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How Much Money WWE Is Losing This Year, What They Originally Expected

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Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

This is a scary stat for WWE. They will lose more money in 2014 than any other wrestling company in history, in a calendar year, besides WCW in 2000. WWE is expecting to lose between $45 million and $52 million in 2014. WCW lost $62 million in 2000.

WWE previously expected that they would lose $23 million to $26 million in the first 6 months of this year, but then with the Network and the new TV deal kicking in during October, they expected to break even in quarter three and then make substantial profits in quarter four, ending the year at close to breaking even.

It’s a big story and a major loss for WWE, but they aren’t going out of business. There’s been a lot of speculation and rumors among fans online lately.

The WWE Raw Report 5/26/14

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Raw Pre-Show 5/26/14

– Out panel this week… Josh Matthews, Booker, Alex Riley, and Santino returns again… Well, I’m assuming this means he won’t be on Raw, so at least there’s that…. Santino keeps in character with the Italian accent, but he ditches the comedy routine for the show.

– Discussion of the Daniel Bryan/WWE Title situation, complete with video from last week’s Stephanie MacMahon promo…

– Renee Young wants to interview Brie Bella on the Bryan situation, but Nikki Bella comes out of the locker room and says that Brie has been crying all day and can’t handle an interview right now…

– We’ve got Big E vs. Titus O’Neil going on as part of the Superstars Taping…

– We learn the Shield and Evolution will sign their “Payback” contract tonight on Raw… The panel discusses…

– Last week’s match with Cena vs. Harper is shown in highlight form. Wyatt once again gets the best of Johnny boy…

– Renee Young interviews Sheamus about his match with Cesaro at Payback. We go back to last week’s Raw and Smackdown with Cesaro getting the better of Sheamus, fella…. The panel talks the US Title match, Booker and Santino go with Cesaro. Riley sides with Sheamus just to keep things balanced…

– We go back to last week and Alicia Fox kicking the crap out of Paige… Alicia Fox vs. Paige for the Divas Title has been added to Payback…

– More discussion on the Daniel Bryan Title situation. The panelists are at ends on how the situation should be handled. Riley thinks Bryan should keep the belt, Booker disagrees…

– Out comes the announcers for Raw and we’re set to go…

– Final shot of HHH and Stephanie smiling and walking down the hallway of the arena sets us up for Raw to begin…

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WWE Raw 5/26/14 from Knoxville, TN

– This week’s Raw is dedicated to the men and women who serve and have served our country.

– The Authority is out to the ring first. Stephanie welcomes us to a “historic edition” of Monday Night Raw. She says Daniel Bryan has a “choice” to “do the right thing” and surrender the WWE Title or not. Steph says Bryan wishes he could defend the title for the fans, but tonight he will do the right thing and surrender the title.

HHH speaks up. He says every generation has stars who become legends, and stars who rise to the top and then fizzle out like Daniel Bryan… HHH says you either adapt or you fall to the side, like Daniel Bryan. HHH turns the interview into a Evolution vs. Shield promo… He brings up the contract signing later tonight between the two teams. HHH says if the Shield sign the contracts tonight that they will parish at Payback.

Stephanie now wants to address GM Brad Maddox for some unexplained reason… Stephanie brings Brad out to the ring… Maddox hesitantly enters the ring… HHH is pissed off that he said nobody should be at ringside last week during the Batista vs. Rollins match except Evolution… But Maddox allowed the Shield to be at ringside…

Maddox explains that the Shield beat him up… But the excuse isn’t good enough for the Authority and they sic KANE on Brad… Maddox tries to run but he gets decked by HHH, and Kane proceed to chokeslam and Tombstone Maddox….

Kane’s music and pyro go off, but Stephanie cuts it off to announce that BRAD IS FIRED… Somewhere my cousin is sad, as her old wrestling favorite, Kane, just killed her new favorite “hunk” Brad Maddox…..

Back to developmental for Brad??? or worse???

-Commercial Break-

– You can’t spell “challenge” without “change”… You WILL Bo-Lieve… TONIGHT!!!!

1. Rob Van Dam vs. Cesaro (w/Heyman). We’ve got the IC Title contender vs. the US Title contender… Before the match can begin, Bad News Barrett comes out with some BAD NEWS… People are too fat for their bathing suits, and RVD won’t beat him at Payback… Barrett joins commentary… Match starts, Cesaro attacks… RVD battles back with some of usual kicking and whatnot… Cesaro takes back over with a gutwrench suplex and European uppercuts… RVD takes back over with more of his usual kicking offense and takes Cesaro to the floor with a clothesline… RVD tries a moonsault off the apron, but Cesaro catches him and drops him on the barricade… RVD gets thrown into the barricade a second time as we go to commercial….

Back from break, Cesaro with some quick pinning attempts. RVD battles back and more of the same old stuff… Rolling Thunder for 2… and RVD with a somersault body attack off the top for 2…. Cesaro goes to the floor, but Rob dives out onto him, and then RVD just THRUST KICKS Barrett out of nowhere…. Bad News goes down on the floor… RVD with the split legged moonsault on Cesaro for 2… RVD lays Cesaro back out with a kick, then knocks Barrett off the apron as he plans to go up for the Frog Splash, but Cesaro hooks RVD from behind in a German Suplex with a bridge and gets the 3 in 10:00….

As soon as Cesaro wins, Sheamus’ music hits… ahh the element of surprise…. Sheamus still manages to hit a Brodgue Kick to drop Cesaro… fella…

-Commercial Break-

2. Eva Marie vs. Summer Rae
… Awww shit, they’re letting Eva work on TV in a singles match… This is based on their Total Divas rivalry or something… Some back and forth, Eva works the crowd by blowing kisses but the crowd doesn’t care… “Daniel Bryan” chants start as the match is stale… Summer gains control when FANDANGO’S music hits… Out comes Fandango and Layla to dance and make out, it distracts Summer and Eva Marie rolls her up for the win in 2:00….

– Backstage with Batista and Randy Orton… Cody Rhodes and Goldust interrupt. Cody talks about how he and his brother beat the Shield, but Evolution can’t… Cody mocks “RK-Blow” and Batista’s skinny leg jeans… HHH storms in and makes a match between the two teams for later tonight… To end the segment, HHH reassures Batista that he doesn’t have skinny legs…

-Commercial Break-

3. El Torito (w/Matadores) vs. Drew McIntyre (w/3MB and Hornswoggle). You know it’s bad when your mascot is working Raw matches instead of you… Torito tries to fly early, Drew catches him and tosses him in the air, but Torito catches him on the way down and sends Drew flying… A similar spot follows, but this time Drew drops Torito… McIntyre throws Torito around the ring by his leg and almost kills him… Wow…. Drew tries to Superplex Torito, but Torito slides down… 3MB and Los Matadores go at it outside the ring… Torito trips Drew up and McIntyre falls face first into the steel post… Torito covers for the win in 3:00…

After the match, Hornswoggle attacks Torito and rips his tail off and beats him with it… Yes… I just typed that… Torito then ran from the ring in comedic fashion, holding the spot where his tail had been…. Wow, a Stephanie promo, a slow motion RVD match, Eva Marie in the ring, now this…. Raw is batting a thousand tonight….

-Commercial Break-

– Los Matadores want the doctor to fix Torito’s Tail… Doc says he’s not a veterinarian… Torito has an ice pack on his butt… They’re seriously playing this into a SECOND segment???

And we go from that to the Wyatts… Why on Earth would you put that comedy garbage on and then move into a Wyatt segment?

The Wyatt Family come out to the ring, Bray starts off by singing, and this song crap it starting to get boring and irritating… Let’s not do it to death… Bray talks about sacrifices and dealing with bosses… Bray asks the fans if he’s the Snake, or the Cure to the snake’s venom… He says he’s the necessary evil this world needs… Wyatt says Cena is the enemy to us all, and Bray will be the Last Man Standing at Payback…

Bray says Cena shouldn’t be the only one punished… He calls Cena the “King” but says there are pawns in front of Cena that need to be punished… Bray Wyatt asks Jerry Lawler to enter the ring… Lawler declines… The Wyatts surround Lawler, and Bray threatens JBL and Michael Cole not to interfere with their message. JBL has enough and he stands up to get involved… Harper and Rowan take out JBL with Harper’s spinning clothesline on the floor….

