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TUES UPDATE: More on John Cena, Hell in a Cell main event, full UFC line-up for the weekend (so far), Lawler, ROH iPPV update, site suggestions, tons more



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

We're looking for your thoughts on Sunday night's WWE Night of Champions as well as Saturday night's ROH Death Before Dishonor, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We're also looking for reports on tonight's Smackdown tapings in Philadelphia, last Saturday night's WWE show in Portland, ME and Sunday's TNA show in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

THE LATEST OBSERVER: JERRY LAWLER IN-DEPTH

The new issue of the Observer covering the Jerry Lawler situation is up on the site right now.  It's a detailed description of what happened, how it was handled, details on the surgery, recovery as well as a background on Lawler in and out of the ring.  We look at him still wrestling and why, why he was lucky to have been where he was when suffering the heart attack and who are the heroes of this situation.  We look at how Jerry Lawler got into pro wrestling, how he was first on television as a teenager and his rice to being the biggest wrestling star ever in the state of Tennessee.  We look at the emergence of the Tennessee territory as a hotbed, and how Lawler was able to remain as the top babyface in Memphis while playing chicken heel on WWF television in the 90s.

 
        We look at how the WWE handled everything, what Vince McMahon and HHH were doing, the role of Michael Cole, the role of the audience, the final segment on Raw, WWE heart monitoring, as well as some heart attack deaths that took place in the ring in the past. 
 
        We also have full coverage of TNA's No Surrender show, including where they go from here, build to Bound for Glory, what happened with the James Storm title chase, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results from the show.
 
        We also have why the C.M. Punk/Paul Heyman relationship was developed on television, what name continues to surprise WWE officials in regard to popularity, Raw getting bad dates coming up, notes on this past week's Raw show, the 2013 PPV schedule, major DVD releases currently on the schedule for 2013, Heyman talks Brock Lesnar and UFC Half of Fame and notes on Lesnar after this year's WrestleMania.
 
        We also update the Night of Champions show, the Linda McMahon senate race and latest controversies, and another WWE Appreciation night scheduled in a few weeks.  We also have more on Tyler Reks quitting WWE, the show maturation process of those in WWE developmental, Chris Jericho talks return and Chyna talks why she wants one last appearance on Raw and why it's not likely to happen.  She also details her departure from WWF.
 
        We also have notes on how many people watch Raw as it's going on and how many watch it on tape delay viewing.  We also have all the business notes from this past weekend as well as highlights from all of the weekend WWE house shows.    
 
        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.
 
        We also have a note on the changes in television, most notably the decline in television homes while the population increases in the U.S., why this is happening, and the most important television markets.
 
        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 have the latest update on the proposed WWE network.  We look at the various models under consideration.  We look at the original plan and why the timing of everything doomed it.  We look at the pay model and what kind of numbers of subscribers they are going to need to make it work.  We look at what kind of numbers are possible, and how to evaluate it considering how the PPV business would likely be cannibalized by running the network.
 
        We also look at the UFC business after the cancellation of UFC 151, looking at where the 2012 business is going to wind up and how close they can come to beating last year's numbers.  We look at the cards for the rest of the year, as well as the new problems with UFC 153.
 
         We also have a look at the ratings of all the major shows and complete details on how every segment of Raw and Impact 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:
 
--Japan vs. Mexico tournament
 
--Notes on CMLL's biggest show of the year coming up
 
--Wrestlers unhappy about being ignored on big shows
 
--AAA's Heroes Inmortales lineup, company's next major show
 
--Notes on new signings
 
--All Japan creating a TV champion and early tournament notes
 
--Former WWE wrestler returns to All Japan
 
--Notes on the All-Asia tag team title tournament
 
--Early notes on NOAH jr. tag team tournament featuring ROH stars
 
--Notes on Paul London in Japan
 
--Kazushi Sakuraba's first match back in New Japan announced for the September PPV show
 
--Complete New Japan September PPV card
 
--Notes on the build for Okada vs. Tanahashi
 
--Two former WWE wrestlers forming a tag team to feud with Kojima & Tenzan in Japan
 
--Notes on the 20th anniversary show of the debut of Yuji Nagata
 
--Oldest IWGP champion
 
--Promotions not thinking long-term and only short-term and risking long-term careers of superstars
 
--Another well-known wrestler gets elected to political office
 
--Update on the National Wrestling Alliance
 
--Notes on the death of Richard Byrne
 
--Notes on the tour of Aruba with big crowds, including names like Jerry Lawler, Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash, Roddy Piper and Rhino
 
