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        We're looking for reports from Wednesday night's WWE tapings in Laredo with the NXT and Superstars matches and any more Smackdown details, last night's Raw house show in Tallahassee, FL, tonight's show in Daytona Beach and tonight's TNA show in Fayetteville, NC at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

        The biggest show of the weekend is UFC's second event on Versus starting at 9 p.m. tomorrow night from the San Diego Sports Arena.  The show is headlined by Jon "Bones" Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko, Mark Munoz vs. Yushin Okami, John Howard vs. Jake Ellenberger, Takanori Gomi vs. Tyson Griffin and Paul Kelly vs. Jacob Volkmann as the live fights.  Also on the show is DaMarques Johnson vs. Matt Riddle, James Irvin vs. Igor Pokrajac, Brian Stann vs. Mike Massenzio, Darren Elkins vs. Charles Oliveira and Rob Kimmons vs. Steve Steinbeiss.

        Also tomorrow is a Smackdown house show in Melbourne, Australia at the Rod Laver Arena, a Raw house show in Fort Myers, FL, and a TNA house show in Concord, NC.

        There is no Raw taping on Monday as the show was taped last Monday in San Antonio.  The Raw lineup is:

*Edge vs. Wade Barrett

*Gail Kim & Eve Torres & Natalya vs. Alicia Fox & Jillian Hall & Tamina

*Goldust vs. Sheamus

*John Cena vs. Chris Jericho - Loser Must Leave the Raw team

*Great Khali vs. Ted DiBiase

*Randy Orton vs. The Miz

        The Countdown to UFC 117 will air after Raw on Monday night on Spike at 11 p.m.

        No Smackdown taping on Tuesday.

        Smackdown's tour down under continues Monday night in Brisbane, Tuesday night in Adelaide, Wednesday night in Perth and Thursday in Auckland, New Zealand.

        We're looking for reports on all of these shows throughout the next several days. 

        A look at both the best of the last decade and the Hall of Fame is our lead story in this coming Monday's issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We go through the awards for the last decade and look at the Wrestler of the Decade, MMA Most Valuable of the Decade, Most Outstanding Wrestler, Best Box Office, Best Tag Team, Best on Interviews and Most Charismatic, and also go through the best of the 90s with a lot of thoughts of how people are perceived, changes in the industry, why it is so much harder for modern wrestlers to be considered superstars and why.

        We look at the Hall of Fame candidacy of the top wrestlers of the past decade, the top wrestlers of the 90s, Chris Benoit's effect on the Hall of Fame, how much tag teams have changed, Best Workers and Best Drawing cards from the past two decades. 

        This week's issue, as well as the back issue from May 1993, are available right now for web site subscribers in the Wrestling Observer
listings on the top of the page.  You can also get the Observer delivered by mail, with details below.  For those who are web site subscribers, not
only do we have issues once and in big news weeks, twice every week, but also release one back issue per week, covering 1993.  That was one of the most important year in wrestling history due to the emergence of new companies like UFC, Pancrase, ECW, Michinoku Pro and K-1 which all revolutionized the industry.

        We also look at Dragon Gate USA's most recent PPV taping, looking at the matches, Bryan Danielson, Bryan Danielson and WWE going forward and when and what to expect from their next PPV.

        We also have a follow-up on Ricky Steamboat and plans for his future.  We've got an update on SummerSlam and notes on what is being debated for the main event.  We look at a program change and where a new WWE program is going.  We also look at the WWE Hall of Fame class for 2011 and names expected as well as the name looked at as the main eventer.  We've got notes on WWE's promotion of SummerSlam, including who they are targeting and an interesting note on who they aren't targeting.  We've got an update on yet another WWE video game franchise expected to be released in the next year.  We have a look at WWE vs. UFC head-to-head on television next week as well as what announcers were ordered not to say on the taped Raw show.

        We look at the WWE PPV schedule for much of 2011.  We've got notes on Linda McMahon's campaign, why she didn't appear for the debate this past week, comments from her opponents and what they are targeting about her.