Harper and Rowan force Lawler into the ring… Bray makes Lawler take a seat in the ring… Wyatt talks about Lawler being friends with Cena and helping Cena, and believing in Cena’s garbage… Wyatt asks Lawler if he’s feels guilty and destroying millions of lives… Rowan and Harper jerk the King up and hold him… Bray sets up for Sister Abigail when JOHN CENA RUSHES TO THE RING!!!!

Cena fights with Rowan and Harper… but they manage to drop him… Rowan and Harper hold Cena to make him watch Bray Wyatt hit Lawler with Sister Abigail… AND NOW HERE COME THE USOS….

The Usos and Cena clear the Wyatts from the ring… Lawler gets saved… Cena tells Bray he has crossed the line and that he is pure evil… The fans are still 50/50 at best on the side of Cena… Cena says Bray needs to be stopped… Payback isn’t about winning or losing, it’s about being the Last Man Standing… Wouldn’t that also be winning???

Wow, that segment covered a lot of ground… To think it started with a midget bull getting his butt iced…

-Commercial Break-

– Lawler announced JBL is in the back for medical attention. The King returns to the announce table… Zack Ryder’s music hits… Wow… he gets a full intro before he gets killed…

Zack Ryder has a giant American flag and starts to talk about Memorial Day… Cue LANA…. Russian is great… Blah blah blah… Vladimir POOOO-tin… America, behold your future, behold your destiny… Here comes Rusev….

4. Zack Ryder vs. Rusev (w/Lana). We’re already back to the beginning of the rotation of jobbers for Rusev. Even my 6 year old says “he’s fighting Zack Ryder again?’… Ryder throws some punches, but Rusev runs him over, punches the crap out of him and puts him in the Accolade while the fans chant “USA”… Ryder gives it up in less than a minute… That was the most uneventful match yet for Rusev…

Big E hits the ring to make the save… Big E knocks Rusev from the ring… Lana holds Rusev back… I guess this sets up a Payback match…

– We see Stephanie backstage talking with Alberto Del Rio… But why???

-Commercial Break-

5. Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. Batista and Randy Orton. The Rhodes brothers get on Batista early, and then it’s Orton’s turn… Goldust with an Oklahoma Roll for 2, and then a powerslam on Orton… Cody tags in, and works over Orton in the corner… Cody comes off the ropes but runs into a knee from Orton and Evolution take over… As Batista and Orton work on Orton I can’t help but wonder, who has the more indistinguishable tattoos of the pair… Cody manages a tag to Goldust, but Batista ends up landing a spinebuster for a near fall… Orton tags in and plays to the crowd as we take a commercial break…

Back from break, Evolution still working on Goldust… Goldy fights back, tries to make the tag to Cody, but runs into a clothesline from Batista… Goldust hits a springing back elbow off the middle rope and gets the hot tag to Cody, while Orton also tags in… Cody all over Randy, and a springboard dropkick gets 2… Rhodes Disaster Kicks Batista off the apron… Cody sets up Randy for the Disaster Kick, but Orton catches him in an RKO…

Rather than covering, Randy lands a second RKO and makes the pin in 11:00….

At the end of the match, Justin Roberts says he was just informed that this is an Elimination Match… Cody Rhodes must leave ringside while Batista and Orton now face Goldust in a “No Holds Barred” 2 on 1 match…

Goldust tries to fight off both men, but it doesn’t last long. Randy back suplexes Goldy onto the barricade, and then Batista throws Goldust into the barricade on the opposite side… Back in the ring, Goldust knocks Randy to the apron, but Batista hits Goldy with a spear…. Orton comes back in the ring and lays Goldust out with the RKO… Batista follows with the powerbomb for the win in maybe 2:30…

– You best Bo-Lieve… Bo Dallas is next!!!

-Commercial Break-

– JBL returns to the announce desk.. Lawler thanks JBL… Layfield says he’s been hit by Stan Hansen to the Undertaker, but he’s never been hit that hard… JBL says he’s never saving the King again, and has a laugh…

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Bo Dallas with a quick promo before his match… JBL compares him to Churchill

6. Bo Dallas vs. Sin Cara. Cara knocks Dallas outside and hits a dive to start things off… Dallas takes over on offense, but Cara comes back with an enzuigiri and a body block from the middle rope for 2… Cara hits a handspring elbow and a variation of the Olympic Slam…. Sin goes to the top rope, but he’s knocked off… Bo lands the “Bo-Dog”, the Spike Dudley-like tornado bulldog out of the corner, for the win in around 3:00….

Bo runs around ringside celebrating, and tells the fans if they Bo-Lieve that they’re already winners… After the match, Bo comes over and forces a handshake and a hug with a confused Sin Cara…

Up next, it’s time for Daniel Bryan to announce his decision….

-Commercial Break-

– Stephanie McMahon is back to hear Daniel Bryan’s decision over the WWE World Title…. We know Daniel’s first option is to surrender, but we haven’t heard any other options yet… Hmmmm… Steph speaks for a moment, just to hear herself talks and out comes Daniel Bryan… in a neck brace…

Stephanie is so happy to see Bryan, and says he needs to do the right thing and surrender the title… Bryan talks about winning the WWE Title and it being years worth of hard work… Bryan claims his injury is worse than originally though, and he blames Kane for that… He also points out that Stephanie is behind Kane… Stephanie tells Bryan after he hands over the title he can get another title shot and “do this all over again”…

Bryan said he agrees that he should hand over the WWE Title… But this isn’t about him… or the fans… It’s about Stephanie… She’s been trying to take the title off Bryan since he beat HHH and won the title at WrestleMania… Bryan says if he hands over the belt, that it’s screwing the fans over everything they’ve waited for and chanted for…. And he’s not going to screw the fans… He tells Stephanie a word she’s not used to hearing… Bryan answers if he will give back the WWE Title…. NO….NO…NO…..NO…..NO…..NO…. You get the point….

Stephanie is pissed…. she blames Bryan’s ego and the fans…. Stephanie says 2 weeks ago Brie Bella put her hands on Steph (video plays of the incident)… Stephanie says you can’t put your hands on the boss… Stephanie says she will give Bryan one more chance at Payback… Either he surrenders the title at Payback, or Brie Bella is fired… Bryan is stuck in a dilemma now…

Why exactly are we waiting until Payback for this decision? I guess because it’s in the script… This segment proved to be absolutely nothing, and it’s great to know we’re going to get a 20 minute interview segment on the PPV… I guess that’s what you get for $10…

-Commercial Break-

7. Alicia Fox vs. Emma. Emma skins the cat into the ring, and we get going… Emma gets the upper hand first with the Tarantula and the Emma roll and the splash in the corner… The crowd is dead as expected for a Divas match this late in the show… Alicia Fox threatens to leave ringside, but gets back on Emma and works her over… Fox ends up missing something and Emma rolls her up for awin in maybe 3:00..

Alicia Fox snaps after the match and beats the crap out of Emma and throws her outside the ring to a few boos but mainly dead silence… Alicia says she’s not a loser and pushes around some of the ringside attendants and rings the bell about 50 times… She announces she’s not a loser again and slams the bell down… I don’t have a clue where this is going….

