Garcia Victorious in Return

By Frank Bartolini, Ringside

No other region on this earth is as ethnically diverse as the five boroughs that encompass New York City. The population of Brooklyn represents that fact. This was truly the case on the evening of July 30 at the Barclays Center when Danny “Swift” Garcia, a Philadelphian who is proud of his Puerto Rican heritage, faced Mexican American Jose Benavidez Jr. in the twelve round junior middleweight main event. The heavyweight semi-windup pitted Polish native Adam Kownacki against Ali Eren Demirezen of German-based Turk. Cuban junior welterweight Rances Barthelemy and Ukrainian middleweight Sergiy Derevyanchenko competed in separate contests on the undercard. All these combatants were well represented in the audience with either flags or shirts displaying national colors.  

Danny Garcia returned to his home away from home, the Barclays Center, to face contender Jose Benavidez of Phoenix. This was the former two-weight division world champion Garcia’s first venture into the junior middleweight ranks. He weighed 152 ¾ lbs. Leading up to the fight, many questions were asked about Garcia, who was coming off a nineteen-month layoff (L12 Errol Spence). Have Garcia's skills faded? Can he still pack a punch in a higher weight class? Will Garcia shake off the rust accumulated during his long layoff? This was Garcia's ninth time fighting in The Barclays Center and the crowd of approximately 9,500 fans exhibited its appreciation by roaring upon his entry into the arena.  

From the onset, Garcia started fast and maintained a good pace throughout. Benavidez,153 ¾ lbs., could not match Garcia’s punch rate. During the second round, Garcia darted in and out as Benavidez became more aggressive trying to stunt Danny’s offense. However, beyond this point it was all Garcia as he moved well to avoid being hit while scoring counter right hands. Garcia took full control of the action and began landing combinations to both the head and body while the house cheered “DANNY, DANNY, DANNY” in round five.  

Trying to change the momentum, Benavidez pressed the action during the ninth stanza and it was the only session he clearly won. Closing out the fight, Garcia looked sensational in the final three minutes throwing beautiful, fast flurries. At the end, everyone in the building believed beyond a doubt that Danny had won. That is, everyone except for the official judges. Garcia, who is now 37-3, 21 KOs, won a majority decision by scores of 114-114 (Waleska Roldan), 116-112 (Glen Feldman), and 117-111 (Tony Paolillo). This writer had it 119-110 for Garcia, ten rounds to one with one even. Benavidez slipped to 27-2-1, 18 KOs.

This grand performance by Garcia not only extended his career it catapulted him into the junior middleweight rankings. In the days following the romp, Keith Thurman went on social media calling for Garcia to face him in a rematch. Garcia lost a close twelve round nod to Thurman in March of 2017 in a world welterweight unification tilt staged at The Barclays Center. One promoter said he finds Garcia vs. Connor Benn an intriguing match up and would like to promote it. Whispers of Garcia challenging WBA world middleweight champion Erislandy Lara, at a catch weight, are also circulating. Others have said Garcia is in line to meet physical anomaly 6’ 5 ½” Sebastian Fundora. With all these options, Garcia would be wise to enter the ring by year's end while he is still a hot commodity.

DEMIREZEN BEATS KOWNACKI

It was not long ago that Polish-born heavyweight Adam Kownacki, Brooklyn, NY, was a world rated contender in line for a chance to battle for the world heavyweight championship. But after losing his third straight against Ali Eren Demirezen, Hamburg, Germany, Kownacki's days as a world ranked fighter seem to be over. Nearly half of Kownacki's, 251¼ lbs., professional boxing career has taken place at the same venue. Polish fans came in droves and Kownacki admirers had plenty to root for following the first two rounds. Kownacki slowed down in the third and Demirezen got the better of the action from this point forward.

Both boxers threw plenty of punches, and combined, unleashed almost eighteen hundred blows over ten rounds. A humongous tally for heavyweights. By throwing and scoring more power shots Demirezen had the left side of Kownacki's face looking horrible. Demirezen, 272 ¾ lbs., got off first and landed a straight right that opened a gash over Kownacki’s left eye. Brawling and rough housing kept Kownacki in the fight and many felt the fan-favorite might receive a hometown nod. However, judges Steve Weisfeld and Martha Tremblay (97-93) and Mark Consentino (96-94) all scored the fight in favor of Demirezen, 17-1, 12 KOs. Kownacki, 203, 15 KOs, must re-evaluate his career. It will be a long road back for Kownacki.

