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FRI UPDATE: Latest on Batista's first MMA fight, where you can watch it, tickets, more on WWE Saturday morning show, potential host, Smackdown, huge weekend, Rock vs. Cena on NBC, tons more



By Bryan Alvarez | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

We're looking for reports on tonight's Raw house show in Tupelo, MS at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . It's a busy weekend upcoming, particularly tomorrow:

UFC 150 is live from the Pepsi Center in Denver:

Facebook at 7:30 p.m.

- Nik Lentz vs. Eiji Mitsuoka

FX at 8 p.m.

- Dustin Pague vs. Chico Camus
- Ken Stone vs. Erik Perez
- Jared Hamman vs. Michael Kuiper
- Tom Hayden vs. Dennis Bermudez

PPV at 10 p.m.

- Justin Lawrence vs. Max Holloway
- Yushin Okami vs. Buddy Roberts
- Jake Shields vs. Ed Herman
- Donald Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard
- Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar for the lightweight title

ROH has an iPPV at 7:30 p.m. from the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence

- Matt Taven vs. Q.T. Marshall vs. Antonio Thomas vs. Vinny Marselgia
- Adam Cole vs. Brutal Bob Evans in a non-title match
- Roderick Strong vs. Mike Mondo
- Jay Lethal vs. Tommaso Ciampa in a 2/3 fall match
- Michael Elgin vs. Charlie Haas
- Eddie Edwards & Sara Del Rey vs. Mike Bennett & Maria Kanellis
- Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Steve Corino
- Champion vs. champion: Kevin Steen vs. CHIKARA champion Eddie Kingston for the ROH title

Saturday also has WWE shows with Raw in Biloxi, MS and Smackdown in Shanghai, China at the Oriental Sports Center.

Also on Saturday is the next-to-last show of the G-1 Climax tournament at Korakuen Hall with Rush vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Satoshi Kojima vs. Toru Yano, Shelton Benjamin vs. Minoru Suzuki, Naomichi Marufuji vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tetsuya Naito, MVP vs. Kazuchika Okada, Togi Makabe vs. Hirooki Goto and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuji Nagata.

Sunday has the finals of the G-1 Climax tournament at Sumo Hall in Tokyo. Everyone's last matches will take place, with MVP vs. Lance Archer, Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito, Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Togi Makabe vs. Kazuchika Okada, Naomichi Marufuji vs. Toru Yano, Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki, Satoshi Kojima vs. Shelton Benjamin and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Karl Anderson. When all is over, the winner of the A and B block meet for the championship.

Sunday is also TNA's Hardcore Justice PPV from Orlando starting at 8 p.m.

- Zema Ion vs. Kenny King for the X division title
- Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez vs. Gunner & Kid Kash
- Miss Tessmacher vs. Madison Rayne for the Knockouts title
- Mr. Anderson vs. RVD vs. Pope vs. Magnus in a falls count anywhere Bound for Glory series match for 20 points
- Jeff Hardy vs. James Storm vs. Bully Ray vs. Robbie E in a tables match in the Bound for Glory series for 20 points
- Kurt Angle vs. A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Samoa Joe in a ladder match in the Bound for Glory series for 20 points
- Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode for the TNA title with no rematch

Sunday also has Raw in Texarkana, AR and Smackdown in Taipei, Taiwan. Monday is Raw in Dallas at the American Airlines Center. HHH and Brock Lesnar are both scheduled for the show. Smackdown will be taped on Tuesday in Austin.

THE NEW OBSERVER: WWE QUARTERLY FINANCIALS IN REVIEW

        We have our look at WWE quarterly financials as well as profitability of each sector as our lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We cover the WrestleMania quarter, including breaking down the financial numbers of the show, including how much more or less than wrestlers made from the show compared with the previous two years, company projects on profits for the rest of the year, as well as Vince McMahon and George Barrios talk the company's future.

 
        We look at Vince McMahon's appraisal of the quarter, what was up, what was down, who and what they credited the increase in PPV to, update on network expenses, the difference in the current business model with that of the past, a look at the production of television in the fall, what the company says will be the result of adding a new TV show and a third hour of Raw and more.
 
        We look at the investment in Tout, business in different international regions, breaking down WrestleMania, how much more the company took in this year and a profit estimate for the show.  We also look at house show business, we've got a chart when it comes to PPV for the first six months of the last three years showing the annual increases from the bottoming out point.
 