Fox beats the crap out of one of the ringside attendants and gives him a wedgie, ripping his underwear…. She shoves the cameraman… She sprays pop in some guys face… Yeah, we call it POP here… Alicia takes a drunk of Orange Crush then throws the can at Emma…. Fox then apologizes to the half naked attendant and kisses him on the ground before finally leaving…. Wow…

-Commercial Break-

– Memorial Day promo, Cena thanks our fallen heroes… The announcers reiterate…

– Oh, and now we get a hair vs. mask Payback preshow match with Torito vs. Hornswoggle…

– Damien Sandow comes to ringside announced as and dressed as “Davey Crockett”… Sandow speaks

8. Damien Sandow vs. Adam Rose. There’s just wayyyyy too much comedy on this show anymore… Worse yet, unfunny comedy… Damien Sandow talks with some type of accent that is supposed to sounds southern, he claims he’s Davy Crockett, king od the wild frontier… Adam Rose is carried to the ring by his Rosebuds… JBL rips on both gimmicks… I couldn’t agree more… What crap… And the match is crap… and if it couldn’t get worse Jack Swagger comes out with a guy dressed as a lemon…. THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING… Rose ends up hitting his finisher for the win in like 2:00… Poor Davy Crockett…

Immediately afterwards Jack Swagger attacks Adam Rose and the two go at it… Swagger comes out on the losing end and bails to the floor… Rose says “nobody touches my lemon” and celebrates with his rosebuds…

I can’t take much more of this crap tonight… Way to sell a PPV…. What’s with all the comedy garbage, and plain stupidity… NOBODY can think this is good, can they? How do you build all the way to WrestleMania perfectly fine, and then veer off into this mess of bull dung???

How the hell they expect this to sell Network subscriptions is beyond me… They deserve a crap rating this week for sure… In three hours you should ACCIDENTALLY have a couple of good segments… So far… one… at best…

-Commercial Break-

9. US Champion Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio. Okay, I thought we were done with wrestling for the night, but I guess they’re squeezing one more in before the main event segment… Trading punches early and Sheamus with a rolling Samoan drop for 2… 10 forearm clubs follow… I guess we’re going straight into the signature spots… Sheamus follows ADR outside and rams him into the table. ADR is back in first and catches Sheamus with some quick shots… Sheamus is knocked back to the floor and we go to break… Wow I didn’t expect a match with a break this late into the show…

Back from break, we learn Sheamus missed a Brogue Kick and ADR hit a back stabber… Sheamus is down in the corner, ADR chokes him over the ropes… Sheamus attempts a comeback but misses a shoulder in the corner and hits the post… ADR lands a kick to the head of Sheamus and gets 2… Del Rio taunts Sheamus and slaps him around… Sheamus replies with the Irish Curse backbreaker for 2… Back and forth and Sheamus with White Noise… ADR back up and Sheamus with a powerslam… Sheamus calls for the Brogue, but is selling a possible concussion or something… ADR lands the enzuigiri in the corner, and then the superkick while Sheamus is on his knees, but Sheamus kicks out at 2…. Sheamus counters out off a cross armbreaker and hits the Brogue Kick for the win in 9:00…..

– Paul Heyman comes to ringside… He talks about Lesnar beating Undertaker having meaning, but Sheamus vs. ADR has no meaning… Sheamus vs. Cesaro will have meaning at Payback… Cesaro attacks Sheamus from behind and clubs him in the back of his head… Sheamus tries to stand back up but Cesaro mauls him again… and again… with knees…. and the Neutralizer…

I can only assume Sheamus’ heel turn is coming soon, because this does NOTHING for his baby face run at all…

-Commercial Break-

It’s 11:01pm and we’re just starting our final segment… Michael Cole is in the ring for the contract signing between the Shield and Evolution… The Shield make their way out first… Michael Cole leaves the ring… Dean Ambrose says it’s the last time we’ll see both teams on Raw, because someone’s getting eliminated forever… Roman Reigns tosses all of the chairs out of the ring… Dean Ambrose assists… The table is then thrown from the ring while Seth Rollins speaks…

Evolution is out next… We’ve got nothing in the ring but the Shield and a clipboard… HHH stops in the aisle and wants to make everyone aware of what’s about to be signed… HHH calls it the last time you will ever see the Shield on Raw… HHH says The Shield were the future of the WWE, but now they’re going to be sent back into obscurity… HHH asks the Shield one last time if they’re sure they want to sign the contract… The Shield respond by signing the contract… Fans chant “hounds of justice”…. Roman Reigns then drops the clipboard to the floor outside the ring at the feet of Evolution…

Orton, Batista, and finally HHH sign… HHH starts to run his mouth again, but Reigns cuts him off and tells him to get in the ring and do his talking… Evolution get up on the apron and enter…. We have a brawl in the ring… and outside the ring… Evolution is thrown to the floor and Rollins dives out on them… Batista spears Ambrose, but Roman hits the Superman Punch!!! Reigns starts for the spear, but HHH WITH THE SLEDGEHAMMER ON REIGNS… RKO on Rollins… HHH drives the sledgehammer into the head of Reigns and knocks him out of the ring… Sledgehammer to Ambrose….

Evolution mock the Shield by TRIPLE POWERBOMBING REIGNS THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE….

HHH raises the sledgehammer in the air to end Raw as Evolution’s theme begins to play…

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WWE Raw “Backstage Pass” Post Show

– We see Evolution still standing over the Shield in the ring, the Shield being helped up by officials afterwards… The panel talks the big 6 man match at Payback…

– Renee Young interviews Evolution… Renee asks if this is foreshadowing Payback… HHH says don’t bring a pen to a sledgehammer fight… Orton says Evolution is the best… Batista wants to know if the Shield will show up Sunday, if not maybe they can sue them for breach of contract and get some money… HHH makes a shoot joke, as only an owner can do… Trips asks Renee Young why she interviews people barefoot…. The camera pans down to show Renee without shoes… Young is speechless and says she doesn’t have an answer for that…. Alex Riley is laughing hysterically when they come back to the panel….

– Daniel Bryan/WWE Title discussion. Stephanie has given Bryan an ultimatum to surrender the title at Payback, or Brie Bella is fired… The panel discusses… Riley was happy with Bryan’s decision to keep the belt, so is Santino… Booker is against it and says he was hoping Bryan would be a bigger man…

– Renee Young tries to interview Daniel Bryan about the ultimatum… Bryan says it’s a tough decision… The WWE title means a lot to him, but so does his wife’s career…. Bryan says he’s going to do what’s right…

– And with only a 15 minute post show, they rush to discuss Cena vs. Bray Wyatt with only two minutes left… Nothing to see here…

And that wraps things up… Is this PPV going to be worth $10??? You decide…

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Spoilers: WWE Superstars Results for 5/29/14

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WWE Superstars Results for 5/29/14 (Taped 5/26/14)

* Big E defeated Titus O’Neil

* Ryback and Curtis Axel defeated R-Truth and Xavier Woods

Daniel Bryan Talks His WWE Firing In 2010, Vince Being Surprised By His Response, More

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Source: Talk Is Jericho

Daniel Bryan recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast, opening up about his WWE firing in 2010.

The current WWE World Heavyweight Champion was a part of NXT’s season one cast, alongside Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Darren Young and others. The group formed the Nexus, and before their debut June 7th, 2010 on Raw, they were told by officials to ambush John Cena and make his attack look like a gang-style beatdown. Bryan told Jericho they were given a little bit of direction, but not much.

When Nexus appeared, the group attacked Cena, proceeding to tear away and thrash everything in their sight. While some members destroyed the ring, others attacked Justin Roberts, ripping off his shirt and tying his tie around his neck. Bryan said he didn’t quite know actions such as those wouldn’t fly in the PG era, but they were doing their best to make it look as close to a gang beating as possible.

When they each took their turn to attack Cena, Bryan said that before he kicked him in the head, he spat in his face and cracked up while telling Y2J the story. When the stable returned to the back, they asked who choked out Roberts with the tie, and Bryan said it was him. They shouted at him to not choke anyone. They then asked who spit in Cena’s face, and Bryan fessed up again. They told him there was no spitting. Bryan burst out laughing on the podcast.

He ran into Michael Hayes the next night while filming SmackDown, asking him what he learned from the previous evening. He told Bryan it wasn’t bad to make mistakes, he simply had to learn from them. Bryan said he was at an FCW show on Wednesday later in the week and spoke to Vince McMahon, who reassured Bryan it would all blow over.

Two days later, McMahon personally called Bryan, telling him he had to let him go. Bryan said his reaction may have helped him, not being too bothered by it and because while he thanked McMahon for the opportunity, who couldn’t help but apologize for Bryan’s release, the former Ring of Honor star said he was going to make more money than he ever would that year just on the independent scene. The comment took McMahon back a little, according to Bryan.

