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        We're looking for reports from tonight's Dragon Gate USA PPV taping at the Arena in Philadelphia, as well as a Raw brand house show in Johnson City, TN and a Smackdown brand house show in Upper Marlboro, MD at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
 
        Tonight's Dragon Gate lineup:
One-night tournament to crown the first Open the Freedom Gate champion with first round matches of:
*Cima vs. Mike Quackenbush vs. Jorge Rivera vs. Super Crazy
*Brian Kendrick vs. BxB Hulk
*YAMATO vs. Davey Richards
*Nick Jackson vs. Matt Jackson vs. Jigsaw vs. Gran Akuma vs. Lince Dorado vs. Johnny Gargano
*The winners of the four matches will meet in a four-way elimination match to determine the first champion
*Non tournament main event of Shingo Takagi & Dragon Kid vs. Masato Yoshino & Naruki Doi
        Also prelims have Eddie Kingston vs. Hallowicked, B-Boy vs. Jon Moxley and Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reilly.  The prelims are for those in the first four rows of ringside and VIP Balcony seats.
 
        Sunday has the tapings for Smackdown & ECW in Hampton, VA, since many of the Raw and Smackdown wrestlers are leaving Monday night for the Middle East and the taping of the annual Tribute to the Troops show, that airs on 12/19 on NBC.  There is also a Raw house show in Charlottesville, VA that night.

        Monday is the live Raw from Baltimore with Verne Troyer as guest host featuring the lawsuit in Little People's Court of Hornswoggle vs. DX.    
 
        What the Hulkamania tour has shown about the pro wrestling business as it is today is the lead story in this coming Monday's issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We look at both the positives and negatives of the first two shows, the promotion of the shows, and the end result of that promotion, as well as the shows themselves.
 
        The issue is available right now to premium subscribers on the web site.  You can also get the Observer mailed to your home with details below.

        We look at what this means for the idea of doing a long-term or even a short-term promotion, where the touring idea started and what has delayed it, promoters expectations, television coverage of the event, and what type of crowd the show drew.
 
        We've got a complete rundown of the first night, as well as the first Hogan vs. Flair match since 2000.
 
        We also have a look at WWE's attempts to elevate new talent, the philosophy behind who is getting the push, the track record and how the booking is going.  We look at the build for the TLC PPV, business of Survivor Series, updates on Rey Mysterio and Big Show when it comes to interviews, poll results of the show, and match-by-match rundowns with star ratings.
 
        We also have a look at the aftermath of UFC 106, including Tito Ortiz as a drawing card, Forrest Griffin as a drawing card, the many different things that hurt the buy rate of this show as well as the lesson of it.  WE also look at all the business numbers of the show.  We also look at the promotional mentality that WWE, K-1 and now UFC have done that has ended up hurting all of them in the long run.
 
        We also look at flaws in the scoring system as well as the end of Karo Parisyan in UFC.
 
        We've also got match-by-match coverage as well as how much everyone got as far as base pay for the show.
 
        We also look back at the old Southern California wrestling territory with the death of longtime promoter Mike LeBelle.  We look at how LeBelle got into wrestling, the heyday of the promotion, a look back at the Coliseum show and why Fred Blassie and John Tolos remained bitter about it until each man's death.  We look at LeBelle's feelings on pro wrestling.  We look at the glory period, as well as the 70s period and the two stars that carried the promotion to the Hispanic audience, how the promotion closed, and the relationship of LeBelle with Vince McMahon.  We also look at why LeBelle left the business bitter and never looked back, as well as the end of the WWA and its world title.
 
        We also have notes on the 2012 WrestleMania, Vince & Linda McMahon's personal finances, more on what Linda is willing to spend to win a senate seat, Tribute to the Troops show for 2009, Jim Ross contract update, dropping of a ring announcer, Mark Cuban's plans for Raw and what wrestler should be back at TV imminently.
 
        We've also got a feature on Jose Aldo Jr., the newest MMA superstar, who he is, his background, as well as business numbers on the last WEC show, the booking of WEC in early 2010 including building what should be the biggest match in company history of things go right, as well as a rundown of all the matches and payoffs on the most recent show.
 
        We also have a feature on an MMA fighter who is the suspect in multiple murders.
 
       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
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Also in this week's issue:
 
--Main event for CMLL's year-end spectacular
 
--International stars coming to CMLL over the next few months
 
--Mexico ratings
 
--AAA's Guerra de Titanes top matches
 
--Rundowns of the recent AAA TV tapings and the big program they have started
 
--The latest Teddy Hart story
 
--Dragon Gate's last major show in Japan for the year
 
--Update on All Japan tag team tournament
 
--Update on all the injury and illness problems in Pro Wrestling NOAH and how the next Budokan Hall show looks to be in trouble
 
--Strange booking in the singles division of NOAH
 
--Notes on this year's Super J Cup tournament in December and 15 of the 16 guys in it
 
--Former ECW stars team up in New Japan
 
--New Japan copies Survivor Series format
 
--Former New Japan wrestler returns for his 15th anniversary of his debut
 
--One of the biggest multiple person matches in history scheduled for New Year's Eve
 
