Saturday, May 22, 2010

Early feedback on "Jerry Lawler's Memphis Wrestling" tv taping

HERE ARE A FEW RANDOM NOTES I'VE BEEN TOLD ABOUT THURSDAY NIGHT'S TV TAPING IN MEMPHIS.

Production problems, matches were real good.
Audio and lighting was horrible.
Announcing was Hollywood Jimmy, Brandon Baxter and Bert Prentice.
Prentice/Baxter did the most.

Max Steele vs Matt Boyce, Eric Wayne/Kid Nikels vs Melton/Lee [3 matches - best matches], Max Steele with Valet, Su Yung/Kevin White, Jerry Lawler/Brian Lawler worked as a team against Steele/White, Tommy Mercer, An angle with Koko Ware/Derrick King, Brian Lawler walked into the ladies bathroom.

They are reinstating the Southern Title.

Guy Coffee/Buddy Wayne announced as commishs.
They taped three shows.
They start airing on June 5 at 11: 00 AM.
It took about 4 hours to tape three hours.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

From The Desk of Brian Tramel

----I would first like to thank Gene Jackson again for his help!!  Thanks to all my friends also that have supported the hiatus and called to confirm that it was "ok" that I took a month off.  This will be my last post until sometime during the first week of June.  I will be posting the Arena Report from NBW's "Spring Breakout."  If you are a fan, I suggest you come out and see a great show!!  All mail - results, columns and stories go to Gene Jackson - genejackson95@gmail.com!!

Coach's Corner "First 120 Days of 2010" by Brian Tramel

----Wrestler – This really has to be the hardest year to pick so far. I can only think of a few guys that “stand out”. This award is not always the best worker, but mainly goes to the guy that is making the biggest impact. Matt Riviera is that man this year. His work with TCW and RCW has made him one of the guys I like to watch this year. I think he is THE stand out. Austin Lane might be a second place vote for the ASWF/RCW switcheroo and his name being on the lips of everyone. I would pick a guy like Christian Jacobs or Jon Michael Worthington in third just for the “potential” of what they are going to do this year.

----MVP Performer – This has nothing to do with impact or drawing power – just what worker performs the best night after night. I have a long list of guys here and that is a good thing. This category is cluttered this year and it makes me proud that guys are trying to learn their craft. Pokerface, Christian Jacobs, Derrick King, Eric Wayne, Austin Lane, Greg Anthony, Stan Lee, Jon Michael Worthington, Seth Knight and Alan Steele I will have to go with Pokerface, Alan Steele and Eric Wayne as my favorites to watch this year with all the others VERY close behind.

----Tag Team – “Midnight Gold” [Greg Anthony/Bobby Eaton] have probably been featured in more angles, matches and such this year than last year. Since they seem to be a favorite, then I would put them as one of the top three. “Asylum” [Psycho/Pappy] should always been mentioned here and really deserve to win it once. “LSD” [Cody Only/Idol Bane/Deadly Dale] are probably my favorite team to watch right now. They are just totally different than anything else in the area. “Premiere Brutality” [Kid Nikels/Eric Wayne] should also been considered in the top class here.

----MVP Tag Team – Hardest working team?? “Gold” won this award last year primarily due to the fact that they were consider a “mvp” team in the sense of helping draw a crowd. I would give this to the three teams that are the hardest working. Four teams come to mind – “Devils Reject/East Coast Bad Boys”, Kid/Wayne, “High Stakes” [Chris O’Neal/Stan Lee] [if they tag all year they will be hard to beat] and Dell Tucker/Rockin Randy.

----Promotion – Another hard one to pick this year. Hub City Wrestling [aka Memphis Wrestling stars on some shows] and CWA have had the best crowds. RCW and NEW are my two favorite promotions and would get a nod. NBW is also fun and draws good crowds at big shows. I would go with RCW, NBW and NEW if I had to pick three promotions.

----Other awards….

*Most Improved: Justin Smart, Jeremy Moore and Pappy
*Most Underrated: Chris Rocker [probably the most underrated worker in the area that has good matches week after week. Also in the “Alan Steele” mode of not winning an award yet from RRO.]
*Rookie: Dan Matthews, Kevin Charles and Blaine Devine [even though he got a nomination last year, he probably fits more here]. Dan Matthews – hands down!!
*Best Booker: Crowds it would have to be Rodney Grimes. Creativity – Brian Thompson.
*Best Announcer: Brian Thompson, John Steele and Terrance Ward
*Best Manager: Rashard Devon, Athena Eclipse and Hollywood Jimmy
*Arena Report Match of the Year: Derrick King vs Christian Jacobs 2.27.10 Ripley, TN [****], Stan Lee vs Greg Anthony Trumann, AR 4.02.10 [***3/4], Tasha Simone/”Asylum” [Psycho/Pappy] vs Worm/Suicide/Adrian Banks 3.20.10 [***3/4] and Austin Lane vs Mike Antony 4.03.10 Tuckerman, AR
*TV Match of the Year: Seth Knight vs Christian Jacobs [RCW], Seth Knight vs Justin Smart [RCW] and Seth Knight vs Rodney Mack [RCW]. Knight is a real good TV wrestler. Others: Kid Nikels vs Alan Steele [NEW] [Kid takes a chair] and Bishop vs Carnage Antwone [IWA].
*Best Wrestling Web Site: Wrestling News Center – Tia and D-Rock are two of my favorite wrestling peeps!!
*Columnist: Pokerface, TGB and Eric Wayne
*Best Ref: Downtown Bruno, Chuck Poe and Tom Simon
*Best Gimmick: “LSD”, “Asylum” and Matt Riviera
*Horizon Award: Matt Riviera, Christian Jacobs, Pokerface, Seth Knight
*Spot Moondog Brawler of the Year: Bishop, Pappy, Deadly Dale

Closing…

----It is funny that after four years, you still have guys like Austin Lane, Derrick King, Rashard Devon,Greg Anthony, Stan Lee, Hollywood Jimmy and the “Asylum” are all placing in the same categories. I think the top categories - Wrestler & Tag Team [cover shots] – are just totally wide open this year and if voted on right now – it would be a major toss up! I will be back in September with “240 Days of 2010.” Since this is also one of those controversial articles of the site, I would appreciate feedback by going to the new RRO Forum boards [CLICK HERE] and letting me know how you thought about the picks??

Mama Says It Bees That Way Sometimes "ASWF" by Downtown Bruno Lauer

I just want to dedicate this short column to the ASWF and the folks that run that fine promotion in Tuckerman, AR. I made my ASWF debut this past Saturday night. I appreciate the great treatment that I was given by any and all of the ASWF personnel - David Walls, Ricky Rowland and Terrance Ward in particular.

