Captain NJ & Yoshitatsu vs. Owens & Takahashi 20
1496
1497 
1498
1499TNA SLAMMIVERSARY
1500
1501Thumbs up 4 (12.9%)
1502
1503Thumbs down 9 (29.0%)
1504
1505In the middle 18 (58.1%)
1506
1507 
1508
1509BEST MATCH POLL
1510
1511Bobby Lashley vs. Drew Galloway 17
1512
1513Edwards vs. Lee vs. Everett vs. DJZ 8
1514
1515 
1516
1517WORST MATCH POLL
1518
1519Dax & Baraka vs. Grado & Shera 27
1520
1521Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 6/14.
1522
1523 
1524
1525The bidding period is expected to end this week, on or around 6/16, regarding a sale that is expected to be in the $4 billion price range for 100 percent ownership of the UFC.
1526
1527William Morris Endeavor/IMG, China Media Capital and the Dalian Wanda Group of China were expected to put in final bids this week after the last rounds of due diligence are completed.
1528
1529~~~~~~
1530
1531Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1532PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
1533ISSN 10839593
1534June 27, 2016
1535 
1536WWE MONEY IN THE BANK POLL RESULTS
1537Thumbs up 164 (79.6%)
1538Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1539In the middle 42 (20.4%)
1540 
1541BEST MATCH POLL
1542A.J. Styles vs. John Cena 113
1543Money in the Bank 48
1544Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns 43
1545 
1546WORST MATCH POLL
1547Charlotte & Brooke vs. Natalya & Lynch 55
1548R-Truth & Goldust vs. Fandango & Breeze 53
1549Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler 46
1550Rusev vs. Titus O’Neil 20
1551Four-way tag title match 12
1552Apollo Crews vs. Sheamus 12
1553 
1554NEW JAPAN DOMINION POLL RESULTS
1555Thumbs up 140 (89.2%)
1556Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1557In the middle 17 (10.8%)
1558 
1559BEST MATCH POLL
1560Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega 86
1561Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito 46
1562Katsuyori Shibata vs. Yuji Nagata 22
1563 
1564WORST MATCH POLL
1565Fake & Takahashi & Page vs. CNJ & Yoshitatsu & Makabe
156664
1567Briscoes vs. Tonga & Roa 36
1568Hirooki Goto vs. Evil 14
1569Kojima & Tenzan & Nakanishi vs. Finlay & White & Robinson
15709
1571Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 6/21.
1572 
1573A wellness policy violation by Roman Reigns (31-year-old Joe Anoa’i), who WWE has been pushing for years as the heir apparent to John Cena’s role as top star, has changed short-term plans for the company.
1574WWE has not officially released any information save that there was a violation, the first for Anoa’i, and that he is suspended for a 30 day period from 6/21 to 7/20. The WWE policy is that all violations are made public, but that the substance involved or nature of the violation is kept confidential.
1575We have no information regarding what the violation was, past the point that Anoa’i, writing as Reigns, said on Twitter, “I apologize to my family, friends and fans for my mistake in violating WWE’s wellness policy. No excuses. I own it.”
1576
1577~~~~~
1578
1579
1580Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1581
1582PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 March 7, 2016
1583
1584 
1585
1586ROH 14TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW
1587
1588Thumbs up 115 (91.3%)
1589
1590Thumbs down 1 (00.8%)
1591
1592In the middle 10 (07.9%)
1593
1594 
1595
1596BEST MATCH POLL
1597
1598Young Bucks & Omega vs. ACH & Kushida & Sydal 108
1599
1600Lethal vs. Cole vs. O’Reilly 16
1601
1602 
1603
1604WORST MATCH POLL
1605
1606B.J. Whitmer vs. Adam Page 97
1607
1608Rowe & Hanson vs. Titus & King 21
1609
1610Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 3/1
1611~~~
1612
1613
1614PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 March 14, 2016
1615
1616 
1617
1618UFC 196 POLL RESULTS
1619
1620Thumbs up 198 (99.0%)
1621
1622Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1623
1624In the middle 2 (01.0%)
1625
1626 
1627
1628BEST MATCH POLL
1629
1630Miesha Tate vs. Holly Holm 117
1631
1632Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 82
1633
1634 
1635
1636WORST MATCH POLL
1637
1638Ilir Latifi vs. Gian Villante 112
1639
1640Corey Anderson vs. Tom Lawlor 28
1641
1642Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 3/8.