        We also look at what records from a business standpoint were set at WrestleMania, how the return of Brock Lesnar was different in different markets on PPV, a WWE vs. UFC comparison when it comes to television that is very telling, costs of producing a WWE television shoot, how much less talent made this quarter on merchandise royalties, magazine sales, as well as a breakdown of how much money every WWE movie has made or lost to date, an updated schedule of WWE movies as well as a breakdown of actual profits by division in WWE.
 
        We also have a breakdown of UFC on FOX, talking about the fights, the business of the show, ratings, growth the next show, and GSP vs. Anderson Silva as the idea being floated around.  We've also got match-by-match coverage and poll results form the show.
 
        We also look back at the first TripleMania as well as cover the 20th version of the show which took place over the weekend.
 
        The issue is up on the site today if you are a web site member.  We also have a new back issue on the site from 1995 just put up talking about how a WWE network TV special got squashed and everyone running for cover changing their stories, how future Hall of Famer Hiroshi Hase left pro wrestling full-time for politics, huge nostalgia shows, the death of a well known bodybuilder turned wrestler named Don Ross, the Bret Hart-Jerry Lawler feud and more on the engagement of Kensuke Sasaki and Akira Hokuto.
 
        The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.
 
        The Observer is now in its 29th year of being the leading insider pro wrestling publication in the world.  The biggest and most influential names in the pro wrestling and MMA industry, from bookers to promoters to Hall of Fame wrestlers and fighters to the biggest names on camera and behind the scenes, along with thousands of readers in all 50 states and more than 30 countries subscribe.  Many have subscribed for 20 years or longer consecutively.  They get the most detailed and inside coverage of what is going on all over the world.  Everywhere from Wall Street to the major offices to television networks in the 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 sent your Visa or Master Card order with your name, address, phone number, card number and expiration date to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 
        You can also order by paypal by sending to www.paypal.com and directing the funds to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 
        You can also 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.
 
        We also look at what Dwayne Johnson has been up to, Undertaker's wife having a kid, the Rosa Mendes story with Jackson Andrews and how he lived with two women at the same time, why JTG blew up as well as the complaints a lot of prelim talent have been taking since the WrestleMania payoff came out, an update on the SummerSlam card, WWE considering adding another weekly TV show, departure of Chris Jericho, TV ratings in Canada, WWE business in Japan, a new Mick Foley book, new WWE signing, WWE Hall of Famer gets rid of his ring, DVR viewership of Raw, as well as business notes from the last week and details on all the house shows of the past week.
 
         We also have a look at the ratings of all the major shows and complete details on how every segment of Raw this past week did.  We look at what segments gained and lost viewers
 
        We also have results from all the major league arena events over the past week as well as a look at all the major television shows.
 
Also in this week's issue:
 
--The debut of the new Mistico, who he is and how business did the first few nights in
 
--AAA in a campaign against obesity
 
--AAA TV after TripleMania
 
--More on Johnny Gargano's new contract
 
--The Villano III 40th anniversary show
 
--A look at New Japan's debut in the iPPV business
 
--The cultural differences when it comes to PPV and iPPV between the U.S. and Japan
 
--Breakup of one of New Japan's lead heel groups
 
--A complete rundown of the G-1 Climax tournament to date, including best matches and storylines
 
--A look at the conclusion of this year's Zero-One Fire Festival
 
--New Japan stars coming to California
 
--New Japan having a tryout in the U.S.
 
--World's Greatest Masked Man tournament
 
--Kamala, Dawn Marie and more in the latest on things that make no sense
 
--Independent wrestler sentenced to 15 years in prison due to a sexual assault
 
--Former major league baseball player to headline a wrestling show
 
--Update on Davey Richards & Kyle O'Reilly
 
--The next two ROH iPPV shows
 
--Notes on the next several weeks of ROH television
 
--Update on TNA's schedule
 
--Hardcore Justice update
 
--Booking of James Storm looked at
 
--Upcoming TNA advertising perhaps giving away a major name debuting
 
--Update on King Mo and his planned debut
 
--Update on the Bound for Glory series
 
--A look at the weekend TNA house show
 
--Update on UFC 149 numbers
 
--Advance ticket sales for upcoming UFC shows
 
--More on the Chad Mendes situation
 
--Debut of the new season of Ultimate Fighter
 
--More on Rory MacDonald's cut
 
--A look at Velasquez vs. Overeem, and who gets the next title shot
 
--Update on lots of new UFC and Strikeforce matches
 
--A look at UFC 150
 
--Donald Cerrone looking past Melvin Guillard
 
--Dana White talks Forrest Griffin, Chris Leben, Matt Hughes, Nate Diaz and drug testing
 