They had a ceremony before the event honoring all the 2009 ASWF award winners, such as rookie of the year, match of the year and so on. I was happy to pass out the certificates while the incomparable T-Bone Ward announced the winners. I was humbled, shocked and pleasantly surprised when T-Bone and Austin Lane handed me a certificate and induced me into the Mid-South Hall of Fame, which was quite an honor.

I was also glad to see my good friend Reggie Montgomery, who I hadn't seen since our old Bert Prentice Ozark Mountain Wrestling. It is always good to be around great guys like Mike Anthony and Austin Lane. I refereed both of their matches. I also got to meet a lot of new guys and seeing some guys who I have not seen in years was great too.

Thanks again to David, Ricky and the whole ASWF crew - looking forward to seeing everybody next time my schedule allows it.....

----“Downtown” Bruno Lauer is a legend in Memphis Wrestling. Two time winner of RRO's Referee of the Year 2008 and 2009. He appears bi-weekly with his non controversial column. Lauer had his biography published last year “Wrestling with The Truth” and can be purchased at www.crowbarpress.com. Lauer is also currently employed by the WWE.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

(WGN) May 18: How TNA is going to cut costs, Hogan heart scare, Raw TV notes, Mysterio contract status, Bryan Danielson plans, Pope update, Dixie tapes shoot interview, and more...

WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT

5/17 Raw TV results from Toronto: Edge over Christian; The Undertaker over Edge via DQ; Ted DiBiase over Yoshi Tatsu; Bret Hart over The Miz to capture the US title; Maryse, Michelle McCool, Layla over Eve Torres & The Bella Twins; Jack Swagger vs. Randy Orton was a no contest; Evan Bourne & Gail Kim over Zack Ryder & Alicia Fox; and John Cena vs. Sheamus was a no contest. Primo worked a dark match as a babyface over Dos Caras Jr. Carlito wasn't even used.

The Smackdown/NXT tapings take place tonight in Ottawa.

***

Raw last night did a 3.4 rating and 4.9 million viewers. That's about the YTD average so not a great number considering the show was commercial free which usually helps with the number.

Raw in Canada on The Score last night was edited to include commercial breaks while other international markets, including the UK, aired the show live without breaks. The WWE studio usually handles all the editing based on various requirements from its TV partners which is a tall task when you consider the number of markets they cater to worldwide.

The narrator featured in all the WWEShop infomercials was Ed Koskey from the creative team. Local worker Cherry Bomb (Laura Dennis, 23) who was in for a tryout was the female repulsed by Goldust in the dating skit. Her finisher is called the Cherry Popper so don't expect them to use that one if she gets hired.

Not quite sure yet where they are going with Bret Hart winning the U.S. title. One idea talked about in creative meetings last week was that Bryan Danielson would take Bret's place and beat Miz for the belt very quickly, but apparently Vince preferred another idea that airs tonight on NXT involving Michael Cole.

Mike Jones did in fact return last night as Virgil aligned with Ted Jr. as his hired lackey. He's 47 years old now and has spent recent years working on-and-off in the Pittsburgh area as math teacher as well as various convention appearances at weekends. He was last seen on national television with WCW during the mid-late 90s. Dusty Rhodes, who was booking when he came in, gave him the name Vincent, which was a knock on Vince McMahon, as the name Virgil during his WWF run was knock on Rhodes, who's real name is Virgil Runnels.

Rey Mysterio either just did or is about to sign a new contract. He's also told people recently that his knee has improved and probably wouldn't require surgery after all. Curiously though, he's not advertised as appearing at any house shows now until mid-July, according to the WWE website.

WWE COO Donna Goldsmith participated this week in the J.P. Morgan Global Media, Technology, and Media Conference in Boston. She talked about the company going PG and how this move has helped them open doors with new advertisers. She mentioned TNA as a show that features a lot of blood and guts and how they don't anything like that. She talked about Vince wanting to do a cartoon series and suggested they may to talking to Nickelodeon about that. She also said they are thinking about bringing back Tough Enough as a reality series, even though they have NXT which she described as, "scripted reality".

Linda McMahon's chances of becoming a U.S. Senator was just given a huge boost after a report yesterday in the New York Times revealed that her Democrat rival and Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal lied about being a Vietnam war veteran. Its believed that Linda's people researched dirt on Blumenthal for months and that's one of the items they unearthed. Shawn McCoy, one of Linda's staffers, told Politico: "As we have researched Dick Blumenthal's record, we've discovered some very troubling disparities between what he's said and the facts. This is a serious blow to his credibility."

Layla becoming Women's champion this past week makes her the first ever Brit to hold the belt. She grew up in London and after college started working as a dancer on cruise liners--from there she got a job with the Miami Heat Dancers and then entered the Diva Search to where she is today.

Drew McIntyre vs. Kofi Kingston for the IC title was officially added to Over the Limit as was Eve vs. Maryse for the Diva's title.

John Cena has been talking about recording another rap album. Earlier this month he cut a track with rapper Bumpy Knuckles for the upcoming WWE Studios film Legendary.

The tentative title for the Randy Orton DVD due out later this year is Randy Orton: The Viper Uncoiled.


TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING

Regarding cuts, well... they're coming. Right now the company is trying to rid themselves of as much overhead as possible. This likely means eliminating those that have guaranteed money and renewing them on a pay as you go basis. Its also rumored that some top guys are taking less than their contract stipulates right now to help balance the budget sheet.

Sting was announced as No. 1 contender for the heavyweight title at the Impact tapings last night which airs Thursday. Eric Bischoff cut a promo without really explaining how Sting had topped the rankings other than Dixie Carter, Hogan and himself determine everything based on win/loss records and fan votes. I mean really, this makes completely zero sense. Sting wasn't close to winning the fan polls placing joint 4th out of 15 guys, plus he's lost his last two matches to RVD and AJ Styles, and actually hasn't won a match since last September, so never mind the fact he's running around taking people out with a baseball bat. Can somebody please explain the logic behind this deal?

Hogan had a recent heart scare, according to TMZ. He was reportedly undergoing tests for a future back surgery during which doctors thought they may have found an abnormality. He was then sent to a specialist cardiovascular center for further testing. The doctors there ran more tests and eventually determined that there wasn't a problem after all.

Hogan was a guest on the Wendy Williams show this past Friday. He briefly plugged TNA but Williams jumped in and mistakenly said Impact airs on Monday nights on Spike. Doh. He talked about how he now uses hair extensions because after his divorce Linda wasn't around to dye his hair. "When I was married back in the day Linda would do my hair - I never paid attention. When she filed for divorce and I was on my own and the roots grew out, I went to my local drug store and bought the hair (dye) and put in on. I didn't know you weren't supposed to put it on the scalp. I kind of rubbed it through (my hair) and then the phone rang. It (the dye) was on for an hour... (Then) I'm in the shower and it (my hair) all goes down there (the drain)."

