This week’s episode of Monday Night RAW was able to generate an average of 2.672 million viewers. This is down 2.5% from last week’s 2.740 million viewers and the lowest viewership since July 9. This week’s episode of Monday Night RAW was The Hell In A Cell Fallout Show and it featured an advertised appearance by The Undertaker plus WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defending against Baron Corbin in the main event.
For this week’s show, the first hour drew 2.839 million viewers (last week’s hour 1 – 2.818 million), the second hour drew 2.746 million viewers (last week’s hour 2 – 2.801 million) and the final hour drew 2.432 million viewers (last week’s hour 3 – 2.601 million), a 14.3% drop from the first hour.
RAW was #8 for the night in viewership on cable, behind NFL Monday Night Football, Monday Night Kickoff, SportsCenter at midnight, Hannity, Rachel Maddow Show, Tucker Carlson Tonight and The Ingraham Angle. RAW was #5 in the 18-49 demographic this week, behind Monday Night Football, Monday Night Kickoff, SportsCenter and Love & Hip-Hop. The NFL’s Monday Night Football topped the night in the 18-49 demographic and in viewership this week, for the second week in a row. The Seahawks vs. The Bears game drew 11.720 million viewers. Castaways drew 2.591 million viewers on broadcast TV in The 8PM hour while Young Sheldon drew 5.163 million viewers, The Emmy Awards drew 10.212 million viewers, Inside The Manson Cult drew 2.492 million viewers and Supergirl drew 763,000 viewers, all in The 8PM hour on broadcast TV.

Below are Monday Night RAW’s viewership numbers for the rest of 2018:
– January 1st Episode: 2.865 million viewers
– January 8th Episode: 2.766 million viewers
– January 15th Episode: 3.250 million viewers

– January 22nd Episode: 4.530 million viewers (RAW 25)
– January 29th Episode: 3.395 million viewers (Royal Rumble Fallout Episode)
– February 5th Episode: 3.055 million viewers

– February 12th Episode: 3.105 million viewers
– February 19th Episode: 3.282 million viewers (Elimination Chamber Go-Home Episode)
– February 26th Episode: 3.180 million viewers (Elimination Chamber Fallout Episode)
– March 5th Episode: 3.099 million viewers
– March 12th Episode: 3.352 million viewers
– March 19th Episode: 3.327 million viewers
– March 26th Episode: 3.366 million viewers
– April 2nd Episode: 3.357 million viewers (WrestleMania 34 Go-Home Episode)
– April 9th Episode: 3.921 million viewers (WrestleMania 34 Fallout Episode)
– April 16th Episode: 3.622 million viewers (Superstar Shakeup Episode)
– April 23rd Episode: 3.104 million viewers
– April 30th Episode: 3.066 million viewers (Backlash Go-Home Episode)
– May 7th Episode: 2.689 million viewers (Backlash Fallout Episode)
– May 14th Episode: 2.741 million (Taped Episode From London)
– May 21st Episode: 2.668 million viewers
– May 28th Episode: 2.494 million viewers
– June 4th Episode: 2.525 million viewers
– June 11th Episode: 2.730 million viewers (MITB Go-Home Episode)
– June 18th Episode: 2.903 million viewers (MITB Fallout Episode)
– June 25th Episode: 2.663 million viewers
– July 2nd Episode: 2.707 million viewers
– July 9th Episode: 2.470 million viewers (Extreme Rules Go-Home Episode)
– July 16th Episode: 2.866 million viewers (Extreme Rules Fallout Episode)
– July 23rd Episode: 2.779 million viewers
– July 30th Episode: 2.901 million viewers
– August 6th Episode: 2.804 million viewers
– August 13th Episode: 2.825 million viewers (SummerSlam Go-Home Episode)
– August 20th Episode: 3.095 million viewers (SummerSlam Fallout Episode)
– August 27th Episode: 2.877 million viewers
– September 3rd Episode: 2.872 million viewers (Labor Day Episode)
– September 10th Episode: 2.740 million viewers (HIAC Go-Home Episode)
– September 17th Episode: 2.672 million viewers (HIAC Fallout Episode)
2017 Total: 156.971 million viewers
2017 Average: 3.018 million viewers per episode
Source: ShowBuzz Daily

WWE TakesOver New York City

WWE’s SummerSlam returns to the NYC-Metro area with a week-long lineup of events including interactive fan experiences and community outreach programs covering all five NYC boroughs. SummerSlam takes place this Sunday, August 21, live on the WWE Network around the world at 7 p.m. ET from a sold-out Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Thursday, August 18:  “Be a STAR” Bullying Prevention Rally – WWE Superstars Sin Cara, Natalya, Darren Young and Sami Zayn will speak about the importance of bullying prevention to more than 150 members of the Columbus Boys & Girls Club in the Bronx.
Thursday, August 18: Special Olympics Unified Basketball Game – WWE, will host a Special Olympics Unified Basketball Game at the Navy Yard Boys & Girls Club in Brooklyn for 150 Club members. WWE Superstars Big Show, R-Truth, Mark Henry, Zack Ryder and Naomi, WWE announcer Corey Graves and WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel will serve as honorary coaches.
Friday, August 19: Hire Heroes USA Veteran Career Panel & Networking Event – SummerSlam Reading Celebration – Friday, August 19: WWE, will host a Veterans Career Panel in support of Hire Heroes USA. WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, WWE Superstars Mark Henry, Neville and Dana Brooke and WWE announcer Byron Saxton will be on-site to speak with veterans.
Friday, August 19: New York Stock Exchange Closing Bell (NYSE) – WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz and WWE Superstars Big Show and Kane will ring the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
Friday, August 19: Tapout Fitness Workout – WWE Superstars Alicia Fox, Natalya, Naomi, Lana and Summer Rae will lead a Tapout Fitness Workout followed by an exclusive health and fitness Q & A moderated by television personality Maria Menounos at the Tapout Fitness Center in Manhattan. Tapout is the official fitness and training partner of WWE.
Friday, August 19 & Saturday, August 20: Superstar Meet and Greets – WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose, WWE Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Charlotte, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Enzo Amore and Big Cass.
Saturday, August 20: One World Observatory Visit – Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, Natalya, Carmella, Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso will visit One World Observatory positioned on top of One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, to tour the exhibits and learn about the historic building.
Saturday, August 20: NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II – Samoa Joe defends the NXT Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura for the first time ever.  Plus, Asuka defends against former champion, Bayley; Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa challenge NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival; and fans will see the much anticipated in-ring debut of Bobby Roode when he faces Andrade “Cien” Almas.
Sunday, August 21: SummerSlam – “The Viper” clashes with “The Beast” when Randy Orton goes one-on-one with Brock Lesnar. Plus, Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins for the right to be called the first WWE Universal Champion; Dean Ambrose defends the WWE World Championship against Dolph Ziggler; Sasha Banks defends her WWE Women’s Championship against Charlotte; and John Cena faces AJ Styles.
Monday, August 22: Monday Night Raw – WWE Monday Night Raw at the Barclay’s Center, where fans can see the fallout from SummerSlam.