1643
1644~~~~
1645
1646Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1647
1648PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
1649
1650ISSN10839593
1651
1652March 21, 2016
1653
1654 
1655
1656WWE ROADBLOCK POLL RESULTS
1657
1658Thumbs up ` 97 (80.8%)
1659
1660Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1661
1662In the middle 23 (19.2%)
1663
1664 
1665
1666BEST MATCH POLL
1667
1668HHH vs. Dean Ambrose 86
1669
1670Dawson & Wilder vs. Amore & Cassady 18
1671
1672Charlotte vs. Natalya 11
1673
1674 
1675
1676WORST MATCH POLL
1677
1678Sami Zayn vs. Stardust 47
1679
1680Brock Lesnar vs. Luke Harper 24
1681
1682Chris Jericho vs. Jack Swagger 21
1683
1684 
1685
1686NEW JAPAN CUP FINALS POLL RESULTS
1687
1688Thumbs up 36 (78.3%)
1689
1690Thumbs down 1 (02.2%)
1691
1692In the middle 9 (19.6%)
1693
1694 
1695
1696BEST MATCH POLL
1697
1698Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto 41
1699
1700 
1701
1702WORST MATCH POLL
1703
1704Nagata & Nakanishi vs. Okada & Sakuraba 29
1705
1706Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 3/15.
1707
1708 
1709
1710In an appearance on the Max & Marcellus ESPN radio show on 3/11, Dana White said that UFC 196, which took place six days earlier in Las Vegas, broke all kinds of records and ended up doing 1.5 million buys on PPV.
1711
1712~~~~
1713
1714Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1715
1716PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
1717
1718ISSN10839593
1719
1720March 28, 2016
1721
1722 
1723
1724CMLL DOS LEYENDAS
1725
1726Thumbs up 35 (100.0%)
1727
1728Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1729
1730In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1731
1732 
1733
1734BEST MATCH POLL
1735
1736Volador Jr. vs. Negro Casas 27
1737
1738Rush vs. Maximo Sexy 8
1739
1740 
1741
1742WORST MATCH POLL
1743
1744Cuatrero & Sanson vs. Soberano Jr. & Oro Jr. 16
1745
1746Atlantis trios match 14
1747
1748Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday, 3/22.
1749
1750 
1751
1752Well before the Hulk Hogan vs. Gawker Media trial began, it was not a secret that Gawker believed they would lose the case before a jury, but believed they would win it on appeal.
1753~~~~
1754
1755May 2, 2016
1756
1757 
1758
1759UFC 197 POLL RESULTS
1760
1761Thumbs up 52 (36.9%)
1762
1763Thumbs down 16 (11.3%)
1764
1765In the middle 73 (51.8%)
1766
1767 
1768
1769BEST MATCH POLL
1770
1771Yair Rodriguez vs. Andre Fili 52
1772
1773Danny Roberts vs. Dominique Steele 42
1774
1775Robert Whittaker vs. Rafael Natal 17
1776
1777Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Pettis 11
1778
1779 
1780
1781WORST MATCH POLL
1782
1783Jon Jones vs. Ovince Saint Preux 69
1784
1785Carla Esparza vs. Julianna Lima 39
1786
1787Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 4/26.
1788
1789 
1790
1791Joanie Laurer, who was one of the most recognizable stars during the period that pro wrestling has its most mainstream significance in the last 60 years, best known as Chyna, was found dead on 4/20 at her home in Redondo Beach, CA. She was 46.