The Pope is said to be targeting June/July for a return to the ring following his shoulder injury.

Sean Waltman was hanging out backstage yesterday at the tapings with Scott Hall. They shot a video blog together from Hall's locker room which is posted at http://tinyurl.com/2d3tgfq. Hall says Waltman is off television and working on other gigs right now.

The Mr. Anderson promo at Sacrifice was something Anderson himself came up with. Apparently they have a new t-shirt in the works which says "Mr. Anderson" on the front, and "I'm an asshole" on the back. The "hole" part is a picture of a hole in the ground. The live crowd reaction was interesting and there is now talk of capitalizing on that and turning him babyface.

Some of the crew threw a birthday bash for Earl Hebner after the tapings last night. Hebner just turned 60.

There is some talk about the company producing its own series of shoot interviews to sell on its website. I actually mentioned this to a promoter today and they thought it was a great idea but noted the company's main issue is that they still don't know how to market themselves. They no longer wholesale any merchandise to resellers, so the only way you can buy TNA stuff is at live events or through the website. The promoter also remarked how terrible it was that a place like Springfield, IL (which is a good town for indy shows) would only draw a few hundred paid with both Jeff Hardy and RVD on the card this past weekend. "Its almost like the TNA brand attached to these wrestlers makes it uncool because I'd like to think I could draw 1,000 plus at anything Jeff Hardy was a part of right now."

Speaking of shoot interviews, Dixie Carter taped one with Kayfabe Commentaries on Friday night at the legends convention in New Jersey. The interview took place in a room before 75-100 fans and workers. She was well received and didn't dodge any questions. The two biggest pops came when Jim Cornette's face popped up on a screen as a video submission question, and later when a fan asked, "How much would you sell TNA to Vince for?"... and she replied, "How much will he sell to ME?"

Brian Elliott has a story on Rob Van Dam at http://tinyurl.com/2v2rzqu.

Beer Money was also announced for AAA's Triplemania on 6/6. Hernandez, Abyss and Christopher Daniels are booked on the show too.

There is a trailer for Kurt Angle's next DVD release, River of Darkness at http://tinyurl.com/38ffeyg which stars Kurt as a small town Sheriff hunting down two zombies, played by Kevin Nash and Sid Eudy. They are billed as "WWE wrestling stars" in the trailer even though none of them have worked there for years.

The company has hired a PR agency in the UK to help them with media exposure over there. They are sending one major star and a Knockout soon for a promotional tour.

TNA debuts in Brooklyn, NY on 7/2 at the MCU Park baseball stadium and in Asbury Park, NJ on 7/3.

There is a house show booked at the La Porte, IN County Fair on 7/24 with Mr. Anderson, Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, Eric Young, The Pope, Samoa Joe, Desmond Wolfe, Beer Money, and The Beautiful People all advertised as appearing.


OTHER WRESTLING NEWS

Rich Tate reports that Gary Brumbaugh, real life brother of Sputnik Monroe, who was in the business as Jet Monroe in the 1960s, passed away back on 5/12.

Celebrity Boxing promoter Damon Feldman was hospitalized and put under psychiatric evaluation this past weekend after he threatened to take his own life. Police were dispatched to Feldman's home in Broomall, PA after receiving calls from several people who said Feldman had emailed them a suicide note on Saturday. Feldman, 40, was said to be devastated that the State Attorney recently charged him with fixing fights and staging them without a license. Feldman's wife, Rachael, told the Philly Daily News today that she had spoken with her husband and that he was feeling better but would remain hospitalized for a few more days. Feldman, who has booked pro wrestlers on his shows in the past, faces a preliminary hearing 5/26. He's charged with six counts of staging competitions without holding a promoter's license and six counts of rigging fights. He insists he's done nothing wrong claiming his events are just like WWE.

Mickie James‘ debut country album Strangers & Angels went on sale today on iTunes. The album hasn't cracked the Top 50 U.S. chart but is doing very well in the UK currently listed at No. 9.

Christopher Daniels will be throwing out the first pitch at Clear Channel Stadium on Thursday, home of the Houston Astros, in Lancaster CA. He is signing autographs from 6:20pm-6:45pm, prior to the JetHawks taking on the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

April Hunter is competing in the NPC Junior Nationals USA in Chicago on 6/18. She recently placed within the top 3 of her class at the NPC Kentucky Muscle. More info at www.aprilhunter.com.

Former WWE wrestler Steve Lewington has entered the Arnold Classic Best Body Contest at www.muscleandbodymag.com/arnold.php. He looks the least juiced out of all the guys listed.

The Armpit, an awesome pro wrestling/MMA parody website has just relaunched at www.armpitwrestling.com. Highly recommended.

The Heyman Hustle at http://tinyurl.com/389kjxd posted some promotional stills for Trish Stratus' upcoming movie Ball Enforcers. The film stars Trish within a team of down on their luck bounty hunters who run into trouble when they are confronted with a moral dilemma--a local mob boss who wants the team to exchange a bail jumper for a million dollars. The film was shot in and around Toronto.

Jimmy Hart announced the Legends of Rock and Wrestling Musical Tour with Honkytonk Man, Koko B. Ware and Hillbilly Jim. Tour dates and updates will be announced soon at www.honkytonkman.net.

Percy Pringle (the former Paul Bearer) did an interview with Ring The Bell radio at www.RingTheBellRadio.com. Among many subjects he discussed how he and Undertaker still remain great friends. "I had a 15 year career before coming to the WWF. About 1987 we had a big red headed kid coming through Dallas named Mark Calloway. He wanted to be a wrestler so we gave him a try. He was training with Buzz Sawyer at the time, if you call what Buzz did training. He more or less took Mark’s money. But one night we put him in the ring under a mask, called him Texas Red. Bruiser Brody asked me to go to the ring with him as his manager. So I managed The Undertaker in his very first match in Dallas and that was 3 or 4 years before his debut as The Undertaker in the WWF. So we certainly have a history that goes back a long long time and we still remain dear friends…he’s one of the best friends I’ve got in the world."

UK promotion 1PW is bringing in TNA's Desmond Wolfe, Douglas Williams, and Beer Money along with the former Val Venis and Kevin Thorn for shows this weekend in Liverpool. More info at www.oneprowrestling.com. For what its worth, Thorn was backstage yesterday at the TNA tapings.

Canadian Wrestling Elite runs this Saturday in Dauphin, MB at the Rotary Arena with the former Billy Gunn, Shawn Daivari, Danny Duggan, Bushwhacker Luke, Jimmy Jacobs and many more.