THE ROUND-UP

Is a U.S. Championship run the right fix for Roman Reigns?
The Week In British Wrestling: Ospreay picks up another title
Six-woman tag match booked for WWE SummerSlam
Curt Hawkins returning to WWE   
NJPW G1 Climax 26 finals live results: Hirooki Goto vs. Kenny Omega

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Figure Four Weekly: August 17, 2016; Buff Bagwell sues WWE for unpaid Network royalties – When Rene Dupree’s lawsuit against WWE over WWE Network royalties was quickly dropped a few months ago, the question coming out of it was not if there would be another such lawsuit, but when and with whom as the next plaintiff would be. The answers? August 9th and Marcus “Buff” Bagwell… Subscribers click here to continue reading.

F4W YouTube Page: Tons of clips and full free audio shows that you can tell your friends about, and much more to come! Make sure you subscribe today!  

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Wrestling Observer Newsletter: August 15, 2016; Gigantic Summerslam weekend preview, McGregor vs. WWE, tons more – WWE’s SummerSlam and UFC 202 anchor one of the biggest weekends for major shows of this or almost any other year. The four major events will be a Ring of Honor PPV featuring New Japan stars on 8/19, UFC 202 and NXT Takeover on 8/20, and SummerSlam and the finals of the Super J Cup on 8/21.

UFC 202 will be the biggest show as far as mainstream interest goes, since Conor McGregor is headlining against Nate Diaz. The show, from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is far from the deepest when it comes to name value, but has the rematch of the biggest grossing PPV event in company history on top. Besides Diaz vs. McGregor, and a match who will determine who gets the next shot at light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, with Anthony Rumble Johnson (21-5) facing Glover Teixeira (25-4), it’s very much an ordinary show… Subscribers click here to continue reading.

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Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer, or by using Paypal directing funds to [email protected]. 
 
Rates for the United States are $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to [email protected]. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52. If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.)

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue, or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

Wrestling Observer Newsletter BACK ISSUE: July 12, 1999; Chris Jericho signs with WWF, ECW to air on TNN, tons more – Details on Chris Jericho signing with WWF, ECW programming to air on TNN, plus tons more… Subscribers click here to continue reading.

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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE

During this afternoon’s NXT conference call, Triple H confirmed that Shawn Michaels has recently been present at the WWE Performance Center, but nothing has been decided about his long term future there.

Triple H also talked about Raw’s upcoming cruiserweight division and Kota Ibushi’s future on the call. Also, he further expanded on his previous defense of WWE’s booking.

The Cruiserweight Classic continues on the WWE Network tonight at 9 p.m. ET with Brian Kendrick vs. Tony Nese, and Jack Gallagher vs. Akira Tozawa.

A trust in the name of Vince McMahon sold 1,547,372 shares of WWE stock on Wednesday for estate planning purposes. The shares are only a small percentage of McMahon’s stock as he still personally owns just under 50 percent of all WWE stock with a vast majority of voting power in the company.

The press conference for UFC 202 began without Conor McGregor present though he showed up in the middle of it. The press conference ended abruptly as McGregor and the Diaz brothers team threw bottles at each other.

WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT

This is a fun article from Pro Wrestling Sheet about Shane O’ Mac reuniting with the Undertaker at a Texas bar. Apparently Shane is a big tipper.
Rolling Stone looks at Chad Gable and his rise from Olympic wrestler to WWE superstar.
Sasha Banks called out an alleged creeper on social media that was trying to take pictures with her at an airport.
WWE’s NO MERCY is coming to Sacramento, CA’s Golden 1 Center on October 9th. Presale access has begun with offer code WWEFAN which will close Thursday, August 18 at 11:59 p.m. To access Internet Presale, above offer code must be entered prior to selecting “Find Tickets”. Tickets will go on sale to the general public Friday, August 19 at 10:00 a.m.
Tickets are on sale now for October 11th Smackdown LIVE in San Jose, CA, with the presale code SANJOSE.
Matches advertised locally for a WWE house show in Springfield, Missouri, on September 17 include WWE Champion Dean Ambrose defending against AJ Styles. Other match advertised is Randy Orton against Bray Wyatt.
Here is a cute infographic with some WWE quotables.
An analysis done by Brandon Howard shows Seth Rollins’ return to house shows increased attendance well ahead of any difference related to any other WWE talent on house shows. A positive difference within a margin of error was also found for A.J. Styles, although he’s the other only wrestler who appeared in at least 6 North American house show main events who is related to such a difference.

