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It's a big weekend for shows outside the U.S.

We're looking for reports on the Wednesday night Raw house show in San Salvador, El Salvador, and Thursday night Raw show in Guatemala City, Guatemala and Smackdown show in Madrid, Spain, as well as tonight's ROH show in Boston, Raw in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, Smackdown in Nice, France and TNA in Nuremberg, Germany.

There is also a Strikeforce show tonight from Tulsa on Showtime starting at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time, and the first round of the K-1 World Grand Prix tournament starts at 3:30 a.m. Eastern tonight on HDNet.

Friday through Sunday that the Abu Dhabi world submission championships are taking place in Barcelona, Spain.

Among those competing in 16-man tournaments in a variety of different weight classes are Urijah Faber, Rani Yahya, Jeff Curran, Ben Askren (former Hodge Trophy winner and U.S. Olympic wrestler), Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Marcelo Garcia, Kron Gracie (Rickson's son), Jorge Santiago, UFC fighter Tom Lawlor, Mike Van Arsdale, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Pe de Pano, Dean Lister, Vinny Magalhaes, Ricardo Arona, Fabricio Werdum, Tom Erikson, Jeff Monson, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Cris Cyborg.

Saturday has ROH in New York at the Manhattan Center for the final match with Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness, Raw in Guadalajara, Mexico, Smackdown in Paris, France, TNA in Chemnitz, Germany, and All Japan at Yokohama Bunka Gym headlined by Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Satoshi Kojima for the Triple Crown.

Sunday has the Mitsuharu Misawa Memorial Show at Tokyo Budokan Hall featuring Keiji Muto & Akira Taue vs. Kenta Kobashi & Yoshihiro Takayama, plus Smackdown runs in Paris.

Raw will be Monday in Albany, NY, with Rev. Al Sharpton as guest host plus John Cena has to run the gauntlet against Chris Jericho, Big Show and Randy Orton.

Tuesday has Smackdown and ECW being taped in Boston, for the ten year anniversary of Smackdown headlined by Undertaker & HHH & Shawn Michaels & John Cena vs. Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes & C.M. Punk & Randy Orton as the main event. TNA also has a show that night in Dortmund, Germany.

We're looking for reports on all of these events to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or just send one email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Smackdown tonight has:
* CM Punk vs. Undertaker in a non-title match a week before Hell in the Cell
* Morrison & Finlay vs. Knox & Ziggler
* Batista vs. Big Show
* JTG vs. DH Smith
* Kane vs. Slam Master J

The 2009 Hall of Fame issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, one of the largest issues in our history and what is traditionally the best selling issue of the year, will be out Monday to print readers and is available right now on the web site.

The main focus of the double issue is a look at the six new members of the Hall of Fame as voted by reporters, historians, and people both in the current business and people with long histories of being in the business. Because of the size of the bios, we only have bios of three of the six new acts in this week's issue, and there will be bios in upcoming weeks of the other three new members which span periods from the 1930s through modern times.

We look at what the Hall of Fame is, how people get in, a complete rundown not only of the final voting but also the top ten in each different category and an explanation as to how each guy got voted in, as well as a detailed look at why others who came close didn't reach the magic 60% mark. We also have notes on people who will not be on next year's ballots, as well as who will be added to next year's ballot.

We look at the close calls, including three top active stars who almost made it and what kept them from getting in. We look at who made the biggest strides as well as the biggest drops, as well as look at the first year on for Edge.

We evaluate all the new members and talk about those on next year's ballot for the first time.

The highlight is our lengthy bios which talk about three very different and distinct eras in wrestling and some very unique individuals that made it in.

We also have the updated list of everyone in and the year they were put in, divided into several different categories.

We also look at Saturday night's UFC 103, the head-to-head battle with boxing and different numbers that are out there. We look at the business of the show, what came out of the show, and full coverage of the event.

We also have an update on the first week of Linda McMahon's run for the U.S. Senate. We look at her strategy in running, as well as in the first week what stories have come out regarding pro wrestling and her candidacy. We look at financing her campaign, as well as a political strategist evaluates her chances.

We also look at the retirement of Quinton Jackson, the ratings of the first episode of Ultimate Fighter and how they rank among other big shows in the history of the show. We look at Jackson's complete statement, an update on other fighters who have said similar things and what has happened, and perhaps a reason why these things happen.

We look at how the show fared in Males 18-34 this past week, as well as how the Fight Night show did, and a look at how season 10 is stacking up.

We also look at the return of MMA to CBS with the Fedor vs. Brett Rogers Strikeforce match, as well as a look at the signing of Herschel Walker to an MMA deal, his expected debut, and more on plans for the CBS show.

We've got the most detailed look at what is going down politically in TNA, including the departures of Jim Cornette and B.G. James, the hiring of Ed Ferrara, and how everything is intertwined, including reactions from many in the company.