John Laurinaitis called him to follow up on his remarks, and Bryan stated to Jericho that he wasn’t making much money with the promotion. He was stuck on a regular contract working two shows a week, while the other guys were still on developmental contracts and had more opportunities. He also had TV cuts from being on television, yet he said he was constantly in the hole.

He confirmed 2010 was the worst year for him under WWE than any time he’s had during his four years on the indy scene.

Fighting Spirit Review: NOAH “THE FIRST NAVIGATION” on 1/25/14

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Date:  January 25th, 2014
Location:  Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance:  1,200

This event became available a bit out of order since it aired on G+, but it was shown in full.  There are a lot of odd Freelancers on this card, but the main event sees Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls defend their belts against Morishima and Taniguchi which should be fun.  We also have an ‘invading’ Nagata and Liger with a match as well.  Here is the full card:

– Hayato Nanjo vs. Mitsuhiro Kitamiya
– Bobby Fish and Jonah Rock vs. Yoshinari Ogawa and Hitoshi Kumano
– MEN’s Teioh vs. Xtra Large
– Genba Hirayanagi, Harada, and Hajime Ohara vs. Nakajima, Taiji Ishimori, and Atsushi Kotoge
– Kenou vs. Mohammed Yone
– KENTA vs. Shinya Ishikawa
– Naomichi Marufuji and Marvin vs. Yuji Nagata and Jushin Thunder Liger
– GHC Tag Team Championship: Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls vs. Morishima and Taniguchi

Hayato Nanjo vs. Mitsuhiro Kitamiya

They shake hands to start the match, kick to the leg by Nanjo before a tie-up, Kitamiya pushes Nanjo into the ropes and he gives a clean break.  Tie-up, side headlock by Nanjo, Kitamiya Irish whips out of it and they collide with no result.  Snapmare by Nanjo and he applies a reverse chinlock but Kitamiya reverses it into a hammerlock.  Nanjo hits a single leg takedown and applies a leg lock but Kitamiya rolls out of it.  Armbar by Kitamiya but Nanjo flips out of it and applies an arm wringer.  Kitamiya rolls out of that and reverses it back, hammerlock by Kitamiya but Nanjo trips Kitamiya and applies a leg submission hold.  Armbar by Nanjo, Kitamiya gets out of it and gets in the side mount before applying a side headlock.  Nanjo gets back to his feet and reverses the hold, waistlock by Kitamiya but Nanjo applies a side headlock.  Kitamiya Irish whips out of it but they run into each other with both men still standing.  Kicks by Nanjo, Irish whip, but Kitamiya hits a shoulderblock.  Kitamiya picks up Nanjo, Irish whip, but Nanjo hits a jumping double chop.  Back up, snapmare by Nanjo and he applies a headscissors.  Kitamiya gets out of it, elbows by Nanjo and he rakes Kitamiya in the eyes.  Knee by Nanjo and he goes for a suplex, but Kitamiya blocks it.  Elbows by Nanjo and he goes for it again but Kitamiya reverses it into his own vertical suplex.  Nanjo gets up in the corner, Kitamiya charges him and hits a back elbow.  Snap suplex by Kitamiya, cover, but it gets a two count.  Kitamiya picks up Nanjo and tries to put him on his shoulders, Nanjo gets out of it but Kitamiya elbows him in the chest.  Gutwrench suplex by Kitamiya, cover, but it gets a two count.  Kitamiya picks up Nanjo and applies a waistlock but Nanjo elbows out of it and hits an enzigieri.  Nanjo slaps Kitamiya in front of the corner, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a moonsault.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Nanjo goes off the ropes but Kitamiya catches him with a spear.  Kitamiya picks up Nanjo and hits a Water Wheel Drop, cover, but it Nanjo kicks out.  Kitamiya goes off the ropes but Nanjo catches him with a Stunner.  Falcon Arrow by Nanjo, cover, but Kitamiya gets a shoulder up.  Nanjo drops Kitamiya in front of the corner, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the Tornado Splash.  Cover, and he picks up the three count.  Your winner:  Hayato Nanjo

Match Thoughts:  Awww shit, it’s Miracle Man!  Haven’t seen him in quite a while, he has been actively wrestling still but generally in the smaller promotions.  He is kinda old now.  Anyway,  This was a really odd match to see start off the card and it was certainly wrestled as a really basic opener.  Mostly trading holds before a little action before Nanjo crushed Kitamiya’s face at the end with the Tornado Splash.  Kitamiya is still young and learning of course, I am not sure what he learned from this match but I guess trading holds with an old vet is never a bad thing for growth.  Not much to the match though, even if it is good to see Nanjo is still alive and kicking.  Score:  3.5

Bobby Fish and Jonah Rock vs. Yoshinari Ogawa and Hitoshi Kumano

Fish and Rock charge their opponents before the match starts, beating them down to the mat.  Kumano is isolated in the ring as he is stomped on by Fish and Rock, double Irish whip but Kumano ducks the lariat attempt and Rock runs into Fish.  Kumano dropkicks Rock as Ogawa comes back into the ring, double Irish whip to Fish in the corner and they both connect with running strikes.  Double vertical suplex to Fish, they Irish whip him again but Rock tags himself into the ring and hits a body block onto Kumano as Fish sends Ogawa out of the ring.  Rock picks up Kumano and pushes him to the mat before applying a reverse chinlock.  Kumano gets a foot on the ropes to break the hood, Rock pushes Kumano back into the corner and tags in Fish.  Snapmare by Fish, he goes to the apron and hits a slingshot senton.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Fish picks up Kumano and goes for a suplex, but Kumano blocks it.  Fish eventually is able to hit the suplex and he tags in Rock.  Rock picks up Kumano and hits a snap suplex, cover, but Ogawa breaks it up.  Rock pushes Kumano back into his corner and tags in Fish before stomping him down into a seated position.  Both wrestlers choke Kumano in the corner with their boots, Fish picks up Kumano but Kumano clubs him in the chest.  Fish returns with elbows, back kick by Fish and he tags in Rock.  Headbutt to the gut by Rock, he picks up Kumano and throws him into the corner before hitting a lariat.  Cover by Rock, but it gets a two count.  Rock picks up Kumano and chokes him in the corner, Irish whip by Rock but Kumano kicks him back as he charges in.  Roll-up by Kumano, but it only gets a two.  Rock kicks Kumano in the stomach and hits a scoop slam, he goes up to the second turnbuckle but Kumano rolls out of the way of the senton attempt and makes the hot tag to Ogawa.  Ogawa knocks Fish off the apron and then hits a jawbreaker on Rock followed by an enzigieri.

Irish whip by Ogawa to the corner, reversed, but Ogawa kicks Rock as he charges in.  Ogawa dives off the second turnbuckle, Rock catches him but Ogawa hits a DDT.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Ogawa goes off the ropes and goes for a sunset flip, but Rock grab shim around the neck.  Eye rake by Ogawa, he goes off the ropes but Rock catches him with a side slam.  Rock tags in Fish and Fish punches Ogawa in the stomach.  Ogawa ducks a high kick and goes off the ropes but Fish kicks him in the chest for a two count.  Fish drives Ogawa back into the corner and hits a Falcon Arrow, cover, but it gets a two. Fish picks up Ogawa and knees him in the stomach, Fish charges Ogawa but Ogawa hits a back elbow.  Ogawa throws Fish shoulder-first into the corner and then hits a backdrop suplex.  Ogawa tags in Kumano, Kumano goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick.  Cover by Kumano, but it gets a two count.  Kumano picks up Fish and hits a snap suplex, he rolls it over and hits another one.  Kumano goes for a Fisherman Suplex but Fish gets out of it and kicks Kumano.  Armbreaker slam by Kumano and he delivers the Fisherman Suplex, but it only gets a two count.  Kumano goes off the ropes but Fish slides out of the ring and then trips Kumano from the floor.  Rock comes in and knocks Ogawa off the apron, he then picks up Kumano and with Fish they hit a kick/Samoan Drop combination.  Kick to the side of the head by Fish, cover, but Ogawa breaks it up.  Fish picks up Kumano and gives him a kick combination but Kumano sneaks in small package for a two count.  Back up, Fish hits a gutbuster, cover, but Kumano barely kicks out.  Another kick combination by Fish ending with the Tombstone Kick, cover, and he picks up the three count.  Your winners:  Bobby Fish and Jonah Rock