RUSSELL STOPS BARTHELEMY

Competing for the first time in his life without his late father in his corner, Gary Antuanne Russell, Capitol Heights, MD, 137 ¾ lbs., kept his knockout streak alive with a controversial stoppage of Cuban native Frances Barthelemy, Las Vegas, NV. Gary Russell Sr. passed away suddenly in May, and his son, former WBC world featherweight king Gary Russell Jr. took over his duties of training and working in his younger brother's corner. An even battle until round six, southpaw Russell setup right hook to the jaw of Barthelemy, 139 ½ lbs., by dipping low before unleashing the bomb. Barthelemy fell to the deck and rose quickly, walking himself to a neutral corner. For reasons unknown to anyone, referee Shada Murdaugh called off the match. A cognitive and stable Barthelemy looked perfectly fine to continue the scheduled ten-rounder. The time of the stoppage was 50 seconds of round six. Russell's record remains unblemished at 16-0, 16 KOs. Barthelemy must rebuild with a slate of 29-2-1, 15 KOs.

DEREVYANCHENKO SCORES WIN

On the undercard, Ukrainian Sergiy Derevyanchenko. 159½ lbs., obtained his first victory in three years. Derevyanchenko out-punched journeyman Joshua Conley, San Bernardino, CA, over ten rounds. Conley, 160 lbs., gave a game effort but fell to 17-4-1, 11 KOs. All three judges gave the fight to Derevyanchenko, now 14-4, 10 KOs, by wide margins: Allen Nace and Don Trella had it 99-91, while John Basile scored it 98-92.

Results from Brooklyn

By Luis A. Cortes III, Ringside

A boisterous crowd of 8,811 jammed into the bottom bowl of the Barclays Center to cheer on the current heavyweight fighting pride of Poland Adam Kownacki (20-1)(15 KO's).  Robert Helenius (30-3)(19 KO's), the former European champion, looked to play major spoiler and derail the Kownacki express.

Helenius shocks Kownacki in four

It took just one semi feel out round before the action started in round two. Both Kownacki and Helenius were more than happy to please the enthusiastic crowd by exchanging bombs.  This continued in the third round as Helenius was clearly hurt by a stabbing right hand to the body.  He was able to circle away and survive the incoming bombs from Kownacki.

As round four started, Helenius continued to circle away from the pressure of Kownacki, but Kownacki attacked when he felt he had Helenius trapped in the corner.  During their exchange, Helenius landed a straight right and Kownacki went down.  Quickly rising to his feet, the referee ruled it a slip.  As the action continued, Helenius landed another right hand but followed it with a straight left that floored Kownacki.

The ending came at the 1:08 mark of the fourth round when Kownacki wasn't able to avoid the barrage of power punches that followed from Helenius.  With Kownacki having his back on the ropes and resorting to covering up for protection, the fight was called off.

Ajagba stops Cojanu in the ninth to stay perfect

Entering the seventh round, Efe Ajagba (13-0)(11 KO's) was happy with not allowing Razvan Cojanu (17-7)(9 KO's) inside of his range.  Continuing to improve his boxing skills and not wanting to be known for his power punching alone, Ajagba landed clean shots at will.  Cojanu to his credit, tried to force a slugfest to try and land clean on Ajagba.

Towards the end of the eighth round, Ajagba landed a left hook and looping right hand that hurt Cojanu and forced him to take knee.  Cojanu rose to his feet, but the ending was all but decided.  Cojanu earned the right to give it one last chance in the ninth round, but more power shots from Ajagba almost closed his left eye and forced him to wilt from the punishment.  The fight was waved off at the 2:46 mark of round nine.

Ajgaba -

Cojanu has a lot of experience. When I threw my jab, he used his right hand to block my vision, so I couldn't throw as many combinations as I wanted. It was a good challenge.

Ronnie told me to attack the body behind the jab. It was very effective and it started to slow him down. When he got close to me, I knew to throw more and punish him.

Sanchez wins ten round decision over Dawejko

After two rounds of feeling each other out, Frank Sanchez (15-0)(11 KO's) started to establish his jab a bit.  Joey Dawejko (20-8)(11 KO's) continued to stand his ground and chase Sanchez, who was happy with boxing from a safe distance.  Dawejko was able to slip most of the power shots from Sanchez, but wasn't active enough with counter shots to win the rounds clearly.

The action picked up some in the fifth round after Dawejko landed a left hook to the body, and Sanchez responded with a hard straight right.  After the exchange, the fighters were in a clinch and there was blood coming from over the left eye of Dawejko.

Heading into the tenth and final round, the fight continued to have the same pattern. Dawejko followed Sanchez around trying to start a fight, and Sanchez was content to box in circles behind a jab, with the occasional right hand.  The fight wasn't in question with Sanchez winning a unanimous decision by scores of 98-92 and 100-90 twice.

Dawejko - 

I knew he was going to fight on the outside and he stayed on the outside. Not much to say, he just did what he had to do.