        We've got notes on a number of Bret Hart matches scheduled including two on the same show, WWE recruiting new women, former WWE writer jokes about a current top star who used to get buried in meetings.  Randy Orton talks Bryan Danielson, what WWE wrestlers have worked the most matches this year, who have the most wins and who have the most losses, as well as a look at tag teams.

        We look at new WWE signings and why they are being aggressive right now in getting new wrestlers, as well as a problem relating to the NXT shows.  We also look at one of the biggest stars of the past 20 years talking openly about wanting to return and why the next WrestleMania would be the most logical place to do so and the ups and downs of the move.

        We also look at the big story on Vince McMahon in the Connecticut Post, Vince talks steroids, Dawn Marie talks her use of steroids and Vince talks about his future, slowing down and why the WWE is not Vince's company.  Vince also talks about the end of the Mr. McMahon character.  The newspaper follows with an editorial critical of the McMahons on the steroid issue.

        We have an update on Shawn Michaels, WWE writers talk about changes, lack of managers, and Miz talks about his start in the business and his real thoughts about Bryan Danielson.

        Jim Ross talks about his trip to developmental, a former top college football player starts in WWE camp, and lots of notes from developmental including a television star from an overseas country who looks a lot like a recently retired WWE star is getting the big push in developmental.  We also look at a sports honor received by a former WWE star, notes on two of WWE's top executives selling their stock and how much they are worth, Ted DiBiase talks about his son doing is gimmick, as well as business notes from the last week and what was done on the road.

        We also have a look at the tiny promotion which outdrew most of the major groups this past week with a show featuring a lot of big promotion top stars, and background on the group, including two wrestlers over 60, a former WWE star, and one of the best wrestlers in the world today and his injuries. 

        We also look at an update on the Paul Heyman TNA situation and where it stands, as well as the cost TNA has incurred with its attempts to grow the promotion, and details of Heyman's new business venture. 

        We also have our usual weekly features such as the results of the biggest arena 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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  Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus
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  The Observer is now in its 28th year of being the leading insider
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Also in this week's issue:

--A look at the upcoming tournament of champions, 16 different belt holders over three weeks in a single elimination tournament

--Legend files suit against major promotion over being featured in a DVD, then goes to promoter's face and insults him over the weekend and public reaction

--A look at AAA's biggest summer event

--The real reason promotion is staying closer to home

--Police investigating death threats against the family of one of pro wrestling's biggest names

--An interpromotional alliance already starting to crumble

--The crazy reason why a major angle scripted for a weekend television taping never took place

--A look at All Japan's next big show including former WWE wrestlers challenging for the tag team title

--Japanese star returns to the country in a new promotion to challenge Hall of Famer on big show

--NOAH vs. New Japan on NOAH's big weekend show

--Interpromotional tag title match announced

--Jim Cornette returns to OVW

--Lots of new info on the Sean Davis Project, lots of new wrestlers named as being part of it

--What young wrestler they want to groom for stardom

--What major stars have signed

--What kind of money is being earmarked in contracts

--Ways this new group is different from when TNA started up

--Former wrestling promoter running for local public office getting major bad publicity

--Notes on Manami Toyota coming to CHIKARA

--A look at the Evolve group

--Linda Bollea's engagement

--Tyler Black hints about future

--A match of ROH tag champs vs. WWE tag champs being talked about

--A look at the ROH weekend events

--Major mistake TNA has made in marketing next PPV

--Lots of names announced for the show

--More names having turned down the show

--Notes on the Impact show said to be booked like a PPV and lineup

--Hulk Hogan looks to a new venue         

--ODB talks leaving the promotion

--Update on TNA injury situation

--Why TNA wrestler has heat

--TNA star linked to movie

--Update on Reid Flair

--A look at TNA weekend house shows

--A look at the next few weeks of TNA television

--UFC loading up a fall show

--Notes on Anderson Silva's future

--Lots of new match ups and injuries in UFC

--Update on Quinton Jackson's next match 

--Two fighters prove themselves as local draws

--Other fighters prove not to be

--More on the decline in UFC video game sales

--Urijah Faber's return update

--Former WWE announcer hosts MMA show

--Another former pro wrestling star/MMA fighter linked to Strikeforce, but not having signed