1792~~
1793
1794May 2, 2016
1795
1796 
1797
1798UFC 197 POLL RESULTS
1799
1800Thumbs up 52 (36.9%)
1801
1802Thumbs down 16 (11.3%)
1803
1804In the middle 73 (51.8%)
1805
1806 
1807
1808BEST MATCH POLL
1809
1810Yair Rodriguez vs. Andre Fili 52
1811
1812Danny Roberts vs. Dominique Steele 42
1813
1814Robert Whittaker vs. Rafael Natal 17
1815
1816Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Pettis 11
1817
1818 
1819
1820WORST MATCH POLL
1821
1822Jon Jones vs. Ovince Saint Preux 69
1823
1824Carla Esparza vs. Julianna Lima 39
1825
1826Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 4/26.
1827
1828 
1829
1830Joanie Laurer, who was one of the most recognizable stars during the period that pro wrestling has its most mainstream significance in the last 60 years, best known as Chyna, was found dead on 4/20 at her home in Redondo Beach, CA. She was 46.
1831
1832
1833Laurer worked for WWE from 1997 to 2001, but had difficulty coping with life for the 15 years after her split with the company and the end of her relationship with Paul Levesque (HHH).
1834
1835She was believed to have been dead for a couple of days when found by manager Anthony Anzaldo that afternoon, who was filming a documentary on her. Anzaldo was checking on her because they hadn’t heard from her in a few days.
1836
1837
1838
1839hemme promo ~~~
1840
1841Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1842
1843PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
1844
1845ISSN10839593
1846
1847May 9, 2016
1848
1849 
1850
1851WWE PAYBACK POLL RESULTS
1852
1853Thumbs up 205 (76.5%)
1854
1855Thumbs down 24 (09.0%)
1856
1857In the middle 39 (14.6%)
1858
1859 
1860
1861BEST MATCH POLL
1862
1863Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn 172
1864
1865Roman Reigns vs. A.J. Styles 71
1866
1867Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho 20
1868
1869 
1870
1871WORST MATCH POLL
1872
1873Charlotte vs. Natalya 91
1874
1875Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin 74
1876
1877Enzo & Cass vs. Vaudevillains 45
1878
1879The Miz vs. Cesaro 15
1880
1881Roman Reigns vs. A.J. Styles 9
1882
1883 
1884
1885NEW JAPAN WRESTLING DONTAKU
1886
1887Thumbs up 43 (100.0%)
1888
1889Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1890
1891In the middle 0 (00.0%)
1892
1893 
1894
1895BEST MATCH POLL
1896
1897Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii 43
1898
1899 
1900
1901WORST MATCH POLL
1902
1903Fale & Takahashi vs. Captain NJ & Robinson 37
1904
1905Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of 5/3.
1906
1907 
1908
1909WWE is now claiming the start of a “new era,” based on the idea that Shane and Stephanie McMahon are going to be running Raw together, no doubt building to the inevitable battle for power. And at least at the start, it looks like HHH is sitting this one out.
1910
1911~~~
1912
1913Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1914
1915PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
1916
1917ISSN10839593
1918
1919May 16, 2016
1920
1921 
1922
1923ROH WAR OF THE WORLDS PPV POLL RESULTS
1924
1925Thumbs up 76 (86.1%)
1926
1927Thumbs down 11 (10.9%)
1928
1929In the middle 14 (13.9%)
1930
1931 
1932
1933BEST MATCH POLL
1934
1935Bullet Club eight-man tag 28
1936
1937War Machine vs. Briscoes 28
1938
1939Bobby Fish vs. Tomohiro Ishii 19
1940
1941Tetsuya Naito vs. Kyle O’Reilly 11
1942
1943Moose & Okada vs. Tanahashi & Elgin 8
1944
1945 
1946
1947WORST MATCH POLL
1948
1949Liger & Cheeseburger vs. Daniels & Kazarian 34
1950
1951Bobby Fish vs. Tomohiro Ishii 10
1952
1953Jay Lethal vs. Colt Cabana 9
1954
1955Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday, 5/10.