--A look at Anderson Silva's prospective opponents
 
--Lorenzo Fertitta on the background of making Mir vs. Cormier
 
--Drug testing the Toronto show
 
--More on Josh Koscheck's injury
 
--Dana White changes his tune on TRT
 
--Roy Nelson on Alistair Overeem
 
--White's talks with Nate Diaz
 
--Plans for UFC's next show in Minneapolis
 
--Tons of new UFC fights
 
--Update on Georges St. Pierre
 
--Arrest of a member of Chael Sonnen's camp     

 
Rates are:
 
        For the United States, it is $12 for 4 issues, $29 for 12, $55 for 24, $91 for 40 and $118 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $13.50 for 4, $33 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 or 52.  In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   For the rest of the world, rates are $15.50 for 4, $41 for 12, $78 for 24, $126 for 40 issues and $163 for 52 .
 
        If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
 
        We now 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 $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $10 for shipping costs to Canada and $12 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.
 
Today's News, Notes and Links

-- This isn't confirmed, but Hornswaggle is in the running to be the host of the new Saturday morning kid's show. They actually have high hopes and longer-term plans for that show and are looking to make it a success as opposed to just more content.

-- Olympics last night did a 15.2 in the top 55 metered markets.

-- Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez vs. Kid Kash & Gunner and Zema Ion vs. Kenny King for the X title have been added to Hardcore Justice.

-- Latest Bound for Glory Series standings after last night:

1. James Storm -- 66 points
2. Samoa Joe -- 54 points
3. Kurt Angle -- 48 points
4. Mr. Anderson -- 40 points
5. Jeff Hardy -- 35 points
5. Rob Van Dam -- 35 points
7. Christopher Daniels -- 33 points
8. Bully Ray -- 28 points
9. Magnus -- 21 points
10. A.J. Styles -- 16 points
11. Pope -- 7 points
12. Robbie E -- 5 points

-- Should be noted that AJ Styles has only had 7 matches so far.

-- Smackdown tonight has Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio for the title (yeah), Miz vs. Rey Mysterio in a non-title match (as if that means anything, given Antonio Cesaro beat Santino in a non-title match two weeks in a row and that lead to – wait for it – nothing), Vickie and Dolph in the Highlight Reel with Chris Jericho, Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger vs. Randy Orton, Christian vs. Cesaro, Jinder Mahal doing a handicap match gimmick, and more.

-- Tickets for Batista's first MMA fight go on sale Friday at 1 PM at Ticketmaster. He'll be facing Rashid Evans (1-2) on October 6th at Real Pain, which takes place from the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI. The press release, which bills Big Dave as "the most successful professional wrestler of the past decade", says the show will air on DirecTV PPV. Tickets are $20, $35, $55, $75, $125 and $250. It also says a four-part series on Batista's training for the fight will air on DirecTV beginning Otober 6th at 6 AM.

-- For the fourth straight year, WWE will be doing a one-hour special on WrestleMania on NBC. This year, "WrestleMania 28 – Rock vs. Cena" airs on August 25th at 9 PM EST. They never show the entire main event in its entirety and it's more a package show, a one-hour recap of Mania. They have promised exclusive, never-before-seen footage.

-- CM Punk did an interview today and noted that he had nothing against Jon Jones despite speaking out on Twitter against the fact that Nike gave Jones an endorsement deal coming off a DWI charge.

-- Joey Ryan has an open letter to TNA regarding Gut Check up here.

-- Paul notes that the Ronda Rousey special airs in Canada on Superchannel at 830pm Eastern. Superchannel is also the network that carries the Strikeforce shows. It's also being replayed on the CBS Sports Network channel in the US if you check your listings.

-- Very good interview with AJ Styles about his career, TNA, turning down WWE years ago, and more here.

-- Another very good interview here with AJ, talking her newfound fame, being a video game geek, her personality, and why she doesn't put on a lot of make-up or do her hair as much anymore.

-- CM Punk talks his biggest moment in wrestling (not Money in the Bank), who he admires in WWE, his clumsiness, and more here.

-- Story here on the '97 Batman & Robin movie version of Bane, played by the late Jeep Swenson of pro wrestling fame.

-- A full list of WrestleCon guests for next year's WrestleMania weekend bash is up here.

-- There is a commercial here.

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