WFX runs in Winnipeg, Manitoba on 5/28 with Charlie Haas vs. Kip James; plus Christopher Daniels, Eugene, Bushwhacker Luke, Larry Zbyszko & Hardcore Holly. More info at www.wfxwrestling.com.

Dallas Page is hosting a radio show tonight 9-10pm ET at www.blogtalkradio.com/yrgradio discussing all things Yoga.

Former WWE developmental Diva Bobbi Billard did a Playboy shoot this week for the June-July special edition issue.

Today's Knockout of the Day is Christy Hemme at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.

Dusty Wolfe retiring this year- GO READ THIS BLOG


Pro Wrestling's original 'Journeyman' has announced via his website that he plans on retiring from wrestling by the end of this year. He announced in a blog that I think EVERY WORKER NEEDS TO READ!! Seriously, guys need to hear this and they need to hear from a man like Dusty who has made his living in this business....Dusty Wolfe is not a weekend warrior, he's man whose paid his dues and wrestled all over the world and his message is clear and brutally honest.

Go and read what Dusty has to say HERE then feel free to give your opinions on the subject in the new RRO FORUMS.

If you'd like to read more about Dusty Wolfe and his adventures in the wrestling business, pick up a copy of his book 'Journal of a Journeyman' here.

T.I.W.F. Results-- 5/15/10- Trenton, TN.

Tennessee Independent Wrestling Federation results for Saturday 5-15-10 at the TIWF Showplex Arena Trenton, TN.


Wildside def. Hostile Brian Michaels by submission

Taylor Payne© wrestled Sugar Shane to a Double Count Out

Fusion def. AC Styles & Big Brad Simpson

Chico Mendoza def. Hardknocks Hooligan & Ravishing Randy in a handicap match

Knockout Kid & Brian Michaels def. Hard Justice by DQ


Black Widow & B.B. def. Ice Queen & Million Dollar Baby

Way Cool def. Kilo© to win the TIWF Regional Heavyweight Title



• Notes:

* Attendance:142
* Announcers: Drew Magruder & Hotrod
• TIWF every Friday night in Mckenzie, Tn. @ BattleZone Arena 12895 Hwy 79 Mckenzie, Tn.
• TIWF every Saturday night in Trenton, Tn. @ Showplex Arena 405 W.1st St. Trenton, Tn.
• TIWF returns to Brownsville 6-4-10@ New Breed Arena
http://www.tiwf.org

RCW Late Nite Wrestling 05.15.2010 Part 3

Part 3 of RCW Late Nite Wrestling from May 15, 2010 features the final minutes of a wild bout between Ron Rage and Matt Riviera plus a contract signing between Jon Michael Worthington and "Girl Candy" Christian Jacobs for their upcoming RCW Title Match!

RCW Late Nite Wrestling 05.15.2010 Part 2

Check out the second part of RCW Late Nite Wrestling from May 15, 2010 featuring the conclusion of the "Girl Candy" Christian Jacobs/Maxx Corbin match AND the opening moments of a wild bout between Ron Rage and Matt Riviera!

RCW Late Nite Wrestling 05.15.2010 Part 1

Check out the first part of RCW Late Nite Wrestling from May 15, 2010 featuring the first few minutes of "Girl Candy" Christian Jacobs vs. Maxx Corbin!

Wayne's World "Working Together" by Eric Wayne

In the long list of "what's wrong with the business" this has to be mentioned, and it rarely is brought up: working together. Much like the old NWA, there were companies working together across the country with one common objective...to make money. Nowadays, that idea has almost disappeared. Wrestling has become a hobby for 90% of the people involved. What's just as bad is the new idea of territories. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a territory isn't a town of 2000 people where the weekly show draws less than 200. That's what damn near every company wants to be though, a "territory" that runs once a week with 20+ guys on the card drawing on average 100 people! Why? Because working together is something that just doesn't seem feasible.

However not every company has this mindset. On May 8th XOW held a show in which NEW was featured in the main event. It was also a US Jr. Title match which is currently only recognized by NEW. Well, and XOW now that the title has been defended there. Its not often that we see companies working together, instead we see them creating a "war" that is pointless.

On any given Saturday we have more than a dozen promotions running and drawing all around the same number of people. All because this show is 20-30 miles away and everyone wants to run on the weekend. I guess that's the only time people have for their hobbies though. The idea of cross promotion has worked for decades when the world champion would travel across the country, and world, to different companies. But now its a big deal to double shot shows that are 25minutes apart and why? Because it makes the booker's job harder? Because we don't want to help other people succeed? I'm not really sure, maybe its just a case of being selfish or more likely its just unprofessional ism.

Let's look at this: there is enough money between ALL the companies that run on Saturdays and enough days in the week, to run a show in each town on different days of the week. All of a sudden, we have 4 or 5 shows running 5 days a week which means a chance for....more money. Now I know someone is going to say "yeah, that's great but you can't get enough guys to work 5 days a week". Well, sure we can! A core group of 14 guys can alternate through all the towns and the guys that only live close enough to go to that town once a week...well that's the only show you're going to be wrestling on. Now all of a sudden, instead of ALL the shows running on the same two nights we have time to run other towns and create more money for everyone. Its called working together.

Companies in the northeast and Midwest have been doing it the last decade or more and look at the gates they're drawing compared to what's going on down here. They learned a long time ago what nobody down here wants to believe, which is this: we can get rid of the shit and actually make money if we all work together. I mean sure, a lot of the same guys will be on all the shows but that should make everyone else work even harder to step into that spot. Until then that just means more money and a busier schedule for the guys in high demand. I don't know if the idea of working together will ever actually work in the south but if it does, we could actually see the return of something very similar to actual territories. Til next time, train hard and hit even harder!

Monday, May 17, 2010

(WGN) May 17: WWE wrestlers undergo knee surgery, Jim Ross closes BBQ restaurant, Steve Austin update, TNA budget cuts, Knockout returns, Terry Funk hurt at indy show, Sputnik Monroe, Maria fired from Apprentice,

WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT

5/14 Smackdown TV results from Buffalo, NY: Kofi Kingston over Christian to win the vacant IC title; Shad Gaspard over Jesse Guyver; MVP & JTG over The Dudebusters; Lay-Cool over Beth Phoenix to win the Women's title (Lalya is the new champ as she got the pin); Kane over Chavo Guerrero; and Rey Mysterio over CM Punk via DQ.