 

The New Jersey-born, self-proclaimed “Smacktalker Skywalker” Enzo Amore, one half of a tag team with 7-foot-tall Queens native Big Cass, have been out and about in NYC hyping up SummerSlam. Here is an interview with the team. In this video, they cut promos on the SAWFT Toronto Blue Jays before the New York Yankees game. It’s pretty funny.
PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

ROH returns to PPV this Friday at 9pm Eastern / 6pm Pacific with DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR! Here is a sneak peek of the PPV opening video. Toru Yano teams with Trent Baretta and Rocky Romero (Roppongi Vice) to take on Yujiro Takahashi and the Guerrillas of Destiny in what will no doubt be an awesome 6-man tag.
After watching Death Before Dishonor Friday night, #WatchROH TV this weekend featuring JAY BRISCOE vs JAY WHITE, and the debut of CMLL’s STUKA JR. vs. KAMAITACHI.
Here is an interview with Will Ospreay. He covers his match with Vader (he’s not happy), his plans to rest next year by only doing 6-man tag bookings in the UK, and creating his own Trios Belt. Plus, he explains his “no” to the EVOLVE contract Paul Heyman offered.
Ahead of this week’s events in Joppa, MD on Friday and Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, EVOLVE released a mini-documentary on champion Timothy Thatcher’s road to redemption. Thatcher will defend his title against Matthew Riddle on Friday at EVOLVE 66, and if he’s successful, will defend against Drew Gulak on Saturday at EVOLVE 67. The shows will also see Cody Rhodes wrestle his first two matches since leaving the WWE as he takes on Zack Sabre Jr. and Chris Hero.
ABC News (via ESPN) has a writer explaining his lifelong passion for pro wrestling.
A filmmaking blog says Gladiator, the film from 2000, is the most well-executed pro wrestling story of all-time.
UFC / MMA

As was recently announced, Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson for the middleweight title will take place October 8 at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. This is the rematch from UFC 100 where Hendo delivered possibly the single greatest H-Bomb right hand in history. Airing live in the U.S. at normal show hours means that the show will begin at 11pm local time, with the PPV portion beginning at 3am. This puts the main event most likely occurring around 5:30am.

The current card for UFC 204 is as follows:

UFC Middleweight Champion: Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson
Middleweight: Vitor Belfort vs. Gegard Mousasi
Light Heavyweight: Ovince Saint Preux vs. Jimi Manuwa
Heavyweight: Ruslan Magomedov vs. Stefan Struve
Lightweight: Leonardo Santos vs. Adriano Martins
Bantamweight: Iuri Alcantara vs. Brad Pickett
Bantamweight: Damian Stasiak vs. Davey Grant
SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR

With just under a week to go until WWE SummerSlam, that means it is almost time for the F4W Empire’s third biggest yearly event, Super China Buffet Day~! Of Course, the Vegas and WrestleMania conventions are bigger events, but this holiday is WORLD WIDE! To participate, simply visit a Super China Buffet (any buffet will do) with your friends and family in YOUR area and tell us about it in the Empire Get-Together forum on The Board~!

AUGUST

 ROH: DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR XIV PPV; 6:00pm PDT, Friday August 19

Sam’s Town Live, 5111 Boulder Highway – Las Vegas, NV 89122. Tickets.

ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: ADAM COLE vs JAY LETHAL (c)

19 – AAW; 115 Bourbon Street, 3359 w 115th Street Merrionette Park, IL, 8:00pm Bell Time, tickets. Trailer for our last show: United We Stand.
19 – We Watch Wrestling: LIVE podcast recording; Copper Still 4485 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004
19 – Superkick’d Pro Wrestling Rock Show: Blazed; The Great Hall, 1087 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H3
19 – House of Glory Wrestling; Jamaica, NY, The Hardys, Drew Galloway, Ethan Carter III and Mickie James will appear.
19 – Pure Wrestling Association: VIEX, Nanaimo, British Columbia
20 – Empire State Wrestling; St. Johnsburg Fire Hall, located at 7165 Ward Road, North Tonawanda, NY featuring extreme wrestling icon Raven. Bell time is 6 p.m. Tickets here.
20 – Border City Wrestling: Heatwave; Royal Canadian Legion Col. Paul Poisson Branch 261, 12326 Lanoue Street, Tecumseh, Ontario N8N 1N3. Our regular ticket outlets (P-Jays Variety, Helou’s Sports Cards, & Silver Tee Golf) – Border City Wrestling will be conducting a professional wrestling seminar before the BCW Heatwave show, with one of the greatest minds in the history of the wrestling business, Uncle Zeb Colter himself, Dutch Mantell! The seminar will start at Noon. The cost is $60.
20 – Pure Wrestling Association: VIEX, Nanaimo, British Columbia
20 – LIVE PRO WRESTLING! “FIGHTING BACK 6: WRESTLING WITH CANCER”; Vanier Columbus Club
260 McArthur Ave, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
20 – Pure Wrestling Association: Carrotfest, Bradford, Ontario; Featuring Brutus the Barber Beefcake. Free 11:30am event. Plus, 2015’s Carrot Cup will be airing in Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, Brantford, Guelph and Stratford on Rogers TV 20 on August 19th at 9pm.
20 – ROH: National TV Taping; 6:00pm PDT, Sam’s Town Live, 5111 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas, NV 89122. Tickets. ROH World TV Championship: Shibata will face the winner of the Mark Briscoe vs Bobby Fish match from Death Before Dishonor.
20 – Fighting Back 6: Wrestling with Cancer; Vanier Columbus Club, 260 McArthur Ave, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
20 – Reality of Wrestling: Summer of Champions 3; Featuring Kurt Angle, from the World Gym Arena in Texas City, TX. The event is preceded by a VIP Meet and Greet session to feature WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, Kurt Angle and Queen Sharmell. Tickets. Proceeds will be going to the Booker T Fights For Kids Foundation.
20 – Best In The West; Fresno, CA, VFW Hall #8900, located at 3585 N Blythe, Featuring Jeff Cobb, Joey Ryan, and Mustufa Saed.
20 – NXT: Takeover at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Samoa Joe vs Shinsuke Nakamura; Asuka vs Bailey; Revival vs Ciampa and Gargano

 UFC 202 – DIAZ vs. MCGREGOR 2, Saturday, August 20, from Las Vegas, NV

F4W SUPER CHINA BUFFET DAY! Sunday, August 21

Each year, groups of WWE fans (not a requirement) get together in the name of SummerSlam for a Sunday afternoon meal and then continue the fun at a viewing location to watch the WWE’s summer classic. Our own Bryan Alvarez hosts a buffet and viewing party in his area of Seattle, as do many other Empire members all across the globe. Alvarez claims that everyone is welcome, so feel free to show up unannounced. Check out the Empire-Get Together forum NOW to see where your local group is meeting. If there is not any nearby, start your own, and make a post about it! A good time will be had by all.