1956~~~
1957
1958Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1959
1960PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
1961
1962ISSN10839593
1963
1964May 23, 2016
1965
1966 
1967
1968UFC 198 POLL RESULTS
1969
1970Thumbs up 133 (91.7%)
1971
1972Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
1973
1974In the middle 12 (08.3%)
1975
1976 
1977
1978BEST MATCH POLL
1979
1980Francisco Trinaldo vs. Yancy Medeiros 102
1981
1982Bryan Barbarena vs. Warlley Alves 21
1983
1984Stipe Miocic vs. Fabricio Werdum 15
1985
1986 
1987
1988WORST MATCH POLL
1989
1990Mauricio Shogun Rua vs. Corey Anderson 27
1991
1992Renato Moicano vs. Zubaira Tukhugov 21
1993
1994Based on phone calls and e-mails as of Tuesday, 5/17.
1995
1996 
1997
1998In theory, WWE interest should start picking up over the next few weeks with the Money in the Bank PPV on 6/19 from the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, SummerSlam on 8/21 from the Barclays Center, and returns of injured stars John Cena, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt and Neville as well as Brock Lesnar and theoretically Paul Heyman for some Raw shows.
1999
2000This should give the company its most depth, with those names combined with the influx of new stars that have come in this year and others who have been the focal points of television.
2001
2002A lot of different avenues are opened up. Cena will obviously be a key babyface. The crowd will want Rollins as a babyface although for the balance of power, he may be put back as a heel. At some point the idea of The Shield reunion is a program that is guaranteed successful (and may help Reigns), but they just started The Family as a group so this may not be the time. It’s something you can always do and really the idea of them back together or sharing a main event against each other could be the something special needed for a WrestleMania. Wyatt had started a face turn with the Wyatt Family vs. League of Nations program, but that’s dead since they broke up the League, even though at this point Rusev is the only one who has a direction.
2003
2004~~~
2005
2006Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2007
2008PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
2009
2010ISSN10839593
2011
2012May 30, 2016
2013
2014 
2015
2016WWE EXTREME RULES POLL RESULTS
2017
2018Thumbs up 239 (78.1%)
2019
2020Thumbs down 19 (06.2%)
2021
2022In the middle 48 (15.7%)
2023
2024 
2025
2026BEST MATCH POLL
2027
2028Miz vs. Cesaro vs. Zayn vs. Owens 148
2029
2030Roman Reigns vs. A.J. Styles 138
2031
2032 
2033
2034WORST MATCH POLL
2035
2036Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho 126
2037
2038Charlotte vs. Natalya 54
2039
2040New Day vs. Vaudevillains 42
2041
2042Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler 32
2043
2044Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 5/24.
2045
2046 
2047
2048In an attempt to revitalize the ratings on Smackdown in particular, the WWE has announced both a brand split and moving Smackdown live on the USA Network on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
2049
2050~~
2051
2052Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2053
2054PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 7, 2016
2055
2056WWE HELL IN A CELL POLL RESULTS
2057
2058Thumbs up 100 (39.4%)
2059
2060Thumbs down 81 (31.9%)
2061
2062In the middle 73 (28.7%)
2063
2064BEST MATCH POLL
2065
2066Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins 139
2067
2068Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks 66
2069
2070Roman Reigns vs. Rusev 15
2071
2072WORST MATCH POLL
2073
2074Bayley vs. Dana Brooke 115
2075
2076Brian Kendrick vs. T.J. Perkins 47
2077
2078Anderson & Gallows vs. Enzo & Cass 18
2079
2080Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks 14
2081
2082Based on e-mails, phone calls to the Observer as of 11/1.
2083
2084TNA's short-term issues as far as who will be in charge of the beleaguered franchise were settled on 10/31 when Nashville Chancery Court Judge Ellen Hobbs Lyle ruled against Billy Corgan's request to get an injunction against the company making any financial moves unless he was put in charge. Hobbs Lyle also threw out her temporary restraining order against the company, which would not allow them to sell any interest.