Match Thoughts:   A few miscues here and there but generally a solid match.  Kumano is fun to watch as he has a fair amount of fire and always seems to put everything he has into a match.  Fish and Rock were serviceable here but Kumano was the one that seemed to be putting any real effort into the match as Ogawa generally just coasts along anyway.  Not a bad match but not really good either, just average.  Score:  5.0

MEN’s Teioh vs. Xtra Large

Tie-up to start, side headlock takedown by Teioh but Xtra Large gets out of it and both men return to their feet.  Wristlock by Teioh but Xtra Large reverses it and applies a hammerlock.  Teioh gets out of the hold, waistlock by Xtra Large but Teioh applies an armbar.  Xtra Large rolls out of it and reverses the hold but Teioh twists Xtra Large’s arm in the ropes and elbows him in the shoulder.  Snapmare by Teioh and he applies an armbar.  Teioh picks up Xtra Large and applies a side headlock, Xtra Large Irish whips out of it and they collide with neither man going down.  Xtra Large goes off the ropes and gets the same result, but when Teioh goes to run off the ropes he falls out of the ring.  Xtra Large goes out after him but Teioh keeps avoiding him, eventually hitting a shoulderblock back in the ring.  Irish whip by Teioh, Xtra Large flips himself out to the apron before flipping himself back in, and Xtra Large hits an armdrag followed by a dropkick.  Teioh falls out of the ring and pulls Xtra Large to the ring post, slamming his leg into it.  Teioh applies a figure four around the ring post before releasing the hold and returning to the ring.  Teioh kicks Xtra Large in the leg, Irish whip, Xtra Large goes for a kick but Teioh catches it and twists his leg around the second rope.  Teioh drags Xtra Large to the middle of the ring and slams his knee into the mat.  Teioh twists back on Xtra Large’s leg but releases the hold after a moment, punches by Teioh in the corner and he knees Xtra Large in the leg.  Irish whip by Teioh but Xtra Large moves when Teioh charges in.  Kicks by Xtra Large, Irish whip, and Xtra Large hits a running elbow followed by a kick to the chest.  Running knee by Xtra Large, cover, but it gets a two count.  Xtra Large positions Teioh, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Teioh avoids the twisting senton.  Elbows by Teioh to Xtra Large and he hits a roaring elbow.  Back up, kick by Xtra Large and he goes off the ropes, knee by Xtra Large but Teioh hits a one handed chokebomb.  Spinning toehold by Teioh, and Xtra Large submits.  Your winner:  MENA’s Teioh

Match Thoughts:  Speaking of random matches, where did this match come from?  Here are two random non-NOAH wrestlers with no connection to each other having a random mid-card match.  I mean it wasn’t actively bad or anything but it was more just a WTF moment, I think my head was tilted slightly to the right the entire match.  Very interesting pairing but not an exciting match.  Score:  4.0

Genba Hirayanagi, Harada, and Ohara vs. Nakajima, Taiji Ishimori, and Kotoge

Harada and Kotoge start things off.  They trade elbows and slaps to start, snapmare by Kotoge but Harada avoids the kick and both men return to their feet.  Waistlock by Harada and he throws Kotoge to the mat but Marufuji rolls out of the submission.  They get back up, wristlock by Harada but Kotoge hits a takedown.  Back up, Harada tags in Ohara and Kotoge tags in Ishimori.  Ishimori and Ohara circle each other, wristlock by Ohara and he applies an armbar.  Takedown by Ishimori and he hits a hurricanrana.  Dropkick by Ishimori and Ohara falls out of the ring, Ishimori goes to do a dive but Ohara moves so Ishimori flips himself back into the ring.  Ishimori tags in Nakajima and Ohara tags in Hirayanagi.  Nakajima and Hirayanagi tie-up, snapmare by Nakajima and he kicks Hirayanagi in the back.  Nakajima picks up Hirayanagi, kick by Hirayanagi, snapmare, and he rakes Nakajima in the eyes.  Waistlock by Nakajima, reversed by Hirayanagi but Nakajima reverses it back.  Wristlock by Hirayanagi, reversed by Nakajima but Hirayanagi gets to the ropes.  Nakajima re-applies it and he tags in Kotoge.  Wristlock by Kotoge and he clubs Hirayanagi in the arm.  Kotoge tags in Ishimori who keeps the wristlock applied, and Ishimori yanks on Hirayanagi’s arm before tagging Nakajima back in.  Wristlock by Nakajima and he tags in Kotoge.  Hammerlock by Kotoge but Hirayanagi drives him back and tags in Harada.  Harada stomps Kotoge down in the corner and they stand on Kotoge’s head.  Harada picks up Kotoge but Kotoge gets away, waistlock by Kotoge and he hits a jumping heel kick.  Ishimori and Nakajima get into the ring, they throw Harada into the corner but Harada fights them all off.  Harada puts Nakajima in the Tree of Woe, then puts Kotoge in the Tree of Woe as well.  Ishimori charges Harada but Harada kicks him and puts him in the Tree of Woe in the same corner as the other two.  Harada dropkicks Ishimori in the chest, Kotoge is Irish whipped but he hits a face crusher.  Kotoge goes off the ropes and hits a tope con giro down onto Harada and Hirayanagi.  Kotoge picks up Hirayanagi and slides him back into the ring, Irish whip, reversed, and Kotoge applies a choke over the top rope.  Kotoge gets on the apron, elbows by Hirayanagi and he goes off the ropes but Kotoge rolls into the ring and hits a cutter.  Kotoge goes out to the apron and he hits a swandive body press.  Cover, but Ohara breaks it up.

Kotoge fights off Ohara and Harada but Ohara dropkicks him in the chest.  Harada then hits a jumping elbow smash in the corner and Hirayanagi follows with a kick, cover, but it gets a two count.  Hirayanagi picks up Kotoge but Kotoge hits an enzigieri.  Kotoge tags in Nakajima, Irish whip by Nakajima and he knees Hirayanagi in the stomach.  Ohara comes in the ring but Nakajima boots Hirayanagi and dropkicks both of them out of the ring.  Nakajima hits a suplex onto Hirayanagi, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Nakajima picks up Hirayanagi and applies a waistlock, Hirayanagi gets out of it but Nakajima kicks him back.  Saito Suplex by Hirayanagi and he tags in Ohara.  Ohara picks up Nakajima and goes for a suplex but Nakajima goes down his back.  Backstabber by Ohara and he hits a swinging side slam.  Ohara grabs Nakajima and goes for the Muy Bien but Nakajima gets away.  Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Ohara but Nakajima kicks Ohara in the chest.  Nakajima tags in Ishimori while Harada is also tagged in, Ishimori throws Harada into the corner, reversed, but Ishimori goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick.  Double knee strike by Ishimori in the corner and he hits a handspring cutter.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Ishimori goes up to the top turnbuckle and he hits a diving double knee strike.  Cover, but Harada kicks out at two.  Ishimori picks up Harada and goes for the tombstone but Harada gets away.  Elbows by Ishimori but Harada elbows him back.  Harada goes off the ropes and he hits an overhead belly to belly suplex.  Kotoge comes in the ring to help but Hirayanagi comes in as well, Hirayanagi knocks Kotoge out of the ring but Nakajima runs in and knocks Hirayanagi out.  Ishimori and Ohara get in the ring as well, but Ishimori hits an enzigieri.  Harada goes up to the top turnbuckle and jumps off, but Ishimori dropkicks him in the chest as he jumps off.  Ishimori picks up Harada and he hits a double knee to the chest, cover, but it gets a two count.  Ishimori slams Harada in front of the corner, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Harada gets his knees up when he goes for the 450 Splash.  Harada picks up Ishimori, Irish whip, but when Ishimori goes for the handspring strike Harada catches him on his shoulders and hits a reverse fireman’s carry into a slam.  Cover, but both Nakajima and Kotoge break it up.  Harada picks up Ishimori and applies a waistlock, he goes for a German suplex but Ishimori lands on his feet.  Roll-up by Ishimori, but it gets a two count.  Ishimori goes off the ropes but Ishimori moves out of the way and hits a snap German suplex.  Henkei Knee Upper by Harada and he nails the Katayama German Suplex Hold for the three count.  Your winners:  Genba Hirayanagi, Daisuke Harada, and Hajime Ohara