We also look at Batista's move to Smackdown and the move being rushed, the return from suspension of Rey Mysterio, one of the biggest stars in company history in talks, feelings on the booking of three Hell in a Cell matches on one show, Hardys update, Lilian Garcia's future, Jim Ross pushes for someone who is a surprise to get into the WWE Hall of Fame, Miami bidding for Wrestlemania, notes on the 10th anniversary Smackdown show, Injury updates, Jericho talks his character, Pat Patterson's 50th anniversary of being in the business, a new signee as well as details on the WWE weekend shows.

We've got a rundown of TNA's No Surrender show, including why it doesn't look like it will do well on PPV. We look at the wrestling, the booking, and match-by-match coverage with star ratings.

We also have a look at CMLL's biggest event of the year, the 76th anniversary event at Arena Mexico with the Mistico putting his mask up against the hair of Negro Casas main event.

We also have tons of updates on Hulk Hogan's promotion and Hogan promoting the events.

We also have a look at the ratings for all the major pro wrestling shows on television over the past week, including the Batista return to Smackdown and Cedric the Entertainer on Raw battling against Monday Night Football.

We also have our usual weekly features such as the results of the biggest matches of the week and rundown of the major television shows.

The Wrestling Observer ranges from 25,000 to 40,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA all over the world.

Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sites and has the most complete look at the business as a whole anywhere.

The Observer is now in its 27th year of being the leading insider pro wrestling publication in the world. The biggest and most influential names in the pro wrestling industry as well as the MMA industry, from bookers, to promoters to Hall of Fame wrestlers and fighters to the biggest current names, both on camera, and behind the scenes, along with thousands of readers in all 50 states and 30 countries subscribe. Many have subscribed as long as 20 years or more straight. They get the most detailed and inside coverage of what is going on all over the world and an accuracy from having the most inside sources that can't be found on the web. Everyone from Wall Street to the major offices to the TV networks in U.S. and Japan turn to the Observer for what is going on in the business. If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today. Just send your Visa or Master Card order with your name, address, phone number, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or you can order by faxing that information to 408-244-3402. You can also subscribe via paypal at www.paypal.com and using the This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it address or subscribe via check, cash or money order, as well as credit card, by mail, by sending to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228.

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-- HBO Sports announced today that Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez drew 1 million buys for a $52 million gross, which they called "the highest-performing event this year". Actually it's not even close as UFC 100 should finish in around the $70 million range. But it would certainly be the highest-grossing boxing event.

-- The legendary Danny Hodge article from Sports Illustrated in 1957 has been published for the first time online here. A must-read.

-- Al Sharpton to Alfonso Castillo of Newsday on why he's doing Raw:

In order to raise awareness and actually do something about the devastating achievement gap in education between kids of color and their white peers the viewership of WWE events is precisely the group of people who need to be reached and involved. Reverend Sharpton has stated repeatedly that all of us must take extraordinary steps to reverse the current trend in education and that unlikely alliances (like with Newt Gingrich) and forums like the WWE should be utilized if they help close the gap.

Reverend Sharpton has led --and will continue to lead-- the fight against the use of the N-word and bigotry of all types, but until we end disparity in education, such conduct will continue. Rev. Sharpton appeared on BET while fighting against the N-word in their videos and there is no difference.

As Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain did before him, Reverend Sharpton recognizes that WWE events provide an unfettered opportunity to raise important issues to a national audience of Americans.

Rev. Sharpton has talked to Vince McMahon who assured him that they have corrected and will discontinue any racial denigration.

-- In addition to our weekend previous above, this has suddenly become the biggest weekend of 2009 in Mexico. The Raw crew has a sold out show tonight in Leon and a close to sold out show tomorrow in Guadalajara. AAA has the third annual Antonio Pena Memorial Show in Guadalajara as well tomorrow amidst all the turmoil of guys leaving, guys perhaps leaving (Charly Manson says he's done and AAA says he's not), and house show business in general down. They're trying to run the huge and expensive Arena Monterrey. This show should set up storylines for the next six to nine months. CMLL has also booked a surprisingly major show at Arena Mexico tonight with the annual Gran Alternativa tournament, where a young guy and a star team up for a tournament, and the young guy on the winning team gets moved up the cards. It also features a National title match and Jushin Liger vs. Ultimo Guerrero for the latter's CMLL Heavyweight Title. They just did 18,000 last week for the anniversary show and should do another 13,000-14,000 here. They also added a show in Puebla Monday with Lyger vs. Mistico for the latter's IWGP Jr. title, which should easily sell out all 5,500 seats. Thanks to Steve Sims, who will be on Figure Four Daily this coming Wednesday to talk about all of this.

-- Lance Pugmire has stories here and here on the beleaguered California State Athletic Commission.

-- Buddy Wayne wants to personally thank Stevie J for all the nice things he'd done over the past few weeks. Stevie has a great site up at angrymarks.com. Buddy also wants to thank everyone for their great emails in the last few days, and notes that open heart surgery notwithstanding his wrestling school is still running as scheduled.

-- There is a brief mention of MMA at the bottom of this New York Post article.

-- Dave Meltzer has a great article on Daniel Cormier here.