He was scared that's why he was running around. He kept jumping back and staying away, so I guess he made it easy on the judges.

Sanchez -

I was well prepared and I thought I fought very well tonight. I dominated the fight. I showed good footwork and movement and did exactly what we worked on.

I didn't want to fight Dawejko's fight, and he realized that and it frustrated him. He might have thought he's faced guys like me, but there's no other heavyweight like me.

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Showtime Stumbles in 2020 Barclays Debut

By Milo Taibi

Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza came under heavy scrutiny in 2019 for the network's boxing coverage. Desirable PBC events went to Fox pay-per-view or Fox cable networks, while Showtime had to settle for pedestrian fight cards. In the wake of HBO's departure from the sweet science, it was fair to wonder if premium TV wasn't long for boxing.

To Espinoza's credit, he and the network remained steadfast in their dedication to boxing, rolling out a stellar schedule for the first quarter of 2020. By the time Showtime arrived in Brooklyn for its Jan. 25th broadcast, the network had already staged two previous events in the year. Claressa Shields kicked the year off with a Jan. 10th title defense over Ivana Habazin, and Shohjahon Ergashev headlined a Jan. 17th ShoBox from Sloan, Iowa. These entertaining events provided upsets- such as Elin Cederroos' triumph over Alicia Napoleon Espinosa- and viral knockouts, like Ergashev's sickening body shot stoppage of Adrian Estrella.

However, it would be a herculean task to maintain this success throughout the year. And indeed, Showtime's momentum fell flat at the Barclays Center. The night featured a triple-header of Stephen Fulton vs. Arnold Khegai, Jarrett Hurd vs. Francisco Santana, and Danny Garcia vs. Ivan Redkach. Many in boxing circles had correctly predicted that Fulton vs. Khegai would steal the show; what pundits didn't anticipate was the co-main and main event being comprised of 22 uncompetitive rounds of boxing.

The super bantamweight scrap between "Cool Boy" Fulton and Khegai offered a terrific clash of styles. Khegai, the bruiser, used relentless pressure and dirty tactics to bully Fulton in early rounds. A pure boxer, Stephen survived these scares and used his superior footwork to claim a wide decision. Similar to fellow Philadelphian Jaron "Boots" Ennis, Fulton used Showtime's exposure to put himself on the map with an early 2020 victory.

The night's malaise started with Jarrett Hurd's tune-up fight with Francisco Santana. A journeyman who was fighting up a weight class, Santana posed no threat to Hurd. The fight amounted to a 10-round sparring session; an opportunity for Hurd to shake off the ring rust after he'd been unseated for the WBA and IBF titles by Julian "J Rock" Williams. As Paulie Malignaggi astutely pointed out on the Showtime Boxing Podcast, there's nothing wrong with Hurd taking this type of fight to ease himself back into contention. The problem is subjecting premium TV viewers to a fight devoid of stakes. Whereas Fulton's fight whetted the public's appetite for a world title shot, Hurd's fight had an opposite effect. Rather, many fans wondered aloud what happened to the old Jarrett Hurd.

Accomplished welterweight Danny "Swift" Garcia closed the show with a stay-busy fight against Ivan Redkach. While not an ideal main event, the fight was practical as each boxer had more preferable matchups fall through in a similar timeframe. Garcia had been slated to face Errol Spence Jr. before "The Truth" was injured in a car crash. Meanwhile, Redkach was reportedly set to fight Adrien Broner, before myriad legal issues sidelined the Cincinnati native.

Redkach's cagey nature, coupled with Garcia's counter-punching prowess, ostensibly could have led to fun exchanges and an early night. This was not to be, as Redkach's inability to close distance led to a shutout decision win for Garcia. The only memorable moment from the fight came when Redkach bit Garcia's shoulder in the eighth round.

Garcia did all that he could to finish Redkach, and in his post-fight interview cited frustration with referee Benjy Esteves for not stopping the fight. The remark was warranted. Following a brutal 2019 which saw two boxers in US events succumb to injuries suffered in the ring, a sport-wide priority needs to be circumventing senseless punishment. After the 7th or 8th round, when it was plainly obvious that Redkach had no path to victory, either Esteves, a ringside physician, or trainer Jack Mosley should have stepped in to stop the contest.

Though the fight won't be remembered as a fan favorite, Garcia's win left him well-positioned for a potential pay-per-view showdown with Manny Pacquiao. And, similarly, Showtime remains primed for a bounce-back 2020 despite Saturday's misfire. ShoBox has two events scheduled through February, and Gary Russell Jr.'s Feb. 8th featherweight title defense against Tugstsogt Nyambayar has the potential to be a Fight of the Year candidate. Boxing is better off with Showtime at the top of its game; let's hope Saturday night proved to be an anomaly.

