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We're looking for reports on tonight's TNA house show at the Odeum Theater in Chicago at 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

Saturday has a lot going on as UFC 104 takes place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, headlined by Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio Shogun Rua for the light heavyweight title and Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell in a heavyweight match. WWE has a tribranded house show in State College, PA, while TNA has a house show in Racine, WI. In addition, Dream runs in Osaka with a show that airs live on HDNet at 2 a.m. Eastern and 11 p.m. Pacific time.

Sunday has the WWE Bragging Rights PPV at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, with Randy Orton vs. John Cena in a 60:00 Iron man match for the WWE title, Undertaker vs. Batista vs. C.M. Punk vs. Rey Mysterio for the World title and Team Raw of DX & Kofi Kingston & Mark Henry & Jack Swagger & Big Show & Cody Rhodes vs. Chris Jericho & Kane & Matt Hardy & R-Truth & Fit Finlay & David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd.

TNA also has a house show in Green Bay on Sunday.

Monday has Raw TV from Buffalo as well as he K-1 World Max tournament from the Yokohama Arena. This won't air until Halloween night on tape in the U.S., but is probably the closest thing to a guaranteed great show as there is.

Tuesday has Smackdown & ECW tapings from Rochester, NY. Already announced is Christian vs. Yoshi Tatsu for the ECW title.

Smackdown tonight has
* Taker vs. CM Punk in a Breaking Point submission rematch with Scott Armstrong as referee and Teddy Long at ringside
* John Morrison vs. Mike Knox
* Rey & Batista vs. Jericho & Kane
* Mickie vs. Layla
* And the big Old Team Smackdown vs. Matt Hardy & Finlay & R-Truth and Hart Dynasty with the latter team become New Team Smackdown if they win

A look at Shane McMahon's departure from WWE with comments from several people who have worked with him in recent years, possible future, and analysis is the lead story in this coming Monday's issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The issue looks at his resignation, the reaction of Vince McMahon, and possible reasons why this is taking place now. We also look back historically at several different times when Shane McMahon was expected to run a promotion and that in all cases for a variety of different reasons it never materialized. We look at what league he is in financially when it comes to being able to start a franchise.

We look at what he would and wouldn't bring to a new venture, reactions to his job running a division from both the inside and outside, and a look at people in other businesses in similar situations.

Monday's issue is available right now to web site subscribers. You can also get the Observer by mail subscription with details below.

We have a huge feature on the life and times of Lou Albano that will be out next week.

We've got a look at where TNA stands after Bound for Glory, including the pros and cons of the current direction. We look at the problems continuing with the company's inability to get paying customers, even to its biggest show of the year.

We look at the Kim Couture angle and why it's doomed to fail, the injuries on the show, how everything builds to Turning Point as well as a TNA major main event scheduled for after.

We've got notes on the signing of Nigel McGuinness and how it happened and why he is in the main event picture so quickly, as well as notes on the short-term direction of Kurt Angle and Mick Foley.

We also have an updated Turning Point lineup, match-by-match coverage with star ratings for Bound for Glory as well as poll results on the show.

We also have the story behind the changing of the main event at Bragging Rights. We also look at the funny story to some, but not to at least one of the participants who ended up not there, regarding the match where the Smackdown team changed.

We've got notes on Jerry Lawler's reaction to the Memphis mayoral race, one of the last significant business deals put together by Shane McMahon that will affect PPV buys, Maria Menounos talks about being a wrestling fan, notes on the change to Kofi Kingston, John Cena being pulled from house shows soon, several WWE surveys regarding PPV numbers being down as well as the effect of MMA.

We've got a major story on Linda McMahon's political campaign, including the early days and involvement of pro wrestling, as well as new places her comebacks have made her vulnerable to opposition.

We also have notes regarding two Hall of Famers who are in talks about guest hosting Raw and updates on time frames they are looking at. We've got funny notes on WWE booking, updates on FCW, Punk talking about who he wants to face at WrestleMania and hints at a stipulation, as well as a rundown on all the weekend WWE events, including some huge shows in Mexico. We also have notes on how WWE has changed the Mexico landscape and scary numbers for the locals with the new ratings being released.