--ROH debuts Internet PPV
 
--More on Hulk Hogan's book and a new Hogan business venture
 
--Complete Turning Point lineup
 
--Update on Bobby Lashley's title shot
 
--Notes on Sting angle
 
--Updates on UFC main events for the next several months
 
--Updates on WEC shows
 
--Notes on Ultimate Fighter as it finishes season ten
 
--Update on the next major Strikeforce show
 
--More on Herschel Walker and his debut
 
--One of the traditional biggest shows of the year is now a joint event and why
 
--More on the Cotto vs. Pacquiao business and predictions for the next big boxing match
 
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--Michelle Wilson, the WWE Executive VP of Marketing talks about lowering ticket prices, gives some misleading stats, explains why PPV business is down and compares Facebook to Twitter among other thing sat http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=140725
 
--There are still fourth row tickets available for $30 for tonight's Dragon Gate show USA in Philadelphia which includes the meet and greet and seeing the bonus matches.  There are fifth row tickets at $25 and G.A. tickets at $20 that will be available at the door.
 
--WWE will be filming the Hornswoggle vs. DX lawsuit in a court room in Baltimore with a jury of Little People.  They are hiring every mini wrestler they can find for the show Monday.
 
--Maria Kanellis starts back this week.
 
--Eric Bischoff is doing a new reality show on CMT starting on 12/12 called "Posse:  The Young Guns of the PBR."  It follows eight bull riders in their quest to be this year's champion.
 
--A story on UCLA center Kai Maiava, whose grandfather was wrestling star Neff Maiava (who also wrestled as Prince Maiava in the U.S.) at http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/11/  It noted his uncle is Dwayne Johnson.  This is another of those not blood relatives deal, but Johnson's grandfather, Pita Fanene Anderson, was given the name Peter Maivia in Europe in the 60s because the U.K. promoters thought Anderson didn't sound Samoan enough and the only famous Samoan wrestler at the time was Neff, so Maivia came from Maiava (different spelling and pronunciation).  Years later, Pita & Neff met in Hawaii when they were working for promoter Ed Francis, and bonded like brothers.  
 
--Poll on Impact
Excellent 41.0%
Good 35.9%
Average 7.7%
Fair 3.8%
Poor 11.5%
        39.1% of those responding didn't see the show.  Much better marks than Impact usually does.
 
--Poll on Superstars
Excellent 7.4%
Good 44.4%
Average 18.5%
Fair 0.0%
Poor 29.6%
        70.0% of those responding didn't see the show.
 
--On last night's Smackdown in the U.K., the C.M. Punk promo where he introduced Festus was cut because it violated U.K. advertising laws because of the plugging of the Jeff Hardy DVD during the segment.  To make up for the lost time, they aired the Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho match twice. (thanks to Martin Bentley and many others)
 
--Jeff Monson vs. Travis Fulton and Grammy Award winning rapper Coolio vs. actor Eric Martinez in a kickboxing match headline a show on 12/12 in Birmingham which will air on Internet PPV for $9.95 at www.NESportsTV.com
 
--KPLR-TV in St. Louis tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. is going to have Larry Matysik on talking about memorable moments from "Wrestling at the Chase" as well as talking about his new book, "Drawing Heat the Hard Way."
 
--The debut of the local TV show Original Big Time Wrestling will be tonight at 8 p.m. on Ch. 33 WHPR in the Detroit area.  You can also watch the show live on the Internet at http://www.tv33whpr.com  The first show will air both modern matches as well as matches from The Sheik's tape library, including The Sheik vs. Mark Lewin, Dick the Bruiser vs. Don Fargo, Sabu vs. The Crusher (I never knew they wrestled) and Haystacks Calhoun vs. Killer Tim Brooks.
 
--There is a story on Randy Couture in Albany, NY today for a college wrestling tournament featuring 16 Division I schools.  Couture will do a wrestling clinic at 5 p.m. and collecting signatures for a petition in support of legalizing MMA in New York state.  Story is at http://www.timesunion.com/ASPStories/storyPrint.asp?StoryID=871158
 
--WWE has canceled a house show scheduled for 1/10 in Mankato, MN (thanks to Devin Cutting)
 
--During the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers last night, during the first intermission they showed Luc Schenn and Garnet Exelby of the Leafs training yoga with Trish Stratus (thanks to Adam Lebow)
 
--Shark Fights tonight in Amarillo at the Azteca Music Hall headlined by Trevor Prangley vs. Marcus "Money Sursa to create the Shark fights light heavyweight champion
 
--USWO from last night in Nashville before 69 fans:  Psycho Medic & Harold Knight b Convict & Chaos, Matt Korbaine b Dyron Flynn, Quinton Quarisma b Lee Cross, Bad Boy Dixon b Shane Smalls, Nore Havoc b Number One Bomb, Tommy Mercer b Chic Canyon, Josh Crowe & Damien Payne b L.T. Falk & Petey Wright (thanks to Jimmie Daniel)
 
--Hoosier Pro Wrestling on 12/5 in Columbus, IN at the 4-H Fairgrounds headlined by Ronnie Vegas vs. Pastor Pain
 
--There is an article on UFC fighter Ross Pearson at http://www.ifight365.com talking about training in the Rough House Gym in Nottingham and winning Ultimate Fighter
 
--WGN America last night reran the old episode of "Cheers" where they were watching Hulk Hogan vs. Jake Roberts and Frasier told Woody that Hogan beat Jake because wrestling was fixed and Woody thought it was a shame that Hulk couldn't have any kids (thanks to Sean Samuels)