Match Thoughts:  Once the match got rolling it was pretty fun, even though it took some time to get there.  The wristlock section near the beginning went too long and was just wasting time, trading wristlocks is fun and all but it shouldn’t be the focal move for several minutes.  But once they got into the fast tag/flying around portion of the match it got much more exciting, Kotoge and Harada in particular are good at the fast paced action and the other wrestlers were able to keep up without any issues.  There was some dead weight here but the majority was well done.  Overall a solid match.  Score:  6.0

Kenou vs. Mohammed Yone

Kenou attacks Yone as the bell is ringing and he chokes Yone with the streamers.  Kicks to the chest by Kenou and he kicks Yone in the head.  Yone elbows Kenou back but Kenou gets the kendo stick.  Kenou tosses the referee down, kick by Yone but Kenou hits Yone in the chest with the kendo stick.  Kenou chokes Yone with it and throws Yone out of the ring before throwing him into the guard rail.  Kenou throws Yone into the stands a few times while the referee is trying to get him to stop.  Kenou picks up Yone and slides him back into the ring, he gets up on the apron and hits a slingshot doublestomp.  Cover by Kenou, but it gets a two count.  Kick to the back by Kenou and to the chest, Yone slowly gets up to his feet and elbows Kenou back.  Both wrestlers trade elbows, Yone goes off the ropes but Kenou boots him in the face.  Kenou goes off the ropes but Yone returns the favor with a kick to the face.  Yone charges Kenou, Kenou kicks him back and sits on the top turnbuckle but Yone kicks him from the top turnbuckle down to the floor.  Yone goes out after Kenou and hits a running lariat.  Yone slides Kenou back into the ring, cover, but it gets a two count.  Yone picks up Kenou and slams him near the corner, he goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits the guillotine leg drop.  Cover, but Kenou kicks out.  Yone goes off the ropes but Kenou kicks him in the chest.  Another kick to the chest by Kenou  as he knocks Yone into the corner, Kenou charges Yone and hits a jumping double knee followed by a dropkick to the head.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Kenou delivers a heel kick, he picks up Yone, Irish whip, reversed, and Yone hits a lariat.  Kicks to the chest by Yone but Kenou catches one and throws Yone’s leg into the referee.  Kenou gets the kendo stick, the referee grabs it as well and Yone kicks Kenou in the head.  Lariat by Yone and he goes for the Muscle Buster, but Ohara runs down and interferes.  Kenou gets the kendo stick and hits Yone with it, and the referee calls for the bell.  Your winner by DQ:  Mohammed Yone

Match Thoughts:  I may have said this before, but still not thrilled that Yone is still winning/looking better against younger stars, he isn’t very good.  There wasn’t much to this match, lots of kicks to the chest, a little cheating, and then Kenou had to get saved from losing which then led to the DQ.  Kenou is quite good but didn’t show much here as the match was short and Yone was in control of a much of it.  I have no issue with DQ wins, but this just wasn’t a very good match.  Score:  3.5

KENTA vs. Shinya Ishikawa

They jockey to start, KENTA pushes Ishikawa into the corner and he gives a clean break.  They fight for position on the mat, KENTA gets Ishikawa’s back and goes for the cross armbreaker but Ishikawa gets into the ropes.  Back up, Ishikawa pushes KENTA into the ropes and Ishikawa hits an elbow strike.  They trade elbows, which KENTA gets the better of and he hits an elbow drop for a two count.  Reverse chinlock by KENTA, but Ishikawa gets a foot on the ropes.  Kicks to the chest by KENTA, Ishikawa gets back up and they trade elbows again, another battle that KENTA wins.  KENTA picks up Ishikawa and kicks him repeatedly in the chest, Irish whip, and KENTA connects with a back elbow.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  KENTA applies a reverse chinlock, but Ishikawa gets a foot on the bottom rope.  KENTA picks up Ishikawa and elbows him into the corner, but Ishikawa elbows him back.  Slap by KENTA, Ishikawa slaps him back and hits an elbow but KENTA elbows him back.  KENTA picks up Ishikawa, Irish whip, and KENTA knees Ishikawa in the stomach.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Ishikawa rolls out of the ring to re-group but KENTA goes out after him and throws Ishikawa into the guard rail.  KENTA slams Ishikawa on the exposed floor outside the ring before rolling back into the ring.  Ishikawa slowly gets up and crawls back in the ring, and KENTA stomps him as he comes in.  Kick to the chest by KENTA but Ishikawa elbows him back.  Elbows by Ishikawa, he goes off the ropes but KENTA catches him with a big boot to the face.  Uppercuts by KENTA, Irish whip, but Ishikawa boots KENTA as he charges in.  Another boot by Ishikawa and he hits a second turnbuckle missile dropkick.  Ishikawa picks up KENTA and elbows him back into the corner.  Irish whip by Ishikawa and he hits an elbow smash followed by a second one, cover by Ishikawa but KENTA kicks out at two.

Ishikawa applies a reverse chinlock but KENTA elbows out of it and knees Ishikawa in the stomach.  KENTA goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving lariat.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  KENTA applies a facelock but Ishikawa gets into the ropes to force a break.  Waistlock by KENTA, Ishikawa elbows out of it and KENTA goes off the ropes, but Ishikawa puts him in a cobra twist.  KENTA gets into the ropes to force a break, Ishikawa picks up KENTA, Irish whip, and KENTA knees Ishikawa in the stomach again.  KENTA goes out to the apron and hits a swandive missile dropkick followed by a running kick in the corner followed by a dropkick.  KENTA goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving doublestomp.  Cover by KENTA, but it only gets a two count.  KENTA picks up Ishikawa and goes for the Go 2 Sleep but Ishikawa slides off his shoulders and hits a powerslam for a two count.  KENTA picks up Ishikawa, elbow by Ishikawa but KENTA elbows him back.  Uppercut by KENTA, he goes off the ropes but Ishikawa delivers a dropkick.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Ishikawa picks up KENTA, elbows by Ishikawa and he hits a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count hold.  Ishikawa picks up KENTA but KENTA pushes him off, Irish whip by KENTA and he elbows Ishikawa in the stomach.  Irish whip by KENTA and he knees Ishikawa in the stomach again.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  KENTA puts Ishikawa in a crab hold but Ishikawa inches to the ropes and grabs them to get a break.  KENTA stomps Ishikawa but Ishikawa gets back up, and they trade slaps.  KENTA goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, cover, but it gets a two count.  KENTA hits a Tiger Suplex, cover, but he gets another two.  KENTA picks up Ishikawa and he hits a Go 2 Sleep.  Cover, and he picks up the three count.  Your winner:  KENTA

Match Thoughts:  I would have liked for Ishikawa to do a bit more in the match to KENTA, but it was still entertaining.  KENTA rarely has bad singles matches, he is just a really crisp wrestler that doesn’t really waste any time. The knees to the stomach were a bit excessive but I can’t fault him for targeting a body part, and he was consistent with strikes to that area during the entire match.  Ishikawa really didn’t get any near falls that were at all convincing, everyone knew KENTA was winning but I wish Ishikawa had just gotten a couple solid near falls to add a bit more suspense.  Still a good match though.  Score:  6.5