WWE: SUMMERSLAM; The Barclays Center, Sunday, August 21, Brooklyn, New York 

It will be the twenty-ninth event under the SummerSlam chronology and the second consecutive SummerSlam to be hosted in the Barclays Center.

21 – Pure Wrestling Association: VIEX, Nanaimo, British Columbia
21 – NWX: Live Pro Wrestling at the CWF Wrestling School on 20 Hartzel Rd in St Catharines
21 – SMASH Wrestling: Super Showdown IV; Pickering, Ontario, Pickering Recreation Complex, 1867 Valley Farm Road, Pickering, Ontario L1V 3Y7. Tickets
21 – Octagon & Tinieblas Jr. vs. Fuerza Guerrera & Pirata Morgan headlines in Houston at the Arena Theater.  
25 – Northeast Wrestling “Rumble in Rockland”: Provident Bank Park (1 Provident Bank Park Drive) in Pomona, NY, 7:30 p.m. A meet and Greet autograph session with the stars at 4:30 p.m. First-time ever: Jushin “Thunder” Liger and Jeff Hardy team together. Plus, Ryback, Broken Matt Hardy, Booker T, Michael Bennett, Mandy Leon, and more. Tickets.
26 – Northeast Wrestling “Wrestling Under the Stars”: Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, MA Bell time is 7 p.m.  Autograph session at 4 p.m. Cody Rhodes w/ Brandi Rhodes vs. Michael Bennett. Mick Foley, Jeff and Matt Hardy, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, Mandy Leon, and more. Tickets.
26 – We Watch Wrestling: LIVE podcast recording; The Wythe Hotel 80 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249. Tickets.
26 – All Star Wrestling; Cloverdale, BC at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds Alice McKay Building,
7:30 PM – 10 PM, Doors open at 630pm, Cloverdale Fair Grounds. Alice McKay Building, 6050 A, 176 St.
Surrey, British Columbia V3S 4E7
26 – Absolute Intense Wrestling; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, 1355 W. 70th St. Cleveland, OH
26 – Conflict Wrestling: Black or White; 7 PM – 10 PM, Moose Lodge, 655 Wabanaki Dr, Kitchener, Ontario N2C 2G3. Tickets available.
26 – Bellator 160; The Pond in Anaheim, live on Spike TV, Benson Henderson vs Patricio Pitbull Freire
27 – ROH: Field of Honor; Brooklyn, NY, MCU Park, ROH World Championship 4 Corner Survival: ROH World Champion: Jay Lethal vs. Adam Cole vs. Tetsuya naito vs. Hiroshi. Tickets.
27 – Northeast Wrestling: FREE four match show on 8/27 at 11 a.m. at the New Windsor Community Day, Kristi Babcock Memorial Park (660 Mt. Airy Road, New Windsor, NY 12553).
27 – Northeast Wrestling “Wrestling Under the Stars 5″: Dutchess Stadium, Wappingers Falls, NY. Bell time is 7 p.m. with an autograph session at 4 p.m. Kurt Angle vs. Cody Rhodes and Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Jeff Hardy, Jerry “The King” Lawler vs. Brooklyn Brawler. Tickets.
27 – Battlearts: Summer Heat; 4880 Tomken Road, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 1J8
27 – LuchaTO at the Benelife Wellness Centre, 68 Tycos Drive, Toronto, Ontario, M6B 1V9
27 – UFC FIGHT NIGHT: Maia vs. Condit; Vancouver, BC.

28 – Northeast Wrestling “Thunder”: The NEW Arena (40 Peck Road) in Bethany, CT at 4 p.m. Cody Rhodes vs. Sami Callihan. Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Travis Gordon. War King Hanson vs. Kamaitachi. TK ‘O Ryan versus Brian Anthony. Northeast Wrestling Tag Team Champions The Battles versus So Over. DIJAK and more. Tickets.
28 – Steel City Pro Wrestling: End Game; 222 Queenston Rd, Hamilton, ON L8K 1G6, Canada
28 – Destiny wrestling: Summer Heat; Battlearts Wrestling Academy. Featuring MOOSE!
SEPTEMBER
1 – AAW; Berwyn Eagles Club, 6309 W 26th St Berwyn, IL, 7:30pm Bell Time
2 – MOONSHINE BRANDED WRESTLING: Italo-Canadian Hall, 1101 DiPietro Street, Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, Doors @ 6:00p Bell @ 7:00pm, Tickets: $10 CDN or $5 USD
3 – UFC Fight Night: Arlovski vs. Barnett; Hamburg, Germany

3 – ACE Collision Course: Morgan Jr. Arena, Wallington, NJ, MAIN EVENT: ACE Heavyweight Championship: TJ Marconi (c) vs Archadia
6 – SMASH-WRESTLING, Oshawa Music Hall, 39 King St E, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 1B2. Tickets Available.
10 – Pure Wrestling Association: COWEX – Duncan, British Columbia
10 – New England Fights 25: HEROES & VILLAINS; Lewiston, MA. Tickets.
10 – Barrie Wrestling: Back to School 3; 49 Ferris Lane, Barrie, Ontario, Canada
10 – UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem; Cleveland, Ohio

