NEWS ITEMS: Ranallo and Goldberg assignments this weekend, EW gives “A” to Netflix GLOW series, Bram, Grado, Tyler Bate

-Bellator announced today that Mauro Ranallo will call their PPV event this Saturday night, while recently signed UFC veteran announcer Mike Goldberg will anchor the desk. Earlier in the evening, their roles will be reversed, with Ranallo at the desk and Goldberg calling the action on the Spike TV prelim card.

–Entertainment Weekly is among major media sources giving, well, glowing reviews to GLOW, which drops on Netflix this Friday. The review, Darren Franich, gave it an “A” grade. The review begins: “Part sports drama, part showbiz satire, part birth-of-the-modern-woman allegory — all heartbreaking glitter-blasted humanity — Netflix’s GLOW is unlike any show I’ve ever seen. I love it so much; it made me laugh, cry, think, and pump my fists in the air screaming, ‘YESYESYES!'” It also says: “The show examines stereotypes, hyperbolizes them, then deconstructs them… The show’s a comedy, half-farcical in its physicality, but there’s a real generosity, too… GLOW takes everything over-the-top about professional wrestling, pushes it to higher levels of absurdity and melodrama, and finds something deeply personal, explicitly political, and wonderfully brute-force awesome…  It’s a silly-smart masterpiece, with an ensemble cast entirely made up of breakout characters…  The attention GLOW pays to all 13 women warriors is the show’s most invigorating argument: There are roles like this for women right now. More, please! More!” [Thanks to Brian from Phoenix, Ariz. – 26 Year PWTorch VIP Subscriber]

-Also read TV Guide’s review HERE, which notes the series gets better as the season progresses. Regarding the campy and cliched aspects, the reviewer writes: “It’s all done with a wink and a nod though, seeped in irony and a B-movie cheesiness that makes GLOW fun and sophisticated, down to the sapphic soft porn references.”

-Sunday, June 18 in Glasgow, Scotland, the ICW Fight Club taping included a no. 1 contendership match for their World Title. Jack Jester defeated Lionheart, Tyler Bate, Davey Blaze, DCT, and Sha Samuels when he pinned Lionheart. Grado interfered when he attacked his rival, Samuels, clearing the ring for Jester to score the win. Joe Coffee, the current champ, watched from ringside and will defend against Jester on July 30. Bram attacked Jester afterward, setting up their match on July 9.

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