We also look at names announced for what will be most likely the most-watched television event of the year worldwide, the annual New Year's Eve Dynamite show. We look at who has been chosen for the main event, what matches are scheduled and what four major pro wrestlers are headlining.

We have an update on Jim Ross, notes on his Bell's Palsy attack as well as a look back at his past history with the malady, how it has affected his career, a look at his career dating back 35 years, and how, in various situations, he was brought back after the decision was made to take him off announcing, including what two wrestlers got him back in 1999, and how fan reaction at a show literally saved his job two years ago, update on his negotiations, as well as why he ended up with WWF and the strange circumstances of the announcement.

We've also got the updated business charts for WWE and TNA, looking at the summer with live attendance, gates, ratings of all the major TV shows, and PPV buys for both companies, so you can see where things are up and where things are down. We look at the first month where WWE showed a PPV increase, but how it is tempered by SummerSlam numbers.

We also look at a new promotion debuting in April that already has a three-pronged television deal for MMA, which will include weekly two-plus hour live shows on national television, as well as a major network recap show. We look at the schedule, as well as the viability of the project, and the format.

We've got a story on the death of longtime Japanese journeyman wrestler Ryuma Go, including how and why he got one of the biggest reactions on what can be argued was the biggest show, in terms of talent, in pro wrestling history that took place in 1995. We look at a wrestler who started at the age of 15, and went all over the world, and at one time was a cult television star in Japan. We also look back on his most famous program, where he ended a famous winning streak in a match 30 years ago this month that is still widely remembered in Japan.

We also have a look at the ratings for all the major pro wrestling and MMA shows on television over the past week.

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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-- We have not heard back from our server host regarding the download speed issue, but will update as soon as we know more.

-- All athletes scheduled to compete at UFC 104 in Los Angeles were cleared to compete by the California State Athletic Commission today.

-- Dave has a great article about Lyoto Machida and Saturday's show up here.

-- We will have a video player on the front page soon where you will be able to watch the UFC weigh-ins live later this afternoon.

-- Alex Marvez has an interview with Irv Muchnick up here talking his new Benoit book. Alex also writes some pretty scary stuff about Nigel McGuinness, speculating that he might have failed a neurological test at WWE stemming from an interview Nigel did earlier this year talking about having suffered enough concussions that he'd lost count.

-- Meanwhile Nigel tells the Daily Star that he has no major health issues and it was strictly a business decision.

-- Another article on concussions and brain injuries with quotes from Chris Nowinski is up here.

-- The Paul Heyman/Rihanna barbed wire album story, which was largely designed to drive traffic to the Heyman Hustle site, has taken on a life of its own. There are stories here, here, here, and here, among places. This one says Heyman better not show up in the audience at the AMA's because it would be embarrassing for her to have to own up to her theft.

-- Jim Ross has a full update on his health status here.

-- As noted yesterday, WWE has re-signed Lance Cade.

-- Dream's "White Cage" debut (first fights in a cage instead of a ring) will air live on HDNet this Sunday from Osaka-jo Hall in Japan starting at 2 AM EST. Top matches include Alistair Overeem vs. James Thompson (of Kimbo ear fame), Eddie Alvarez vs. Kasunori Kikuno, and, yes, Kazushi Sakuraba fighting for the second time in three weeks against Zelg Galesic. Paulo Filho was supposed to fight on the show but apparently cannot be found, so he's out. His manager assured everyone that he was OK, although that doesn't sound good. The show will replay next Friday.

-- Just a quick note for those of you who love collecting newsletters or who prefer print issues to take with you, you can order both the Observer and Figure Four Weekly at those links.

-- WWE has a deal today on the Shopzone site where if you buy a DVD you can get a second one free.

-- Darren Statt Wants To Leave UTA For CAA, Taking Ryan Reynolds & Dwayne Johnson

-- Quick interview with Ted DiBiase Jr. up here.

-- The MMA World Expo is running in New York this weekend with exhibition matches they hope will help pave the way towards regulation. There is an article on it in the AM New York newspaper which you can read here.