Naomichi Marufuji and Marvin vs. Nagata and Jushin Thunder Liger

Marufuji and Nagata start things off.  They jockey for position to start off, waistlock by Nagata but Marufuji reverses it with an armbar.  Nagata goes for a sleeper but Marufuji applies a wristlock, which Nagata reverses.  Marufuji flips out of the hold, side headlock takedown by Nagata but Marufuji applies a headscissors.  Nagata gets out of the headscissors and lets Marufuji stand back up.  Tie-up, Nagata pushes Marufuji into the ropes, Marufuji switches positions with him and he kicks Nagata in the head.  Nagata pushes Marufuji but Marufuji elbows Nagata and they trade elbows.  Big boot by Marufuji but Nagata returns fire, drop toehold by Marufuji but Nagata avoids the dropkick and both men return to their feet.  Nagata pushes Marufuji, Marufuji pushes Nagata back into his corner and slaps him before tagging in Marvin.  Nagata tags in Liger, side headlock by Marvin and he hits a handspring elbow strike.  Liger falls out of the ring and Marvin sails out onto him with a tope suicida.  Marvin returns to the ring and taunts Nagata, as Liger slowly gets back into the ring.  Cover by Marvin but it gets a two count.  Marvin picks up Liger, snapmare, and Marvin applies a reverse chinlock.  Marvin picks up Liger and throws him into his corner before tagging in Marufuji.  Marvin holds Liger so that Marufuji can exit the ring and hit a dropkick from the floor.  Marufuji takes Liger out of the ring and he throws Liger into the ring post.  Marufuji slides Liger back into the ring and twists his neck with his feet.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Marvin kicks Liger from the apron as he is tagged in, snapmare by Marvin and he applies an armbar to Liger.  Irish whip by Liger and he hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.  Marvin falls out of the ring, Nagata picks him up and holds him so that Liger can hit a baseball slide.  Nagata kicks Marvin outside of the ring.  Marufuji comes over and elbows Nagata, and they trade shots before Nagata throws Marufuji into the guard rail.  Liger picks up Marvin and throws him into the rail as well.  Nagata elbows Marvin and finally slides him back into the ring.  Liger applies the Mexican Surfboard to Marvin into the Romero Special before tagging in Nagata.  Nagata kicks Marvin around the ropes, Nagata picks up Marvin and hits him in the stomach.  Nagata stomps Marvin to the mat, he picks him up, Irish whip, and Nagata knees Marvin in the stomach.

Crab hold by Nagata and he tags in Liger.  Liger applies a stretch hold to Marvin, while Nagata and Marufuji trade elbows outside of the ring.  Liger picks up Marvin and elbows him in the head before raking Marvin in the eyes.  Liger and Nagata choke Marvin in the corner with their boots and Liger tags in Nagata.  Nagata hits an overhead belly to belly suplex on Marvin, cover, but it gets a two count.  Nagata stomps Marvin, he picks up Marvin and knees Marvin in the stomach.  Nagata tags in Liger, Liger waits for Marvin to get up and goes off the ropes but Marufuji avoids the Shotei and hits an enzigieri.  Marvin tags in Marufuji and Marufuji elbows Liger in the corner.  Stomps by Marufuji but Nagata hits him from behind.  Irish whip by Marufuji but Nagata reverses it and delivers a dropkick.  Liger goes off the ropes but so does Marufuji and Marufuji hits a lariat.  Marufuji picks up Liger and hoes for the Shiranui but Liger pushes him off.  Kick combination by Marufuji, cover, but it gets a two count.  Marufuji picks up Liger but Liger catches him with a Shotei.  Liger tags in Nagata and Nagata kicks Marufuji into the corner.  Irish whip by Nagata and he hits the big boot and goes for an exploder, but Marufuji blocks it.  Boot to the face by Nagata but Marufuji fires back with an elbow and they trade blows.  Marufuji goes off the ropes and hits a big boot, he goes for a lariat but Nagata ducks it and hits an exploder.  Nagata grabs Marufuji and goes for a brainbuster but Marufuji gets out of it and hits a superkick.  Marufuji tags in Marvin, Marvin goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a rope-running dropkick onto Liger.  Marvin then hits a jumping elbow in the corner onto Nagata, big boot by Nagata but Marvin fires back with a springboard kick.  Shining Wizard by Marvin, cover, but Nagata kicks out at two.  Marvin picks up Nagata and goes for an exploder but Nagata blocks it and applies the seated armbar.  Marufuji breaks it up and Marvin hits Nagata from behind with a backstabber.  Double superkick to Nagata, Liger comes back into the ring and throws Marufuji out of it.  Liger hits a Shotei onto Marvin, then Nagata hits a jumping knee in the corner.  Brainbuster by Nagata, cover, but Marufuji breaks it up.  Liger throws Marufuji out of the ring as Nagata picks up Marvin and hits the backdrop suplex hold for the three count.  Your winners:  Jushin Thunder Liger and Yuji Nagata

Match Thoughts:   I wish this match didn’t have Marvin.  Marvin is a fine wrestler but he was just such an obvious ‘fall guy’ in the match.  Having a fall guy is hardly a new thing in wrestling but for an inter-promotional match such as this I’d have preferred it be a little less obvious.  The action itself was fine, both teams worked well together and Liger is still fun to watch even though he is almost 50 years old.  It didn’t have as much ‘heat’ as I would have expected but Nagata and Marufuji got into it a few times and overall it was a good match. Score:  6.0

(c) Shane Haste and Nicholls vs. Morishima and Maybach Taniguchi

This match is for the GHC Tag Team Championship.    Morishima and Taniguchi attack the champions as the bell rings, and they toss Haste and Nicholls out of the ring.  Taniguchi and Morishima knock their opponents around the ring and into the crowd, with Haste and Taniguchi returning to the ring after a few minutes.  Taniguchi and Haste trade elbows, uppercuts by Haste and he delivers a dropkick.  Taniguchi falls out of the ring, Haste goes off the far ropes and sails out onto both Taniguchi and Morishima with a backflip plancha splash.  Nicholls slides Taniguchi back into the ring for Haste and gets in the ring as well, double Irish whip to Taniguchi and they hit a double elbow strike followed by a fist drop/standing moonsault combination.  Morishima comes in the ring, but he is dropped with a back suplex/cutter.  Haste and Nicholls lariat Taniguchi in the corner, Haste goes up to the top turnbuckle but Morishima pushes him off the top turnbuckle to the floor.  Taniguchi throws Nicholls out of the ring and then hits a double ax handle off the apron. Ohara and Morishima attack Haste out on the floor, and Morishima chokes Haste with a chair.  Morishima throws Haste into the ring post as Kenou kicks Nicholls elsewhere on the floor.  Back in the ring, Taniguchi covers Haste but it gets a two count.  Taniguchi stomps Haste and throws him in the corner before tagging in Morishima.  Morishima chokes Haste against the second rope and hits a butt smash in the corner.  Another butt smash by Morishima and he tags in Taniguchi.  Taniguchi clubs Haste in the back and he elbows Haste, but Haste uppercuts him back.  Taniguchi throws Haste out of the ring and he throws Haste into the guard rail.  Taniguchi gets a table from under the ring and sets it up at ringside, he goes over to the table and tries to powerbomb Haste but Haste blocks it.  Haste grabs Taniguchi and tries to suplex Taniguchi into the table but Taniguchi blocks that and throws Haste into the guard rail.  Taniguchi grabs Haste and slides him back into the ring, and Taniguchi tags in Morishima.  Snapmare by Morishima and he applies a camel clutch to Haste.  Ohara then runs in the ring and he dropkicks Haste in the face. Morishima stomps Haste in the stomach, he picks him up and tags in Taniguchi.  Haste tries to fight out of the corner but he is punched in the stomach.