-- Dan Wahlers writes: Smackdown is pre-empted tonight in the New York market because of the Yankees/Red Sox baseball game. It's scheduled to air at 11pm after the news, but it could start even later than that, depending on when the baseball game ends.

-- WWE will be doing a Sunday SmackDown/ECW taping on 11/29 in Hampton VA at the Hampton Coliseum. Tickets go on sale 10/3. Thanks to Chad.

-- Morrison and Miz are on "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" on MNTV this coming Tuesday night.

-- Alex Marvez has a story on Larry Matysik here.

-- Ultimate Fighter Thursday was down from week one, but still did great numbers. Final was a 2.2 rating and 2.9 million viewers, with the replay immediately afterward doing another 1.1 million.

-- Impact only had 2 minutes more of wrestling in two full hours than ECW had in one.

-- There are photos here of Bret Hart on Boston radio this morning promoting tonight's Ring of Honor show. You can also listen to the show by clicking hour four here. Steve has a quick recap: Bret "Hitman" Hart was in the studio on the Toucher & Rich radio show in Boston this morning. He talked about the story of giving the Hart Attack finisher to Vince in the strip club that was mentioned at the Hall of Fame ceremony, but also added Vince needed surgery years later and that when Bret asked if it was because of that, Vince had a look on his face as if he just realized that is what caused it. Bret then went into talking about the Montreal Screwjob and how he doesn't blame Earl Hebner because Vince & his suits basically surrounded Earl minutes before the match and forced him into doing the finish in what Bret described as "Mafia style". He talked about after the match how he put off punching McMahon at first because he was butt naked and thought it would "look really weird". He mentions Davey Boy Smith had stolen Bret's towels earlier in the evening. He also mentions Shawn Michaels "crying like a baby" in the corner the entire time. Bret also critisized on several wrestlers trying to condone Vince's actions at the match, mainly Tito Santana who Bret says "Doesn't know what he's talking about living in his house in New Jersey." They end the show plugging Bret's appearance tonight at the ROH show at Boston University's Case Gym located at 285 Babcock St in Boston, MA. Bret will be signing autographs at 6PM and bell time is at 8PM. If you mention "Toucher sent you" (from the Toucher & Rich show), tickets are only $5.

-- B. Brian Blair in his new Highspots shoot accuses Iron Sheik of being a child molester. Well. He later corrected himself to say he felt it was probably consensual. You can check out a two-minute clip here.

-- Hulk and Linda have listed their 17,145 square foot home in Belleair, FL for $13.9 million. They bought it in 1992 for $2 million, demolished the old house and build this new one, and first listed it in June 2006 for $25 million.

-- Leon writes: I just picked up the SummerSlam 2009 dvd. Even though I already saw the ppv, one of the reasons I bought the dvd was to see the bonus Diva Battle Royal taped before the show. Well, to my disappointment, there is no Diva Battle Royal. The lone extra on the dvd is a 1 minute highlight video of the Battle Royal. 30 seconds is spent covering the match and 30 seconds is spent covering the Chavo Guerrero-Hornswoggle nonsense afterwards. They didn't show all the girls in the match and didn't show every elimination. Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole even did commentary at ringside for the match. What for? I don't know. Way to false advertise, WWE.

-- Robert writes: www.PS3Obsesson.com is reporting WWE’s latest videogame, “WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010” will be released on October 19th in the United States and the United Kingdom. "You're Going Down," served as the theme for WWE's Extreme Rules PPV broadcast this summer, will be used on WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 Video Game.

-- Bobby writes: Hey Bryan, My name is Bobby Sharley, been a subscriber since the merger, addicted to all the shows on the site. Just got home from Vegas, went there for a bachelor party. My friends and I went to the Hawaiian tropic restaurant in Planet Hollywood hotel to watch the UFC card last night and Junie Browning was sitting near us with some friends watching the card. When the Cole Miller fight was coming on and they showed the highlights of Miller finishing Junie in their fight, Junie became upset, taking his hat off and shaking his head in shame. It was great. Then when Efrain finished Cole Miller, Junie stood up and celebrated like this was the greatest thing he ever saw. It was quite funny. Junie was very cool to the fans that approached him for pictures throughout the night always posing with them even if it was in the middle of a fight. I thought that was cool. It was just amusing watching him react to the footage of himself getting destroyed by Cole Miller. Not sure if you will read this or if you care I just thought it was a funny story. Keep up the great work bro. Thanks

-- Angelina Love is selling a custom T-shirt she wore for Bound for Glory here.

-- Kimbo Slice will be in attendance at tomorrow night's WCF 8 show at the Shriner's Auditorium in Wilmington, DE.

-- Latest Independent World Mixed Martial Arts rankings are up here.

-- FCW has a Supershow on October 9th, and Jack Swagger will be there signing autographs and doing a meet and greet. In the entire 708-word press release there isn't a single mention of where the show is at other than in "the Gold Room" in Kissimmee, FL. So drive around, I'm sure you'll find it.

-- Slammin Stan number 14 is up here with talk of UFC and lucha.

-- The newest episode of NWA Fusion is up here.