--Well known indie wrestler attempting to battle back from pain killer addiction
 
--British star Anaconda passes away
 
--Notes on ROH Death Before Dishonor PPV
 
--Notes from the ROH house show in Charlotte
 
--Update on TNA TV title
 
--Notes on Devon not being signed
 
--Notes on TNA new TV special
 
--Trivia note about the best matches on TNA shows
 
--Notes on the weekend TNA house shows
 
--Lots of new UFC matches
 
--A weekend where FX will be running live shows on Friday and Saturday night
 
--Jon Jones continues to talk
 
--Daniel Cormier says he wants Jon Jones
 
--Dana White talks a number of potential matchups
 
--Dana White talks more about the canceling of UFC 151
 
--White talks about instant replays
 
--Sara McMann's Strikeforce debut
 
--More on Rousey vs. Cyborg
 
--Michael Bisping one-liners
 
--UFC fighter arrested
 
--UFC's first show in Macau top bouts
 
--UFC fighter retires
 
--More on the future of MMA Uncensored
 
--Dave Bautista on his MMA debut and thoughts
 
--How the K-1 show did on iPPV
 
--Notes on the debut of the World Series of Fighting
 
--The MMA murder case that got national attention
 
--Another MMA fighter arrested on vehicular homicide charges   
  

 
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

-- As noted on the front page, John Cena will be out 2-3 weeks after undergoing surgery this morning to remove bone chips from his elbow. They will have a better idea of the exact timetable on Thursday when he goes back in for a check-up. It appears he's off house shows but will probably appear on TV, just not wrestling.

-- Cena vs. Punk Hell in a Cell is planned for the October PPV and Cena should be back in plenty of time to set it up. Coincidentally, the post-Raw dark match was Punk vs. Cena in a cage.

-- As noted, Jerry Lawler will be doing a taped interview from Memphis on Raw next Monday night.. There is an article on and photo of Lawler in the newest edition of USA Today. The "LONG LIVE THE KING" shirt that Michael Cole was wearing last night is also on sale at the WWE Shopzone site.

-- Speaking of Punk, he will be appearing at the Wizard World convention in New Orleans November 30th through December 2nd.

-- UFC returns after a lengthy big-show hiatus (per UFC standards) Saturday in Toronto on PPV with:

- Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort for the 205-pound title
- Joseph Benavidez vs. Demetrious Johnson to determine the first-ever 125-pound champion
- Michael Bisping vs. Brian Stann
- Matt Hamill vs. Roger Hollett
- Charles Oliveira vs. Cub Swanson
- Vinny Magalhaes vs. Igor Pokrajac
- Evan Dunham vs. T.J. Grant
- Lance Benoist vs. Sean Pierson
- Marcus Brimage vs. Jim Hettes
- Seth Baczynski vs. Simeon Thoresen
- Mitch Gagnon vs. Walel Watson
- Charlie Brenneman vs. Kyle Noke

-- UFC on FX 6 will air on December 15th from the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Australia. The show will feature the finals of the UFC Australia vs. UK TUF, plus a battle of coaches with Ross Pearson vs. George Sotiropoulos.

-- The full ROH iPPV from this past Saturday night is now available on their website. There is no commentary for the opener, but ROH says that will be fixed for the DVD release. They also just released the Boiling Point iPPV on DVD (Kevin Steen vs. Eddie Kingston champion vs. champion with only the ROH Title on the line) and a new SCUM T-shirt.

-- ROH also sent this out this morning: Attn: Buffalo Fans Ring of Honor Wrestling will air the 9/15 episode this Sat @ 11am on WNYO. 9/22 - 9/23 episode will air in its normal time slot.

-- I want to thank everyone for their feedback on my Twitter poll on what site improvements you would like to see. We're already getting to work on a few of them and you are still welcome to send in your suggestions. First up will be a revamping of the Newsletter Archive, which admittedly is a total mess right now. We're going to be sorting all of the Observers by publication date (right now they're sorted in the order in which they were posted). Josh Nason, who has been invaluable of late, is putting together a list of improvements as well. This won't be done overnight but we're going to be working one project at a time over the next several months, so keep the suggestions coming.

Who was the star of Night of Champions?
C.M. Punk 42.6%
John Cena 16.0%
Daniel Bryan 15.6%
Dolph Ziggler 12.0%
Paul Heyman 7.7%
Kane 3.3%
Randy Orton 2.9%

Are you more likely to buy UFC 152 because of the long delay between shows?
Yes 12.8%
No 12.8%
Watching but not buying 17.1%
More likely to watch but not buy 10.1%
Not buying or watching either way 47.3%

What fight at UFC 152 are you most interested in?
Belfort vs. Jones 43.2%
Bisping vs. Stann 39.5%
Johnson vs. Benavidez 17.3%

What was the best TV show of last week?
Impact 35.5%
Raw 30.7%
BA MMA 9.7%
Saturday Morning Slam 7.6%
ROH 5.9%
Smackdown 4.8%
Inside MMA 3.1%
UFC Tonight 1.0%
UFC Insiders 1.0%
Legacy Fighting Championships 0.7%

-- Kayfabe Commentaries has a new DVD up with Vince Russo rebooking the WCW Invasion. Yup.