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ANGEL GARCIA "WE WANT THURMAN REMATCH! ITS A PERFECT FIGHT FOR US WE NEED THAT REMATCH!"

Video by Luis A. Cortes III

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IVAN REDKACH "I'M GONNA BEAT DANNY GARCIA DOWN!" - GARCIA VS REDKACH

Video by Luis A. Cortes III

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NXT TakeOver New York Recap

By Steve Ward

The marquee weekend of the year for professional wrestling kicked off this evening as NXT Takeover New York emanated from the bustling mecca of Brooklyn sports - The Barclays Center. The highly anticipated five match card featured all of the NXT titles, in addition to the NXT UK Title, contested and was highlighted by Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano for the vacant NXT Title.

NXT Tag Team Championship

War Raiders (c) vs. Aleister Black & Ricochet

Winners: War Raiders via pinfall

The explosive night of action kicked off with War Raiders (I still find myself wanting to call them War Machine but I digress) defending their tag team championship against the winners of the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic - Aleister Black and Ricochet. Many labeled this bout a clash of styles but these two teams rapidly proved all who bared witness to be utterly wrong. Not only did Ricochet impress the crowd with a testament to his strength conditioning as he perfectly executed a Scott Hall-esque fall away slam on Hanson but Hanson later drove the WWE Universe to a fever pitch as he launched himself from the top turnbuckle to the outside where he laid waste to all of the other competitors with a cannonball splash. This match reached it’s conclusion as War Raiders obliterated Ricochet with a barrage of devastating tandem offense as they first connected on Thor’s Hammer and followed it up with Fallout (a guillotine leg drop delivered by Hanson from the top turnbuckle while Rowe held Ricochet) to get the 1-2-3 and retain their titles.

NXT North American Championship

Velveteen Dream (c) vs. Matt Riddle

Winner: Velveteen Dream

This contest pitted Velveteen Dream in his first defense of the North American Championship since supplanting Johnny Gargano as champ against former UFC star “The Original Bro” Matt Riddle. After the bout commenced with Velveteen Dream attempting to rattle the cage of Riddle with his antics and a stomp to his bare foot, The Original Bro proceeded to display a proficient ring IQ as he attempted to break down the champ with a fusion of wrestling and MMA tactics. Dream was able to bring himself back into the match, however, with a Hulk Hogan big boot, a Fameasser, and a Codebreaker. Late in the match, Dream averted certain disaster again as he survived another onslaught of offense from Riddle. First, Riddle stood on the middle rope and German suplexed Dream back into the ring, then he scaled to the top turnbuckle and beautifully landed The Floating Bro (a moonsault that twists into a senton), and lastly cinched in The Bromission. Just moments before the capacity crowd thought a submission was imminent, Velveteen Dream rolled over with the hold still locked in and was able to pin Riddle’s shoulders down for the pinfall.

NXT UK Championship

Pete Dunne (c) vs. Walter

Winner: Walter via pinfall

At first glance, the lumbering Walter (yes, that’s his entire ring name) from Vienna, Austria is reminiscent of how one might imagine a Gestapo version of Lenny from the classic, and fixture of many high school reading lists, Of Mice and Men. All jokes aside, the undefeated 6’4” sports entertainer proved to be The Bruiserweight’s most imposing threat to date for his 685 day title reign. Walter dictated the course of the action for the majority of the match by imposing his size and strength on Pete Dunne. While Dunne put forth a spirited defense loaded with several applications of his signature joint manipulation and utilization of his speed advantage, The Ring General was just too much in the end. After a vicious big boot to the jaw of Dunne turned the tides of his late push, Walter then power bombed the defending champ from the top rope and as if that wasn’t enough, he ascended to the top rope and came down with a near 300 lb splash which proved to be the final nail in the coffin of Dunne’s title reign.

NXT Women’s Championship Fatal 4-Way Match

Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Kairi Sane vs. Bianca Belair vs. Io Shirai

Winner: Shayna Baszler via submission

After imposing her will on the NXT Women’s division with her Horsewomen cohorts for several weeks and ruining efforts to crown a number one contender, Commissioner William Regal declared that the Queen of Spades would defend her title in a fatal 4-way match. The ladies kept the action at a frenetic pace throughout this contest. Without the other Horsewomen at ringside, Baszler withstood Belair’s KOD, Kairi Sane’s Insane Elbow, and a moonsault from Io Shirai as it seemed her reign of dominance was about to end. After Bianca Belair hoisted both Shirai and Sane on her shoulders and dropped them with a brutal KOD, Baszler came from out of nowhere to trap Belair in the Kirifuda Clutch for the submission victory.