***

The former Hart family home is currently listed on the Calgary real estate market for $4.95 million, after being refurbished, with "The Dungeon" basement still intact. This news has surprised people close to the family as they were under the impression the basement had largely been dismantled. The mansion, located in the Patterson Heights neighborhood of Calgary, was built in 1902 by businessman Edward Crandell. It was converted into the Soldiers' Children's Home for Orphans in 1920 and later sold to a lawmaker called Henry Stuart Patterson. Stu Hart purchased the mansion for $25,000 in 1951, where he raised his family and trained many professional wrestlers over the years. Famous Dungeon graduates include Superstar Billy Graham, Greg Valentine, Bad News Allen, Davey Boy Smith, Brian Pillman, Jushin Liger, Ricky Fuji, and Chris Benoit. The mansion was sold by Stu's children to local businessman Dario Berloni for $1.5 million in 2004, a little over a year after Stu passed away. It was in need of extensive restoration and held high property taxes, which the family could not afford. Stu had also instructed in his will that his family not tear it down. Prior to the sale, there was talk of turning the mansion into a museum or bed and breakfast; however, this would have required zoning changes further diminishing the chances securing protected status. In June 2006, preservation plans were defused in a tied 7-7 city vote, leaving it susceptible to demolition. Later that year a revised plan was authorized for thirteen townhouses to be built around the mansion as well as its restoration. Construction was slated to begin in summer 2007, but those plans were never implemented. The mansion is now listed on property guides as 5,600-square-foot, on 2.17 acres of land, with twenty-two rooms, including six bedrooms with en-suites, two porches, a view of downtown Calgary, and a coach house behind the main house. Realtor Donna Rooney says the mansion has been fully renovated. "The amount of money that has gone into this and the love that’s gone into this renovation has been spectacular. Anybody that’s seen the house is just in awe," she told the Calgary Herald. "It’s beautiful. There’s been a lot of imported tile and wood and the kitchen is totally divine. The house is gorgeous. It’s very much a grand property." Ross Hart was also quoted in the Herald article as saying he hoped that developers wouldn't purchase the mansion and build townhouses or condos on the land.

Jim Ross announced late last night that his BBQ restaurant in Norman, OK was closing its doors effective immediately. Ross, who at one-time was looking at expanding his business into a multi-location franchise in the Oklahoma City area, blamed the harsh economic climate. "At the end of the day, our business plan could not handle the shift in the economy or the rising overhead that we encountered," Ross wrote in his blog. "We make no excuses. We worked diligently on making this aspect of our BBQ dream come true but this time around it simply wasn't meant to be. We played the game hard and played to win but we came up short. Again, we make no excuses." He added that he plans to continue his BBQ product line as an online business. "The good news is that we will continue to cultivate our on line business, perhaps even adding a few, new items down the road. This site (www.jrsbarbq.com) is not going anywhere and we will continue to aggressively market the best BBQ Sauces." Ross had told friends for some time that he was considering closing his restaurant, pretty much since his last Bell's Palsy attack, to help alleviate the stress in his life. Regarding his future, Ross wrote, "In the upcoming weeks, my professional schedule is likely to change significantly. I've realized that there is only so much that I can pile on my plate so perhaps this unfortunate turn of events is a blessing in disguise. My wife and I sincerely thank everyone who worked so hard at J.R.'s and to all of you who visited us and enjoyed our food."

The Laurel Leader-Call interviewed WWE Studios VP Michael Pavone about the company's upcoming film projects, specifically the biopic on Georgeous George Wagner. "It’s a passion project for Vince McMahon," Pavone said. "(George) had such an influence on modern day wrestling in general and what we’ve come to know from WWE. But, he was also the father of pop culture." He added: "People like James Brown, Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan have given Gorgeous George a lot of credit for showing them the way. John Waters, Elton John and Liberace hearken back to things that Gorgeous George did. He became popular when TV was invented and the only thing on was wrestling and Uncle Milty." The studio recently paid a six figure sum for the rights to turn John Capouya's biography on George into a movie. Capouya will be listed as co-producer along with George's surviving daughter Carol and ex-wife Betty. An interesting note that I recently uncovered is that WWE trademarked the term 'Gorgeous George' back in June, 2009 which was before they first made contact with Capouya who later acted as a conduit to Carol and Betty. The film is expected to start pre-production in the first quarter of 2011.

Beth Phoenix is scheduled for knee surgery Tuesday morning under Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, AL. She wrote a blog saying that she was initially in denial over the severity of the injury which I guess explains why she was telling people she was fine. A doctor later diagnosed a torn and displaced Meniscus, sprained MCL and complete tear of her ACL. She is expected to be sidelined for around 6-8 months although she could come back sooner depending on how rehab goes.

Developmental wrestler Brett DiBiase, brother of Ted, underwent knee surgery this morning for a torn ACL in Birmingham.


Cody Rhodes debuted a new gimmick at house shows this past weekend. He's calling himself "The Uncommon" Cody Rhodes complete with new ring attire and leather jacket. At one show he cut a heel promo saying, "Hey, you guys remember a guy named The Rock? ... Oh well, he doesn't remember you!"

The St. John Telegraph-Journal has a story on Rhodes at http://tinyurl.com/2vmzvdj. Nothing very noteworthy. He said he knows he made it now because he has his own Mattel action figure. "No matter how hard you may be on yourself, or how competitive you may be with others, if you've got yourself in plastic, you've done something right."

New Brunswick's Times and Transcript has a story on Christian at http://tinyurl.com/3agheeu. He said when he went to TNA a few years ago he always knew he would be back here one day. "I started on the road when I was 24, and I was on the road for eight years straight without a break. I was physically and mentally a little beat up, and just kind of needed some time away to heal up and have a little time for family and unwind and live like a normal person for a little while." He says his final career goal is to become a world champion.

MeetTheBoss.tv interviewed Andrew Whitaker, WWE's VP of International, responsible for strategic direction of the company outside of the U.S. He talked about creating new stars, saying you either have charisma or you don't. "It's about having a certain X-factor, you either have that or you don't... We can't force people to be stars, the fans decide that." Glad someone realizes this. He said he reports directly to Vince and has a team of 30 people beneath him. He also talked about cracking new markets, most recently Norway and Demark saying they were rentleless and never took no for an answer.

Steve Austin is coming to the UK in August to promote his next movie The Stranger on DVD. Austin plays a material witness in an FBI investigation. He's supported by Adam Beach of HBO's Big Love as the lead FBI agent and Erica Cerra, who recently starred in Fox's Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, who plays a psychiatrist. The DVD drops on 6/1.

Melina is featured on a new VH1 series as a talking head called Undated. The women on the show discuss things men should avoid if they want to successfully date women.

We received a report from a reader at Chris Jericho's Fozzy concert over the weekend in Glasgow, Scotland. He was in full babyface mode and got a huge pop when he ripped on Whitney Houston regarding her recent negative press. Our reader said the concert was great value for money and recommends everyone check out Fozzy if they come to a town near you.