-- We have a ton of new videos on the front page right now including the complete UFC 152 conference call, Raw Backstage Fallout with Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara, and more.

-- Fun interview with Daniel Bryan here, which includes, as always, some good Ryback stories.

-- Just want to point everyone to Doc Young's fundraiser page, which is up here. He's trying to save money to rebuild his nose (long story and he had another hospital trip a few weekends ago after getting very sick. He's sticking with it and doing his best and all the donations, no matter how small, help. Thanks so much to everyone.

-- There is a photo here of the new TUF house for UK vs. Australia.

-- The Balls Mahoney vs. New Jack Faceoff DVD is up for sale here, complete with new trailer.

-- Very good interview with Edge here talking his recurring role on the Syfy channel's Haven, his time in pro wrestling, creating characters and more.

-- A new MLW Radio podcast dropped today with Court Bauer and Konnan talking about what pushed Shane McMahon out the door at WWE and the rumors behind it versus reality, plus Konnan talks about an awkward experience with Kurt Angle during TripleMania over flowers and a classic Super Porky story. The last 3 minutes of the show are must hear. Trust me.

-- I will be a guest on Jack Encarnacao's new Mouthpiece Wrestling show on the Boston NBC Sports Radio 1510 AM affiliate this coming Saturday. He is also the host of the Sherdog Rewind show on Sherdog.com. Follow them on Twitter.

-- In a first for any FOX network, FUEL TV is letting its viewers choose its prime time programming in a special Viewer’s Choice Week from September 24 – 27. Beginning September 17, fans can pick specific Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) shows they want to see over those four nights by voting online.

-- Latin Lover had surgery to remove his appendix last week and by the time you are reading this, he is probably already out right now. (Thanks to Kris Zellner)

-- This week's UFC Ultimate Insider on Fuel TV has stories on Brian Stann, Matt Hamill's comeback, a Vitor Belfor mic'd up segment and a look behind the scenes at UFC Magazine.

-- IWA East Coast returns to the Kings Way Center in Nitro WV on Saturday September 29 at 8pm headlined by Matt Hardy vs Masada, Necrobutcher vs BJ Whitmer for the IWA EC title, Mad Man Pondo vs Matt Tremont, Irish Airborne defend the IWA EC tag team titles and much more.

-- Traditional Championship Wrestling has Scott Steiner on 10/20 at The Center at Bishop Park in Bryant, AR

-- This Saturday, AIWF Mid-Atlantic at 1713 Old Hwy 601 in Mount Airy NC with a 7:30 pm bell time.

-- For Brutal Bob Evans' upcoming IRON WEEK (Iron Man matches every day with different opponents), the first scheduled competitor is Adam Cole. The ROH TV Title will not be on the line.

-- The PWF returns to the Rogersville, TN National Guard Armory Saturday night, September 22nd for their 6th anniversary show.

-- Dr. Tom Prichard on with Craig, Cutrer and the crew of Over the Top Radio here.

-- Aggression Fighting Championship will showcase AFC programming on KoldCast TV, one of the largest internet television providers in existence.

-- F3 Nutrition has signed an endorsement deal with UFC legend and number one light heavyweight contender Vitor Belfort.

Send us a news tip: newstips@wrestlingobserver.com

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For the most in-depth and detailed news and analysis on pro-wrestling and MMA, always turn to Wrestlingobserver.com/Figure Four Weekly Online, the #1 website of its kind on the Internet. Members receive online access to both the Wrestling Observer and Figure Four Weekly newsletters and growing archives, Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer three times per week, the popular Bryan and Vinny Show twice per week, additional radio shows including Figure Four Daily with Alvarez, Mike Coughlin's Five Star Radio, the Dr. Keith Lipinski Show, The Adam and Mike Big Audio Nightmare, Tough Talk and the Karl Stern Wrestling History Show, the infamous BOARD, and more! Members also have full access to the thousands of hours of audio in our radio show archives which date back to 2005. For your convenience, we offer secure online payments using your VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Discover card or PayPal account. Don't miss out on the fun, sign up now! Don\'t miss out on the fun, sign up now!

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