NXT Championship Two out of Three Falls Match

Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole

Winner: Johnny Gargano

The NXT Championship was originally set to be defended by Tommaso Ciampa against Johnny Gargano until neck surgery unfortunately put him on the shelf and required him to relinquish his title. Adam Cole earned his spot in the match after he survived a brutal fatal 5-way match against Velveteen Dream, Matt Riddle, Aleister Black, and Ricochet a couple weeks ago on NXT TV. With one fall separating Johnny Gargano from leaving New York with the NXT Championship, the entire Barclays Center rose to their feet generating an electricity fitting of this title bout. The end of the match did not arrive without one more feat of adversity for Gargano to overcome as the other three members of the Undisputed Era attempted to push Adam Cole to his first NXT Championship. After Gargano overcame the trio of Fish, Strong, and O’Reilly, it appeared Adam Cole was still going to triumph as he measured a seated Gargano up for a kick to the back of his head. At the last second, Gargano ducked out of the way and trapped Cole in the Gargano Escape for the submission victory.

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The Devil is in the Details: Wilder Returns to Showtime May 18th

By Luis A. Cortes III

To say that the rumors swirling around the next fight for WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder (40-0-1)(39 KOs) were too many to count would be an understatement.  The biggest rumor circulating was that DAZN and Matchroom Boxing USA had offered a three fight deal worth upwards of $100 million to the Wilder camp.  When it became apparent that Wilder, who is a promotional free agent and is managed by the legendary Shelly Finkel, would not take the large offer, outcry against the champion began to occur from many boxing insiders and fans throughout the world of social media.

Involved in the proposed deal was $20 million for a first fight in May against a top contender and his mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale (21-1)(18 KOs), as well as two fights against the unified WBA/WBO/IBF champion Anthony Joshua (22-0)(21 KOs), with a reported $40 million for the first fight and a subsequent rematch being offered.  What was not accounted for was the fact that while the numbers were high and there were guarantees from the streaming service DAZN, the fights against Joshua would determine who the best heavyweight in the world is and would be tantamount to the largest business that the sport.  It would be the type of financial gain that would make past super fights like Lewis vs. Tyson look small.  These super fights between the two champions would no doubt equal a huge bump in terms of paid subscriptions to DAZN.  Something that Wilder in this first offer would not have any percentage of.

Guarantees from DAZN, while large, do not account for all the other revenue that would be generated.  Revenue from things like sponsorships, possible percentages from the purchases of pay-per-view buys, as well as the live gate.  While $80 million for two fights with Joshua sounds like a no brainer, in terms of where Wilder is as a brand name as the only current American heavyweight champion, the possibility to make more money and upwards of $50-$75 million for a single fight with Joshua, if it were broadcasted on pay-per-view, would make any fighter consider alternate routes.

DAZN, for their part will continue to broadcast title defenses from Joshua. However, until a business model is created where fighters who are not signed to Golden Boy Promotions or Matchroom Boxing can reap benefits from the revenue generated aside from a guarantee, such as the possibility of a percentage from new subscriptions generated from the announcement of the mega fight, or the monthly fee being raised from $9.99 a month to $25-$30 for the months that a Wilder-Joshua fights would be scheduled for, they will struggle to attract talent like Wilder.

With the monthly cost returning to its original $9.99 once the fights and months they are scheduled for are completed, these suggestions are just food for thought at this point and are things that will be kicked around by the brass and decision makers.  One thing is clear though, top tier champions and independent fighters like Wilder will continue to compete away from signing to streaming services if the details of super fights are not ironed out.  Wilder for his part is making it clear that like several past big named champions in the sport (Sugar Ray Leonard, Mikey Garcia, and Floyd Mayweather) is adamant that he will retain his independence from any promotional outfit, electing instead to continue to work with established relationships (PBC), unless an offer is made that he can’t refuse.

This brings us to the announcement today from Brooklyn that Wilder will indeed return to the ring on Saturday, May 18th against Breazeale.  While this seems to be a fight that can turn out to be entertaining, Breazeale, unlike Wilder's last opponent Tyson Fury does not carry a name large enough for the fight to be carried on pay-per-view.  As a result, and to the credit of Wilder, a deal was struck for the fight to be broadcasted live on Showtime.  Details of this deal have not been released, but it proves that Wilder is once again banking on himself as the premier heavyweight name (especially in America) as he continues to build his name and brand.  It’s a gamble on himself that if he continues to be victorious can pay off in the end when the eventual negotiations between the Wilder camp and Matchroom Boxing, the promoter of Joshua, start up again after Joshua’s title defense in June.

How this all plays itself out will be interesting to see.  One thing is for sure though, however this type of mega business is done to satisfy all parties involved could lead to a trickledown effect that will benefit boxing and its fans.  Other less lucrative super fights in the sport, such as Crawford-Spence or Lomachenko-Garcia, could in turn be figured out by the parties involved based off how Wilder-Joshua is eventually made.    