2085~~~~
2086
2087restling Observer Newsletter
2088
2089PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
2090
2091ISSN10839593
2092
2093November 14, 2016
2094
2095 
2096
2097NEW JAPAN POWER STRUGGLE POLL RESULTS
2098
2099Thumbs up 109 (96.5%)
2100
2101Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2102
2103In the middle 4 (03.5%)
2104
2105 
2106
2107BEST MATCH POLL
2108
2109Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Seiya Sanada 64
2110
2111Tonga & Roa vs. Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi 25
2112
2113Omega & Bucks & Cole vs. Okada & Gedo & Ospreay & Goto
2114
211524
2116
2117 
2118
2119WORST MATCH POLL
2120
2121Takahashi & Owens & Soldier vs. Makabe & Honma & Yoshitatsu 82
2122
2123Based on e-mail and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 11/8.
2124
2125 
2126
2127After a year with plenty of cute pro wrestling metaphors about the presidential election, Donald Trump, who among his many forays into the entertainment world included drawing the largest PPV number in pro wrestling history and being in the WWE Hall of Fame, is the new President of the United States. That’s a position often referred to as the most powerful leader in the free world.
2128
2129This terribly divisive election leaves the country with a lot of challenges and uncertainties. It’s sad. A lot of Americans are unaware that for a number reasons, because of being world economic leaders, they are resented in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, this will, if anything, accentuate that feeling with the idea the country voted someone who has insulted minority groups as its president, with the idea that the American majority (even though the actual votes were almost identical and Clinton seems to have barely won the popular vote) had no empathy for its struggling minorities.
2130
2131We had an election with two poor and flawed candidates who somehow ended up as the only choices, and a country that in many cases had people holding their nose no matter who they voted for in a manner that I’ve never seen in my life. We’ve all lived through close and deeply-contested elections that went down to the wire, but this was the worst of politics played out before everyone’s eyes and for the world to see.
2132
2133In many ways, it spoke to the power of promos, and a backlash, or whitelash, as Van Jones called it on CNN, against politicians and to an extent, a news media that derived tremendous ratings from a campaign filled with bombshells from both sides in the last weeks trying to derail each candidate. We’ve had plenty of campaigns where one or both sides ran on campaigns of putting fear into the public. In the end, we go through cycles of good and bad economic times, but ultimately, life continues. In this case, there is tremendous uncertainty. As you get older, you realize the phoniness of politics. Like in any profession, it’s a game that experience helps you maneuver in, but that experience can take people who started out in it for the right reasons, and mold them into exactly what it is that people don’t trust.~~
2134
2135Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2136
2137PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
2138
2139ISSN10839593
2140
2141November 21, 2016
2142
2143 
2144
2145UFC 205 POLL RESULTS
2146
2147Thumbs up 187 (100.0%)
2148
2149Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2150
2151In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2152
2153 
2154
2155BEST MATCH POLL
2156
2157Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson 123
2158
2159Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez 33
2160
2161 
2162
2163WORST MATCH POLL
2164
2165Raquel Pennington vs. Miesha Tate 51
2166
2167Liz Carmouche vs. Kaitlyn Chookagian 42
2168
2169Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz 9
2170
2171Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 11/15
2172
2173 
2174
2175Conor McGregor, in breaking more records and becoming the first person to hold championships in two different weight classes at the same time in UFC history, has become both the greatest asset and the biggest threat of any fighter in history to UFC management.
2176
2177After drawing what is expected to be his fourth consecutive 1 million plus purchased pay-per-view, and being the headliner in a show that destroyed the company gate record, now has both management and three different weight classes somewhat on ice.
2178
2179
2180~~
2181
2182Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2183
2184PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 November 28, 2016
2185
2186 
2187
2188WWE SURVIVOR SERIES POLL RESULTS
2189
2190Thumbs up 200 (66.9%)
2191
2192Thumbs down 37 (12.4%)
2193
2194In the middle 62 (20.7%)
2195
2196 
2197
2198BEST MATCH POLL
2199
2200Men’s five on five match 190
2201
2202Men’s ten on ten match 44
2203
2204Bill Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar 22
2205
2206Brian Kendrick vs. Kalisto 9
2207
2208The Miz vs. Sami Zayn 8
2209
2210 
2211
2212WORST MATCH POLL
2213
2214Brian Kendrick vs. Kalisto 78
2215
2216Kane vs. Luke Harper 63
2217
2218Women’s five on five match 60
2219
2220Bill Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar 32
2221
2222Men’s ten on ten 17
2223
2224The Miz vs. Sami Zayn 9
2225
2226Men’s five on five 8
2227
2228 
2229
2230NEXT TAKEOVER POLL RESULTS
2231
2232Thumbs up 258 (98.1%)
2233
2234Thumbs down 2 (00.8%)
2235
2236In the middle 3 (01.1%)
2237
2238 
2239
2240BEST MATCH POLL
2241
2242Ciampa & Gargano vs. Dawson & Wilder 238
2243
2244Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura 32
2245
2246 
2247
2248WORST MATCH POLL
2249
2250Authors of Pain vs. TM 61 180
2251
2252Asuka vs. Mickie James 18
2253
2254Bobby Roode vs. Tye Dillinger 15
2255
2256Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 11/22.