Matt Hardy posted the following message on his Twitter: "I'm gonna push the WWE to take me places that I've never ever been to before-& I'll hold up my end-Promise. Print that quote dirtsheets!" Cannot imagine what he means. A Gym perhaps?

MSNBC's political commentator Keith Olbermann on his last show featured Linda McMahon as his Worst Person in the World for some of her campaign stances. Linda is being ripped left, right and center right now by various public figures in the state.


TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING

5/13 house show results from Springfield, IL: Kaz over Brian Kendrick; Abyss over Desmond Wolfe; The Beautiful People over Sarita & Taylor Wilde; Ken Anderson over Jeff Jarrett; Ink Inc over Beer Money; and Rob Van Dam over AJ Styles & Jeff Hardy in a three-way. A reader report we had said the show drew 500-600 people with solid work and fans leaving happy.

The 5/14 show in Hammond, IN was the same show as Springfield drawing an estimated 700 people. A fan at the show gave Jarrett some personal photos taken of his last match teaming with Owen Hart shortly before his death which caused Jarrett to tear up.

5/15 Sacrifice pay-per-views results from Orlando, FL: Rob Van Dam over AJ Styles to retain the heavyweight title; Sting vs. Jeff Jarrett never happened; Jeff Hardy over Mr. Anderson; The Band over Ink Inc. to retain the tag titles; The Machine Guns over Team 3D & Beer Money in a three-way for the next tag title shot; Douglas Williams over Kaz for the X-Division title; Rob Terry over Orlando Jordan to retain the Global Championship; Abyss over Desmond Wolfe so Abyss wins Chelsea for 30 days; and Madison Rayne over Tara to retain the Knockouts title, so Tara is gone.

TNA will tape three Impacts this week with Kurt Angle advertised to return.

***

There is new talk of budget-related cuts with ring announcer Dave Penzer perhaps the first casualty. Penzer, who has been around since 2005 and before that with WCW dating back to 1994, knew the writing was on the wall a few weeks ago as there was a push for Jeremy Borash to take over his duties. Still, this departure as a budget cut seems to make little sense in the grand scheme of things. It would take 10-20 Penzer's to equal the pay of a major star such as Hogan, Flair or Hardy, who are among the highest paid as well as being responsible for ratings and revenue.

Roxxi (Nicole Raczynski) is being brought back to television. She's not been seen since suffering a freak ankle injury in a match with Hamada at the 12/21 tapings.

ODB wasn't brought in for television this week as creative said they had nothing for her. She has some heat for recent comments she made online questioning the direction of the Knockouts division--which everyone does privately. Her contract expires later this year.

Former TNA production manager, Randy Ricci recently wrote a blog claiming that Madison Rayne has been forced to miss house shows this year as she was unable to pay for travel to make the shows. Ricci wasn't specific but I assume he means road expenses. Rayne countered and wrote her own blog denying any issues. For what its worth, my impression is that all talent booked are supplied with a round trip plane ticket for house show loops. Everybody has a different contract but generally the top guys, and this is only a small few, have expenses covered, which usually includes a nice hotel. The under card guys, perhaps making 200-300 per shot, are worse off as they have to pay for hotel, rent a car, and put gas in said car for the entire loop. I don't know that this a wide-spread issue but some people are unhappy. The main issue is that pay checks follow several weeks later, so guys are struggling to make ends meet due to the incurred costs of simply going to work. Of course, nobody is forced into working and if guys aren't make enough as a wrestler to pay their bills, then a part-time job is an option. This may or may not be relevant but one major 80s draw who I talked to today brought up that Vince McMahon didn't kills the indy's, but rather the wrestlers who work for free.

Rob Van Dam vs. Sting for the heavyweight title is expected to headline Slammiversary on 6/13 from Orlando. Not quite sure how this will come about based on current storylines let alone this supposed revolutionary heavyweight contenders ranking system.

Mick Foley recently signed a deal to author a comic book series for 12 Gauge Comics. There is no real update on Foley other than he's likely returning later this year to promote his next memoir, Countdown to Lockdown. Foley and his wife Colette are donating 50 percent of the advance royalties for the book to RAINN, an anti-sexual assault organization working with rape crisis centers across the US.

Jeff Hardy will be celebrity judge this weekend at the 2010 Pennzoil Ultra Victory Challenge at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Of all things, he's judging a burnout contest, which some people may find humor in.

SouthPeak just announced that Hulk Hogan will appear as a playable character in the Nintendo DS version of its new game due for release next month. There is little buzz regarding this title from people within the gaming industry. One former magazine writer told us the development team behind the project are best known for cartoon adventures so they didn't expect much hype surrounding a wrestling title. Southpeak picked up the TNA license last year from the ashes of Midway Games who went bankrupt.

Kurt Angle visited Lackland Air Force Base over the weekend in San Antonio. One of our readers met Kurt, said he was great, and spent time chatting to soldiers and taking photos with their kids.

The company is also now doing some charitable work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

TNAWrestling.com announced a new online contest to search for fans who can do promos imitating Ric Flair. You can to post video to YouTube then email the video’s link, along with your name, address and phone number to WalkTheTalk@tnawrestling.com. Fans will then vote to decide a winner from a Top 10 of submitted videos. The winner will receive a VIP trip to Slammiversary. Closing date is 5/27. Not sure who came up with this idea, but its a really cool gimmick which should generate some interest.

The Band (Nash, Hall & Young) are now defending the tag titles under the Freebird rule. Waltman is said to be gone for now due to personal reasons.

Impact last Thursday night did a 0.9 rating and 1.3 million viewers. A long journey back now to where they were last summer.

The Hebner brothers turn 60 today.


OTHER WRESTLING NEWS

British wrestler and promoter Andre Baker passed away over the weekend at age 45 reportedly after committing suicide. Baker founded a promotion called Hammerlock in 1993, which later merged with the NWA as an affiliate, which has helped the careers of several top UK wrestlers including TNA's Doug Williams, WWE's Wade Barrett, former Diva Katie Lea, among many others. He rubbed a lot of people the wrong way over the years but should be remembered for helping to regenerate the UK wrestling scene back at a time when business was virtually dead.

Terry Funk, 65, suffered a ruptured eardrum this past weekend working for Great North Wrestling in Thunder Bay, ONT. The injury actually occurred during a pre-show press conference. Funk was brought in as special referee for a match between Kevin Nash and a worker called Hannibal. Vampiro (billed as his first time wrestling in his home town), Honky Tonk Man, Lanny Poffo, and Scott Steiner were also on the card which drew around 2,000 people.