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Danny Garcia Post-Fight Press Conference Featuring Angel Garcia and Luis Cortes

Luis Cortes made a guest appearance at the 4:34 mark of the Danny Garcia post-fight press conference, following Danny's unanimous decision loss to Shawn Porter on Saturday night. Check out the below video for insight into Danny's defeat, Angel's future "green" business plans, and yet another example of Cortes' fine journalistic abilities.

Stay tuned to The Weigh-In for the best coverage in the industry on the Garcia's future business ventures in medical and recreational marijuana!

#huntingparkrepresent

MW

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Shawn Porter vs. Danny Garcia: A Family Affair

Luis Cortes' article on the upcoming welterweight bout between Danny Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs) and Shawn Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs) was recently featured on The Sweet Science website. These two fighters will square off this Saturday, September 8th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. This installment of Premier Boxing Champions will air live on Showtime.

Luis' article is available via the below link:

Shawn Porter vs. Danny Garcia: A Family Affair 

-Luis A. Cortes III

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Fighter Stats provided by BoxStat.co

WWE SummerSlam Recap

For the second night in a row, the WWE invaded the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. A capacity crowd was on hand and chomping at the bit to bear witness to WWE’s marquee show of the summer for the 30th year in a row. Last night’s card boasted ten matches from the RAW and SmackDown brands with seven titles on the line.

WWE Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins w/ Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler (c) w/ Drew McIntyre
Winner: Seth Rollins

After weeks of being outnumbered by The Show-off and Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins shocked the WWE Universe by introducing the returning Dean Ambrose as his back-up on Monday Night RAW. In all honesty, this match did not have the crowd’s interest until Rollins hit a spectacular suplex off the top rope on Ziggler. In the end, it appeared Rollins was going to lose the match as he was distracted by Ambrose nailing McIntyre with Dirty Deeds outside the ring and Ziggler sized him up, and seemingly dead to rights, for the super kick. Rollins turned and beat him to the punch with a super kick of his own. As Ziggler was down, Rollins proceeded to finish him with the Curb Stomp. Your winner and new Intercontinental Champion, Monday Night Rollins!

SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The New Day
Winners: The New Day via DQ

The New Day earned the right to vie for the Tag Team Championship after they defeated The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) on SmackDown Live two weeks ago. Utilizing the Free Bird Rule, The New Day was represented by Big E and Xavier Woods. As the New Day began to build momentum after Xavier Woods landed an elbow drop on Harper from the top rope to the outside of the ring, Rowan put an end to that quickly as he bludgeoned The New Day with his hammer. This lead to a disqualification victory for The New Day, however, the titles can’t change hands in this manner so The Bludgeon Brothers are still your SmackDown champions.

Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens

Winner: Braun Strowman

Kevin Owens “earned” a chance at Strowman’s Money In the Bank contract in this contest after pleading with Stephanie McMahon for an opportunity to seek vengeance after what he considered to be a personal vendetta was carried out against him for several weeks by Strowman. Owens didn’t stand a chance in this one. After a few minutes of chaos, The Monster Among Men finally hit the running power slam for the pinfall victory.

SmackDown Women’s Championship
Carmella (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch
Winner: Charlotte Flair

This match became a triple threat encounter after Flair earned her way into the bout by defeating Carmella in a non-title contest on SmackDown Live. In the closing moments of the match, it appeared Becky was moments away from earning a win by submission as she had Carmella locked in the Disarm-Her. The Queen then emerged out of nowhere to hit the Natural Selection on Becky and pinned her to become the new champion. It appeared after the match that Becky and Charlotte were going to share a moment of sportsmanship as they hugged it out in the middle of the ring until Becky snapped! Becky proceeded to viciously assault Flair and walked out to a “You deserve it” chant from the raucous Brooklyn crowd who were energized by the heel turn.

WWE Championship
A.J. Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe
Winner: Samoa Joe via DQ

This match had a nostalgic feel to it as both men main-evented countless shows together during their tenure with TNA/Impact Wrestling, so much so, that the crowd even paid homage with a “TNA” chant in the opening moments. This match was turning into a classic until the action spilled to outside. Joe decided to get on the mic and address Styles’ wife and daughter in the crowd which pushed him over the edge. Styles proceeded destroy Joe with a steel chair leading to the second title bout of the night ending in a disqualification.

The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan
Winner: The Miz

This was billed as a match eight years in the making dating all the way back to 2010 when Bryan was assigned as The Miz’s “rookie” in the early days of NXT. In the closing moments, Miz was knocked out to the barrier where his wife Maryse sat in the front row. As he hung over the barricade, Maryse slipped a foreign object into his hand that he used to knock out Bryan with as he attempted a suicide dive. Miz returned the object to his wife and quickly re-entered the ring to pin Bryan for the victory.