2257
2258 
2259
2260The improbable story of Bill Goldberg, weeks before his 50th birthday, coming back for what was supposed to be a one-time appearance to help promote the WWE’s video game, and emerging as the biggest star in pro wrestling just tells you that the axiom that it’s all about timing is true.
2261
2262Goldberg defeated Brock Lesnar in 1:26 after agreeing to come back for at least a few more dates. Unlike with Sting, who lost to HHH in his first match back because of the idea that at his age, he was only going to do one match with the company, but that was kept hidden, in Goldberg’s case, he came out on interview No. 1 and said about Lesnar, that not only was he next, but he was last.
2263
2264We noted at that time that making the decision that Goldberg was a one-and-done was a mistake, because what if he caught on.
2265
2266~~~~
2267
2268Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2269
2270PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
2271
2272ISSN10839593
2273
2274October 3, 2016
2275
2276 
2277
2278WWE CLASH OF CHAMPIONS POLL RESULTS
2279
2280Thumbs up 126 (79.2%)
2281
2282Thumbs down 9 (05.7%)
2283
2284In the middle 24 (15.1%)
2285
2286 
2287
2288BEST MATCH POLL
2289
2290Cesaro vs. Sheamus 60
2291
2292Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn 45
2293
2294Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins 32
2295
2296Charlotte vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks 10
2297
2298 
2299
2300WORST MATCH POLL
2301
2302Nia Jax vs. Alicia Fox 96
2303
2304New Day vs. Gallows & Anderson 37
2305
2306Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins 8
2307
2308 
2309
2310NEW JAPAN DESTRUCTION IN HIROSHIMA
2311
2312Thumbs up 39 (56.5%)
2313
2314Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2315
2316In the middle 30 (43.5%)
2317
2318 
2319
2320BEST MATCH POLL
2321
2322Kenny Omega vs. Yoshi-Hashi 44
2323
2324Briscoes vs. Young Bucks 15
2325
2326 
2327
2328WORST MATCH POLL
2329
2330Tonga & Roa vs. Romero & Baretta 25
2331
2332Nagata & Nakanishi & Tiger Mask & Honma vs.
2333
2334Fish & O’Reilly & Finlay & Taguchi 9
2335
2336 
2337
2338NEW JAPAN DESTRUCTION IN KOBE
2339
2340Thumbs up 47 (95.9%)
2341
2342Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2343
2344In the middle 2 (04.1%)
2345
2346 
2347
2348BEST MATCH POLL
2349
2350Tetsuya Naito vs. Michael Elgin 43
2351
2352 
2353
2354WORST MATCH POLL
2355
2356Yoshitatsu & Captain vs. Takahashi & Owens 42
2357
2358Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 9/27.
2359
2360 
2361
2362With Bound for Glory and television tapings scheduled this week, the expectation was that TNA would be sold by now, although that’s been the feeling for weeks and at press time it still hasn’t happened.