16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Lake Cowichan, British Columbia
16 – Smash vs Progress: Uncensored; Oshawa Music Hall, Oshawa, Ontario. Must be 19+ to attend.
16 – Pure Wrestling Association: Private Event in Ontario
16 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE, 7:30 pm, tickets
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Alpine Club – Kitchener, Ontario
17 – Pure Wrestling Association: Courtenay, British Columbia
17 – ROH: Reloaded Tour; Lockport (Buffalo), NY, 7:00 pm, tickets
17 – UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson; Hidalgo, Texas, State Farm Arena

17 and 18 – SMASH VS PROGRESS: Smash Wrestling welcomes our friends from Progress Wrestling, England’s biggest wrestling company.
18 – Pure Wrestling Association: Gold River, British Columbia
18 – Alpha-1 Wrestling presents #‎Matrats2

TODAY IN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING HISTORY (8/17): Brock Lesnar takes John Cena to Suplex City

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Click:a货包包

1941 

Kansas City, Kansas:
– World Heavyweight Champion Lee Wykoff defeated Dorv Roche in 2 of 3 falls
– Nanjo Singh beat Steve Brody 
– Ray Eckert and Jack Hader went to a 30 minute draw

1958 

Kansas City, Kansas:
– NWA World Champion Dick Hutton beat Otto Von Krupp 2 falls to 1
– for the Central States tag team title, Thor Hagen and Sonny Myers beat Emil Dusek and Red McIntyre 2 falls to 1 to retain the title

1964 

Denver, Colorado; 
– AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat The Crusher
– Wilbur Snyder beat Larry Hennig
– Mitsu Arakawa beat Dale Lewis 
– Dory Funk Jr beat Dan Miller

1965 

Minneapolis, Minnesota:
– AWA Champion The Crusher beat Harley Race
– Larry Hennig beat Tex McKenzie
– Reggie Parks drew Chris Markoff
– Rene Goulet beat Danny Plechas
– Eddie Sharkey beat Gene Anderson by DQ
– Larry Heiniemi beat Paul Caruso

1967 

Augusta, Georgia:
– Stan and Butcher Vachon defeated Alberto Torres and Ramon Torres  to win the Southern Tag Team Titles

1970

Denver, Colorado:
– in a Cage Match; The Crusher beat Mad Dog Vachon
– Red Bastien & Pepper Gomez & Edouard Carpentier beat Larry Hennig & Lars Anderson & Butcher Vachon in 2 of 3 falls
– In a no-DQ, no countout match; Blackjack Lanza beat Dr. X
– Paul Diamond beat Double X 
– Bull Bullinski beat George Gadaski

1976

St Paul, Minnesota:
– Verne Gagne no contest AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel
– Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Mad Dog Vachon & Baron Von Raschke
– Peter Maivia beat Kim Duk
– Billy Francis beat Moose Morowski
– Billy Red Cloud beat Buck Zumhofe

1976 

Tokyo, Japan:
– Jumbo Tsuruta beat Jack Brisco to win the United National title

1986 

Los Angeles, California:
– Wahoo McDaniel defeated Tully Blanchard for the NWA National Heavyweight Title

1989

WWF SummerSlam: East Rutherford, New Jersey:
– The Ultimate Warrior defeated Rick Rude to win the WWF Intercontinental Title
– The Brainbusters (Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard) defeated The Hart Foundation 
– Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake, with Elizabeth, defeated Randy Savage & Zeus, with Sherri Martel

1993 

Mexico City, Mexico:
– Celestial beat Super Delfin to win the UWA welterweight title

1994 

Indianapolis, Indiana:
– Shawn Michaels & Diesel defeated The Headshrinkers to win the WWF World Tag Team Titles

1995 

Memphis, Tennessee:
– PG-13 defeated Terry Gordy & Tracey Smothers in a tournament final for the USWA Tag Team Titles

Shizuoka, Japan:
– Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi beat Tatsutoshi Goto & Michiyoshi Ohara to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles

1998

Tokyo, Japan:
– Kendo Ka Shin beat Koji Kanemoto to win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title

2000 

Las Cruces, New Mexico:
– Kevin Nash defeated Booker T for the WCW World Heavyweight Title

CM Punk’s journey to the UFC and in life has been an interesting one. His WWE-produced documentary told the story of a man whose early life was a struggle and something that made him who he is today – for better or worse.

Since leaving WWE in 2014, he has been dedicated to becoming the best MMA fighter he can be. He’s not out to be a champion, or even the best “guest” fighter in UFC history – he’s just trying to prove something to himself. Before, he tried to prove that he could succeed at a high level in pro wrestling despite having size and his physique held against him and he did.

Now, he has to prove that he is worthy of this UFC opportunity.

When he was signed, everyone expected him to use his promo skills to hype up the fight. Instead, he has been doing the opposite, being honest to a fault and acting strangely humble. Instead of bragging and boasting, he’s been very realistic about his chances and is open about the potential of getting his ass handed to him by Mickey Gall.

It’s a unique approach to a fight as is the Evolution of Punk documentary series UFC has done on him. He comes off like an underdog just getting into MMA to begin with, let alone debuting in the biggest MMA group in history. You see that he is a driven individual and one that knows he’s a bit crazy to get into MMA at this stage.

Punk’s drive has defined him almost as much as his promos and personality, but it could be leading him to disaster here and he knows it. He’s quite brave to just go right into MMA without any real athletic background beyond pro wrestling.

Unlike Brock Lesnar going into MMA from pro wrestling, he didn’t have an NCAA-level wrestling background to fall back on as a base. His striking, grappling, and submissions were all about making things theatrical and keeping them within the confines of a pro wrestling match, not actually hurting someone to win a fight.

Having pro wrestling as his base works for his promos and he should have, at least, some familiarity with getting hit which also works in his favor. The Punk doc showed that he is fully aware of the risks, so even if his wife is terrified of the idea of him fighting, he knows it’s something he has to do. He has a point to prove to himself, and he knows that whether he wins or loses his fight with Mickey Gall, he will have proven something to himself.