Baron Corbin vs. Finn Balor
Winner: “The Demon” Finn Balor

Balor threw the crowd into a frenzy as the arena faded to black and he made his presence known with his “Demon” persona coming to the forefront. Corbin got no offense in as he never was able to rid himself of the shock he faced with the presence of the Demon. Balor made short order of “The Constable” and finished him off with the Coup de Grace.

United States Championship

Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (c)

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

This was a return match from Extreme Rules when Nakamura stole the title from Hardy after an unceremonious shot between the uprights. After Hardy successfully connected on the Swanton Bomb only to have Nakamura grab the ropes as he attempted to pin him, Hardy escalated things to a whole new level. The Charismatic Enigma decided to not only climb to the top rope but also the ring post. With Nakamura prone on the ring apron, Hardy attempted another Swanton Bomb. Unfortunately for Hardy, Nakamura moved out of the way and he landed hard. The Artist was able to get Hardy back in the ring and hit the Kinshasa for the win.

After the bout, Randy Orton’s music hit as he walked down to the ring, stopped, and walked back out of the arena leaving the audience a bit confused.

RAW Women’s Championship

Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Ronda Rousey

Winner: Ronda Rousey

Ronda toyed with “The Goddess” for a few minutes as she put on a display of strikes and Judo throws before she finally sealed the deal with an armbar to become the new RAW Women’s Champion!

Universal Championship

Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns

Winner: Roman Reigns

Just before the match began, the Barclays Center erupted as the Monster Among Men made his way to the ring. Strowman proceeded to convey a foreboding proclamation to Lesnar and Reigns that he would be waiting at ringside ready to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase against the victor. Reigns was on fire in the early stages of the match as he repeatedly punished The Beast with several spears before Brock attempted to put Roman to sleep with his ground submission game. As the action spilled out of the ring, Brock decided to take advantage of Strowman as he had his back turned and beat him down with his own briefcase and a steel chair, while throwing an F5 thrown into the fray for good measure. Unfortunately for Brock, he got greedy and took the steel chair into the ring in hopes of finishing off Roman. As Brock wound up with the chair in hand, Roman nearly broke him in half with a devastating spear to earn the pinfall and become the newly crowned Universal Champion.

-The Buckle Bomb with Steve Ward

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NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 Recap

The black and yellow brand delivered the fourth incarnation of TakeOver Brooklyn this evening from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on the eve of Summerslam. The card boasted five matches with all four NXT championships on the line. In addition to the stacked card, the WWE Network audience was also treated to commentary by, in my opinion, the best commentary team in the WWE comprised of Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, and Percy Watson.

NXT Tag Team Championship
Undisputed Era: Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong (c) vs. Mustache Mountain: Trent Seven and Tyler Bate
Winners: Undisputed Era

Invoking their rematch clause, Mustache Mountain came out with a full head of steam to start the match. Their momentum was quickly stifled by the Undisputed Era as they put on a tag team clinic highlighted by the Muay Thai training of O’Reilly. Despite a late flurry by Mustache Mountain, O’Reilly and Strong hit the High-Low on Trent Seven to earn the pinfall.

After the match, the celebration didn’t last long as the Undisputed Era were ambushed by War Raiders leaving them in a mass of carnage.

EC3 vs. Velveteen Dream

Winner: Velveteen Dream

This match pitted two of the most charismatic, polarizing sports entertainers on the NXT roster, who seem destined for a main roster call-up sooner than later, against each other. If one questions this sentiment, then take a second look at the Rick Rude-esque tights that Dream donned which proclaimed, “Call Me Up Vince” across the backside. Velveteen impressed in the closing moments of the match as he first laid out EC3 with the Dream Valley Driver on the ring apron, followed it with an elbow of the top rope, and finished him with the 1-2-3.

NXT North American Championship

Adam Cole (c) vs. Ricochet

Winner: Ricochet

Both of these performers put their extensive ring IQs on full display. Ricochet pulled out his full arsenal of awe-inspiring aerial maneuvers while Adam Cole countered with some devastating strikes and counters. In the end, Ricochet hit the phenomenal 630 to earn the pinfall victory as a new North American Champion was crowned.

NXT Women’s Championship

Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Kairi Sane

Winner: Kairi Sane

Baszler and Sane squared off in the rubber match of their trilogy that began when Sane defeated Baszler in the final of the inaugural Mae Young Classic a year ago. Baszler dictated the pace of this match in the early going as she utilized her extensive MMA striking and submission wrestling background. In the end, it appeared that Sane was doomed as Baszler blocked her third attempt at the Insane Elbow. Baszler quickly sought to seal the deal as she attempted to lock in the Kirafuta Clutch only to have Sane reverse it into a shocking pinfall victory.