MTV Movies spoke to director Julien Nitzberg about his HBO Films biopic on Sputnik Monroe at http://tinyurl.com/25zyuyn. Monroe was a headliner in many territories from the 1940s though the early 70s, and was best known in Memphis, where he and Billy Wicks set an attendance record that lasted until the Monday Night Wars boom period. Nitzberg says he's making the film due to his interest in Monroe as an outspoken campaigner of civil rights for African-Americans during the 50s--a period where segregation was the norm at public events, and as the biggest wrestling draw at the time, Monroe refused to perform unless black patrons were allowed to sit in any seat. At the time, at wrestling matches, as well as many public events, African-Americans were limited to sit in what was known as the "colored" section. "For black people he was a hero but for white people he was a wrestling bad guy," Nitzberg said. "So he would go on TV as a wrestler talking about how integration was good and getting white southerners super-pissed at him, driving them insane, and eventually he could outsell Elvis. Through the power of wrestling and hate he was able to amass this economic power where he could... start refusing to actually wrestle at segregated sporting arenas. He integrated more sporting arenas in the south than the NAACP."

MTV2's Lucha Libre series will be titled Masked Warriors with the first taping on 6/6 in Rancho Mirage, CA. Talent booked includes Marco Corleone (Mark Jindrak), Lizmark Jr., Mascarita Dorara and Tinieblas Jr.

Dutch Mantell's latest blog entry discusses the opening of his new wrestling school, fighting fans, changes to the business and more. A great read at http://tinyurl.com/2w4be9x.

The OU Daily college paper has a story on Leon "Vader" White's son Jesse and his interest in following his father into the business. The story includes quote from Jim Ross who told Jesse to become fundamentally sound and not to emulate his father because their body types are different. Story is at http://tinyurl.com/y99xaz8.

The San Jose Mercury News has an article on career and life of Kinji Shibuya following his recent passing at http://tinyurl.com/342dwd5.

Maria Kanellis was eliminated last night from Celebrity Apprentice although she will be appearing on the season finale as part of Holly Peete's team in the final task--to create a new flavor of Snapple Tea. The Donald fired her for a pretty lame reason. She cut a promo on chef Curtis Stone for being arrogant because he passed gas in her dressing room. Donald said he works in board rooms, not locker rooms, so fired her. During her run she raised $20,000 for the Make A Wish Foundation.

Bobby Lashley's next Strikeforce fight will be against Ron Sparks in Los Angeles on 6/16.

The Iron Sheik at www.sheikshirts.com/ is now selling "fuck bubba" (as in Bubba the Love Sponge) t-shirts.

TMZ did a follow up story on Joanie "Chyna" Laurer who was recently connected to the battery of a former friend in a LA motel room. Gabriela Targos told LAPD that Chyna battered her so badly she feared she was going to die. The City Attorney has officially rejected the case, citing insufficient evidence that can prove Chyna carried out the attack. Full story at http://tinyurl.com/39aa7r6.

Today's Diva of the Day is Alicia Fox at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.

Cheap Heat- "WE'RE TAKING OVER!!" by Gene Jackson

So I decided to title this one with the immortal words of "Big Stevie Cool".....the battle cry of the B.W.O., "We're taking over!" because a week or so ago I got a message from Brian Tramel asking if I'd be interested in taking over the site whileh he took a hiatus since he's been running it non-stop for four years and apparently is busy losing weight all the time now (asshole, must be nice)....so anyway, at first I thought, "uhh, that would be a pain in the ass and a lot of work and I'm really not into more work." Then I thought about it and decided two things......1) BT deserves a break and 2) There's always been a few things I wanted to implement here just to see how they would be received. So since Brian told me that much like the Hulkster, I'd have full creative control of the RROnews website, I decided to give it a shot so here I am now the 'Commander in Chief" of Rasslin Riot Online. (I think he said editor in chief but you know...whatever...I'm the H.N.I.C. if you weel as Dusty Rhodes might say).

Now I'm not gonna implement EVERYTHING in one day but rather a little at a time and see how folks react. One of the things that's disappointed me about RRO is the lack of posts on the "kayfabe board". Now I know part of the reason why is because people don't want to register and have people know who they REALLY are, thus the former popularity of the "bathroom wall" over at hollywoodjimmy.com. Now I'm not looking for bullshit like what gets posted over there. I'm thinking more along the lines of the type of interaction you see on sites like Wrestling Classics, Kayfabe Memories, the NWA Legends Fanfest forums, and such.

Now I know Brian isn't going to like this buy hey, again I'm running things now so we're gonna try this out and see how it goes. I've put together the ALL NEW RROnews WRESTLING FORUMS.....and for now if people can not get too ignorant with what they post we will NOT make you register to post there. However if things start getting out of hand we will do that. With the amount of hits this site gets daily there are a LOT of people that check this site out regularly and I'd like to hear from them. The thing that will make this forum different is we will offer several different ones for different types of discussion. It will breakdown into local wrestling, WWE/TNA etc... MMA, and a place to post show results and promote upcoming events. There will also be a separate forum for TRADING.....This is quite popular at other sites where people can find other fans to trade wrestling related items such as books, dvds, old programs, pics, and other misc. merchandise. Please use it for it's intended purpose, don't come on trying to sell bootleg items, or trade porn and whatnot. Another new forum I added is something that's popular on many other forums and that's fantasy booking. I figure with all the people who are constantly saying that they could book a show WAY better than all these "dumbass promoters" around here......here's your chance to prove it. Sure you can't figure in the 'X' factors like how it will draw and things of that nature but you can put together a card with results and post it for others to read and critique. See how well you do. Start your own leagues and such. Book your own "Memphis Wrestling" series and see if you can "show Corey Maclin how it's done." Just don't over extend yourself and run off afterwards and not pay your workers like an asshole.....that's not fantasy booking, that's reality and there's enough of that going on already.

These things may do well and get some people's participation...or there may be crickets chirping here like on the kayfabe board....but go check it and post something and see if we can get some intelligent discussion going about the business we all love for a change. Here's the link RROnews WRESTLING FORUMS

So that's one minor addition to the site but I'd love to hear from you the daily readers of RRO and let me know what sorta things you'd like to see done to improve or enhance your experience here at Rasslin Riot. One thing I wanna do is to try to cover a little more ground and get more coverage of some of the areas that some people feel are lacking. The way to do that is for you to SEND ME STUFF!! Send me your upcoming shows.....send me your results......send me video clips of your matches......interview your workers and send it to me.....this site is not here to promote ME....or BT......or any of the other staff, it's here to promote southern indy wrestling SO PLEASE HELP ME DO THAT!!

Email me at genejackson95@gmail.com

Also make sure you go check out www.neilrealdealtaylor.com!! Sign the guestbook and buy a picture or a t-shirt and ask for the "RRO discount"...which will get you 18 cents off shipping!!