Just competing is a victory in its own way, and his journey to the UFC even after starting training hasn’t been a smooth one. A shoulder injury set his return back several months, and as someone closer to 40 than 30, he knows his body takes longer to heal and fully recover from injuries. His mental toughness might be unmatched in either pro wrestling or MMA and that will probably carry him on even if he’s down two rounds.

Punk is heading into a whole new world on Saturday night and it could determine his future in and outside of MMA. If he wins easily, he could either choose to retire on a high note with one win and become a commentator, something that would be a longer-term (and safer) job than in-ring competition. He could also opt to keep fighting and try to make a run for the gold. That would be a tough road and a big longshot, but one that could pan out very well if the hands of fate deal him a favorable deck of cards.

A loss, especially a first round KO loss, would seem to spell the end of his MMA career as an active fighter. My hope is that he does well, wins, and retires. If he absolutely blows away Gall, maybe then see where things go with a second fight. Regardless, Punk is in for the fight of his life on Saturday night, and many will be crowded around TVs at their homes or at sports bars anxiously awaiting the result.

Many are watching simply to see him fight, while just as many want to see him lose, echoing a John Cena-esque fanbase that loves and loathes him. I just want to see him do well and, most importantly, hope that he feels like the time and effort he spent on learning the craft wasn’t wasted. He had the guts to try something new and expand his comfort zone, and should be applauded for it. He may not win the fight, but he will be anything but a loser on Saturday night.

1956 

Mobile, Alabama:

– The Great Malenko defeated Herb Welch to win the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title1969 

Atlanta, Georgia:

– Joe Scarpa (aka Chief Jay Strongbow) defeated Paul DeMarco to win the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title

1980 

Shreveport, Louisiana:

– The Grappler defeated Ted DiBiase to win the Mid-South North American Heavyweight Title

1981 

Landover, Maryland:

– WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated George Steele in a Texas Death Match at the Capital Center

1982 

Charlotte, North Carolina:

– Jos LeDuc defeated Jimmy Valiant to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Title

1985

Baltimore, Maryland:

– NWA Champion Ric Flair beat Magnum TA

– Rock & Roll Express beat Ivan Koloff & Krusher Khrushchev dq

– Dusty Rhodes drew Nikita Koloff

– Larry Zbyszko & Nick Bockwinkel beat Sgt. Slaughter & Greg Gagne dq

– Ronnie Garvin no contest Black Bart

– Brad Rheingans beat Kevin Kelly

Wally Karbo Tribute Card | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada:

– AWA Champion Rick Martel beat Boris Zhukov dq

– Jerry Blackwell beat Michael Hayes

– Tom Zenk & Curt Hennig beat Bill Irwin & Scott Irwin

– Jim Garvin beat Buck Zumhofe

– Baron Von Raschke beat Buddy Roberts

1986 

Fukuoka, Japan: 

– Shiro Koshinaka defeated Nobuhiko Takada for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title 

Ponce, Puerto Rico:

– Ron Starr defeated Invader I to win the WWC Television champion

1988

Memphis, Tennessee:

– AWA Champion Jerry Lawler ddq Kerry Von Erich

– Samoan Swat Team beat Michael Hayes & Steve Cox to regain Texas Tag title

– Brickhouse Brown & Jeff Jarrett & Bill Dundee beat Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden & Phil Hickerson

– AWA TV Champion Ronnie Garvin drew Robert Gibson

– AWA Tag Team Champions Badd Company Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond beat RPMs

– Rock & Roll Express & Sgt. Slaughter beat Soldat Ustinov & Teijo Kahn & Colonel DeBeers

– Tommy Rich ddq Jimmy Valiant

– AWA Women’s Champion Madusa Meceli beat Magnificent Mimi dq

1992 

Yokohama, Japan:

– Atsushi Onita defeated Tiger Jeet Singh for the WWA World Martial Arts Heavyweight Title 

1993 

WCW Fall Brawl | Houston, Texas:

– Rick Rude defeated Ric Flair to win the WCW International World Heavyweight Title 

– Steven Regal defeated Ricky Steamboat to win the WCW TV Title

– Sting, Davey Boy Smith, Dustin Rhodes & The Shockmaster defeated Sid Vicious, Vader & Harlem Heat in a WarGames match

1999 

ECW Anarchy Rulz: Villa Park, Illinois:

– Mike Awesome won the ECW World Title from Taz and Masato Tanaka

– Lance Storm defeated Jerry Lynn

2008

Boston, Massachusetts:

– Nigel McGuiness defeated Roderick Strong to retain the ROH World Title

– Kevin Steen & El Generico defeated Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black to win the ROH World Tag Team Titles

2010 

– Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre won the WWE Tag Team Titles

– Daniel Bryan defeated the Miz to win the US Title

– Randy Orton won the WWE World Title in a six pack challenge match

Mike Pence, the US vice president, has announced plans to create a standalone “Space Force” by 2020, becoming the sixth branch of America’s military. 

Mr Pence said the “time has come" for America to “prepare for the next battlefield” and secure America’s “dominance” among the stars. 

‘Space Force’ is the name given by Donald Trump to the idea of a new, free-standing military department focussed specifically on space. Currently such issues largely fall under the Air Force. 

Mr Trump has strongly championed the idea of creating a space-focused military service with the same stature as the Air Force and the Army, turning his dreams of a "Space Force" into a rallying cry for supporters at political events.

His 2020 reelection campaign sent a fundraising email on Thursday asking supporters to vote on their favourite Space Force logo for future Trump campaign merchandise, offering a choice of six.

Trump campaign email just went out asking people to vote for a Space Force logo. pic.twitter.com/083DG3pLdo

— Jim Dalrymple II (@Dalrymple) August 9, 2018

Mr Trump – who tweeted “Space Force all the way!” on Thursday – and his supporters point to how adversaries such as China and Russia are increasingly deploying satellites as proof that action is needed. 

There is a fear that America has become increasingly reliant on satellites for communication, navigation and intelligence and could be left exposed if the equipment is attacked. 