Taniguchi stomps Haste in the head and the chest, Taniguchi applies a crab hold but Nicholls breaks it up.  Taniguchi throws Nicholls out of the ring while Morishima hits a running body press onto Haste.  Taniguchi puts Haste in a single leg crab hold but Haste gets to the ropes.  Taniguchi tags in Morishima and Morishima pushes Haste into the corner.  Morishima charges Haste but Haste boots him back and hits an uppercut off the second turnbuckle.  Haste manages to make the tag to Nicholls, Nicholls knocks Taniguchi off the apron and goes off the ropes, Taniguchi grabs him but Nicholls elbows him off.  Morishima charges Nicholls but Nicholls moves and Morishima falls out of the ring.  Nicholls then goes off the ropes and jumps out of the ring onto Taniguchi and Morishima.  Nicholls slides Morishima back into the ring, Irish whip to the corner and he hits a lariat.  Irish whip by Nicholls and he hits another lariat, Irish whip, reversed, but Nicholls hits a third lariat which sends Morishima off his feet.  Lariat by Nicholls to a seated Morishima, cover, but it gets a two count.  Nicholls picks up Morishima but Morishima elbows him off and they trade strikes.  Nicholls goes off the ropes but Taniguchi hits him from the apron, and Morishima tags in Taniguchi.  Lariat by Taniguchi in the corner, Irish whip, and he hits another one.  Taniguchi goes for the chokeslam but Nicholls elbows out of it, Nicholls goes off the ropes but Taniguchi hits a powerslam. Morishima comes in the ring and knocks Haste off the apron, Nicholls is thrown into the corner and Morishima hits a lariat.  Spinebuster by Taniguchi, cover, but it gets a two count.  Taniguchi picks up Nicholls and goes for the powerbomb, but Nicholls blocks it.  Chokeslam by Taniguchi, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Nicholls has recovered and joins him up there.  Superplex by Nicholls and he hits a spinebuster.  Nicholls tags in Haste and Haste dropkicks Taniguchi.  Haste hits a heel kick to both Taniguchi and Morishima, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the corner to corner dropkick.  Cover by Haste, but Taniguchi barely gets a shoulder up.

Irish whip by Haste, reversed, Haste runs into the referee and Taniguchi hits a low blow.  Taniguchi tags in Morishima, Morishima goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick.  Lariat by Morishima to Haste, cover, but it gets a two count.  Morishima goes off the ropes but Haste levels him with a lariat.  Sit-down powerbomb by Haste, cover, but Morishima kicks out.  Haste picks up Morishima and lariats him in the back, he goes for another one but Morishima ducks it and hits a release German suplex.  Back kick by Haste and he hits an uppercut, but Morishima fires back with a lariat.  Morishima goes off the ropes and delivers another lariat, cover, but it gets a two count. Morishima hits the backdrop suplex onto Haste, cover, but Nicholls barely breaks it up in time.  Taniguchi throws Nicholls out of the ring, Morishima goes for another backdrop suplex but Haste blocks it and nails the Bomb Valley Death.  Cover, but Taniguchi pulls the referee out of the ring.  Nicholls gets in the ring, they pick up Morishima but Kenou and Ohara run into the ring to help out.  Taniguchi hits both Haste and Nicholls with a stick, but Jonah Rock comes in the ring and clears out Kenou.  Meanwhile Taniguchi picks up Nicholls and chokeslams him from the ring down to the floor, through the table.  Haste is back up and hits Morishima, but Taniguchi hits him in the back with his metal stick.  Taniguchi then picks up Haste and drops him with a powerbomb.  The referee is slid back into the ring, Morishima picks up Haste and drops him with a backdrop suplex.  Cover, and he picks up the three count.  Your winners and new champions:  Takeshi Morishima and Maybach Taniguchi

Match Thoughts:  For the bulk of this match, this is about as good as the Morishima Army can be.  Lots of hard hits, lots of cheating, and great general destruction.  Some parts were a little bit slow, I don’t know if crab holds fit into the rest of the action, but overall it was a good chaos-type match.  The chokeslam through the table was sick and it just made the ending all the more… definite.  You knew Nicholls couldn’t break up any pin attempts since he was dead on the floor, and Haste wasn’t kicking out of that, so you knew the Morishima Army had taken the belts.  A really fun brawl.  Score:  7.5

Final Thoughts:

Best Match: Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls vs. Takeshi Morishima and Maybach Taniguchi.   As far as controlled chaos brawls, this was a good one.  It wasn’t a 100% crazy brawl but they did it enough that just as you got comfortable there was interference or weapons or something else.  Sometimes it doesn’t work, but here it did.  Haste and Nicholls are really fun and this is the right spot for Taniguchi to be.

MVP:  Maybach Taniguchi.  In the main event, Taniguchi left the biggest impression.  This is his type of match, he isn’t the best wrestler and isn’t a young guy, but he is a bigger wrestler that can convincingly powerbomb people and chokeslam them through tables.  He never really seemed to be in trouble in this match, he was just a dominating force.  I hope he stays in this role as if he takes off the mask he is just going to turn into a bland babyface again.

Overall:  The event started slow but picked up by the end.  NOAH’s roster is a bit weak right now so filling up full cards can be difficult for them unless they get quality freelancers.  Hayato Nanjo, Bobby Fish, MEN’s Teioh, and Xtra Large aren’t bad wrestlers but they don’t really add anything to the card.  The last match ended the card on a positive note though, and there were a few other solid matches.  As an entire event I wouldn’t really recommend it but there are some bright spots here.

Grade: C

For profiles of Puroresu wrestlers and older reviews, check out my website Puroresu Central!

Possible Plans For The WWE World Championship Should Bryan Be Stripped

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Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

As noted, WWE is expected to announce the official decision on what they’re going to do with the WWE World Heavyweight Title on tonight’s RAW.
Dave Meltzer noted in The Wrestling Observer that one potential scenario is to put top Superstars into a Money In the Bank ladder match at the June 29th Money In the Bank pay-per-view and instead of having a future title shot up for grabs, have the winner get the title itself.

Given that Payback is already booked up, if they decide to strip Bryan of the title this week it’s possible we won’t see a new champion crowned until Money In the Bank.

Wrestling News: Vince McMahon, Ric Flair on Smackdown, And Sabu to Retire?

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Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

From just before WrestleMania XXX until now, Vince McMahon has lost around $842 million of on-paper worth, with around $360 million of that being earlier this month. Vince is still worth around $700 million.

One person that has been associated with Vince for a while noted to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer that the mainstream media and business publication coverage of how much money he lost and about how he’s no longer a billionaire will drive him crazy. It was said that the actual loss of the stock money isn’t going to bother him.

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Source: PWInsider

– Ric Flair is expected to be at Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings in Atlanta. At last word, Flair still hadn’t completed WWE’s medical testing so it’s likely he will be there just to visit or do WWE Network interviews. As noted before, Scott Hall will also be there for Network interviews.

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– ECW Original Sabu was reportedly advised by doctors earlier this year that he needed to retire after breaking several bones in his arm during a match. Sabu continues to wrestle on the indies and on international tours, and has told people he has no intentions of retiring.

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– Adam Rose has been tweeting about Jack Swagger breaking away from Zeb Colter. Here’s some of what he wrote:

“Do you think if Jacky boy got away from grumpy pants @WWEZeb he would want to party? I think so! I think we should start a campaign to separate jacky boy and @WWEZeb! Let’s free Jacky from the grumpy super lemon!!! #wwe #rosebud #FreeJackyBoy from @WWEZeb!!!! Let’s try get this message out! #wwe #rosebud”

See No Evil 2 Details; Kane’s New Look, Changes Made, More

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There is still no official release date for WWE Studios’ See No Evil 2 starring Kane but it’s still expected for an October release. Kyle P. sent word that UpcomingHorrorMovies.com recently updated their page on See No Evil 2 and the MPAA rating has been announced as R for “horror violence, some gore, and sexual content.” WWE Studios’ Michael Luisi noted last fall that they were pushing for hard R ratings.

The Soska Twins, who directed the movie, recently spoke with RenegadeCinema.com. They felt that the first See No Evil fell short of creating a character that was close to horror legends like Freddy Kreuger and Michael Myers so in the new movie, Kane’s Jacob Goodnight character has a new look, his own theme music and an array of new weapons. The Soska Twins are hoping everyone will be surprised by the movie.

They also hope to change how women in horror are perceived with See No Evil 2. They tried to create smart characters that would give Goodnight a run for his money with actresses Katharine Isabelle and Danielle Harris.

The Soska Twins noted that while American Mary, which is an insane horror movie available on Netflix, was low budget and involved producers declining many of their requests, the WWE Studios producers gave them a lot of room to work with. They say the movie might just bring the horror genre back to its heights that it soared 30 years ago.

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