NXT Championship-Last Man Standing Match

Tommasso Ciampa (c) vs. Johnny Gargano

Winner: Tommasso Ciampa

Ciampa shocked the NXT Universe as he defeated Aleister Black for the NXT Championship just a few weeks ago due to an accidental assist from Johnny Wrestling. After Black sustained an injury as a result of a backstage attack from an unknown assailant, this bout was changed from a triple threat match to a Last Man Standing match by Commissioner Regal. With this ruling the match marked the third consecutive Takeover main-evented by these two fierce competitors. Just as a refresher, a match contested under Last Man Standing rules essentially means there are no rules and one wins when his opponent is incapacitated to the point that he is unable to answer the referee’s ten count. 

Gargano didn’t even wait for the introductions to conclude before he ambushed Ciampa to get the fight underway. If you thought these men couldn’t surpass their performances from the last two Takeover events, you were dead wrong. They broke each other’s bodies with tables, chairs, crutches, and ring stairs. Ciampa even attempted to bury Gargano at ringside with anything in sight, including a ringside crewmember, at one point to no avail. The match eventually migrated to the entrance stage where Gargano handcuffed Ciampa to a part of the display.  Gargano attempted to seal the deal with a knee strike to Ciampa’s head which he dodged at the last second. Gargano then slammed his knee into a crate and plummeted off the stage. Johnny Wrestling was unable to answer the referee’s ten count so your winner, and STILL NXT Champion, “The Sicilian Psycho” Tommasso Ciampa!

-The Buckle Bomb with Steve Ward

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Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz Post Fight Breakdown

Finally! The People’s Red Head has returned to The Weigh-In.

What a fight in the heavyweight division. Deontay Wilder took on Luis Ortiz Saturday night in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center. It was a packed house and the crowd was electric. However, this fight did not get off to a fast paced start, as anticipated. In fact, Wilder showed much maturity throughout the bout. Both fighters overcame adversity, but only one could win.

The opening four rounds were a feeling out process. Every punch Wilder threw was met with a counter from Ortiz. I had Ortiz winning the first four rounds. Wilder was not very active, and I do not blame him. Only Matt Ward likes to be hit cleanly in the face, and that is during his sexual escapades (j/k!). The fans started booing due to the lack of inactivity. However, everyone needs to realize that both fighters have the ability to put the other in airplane mode. Any landed shot can comes with extreme consequences.

Ortiz was busier in the beginning of the fight. In addition, I felt Ortiz landed the more meaningful punches in the first four rounds. Fortunately, this was not a four round bout. The fifth round was everything that the fans hoped for. Wilder put Ortiz on the canvas in the fifth round with a right hand directly to his grill piece. This marked the first time Ortiz has been knocked down in his professional career.

Ortiz seemed to recover fairly quickly from the knockdown. In round six, Ortiz turned the tables on Wilder. I must be honest; I thought Wilder was going down in round seven. Ortiz caught Wilder with a right-left combination while against the ropes. Wilder looked as if his legs were out from under him. Ortiz poured on the pressure and Wilder wobbled more than I do when walking home from my local watering hole. This round could have been scored a 10-8 round and I would have no problem with it. Wilder looked like he was out on his feet.

After round seven, if there were still questions about the chin of Wilder, he answered all of them. I want his chin tested for performance enhancing drugs. He has a chin of steel; there is no doubt of that now. In addition, Wilder should get credit for how he handles adversity. When Ortiz was pouring it on, Wilder recovered and stuck to his game plan.

Not only did Wilder recover, but he appeared to find a different gear. Wilder knocked Ortiz down twice, earning a stoppage in round ten. As many suspected, Ortiz proved to be Wilder’s biggest test thus far. With the win, Wilder moves to 40-0. With the victory, it appears a Wilder vs. Joshua card is inevitable. Joshua will prove to be another great test for the champ.

Following the victory, Wilder was still criticized for his wild style. I thought Wilder remained patient and really showed his maturity in his victory over Ortiz. It goes to show, you cannot please all the fans. For the ones you cannot please, I would not worry about them. As the masses shout obscenities from their mothers’ basements, Wilder is the champ. I would advise the haters to deal with that fact as they also deal with the fact that women are funny. That is right, women are funny, ask Amy Schumer. Congratulations to Wilder on a well-deserved win.

Special Thanks To:

The Jerky Boys, "I was born to dance, you fuck."

Al Bernstein, one of the best in the business.

Joe Tessitore, for being an absolute stud.

Russian Olympic Curler who got popped for PED’s - fucking unreal! Doping in curling...

-Dustin Johnson, The People's Red Head

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