-- The Kennesaw Max Muscle store in Kennesaw, GA will be having a meet and greet with Shane Carwin next Saturday.

-- Martin writes: The Miz was mentioned on PTI on ESPN today, in regards to his comments about Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini. Tony Kornheiser then said that he had seen Le Miz (Les Miserables) but he had never heard of The Miz.

-- TUF this week did a 2.1 rating and 2.8 million viewers, so still holding up pretty well.

-- Speaking of, a quick video look at Quinton Jackson as BA Baracus is here. Thank God he's sporting the Mohawk now.

-- FANCY PANTS Lyle Beerbohm has signed a deal with Strikeforce.

-- Slammin Stan has a podcast up here talking Lucha, Paul Heyman, Perros Del Mal, and more.

-- TJ writes: I don't know how much this matters but Brooke Hogan was on the Jeff Dunham debut show last night on Comedy Central. She went on a "date" with Peanut, one of Jeff's puppets, and she dumped him after some things went wrong.

-- Due to the risk of thunderstorms, Tournament of Death Rewind in Townsend, DE has been moved to this Sunday at 2 PM when the weather is supposed to be perfect. It was scheduled to take place outside, and, well, you know, lightning.

-- Keisaku writes: My wife listens to this show called From Hawai’i with Love online and she told me to check it out since she knows I’m an MMA fan. I was surprised to find that the two female hosts recently had BJ Penn on. They were actually pretty knowledgeable about MMA and sounded like fans of the sport. I’m a fan of BJ’s but I always thought it was lame that he says go to bjpenn.com to hear his thoughts after a fight. After I heard this interview, I can understand why he says that. He either wasn’t paying attention or just didn’t understand a bunch of the questions. The hosts were being very nice and didn’t point out that some of his answers made no sense. It was an interesting interview since it wasn’t with an MMA show, but with a show about life in Hawaii. It’s definitely worth listening to if you get a chance. The link is here.

-- Longtime subscriber Kyle Wolf has a new MMA blog for the Minneapolis Star Tribune that will focus on MMA in the Midwest. His first article takes a look at Zak Jensen's loss on this weeks episode of The Ultimate Fighter. You can find it here.

-- Edge will be at the Florida Championship Wrestling show tonight doing a meet and greet.

-- Poll on Ultimate Fighter from Wednesday
Excellent 28.9%
Good 52.1%
Average 14.1%
Fair 2.8%
Poor 2.1%
30.7% of those responding didn't see the show

Who do you expect to be the biggest name for 2009 when it comes to web action at the end of the year
Brock Lesnar 54.5%
Kimbo Slice 12.8%
Gina Carano 8.4%
Jeff Hardy 6.8%
John Cena 4.2%
Hulk Hogan 3.8%
Manny Pacquiao 2.8%
Randy Orton 2.6%
Anderson Silva 1.4%
Floyd Mayweather Jr. 1.2%
Rey Mysterio 0.8%
HHH 0.6%
The correct answer will almost surely be John Cena

Who is the best wrestler of these Hall of Famers?
Undertaker 40.4%
Ray Stevens 32.2%
Roddy Piper 23.5%
Joe Stecher 3.8%

-- An update on Richard Handley's chamber fund is up here

-- There will be a silent auction at the Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup this year benefiting All Children's Hospital. Donated items may be sent to Shannon Rose, 6801 White Cliffs Way, Tampa, FL 33625.

-- Nasty Ronnie's Hot TV Wrestling, Sunday, November 15, 2009. Bell Time 2:00 PM. Grass Flats Bar & Grill, 12924 49th Street North, Clearwater, FL. 33762

-- The Tri-State Wrestling Alliance (TWA) reunion show takes place tomorrow, Saturday, October 24, 2009 at the Flyer's Sake Zone, 601 Laurel Oak Road, Voorhees, NJ 08043 (856-309-4400). Doors open at 6:30 PM and Bell Time is 7:30 PM. Tickets are ONLY $12 ringside and $10 general admission and will be available at the door. Main event is Al Snow vs. Steve Corino. DC Drake will not be able to appear at the show due to health issues.

-- Bobby Dempsey will be on the Drunkcast tonight here.