2363~~
2364
2365Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2366
2367PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 October 10, 2016
2368
2369 
2370
2371ROH ALL-STAR EXTRAVAGANZA PPV POLL RESULTS
2372
2373Thumbs up 148 (100.0%)
2374
2375Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2376
2377In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2378
2379 
2380
2381BEST MATCH POLL
2382
2383Bucks vs. Addiction vs. Machine Guns 145
2384
2385 
2386
2387WORST MATCH POLL
2388
2389Kyle O’Reilly vs. Hangman Page 41
2390
2391Bobby Fish vs. Donovan Dijak 29
2392
2393 
2394
2395TNA BOUND FOR GLORY PPV POLL RESULTS
2396
2397Thumbs up 28 (34.6%)
2398
2399Thumbs down 38 (46.9%)
2400
2401In the middle 15 (18.5%)
2402
2403 
2404
2405BEST MATCH POLL
2406
2407Hardys vs. Decay 51
2408
2409DJZ vs. Trevor Lee 19
2410
2411 
2412
2413WORST MATCH POLL
2414
2415Gail Kim vs. Maria Kanellis 35
2416
2417Gauntlet Battle Royal 16
2418
2419Aron Rex vs. Eddie Edwards 14
2420
2421Based on phone calls and e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday, 10/4.
2422
2423 
2424
2425The saga of TNA continued this past week with the big question left unanswered.
2426
2427Exactly who funded the Bound for Glory PPV and tapings this week? TNA President Billy Corgan did media interviews during the week and couldn’t give a direct answer as to whether the tapings would take place, although pushed the idea that he expected they would. He said he was hoping to purchase the company, and without giving more details, said the process was complicated.
2428
2429The funds to do the PPV live came in three days before the show, as that is when the people who needed the money up front for the satellite uplink to go live were contacted. PPV providers, knowing the issues, in some cases weren’t taking orders for the show until that point in time. But they were not sold the source of the funding. Talent was expecting to be addressed at Bound for Glory on 10/2, but that came and went without a word.
2430
2431~~~
2432
2433Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2434
2435PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 October 17, 2016
2436
2437 
2438
2439WWE NO MERCY POLL RESULTS
2440
2441Thumbs up 108 (56.0%)
2442
2443Thumbs down 1 (00.5%)
2444
2445In the middle 84 (43.5%)
2446
2447 
2448
2449BEST MATCH POLL
2450
2451Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz 145
2452
2453Styles vs. Cena vs. Ambrose 36
2454
2455 
2456
2457WORST MATCH POLL
2458
2459Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss 128
2460
2461Nikki Bella vs. Carmella 33
2462
2463Baron Corbin vs. Jack Swagger 13
2464
2465 
2466
2467UFC 204 POLL RESULTS
2468
2469Thumbs up 116 (98.2%)
2470
2471Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2472
2473In the middle 2 (01.8%)
2474
2475 
2476
2477BEST MATCH POLL
2478
2479Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson 108
2480
2481Mike Perry vs. Danny Roberts 9
2482
2483 
2484
2485WORST MATCH POLL
2486
2487Leonardo Santos vs. Adrian Martins 37
2488
2489Damian Stasiak vs. Davey Grant 10
2490
2491 
2492
2493NEW JAPAN KING OF PRO WRESTLING
2494
2495Thumbs up 109 (100.0%)
2496
2497Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2498
2499In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2500
2501 
2502
2503BEST MATCH POLL
2504
2505Kenny Omega vs. Hirooki Goto 56
2506
2507Kazuchika Okada vs. Naomichi Marufuji 44
2508
2509Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kyle O’Reilly 9
2510
2511 
2512
2513WORST MATCH POLL
2514
2515Tonga & Roa vs. Briscoes 45
2516
2517Tiger Mask W vs. Red Death Mask 18
2518
2519Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 10/11.
2520
2521 
2522
2523The Bill Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar match for the 11/20 Survivor Series in Toronto will be made official shortly as Goldberg will appear on WWE television for the first time in nearly 13 years on the 10/17 Raw in Denver. Lesnar will then appear on the 10/24 Raw in Minneapolis.
2524
2525The deal was put together over the past few weeks and finalized just over one week ago.
2526
2527Goldberg did not come across as strong as I had expected in his ESPN interview with Jonathan Coachman on 10/5, but on Raw on 10/10, they edited his appearance to focus on his comments regarding Lesnar.