The Big Announcement - Gene Jackson New Editor In Chief of RRO!!!

----I am happy to announce that Gene Jackson has agreed to take over the day to day operations of RRO for a limited time. Jackson joined the site in June, 2007 contributing some classic columns and radio shows in the past few years. After four years of working almost every day [ok I took a week off to go to Vegas and Thompson took over], I was happy to get a message back from Gene agreeing to do this task. I am still the official owner of the site and we will still have TGB, Pokerface, DT Bruno, Eric Wayne and Maxx Corbin contributing, but Jackson will be the guy in charge. I have given him the "ok" to take the site in any direction he wants. The plan has me turning in a "Coach's Corner" piece for Thursday [which will be the 1/3 of the year award leaders piece] and I still plan to cover the big NBW event on May 29, 2010 and file an Arena Report following that show. From this coming Thursday [5.20.10] until July 1, 2010, all results, columns and issues about the site should be sent to Gene Jackson at genejackson95@gmail.com. I plan on returning on July 1..well...that is unless Jackson is so over he brings the site hits up and the fans are demanding him. So, enjoy your time with Gene, I will become a reader of the site, but not a contributor for my short vacation.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

NBW Spring Breakout Commercial!!

RassleResults: NEW West Memphis, AR 5.14.10

-Dan Matthews beat Mike Anthony with a spinebuster

-Shawn Reed beat Kid Nikels with a go-behind schoolboy after rolling through an attempted chokeslam - pulled tights to gain pinfall.

-XOW bout of Eric Young vs Eric Wayne aired on the "New-tron"

-Justin Smart by DQ over Eric Wayne when Wayne would not obey ref Chuck Poe

----Good crowd even with bad weather...Good push for Reed, because Nikels has suffered very few loses since the start of NEW...John Steele and Terrance Ward were announcers...Chuck Poe and Downtown Bruno as refs.  

RassleResults: ASWF Tuckerman, AR 05.08.10

1st Match- Johnny Hawk def. Sancho Libre
The match started with Hawk dominating Sancho. Every time Sancho tried to make a come back, Hawk used his experience and power to regain control. About 5 minutes into the match, Sancho seemed to be gaining the upper hand and Johnny Hawk threw him from the ring and used a foreign object to jab Sancho in the throat and threw him back in the ring. Hawk then hit his finisher for the 1,2,3.

2nd Match- "Hot Rod John Ellison def. Lee Michaels
This was a good match from start to finish. There were several twists and turns in this match. Both Ellison and Michaels displayed excellent wrestling skills and just did what they do. The end came when Ellison hit his patented Superkick to knock Michaels out for the ,1,2,3.

3rd Match- Mike Anthony def. Seth Sabor
This  bout started with Seth Sabor firmly in control and able to counter everything that Mike threw at him. Sabor had several near pin in the first few minutes of the match. As the match progressed, Anthony's experience and 'will to do anything to win' became apparent as he held the tights during the rollup and this enabled him to get the pin.

4th- Match The American Degenerates def CCR to retain the Tag Team Titles
This bout opened with Morgan Williams and Demon X in the ring. Williams challenged Demon X to a test of strength and was given a cheapshot in the face for his effort. Every time Williams went on the offense, it seemed like Demon X had the counter for it. The American Degenerates finally came into a position that allowed them frequent tags and kept them fresh. It wasn't long til CCR began breaking the rules to try to get a victory. As the match broke down with all 4 men in the ring, WIld Bill pulled a chain from his tights and knocked Morgan out for the pin. However, Commissioner T-Bone Terrance Ward saw the chain and reversed the decision allowing The American Degenerates to retain their titles via DQ.

5th Match- Kid J def. Lil Devil
This contest opened with Kid J in control and then Lil Devil turned things around. There were amazing suplexes from both of these guys as they worked each over. Kid J got the pin after hitting a 'MKO' on Lil Devil. After the win, Kid J was brutally attacked by Lil Devil's 'father', Demon X and Wild Bill. As CCR and Lil Devil tried to destroy Kid J, The American Degenerates came out to make the save. Be watching for these guys in a 6 man tag match on June 5th when The Mighty Midgets are scheduled to return.

Main Event- Austin Lane def. Cody Murdoch w/ Athena
This contest showed Murdoch trying everything in his arsenal to defeat Austin Lane; even using Lane's own spear against him. Lane showed his resilience as nothing Murdoch did could keep him down. As this true fighting Champion was closing in on Murdoch for the victory; he was attacked by "The Ebony Idol" Reggie Montgomery. Austin won his match via DQ, but this attack left Austin laid out in the middle of the ring.

Credit: Lilly and www.aswfwrestling.com

RassleResults: Ringside Championship Wrestling in Forrest City, AR 05.15.2010

Here are the results from last night's Ringside Championship Wrestling (RCW) TV Taping in Forrest City, AR at the Boys and Girls Club of St. Francis County.

- Matt Riviera defeated "Dynamite" Seth Knight by pinfall. Riviera used the ropes, cheating to get the win. After the match, Riviera was angry with the crowd reaction so he went to the back, got his bag and left out the front door.

- "All That" Alan Steele defeated Justin "The Juice" Smart by submission with the "Steele Trap." Post-match, Steele was interviewed by Brian Thompson.

- "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony (with "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton) defeated "Dangerous" Dan Matthews.

- Stan Lee & Chris O'Neal battled Eric Wayne & Kid Nikels to a 20-minute time limit draw.

- Main Event: Ron Rage defeated "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton by pinfall.

RassleNotes: Around 80 in attendance . . . RCW introduced "Ringside Red," a gorilla mascot for the company during intermission. After the main event, "Ringside Red" got into the ring to celebrate with Ron Rage. Then the mascot attacked Rage and left him laying with a steel chair. He took off the mask, revealing himself to be Matt Riviera . . . In his interview, Steele refused to reveal the man he is looking for, but did say the guy is probably sitting at home, making video highlight reels of himself for his own amusement . . . The tag match was very solid, with the crowd getting into really toward the final 5 minutes after being given standard baby vs. heel matches during the first part of the show. Several high impact spots at the end made the crowd want "5 more minutes" to see a winner . . . Rage got a big pop when he came out as he is popular in the area and is a former Forrest City resident . . . A small story was told with the referees as Justin Bryson refereed the first and third matches, the first of his career. Chuck Poe handled the other bouts. The heels pulled off some dirty tactics against Bryson, while Poe caught "Golden Boy" cheating in the main and threw him out of ringside. . . RCW returns to Forrest City on Saturday, June 19 at 7:30 p.m. . . . Other shows include the Augusta Days Fair on May 29, an outside show at Car Today in Jonesboro on May 29 and June 12 at Wynne Farmfest.