Space Force all the way!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2018

However detractors insist setting up a standalone military department would be bureaucratic and counter-productive. James Mattis, the US defence secretary, has previously voiced such concerns – though now appears more supportive. 

Mr Pence said in a speech on Thursday: "Now the time has come to write the next great chapter in the history of our armed forces, to prepare for the next battlefield where America’s best and bravest will be called to deter and defeat a new generation of threats to our people, to our nation.” 

Move over “lock her up.” There’s a new chant sweeping through MAGA country: “SPACE FORCE!” @michaelkosta heads to a Trump rally to see what all the buzz is about: https://t.co/Pg5rZfWhRm pic.twitter.com/v3uTUEgbXw

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 27, 2018

He warned: "China and Russia have been conducting highly sophisticated on-orbit activities that could enable them to manoeuvre their satellites into close proximity of ours, posing unprecedented new dangers to our space systems.” 

At the same time a plan was submitted to Congress explaining the Trump administration’s proposals for creating Space Force. 

There are currently five branches to the US armed forces: The Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. Space Force would become the sixth. 

The first step would be creating a US Space Command by the end of the year. The Trump administration would then seek funding and the legal approval to create a standalone military department next year. 

Congress has the ultimate sign-off – meaning that the US president alone cannot create Space Force. The proposals are likely to trigger a political battle on Capitol Hill. 

The White House said in a statement that "President Trump knows that space is integral to our American way of life and economic prosperity, and is a vital domain for national defence."

Preview by Joseph Currier

Amid turmoil over a potential sale of the company, TNA presents its biggest event of the year on Sunday night with Bound for Glory live on pay-per-view from the Impact Zone in Orlando, FL.

We’re looking for your thoughts on he show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]  We’re also looking for your thoughts on the ROH All-Star Extravaganza show.    

While much of the focus has been on whether or not TNA would be sold before the show, the PPV will be headlined by a TNA World Championship match pitting Bobby Lashley against Ethan Carter III with no holds barred.

The PPV will also feature the finals of the Grand Championship tournament. Drew Galloway was originally scheduled to face Aron Rex for the newly created title, but Galloway was replaced by Eddie Edwards after having to pull out of the match due to an injury.

The next chapter in the Broken Matt and Jeff Hardy saga will also take place as the Hardys battle Decay in the “Great War.” And Cody Rhodes will make his first appearance in a TNA ring.

**********

X DIVISION CHAMPION DJ Z VS. TREVOR LEE

Very good opener where they did the modern X style with dives and reverse huracanrana spots. They traded three dives early. DJ Z kicked out of a powerslam. The finish saw DJ Z hit the Canadian Destroyer and the ZDT with a jumping DDT for the pin.

– McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with Drew Galloway. She’s very unconvincing. He said he doesn’t feel very good, and the doctor told him “a little to the left or a little to the right” and he would have been out for a year. He said he chose to fight but the company said no. He said he asked to hold back the tournament final and they said no. In reality, he knew he couldn’t wrestle tonight. He then said Billy Corgan is buying the company.

10 MAN GAUNTLET MATCH FOR A TNA TITLE SHOT

Eli Drake won the match by throwing Jessie Godderz and Tyrus over the top to win. So, he has a title shot whenever he wants…but has to give the promotion one week.

The match wasn’t good at all as nothing much happened. Rockstar Spud, Grado (who lasted about two seconds), Mahabali Shera, Robbie E, Baron Dax, Basille Baraka and Braxton Sutter were also in the match. There were no highlights.

– Jeremy Borash called out Robert “Batista” Irvine. He said he and his kids are here for Gail Kim’s induction into the Hall of Fame and tonight, he’s Mr. Gail Kim, not Robert Irvine. Maria Kanellis showed up with Mike Bennett. Irvine told them that tonight will be a bad night for both of them. Maria said she was the greatest Knockouts champion of all-time, while Mike said that Maria was the greatest female wrestler of all-time and he was the best pro wrestler in the world.

MIKE BENNETT VS. MOOSE

Moose won with a tree slam off the rope and the discus clothesline. They traded moves back and forth. The crowd was into the “Moose” chant but not the match. Even when Bennett used a piledriver and Moose kicked out, there wasn’t any pop. It was an okay match.  

– We got an Aron Rex interview and said the Grand Championship title is going to revolutionize the way the sport is viewed. He talked about how he and Eddie Edwards were trained by the same guy. After the interview, Josh Mathews did mention Killer Kowalski even though Rex didn’t.

ARON REX VS. EDDIE EDWARDS IN THE FINALS FOR THE GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

This will be a five minute round match instead of a three minute round match. Rex won the match winning the first and third rounds. Borash is doing a UFC style interview. (I just hope Rex doesn’t thank Jesus Christ or say he’ll face whoever Joe Silva and Dana White puts him against.)

Match was average at best, but this format didn’t work. It’s good to tell jokes while watching it, but it didn’t help for the crowd. Edwards wasn’t bad but they never built any crowd momentum. After the third round, when Jeremy Borash went to read the scorecards, the graphics listed 30-27 for Rex even before Borash announced it as a split decision for Rex.

GAIL KIM HALL OF FAME INDUCTION

Christy Hemme returned for the ceremony. They piped in fake crowd noise as she did an interview. Hemme introduced Taryn Tarrell, expecting her second child. Terrell said Gail Kim was a career maker, that she was a beginner and Kim gave her matches she could be proud of. She said she was the greatest woman wrestler of all-time. This got barely even polite applause.

Awesome Kong showed up, looking totally different like she’s lost a lot of weight. Kong said Kim was awesome and elevated every opponent to their best level possible and said how proud she was. Dixie Carter was out next. She said Gail was the perfect combination of beauty, brains, athletic ability, and unselfish. Chef Irvine, no relation to Chris Jericho, was shooting photos from ringside. 