--A look at the Challengers series show

--Fighter known as boring vows to retire if he doesn't finish his next opponent

  
 
       New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues can get free issues from
the last 18 years.  You can get 2 free back issues by ordering 40 or more
issues and one for 24.  Let us know which stories you are most interested
in and we'll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We've
got
coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every
major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings
and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits
into those descriptions over the past 18 years, as well as our biggest
issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial
issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue. Our most requested issues in
our history are:

*November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous
wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a
history of in-ring double-crosses)

*December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation
right before the Survivor Series match so you'll know exactly what was
said--the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural
broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but
everything that was said between the two about the match that was going
to take place that same night)

*August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon
steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article
and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)

*March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner
networks)

*October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such
great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)

*July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian
steroid trial)

*February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)

*May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career
ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our
history)

*January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career
and life of The Sheik)

*February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people
who worked with him and where he stands historically)

*March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino,
Backlund and Backlund era)

*April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally,
the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk
Hogan)

*May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth, and the rise of fall of
Lex Luger)

*June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say
was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)

*June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals
and friends)

*July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the
plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the
night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined
for a joint show and what happened)

*August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the
controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as
historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)

*September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the
seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s,
Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding
world title and much more)

*October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of
Road Warrior Hawk)

*January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)

*February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story,
Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)

*February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy's win over Brock
Lesnar)

*March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the
company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the
business changed)

*March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best
and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and
Wrestlemania history books)

*July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair's book and his
background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)

*July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair's book and his comments on
Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)

*August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)

*August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year
with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund,
Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez--this counts
as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately,
due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)

*October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details
of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in
pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)

*November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle
and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the
history of TNA)

*January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)

*March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a
look at their Hall of Fame)

*May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)

*June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW,
as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and
behind the scenes of both shows)

*July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at
the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings,
Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental
territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized
issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

*August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul
Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)

*September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)

*October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)

*November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double
issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

*December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on
its own, $7 overseas)

*January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New
Year's Eve 2005 coverage)

*January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)

*April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller
Derby--many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)

*April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame
week)

*July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class
Championship Wrestling--the most unreal story ever in wrestling)

*September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame
inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and
Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from
the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working
in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7
overseas)

*October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of
Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him
tick as his real objectives)

*November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff's book and how
the industry was changed forever)

*November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How
Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro,
Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania
planned celebrity away)

*November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged
McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and
why it didn't click)

*December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride's offers to sell promotion and
Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why
there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real
reasons the company fell apart)

*January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8
overseas)

*February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bam Bigelow)

*March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)

*March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)

*March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)

*April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage--which many are
calling one of the best issues in history)

*July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

*July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

*July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

*July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

*July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)

*July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)

*August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his
influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)

*October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas
including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler
Lewis)

*November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S.
women's wrestling) .

*December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at
the Greensboro Coliseum)

*January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8
overseas)

*March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)

*March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)

*April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks
of Flair's meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on
its own, $8 overseas)

*August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers
and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)

*September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8
overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)*September 15, 2008 (Life
and Times of Evan Tanner)

*September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our
most in-depth bios)

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We also have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our
latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about
the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz,
Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk,
Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry
Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods.

To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a
$60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer
articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that
is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is
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--A story on the WWE ring boys scandal that came out in 1991 is in today's Politico.com web site, which is a major political web site that all the insiders read.  We had heard that this story, which some thought would be something that would come out and be an embarrassment for the Linda McMahon campaign, was not thought to be a problem, and from the story, with Tom Cole reversing his prior position on Linda, it's obvious that was the case.  Story is at  http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40476.html

--Congratulations to Bryan Alvarez and Whitney Neugebauer, who got married earlier today in Poulsbo, Washington.  Bryan and I will be back tomorrow night after the UFC show to run down the weekend wrestling and MMA news. 

--Golden Boy promotions will be annnouncing Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora on PPV on 9/18 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.