2528~~~
2529
2530Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2531
2532PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 September 6, 2016
2533
2534 
2535
2536AAA TRIPLEMANIA POLL RESULTS
2537
2538Thumbs up 15 (51.7%)
2539
2540Thumbs down 6 (20.7%)
2541
2542In the middle 8 (26.6%)
2543
2544 
2545
2546BEST MATCH POLL
2547
2548Four-way tag title match 19
2549
2550Psycho Clown vs. Pagano 8
2551
2552 
2553
2554WORST MATCH POLL
2555
2556AAA Cup Battle Royal 20
2557
2558Based on e-mails to the Observer as of Tuesday, 8/30.
2559
2560 
2561
2562Kevin Owens captured the WWE Universal title in a four-way elimination match on 8/29 in Houston as part of the company’s latest reset.
2563
2564~~~~
2565
2566Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2567
2568PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228
2569
2570ISSN10839593
2571
2572September 19, 2016
2573
2574 
2575
2576UFC 203 POLL RESULTS
2577
2578Thumbs up 49 (21.4%)
2579
2580Thumbs down 74 (32.3%)
2581
2582In the middle 106 (46.3%)
2583
2584 
2585
2586BEST MATCH POLL
2587
2588Stipe Miocic vs. Alistair Overeem 200
2589
2590Jimmie Rivera vs. Urijah Faber 9
2591
2592 
2593
2594WORST MATCH POLL
2595
2596Fabricio Werdum vs. Travis Browne 146
2597
2598Mickey Gall vs. C.M. Punk 21
2599
2600Jimmie Rivera vs. Urijah Faber 19
2601
2602 
2603
2604WWE BACKLASH POLL RESULTS
2605
2606Thumbs up 146 (65.2%)
2607
2608Thumbs down 24 (10.7%)
2609
2610In the middle 54 (24.1%)
2611
2612 
2613
2614BEST MATCH POLL
2615
2616A.J. Styles vs. Dean Ambrose 206
2617
2618 
2619
2620WORST MATCH POLL
2621
2622Usos vs. Rawley & Ryder 91
2623
2624Kane vs. Bray Wyatt 61
2625
2626Women’s six-way 25
2627
2628Rhyno & Slater vs. Usos 9
2629
2630Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 9/13.
2631
2632 
2633
2634The two-year odyssey, odd being the key part of the word, of C.M. Punk to the UFC octagon saw the door shut and the clock strike midnight, not Eastern time, but Cinderella time.
2635
2636In the end it was simple reality. Starting out at 36 with very limited training past some Jiu Jitsu classes from Rener Gracie, no great athletic gifts and a body beaten up by 15 years of pro wrestling was not going to be able to train for two years and be able to compete in the UFC.
2637~~~~
2638
2639Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2640
2641PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228 ISSN10839593 September 26, 2016
2642
2643 
2644
2645WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CLASSIC FINALS
2646
2647Thumbs up 201 (100.0%)
2648
2649Thumbs down 0 (00.0%)
2650
2651In the middle 0 (00.0%)
2652
2653 
2654
2655BEST MATCH POLL
2656
2657T.J. Perkins vs. Kota Ibushi 185
2658
2659 
2660
2661WORST MATCH POLL
2662
2663Gargano & Ciampa vs. Alexander & Dar 41
2664
2665T.J. Perkins vs. Gran Metalik 8
2666
2667 
2668
2669NEW JAPAN DESTRUCTION IN TOKYO
2670
2671Thumbs up 2 (05.3%)
2672
2673Thumbs down 4 (10.5%)
2674
2675In the middle 32 (84.2%)
2676
2677 
2678
2679BEST MATCH POLL
2680
2681Katsuyori Shibata vs. Bobby Fish 37
2682
2683 
2684
2685WORST MATCH POLL
2686
2687Nagata & Nakanishi vs. Captain & Yoshitatsu 28
2688
2689Based on e-mails and phone calls to the Observer as of Tuesday, 9/20.
2690
2691 
2692
2693The first Raw brand exclusive PPV takes place on 9/25 in Indianapolis, headlined by Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins for the Universal title.