Dixie said she defined a generation of woman wrestlers and made the Knockouts the greatest women’s division of all-time. (Yes, TNA Knockouts and early 90s All Japan women is a close call.) The talking heads in the video were Hemme, Josh, Jeremy Borash, Pat Kenney, Dixie, Jade, Madison Rayne, Al Snow and Billy Corgan, 

Corgan said Kim vs. Kong changed the way people think about women wrestlers around the world. This was easily the best thing on the show so far.

Gail Kim came out. Fans are chanting “You deserve it.” (Why are they piping in fake crowd noise? You’d want the crowd quiet and respectful.) She said wrestling has brought her creativity, self confidence, strength, fearlessness, and true passsion. She started thanking people, Ron Hutchinson, Rob Etcheverria, Fit Finlay (people popped for that name), Scott D’Amore, Pat Kenney/Simon Diamond, the crew, the production people, seamstresses, make-up people, “You make my job not a job. I love my life.”

She thanked Dixie Carter, Dutch Mantell, Jeff Jarrett, her stepdaughters, her goddaughter and her husband which got a big pop. “I’ve never met someone so inspiring and motivating as you.” She thanked Trish Stratus, Molly Holly, Victoria, Jazz and all the women she learned from. “They’re my sisters and I appreciate that I could share a locker room with these wonderful women.” Then she gave a special shoutout to Molly: “She’s the reason I’m in this business and why I got this opportunity. She taught me to be a good person in the ring or outside of the ring. She said if you’re a good person, success will follow.”

This was as well done as it could have been.

MATT & JEFF HARDY VS. TNA TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS ABYSS & CRAZZY STEVE IN THE GREAT WAR

This was something.

The Hardys won the titles when Jeff came off the top of a 15 foot ladder with a swanton onto Steve through two tables for the pin.  A lot of this match was pre-taped stuff out of the building which included Matt brawling with Abyss in the park in the back of a pickup truck, and Vanguard 1 blowing mist in Rosemary’s eyes. Matt made a barbed wire board sandwich with Abyss, and came off the top rope with an elbow on him.

Jeff had some magic water poured on him that allowed him to disappear and throw pumpkins at Steve. (Get it, smashing pumpkins?) Jeff showed up as a bunch of different characters. They came back in the ring, and Rosemary did a coast to coast dropkick into a garbage can like she was RVD. At another point, Rosemary gave Abyss “Janice”, but Matt set Janice on fire and threw the board out of the pickup truck. That may have been the idea that Janice and the Carters are dead. Who knows? Hopefully they won’t get mad at Matt’s ideas and threaten to sue.    

– Bobby Lashley interview.

KNOCKOUTS CHAMPION MARIA KANELLIS VS. GAIL KIM

Maria said her hand was broken and the doctor wouldn’t clear her. Allie then said she must have misread it and she was cleared. Maria got mad about that. Anyway, the match started.

This match was pretty bad. Maria is just so limited. Mike Bennett threw a hand brace into the ring, and Maria used it but Kim kicked out. Allie got the brace and Maria wanted it again. She threw it over Maria’s head to Kim. Kim teased handing it to Maria, but instead threw it out of the ring. Kim used Eat Defeat, which Maria sold badly or it missed, for the pin.

– Bennett said he was shutting the show down and nobody could stop him. Cody & Brandi Rhodes showed up. Cody was really over to the crowd.  Maria yelled at Cody and told him to go back to WWE. Brandi got in her face, and Maria attacked her. Brandi threw a knee. Cody & Bennett brawled.  Cody used the disaster kick on Bennett and they left the ring.

TNA CHAMPION BOBBY LASHLEY VS. ECIII

They laid this out as a big show main event where each guy kicks out of big moves. Lashley won clean with a spear off the middle rope and nearly landed on his head when delivering the move. ECIII had kicked out of two spears earlier. He hit the One Percenter, did a spear, and also used a splash off the top rope. 

The problem is these two didn’t work together well at all. They weren’t in the right position a lot, and the selling in a lot of cases looked mechanical. The crowd wasn’t much into it either. Even with all the kicking out of big moves, this wasn’t a good match and didn’t feel like a big show main event.

There was no Alberto del Rio at the finish even though he evidently no-showed the AAA show tonight.

We’ll have a full recap of the show on tonight’s Wrestling Observer Radio.

Click:electronic components shop

A Turkish court has rejected a new appeal to free US pastor Andrew Brunson, as Ankara doubled down on its row with the US by increasing tariffs on US products.

The court in the western city of Izmir ruled that Mr Brunson, who faces 35 years in jail on terror and espionage charges, will remain under house arrest.

Mr Brunson’s jail term had been converted to house detention for health reasons.

His detention has soured relations with Washington, with Donald Trump, the US president, doubling aluminium and steel tariffs for Turkey in punitive actions against Ankara’s refusal to release Mr Brunson.

The crisis has sent the Turkish currency into free fall since Friday.

"The president has a great deal of frustration (about) the pastor not being released," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday.

The Turkish government said it will impose extra tariffs on imports of products including rice, vehicles, alcohol, coal and cosmetics. Tariffs on American cars were doubled to 120 percent while tariff on alcoholic drinks to 140 percent.

Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Twitter that the tariffs on certain products were increased "within the framework of the principle of reciprocity in retaliation for the deliberate economic attacks by the United States."

Turkey nears point of no return as lira crisis spreads to the banking system

Turkish trade minister Ruhsar Pekcan says the doubling of customs tarrifs on some imported U.S. products would amount to $533 million (£420million)

The tariffs come a day after Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, said Turkey would boycott US electronic goods, singling out Apple’s iPhones.

He suggested Turks would buy local or Korean phones instead, although it was unclear how he intended to enforce the boycott.

The Turkish lira has dropped to record lows in recent weeks, having fallen some 42 percent so far this year.

It recovered slightly, by 4 percent to around 6.12 lira per dollar Wednesday, after the government took steps to shore up the currency by reducing the daily limit in bank foreign currency swap transactions.