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WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Wednesday January 27, 2010
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Wrestling Globe Newsletter by Mike Aldren - All the latest professional wrestling news, gossip and occasional opinion direct to you here at RRO. WGN is read by industry power players, many top wrestlers and thousands of fans from all around the world.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
1/26 ECW TV results from Cincinnati, OH: William Regal & Ezekiel Jackson over Christian & Kane; and Yoshi Tatsu, Goldust & Hurricane over Zack Ryder, Trent Barreta & Caylen Croft.
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The new season of Psych premieres tonight on USA with John Cena playing the role of Juliet's brother Ewan, a soldier in the military.
Raw on Monday night did a 3.6 rating and 5.14 million viewers. Down slightly again from the previous week.
Last night in Cincinnati they taped a Rey Mysterio vs. Shawn Michaels match for Friday's Smacdown which I'm told is off the charts.
A number of WWE Legends contracts [based off of the Wrestlemania video game] are due to expire soon and WWE hasn't made any movements to re-sign the majority of those under such deals.
The former Kizarny was interviewed at www.carnagecrew.net. He noted one time being backstage at a Smackdown taping and observed The Undertaker bobbing his head and singing along to R-Truth's entrance music from behind the curtain. He said it was the most surreal thing he has ever witnessed.
WWE are taping another Legends Roundtable for 24/7 this week in Stamford with Gene Okerlund, J.J. Dillon, Pat Patterson, Nick Bockwinkel, and Michael Hayes discussing tag teams and wrestling in the 1970s.
Several guys were doing voice over work yesterday in Cincinnati for THQ's upcoming Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 game.
WWE.com reportedly locked Rob Van Dam out of his WWE Universe profile amid rumors he was going to sign with TNA. For the many that asked, he's not giving anything away regarding going to TNA or returning to WWE at the Royal Rumble.
Another UK tour was officially announced for November with tickets going on sale January 30 [Scotland only] and February 16 for shows in Endland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Due to complaints, Superstars will be returning to the WGN Chicago line up in the first week of February. Canada also uses the Chicago feed.
Zach Ryder gives quite the interview for his hometown newspaper at http://tinyurl.com/ycyoc96. He talks about trying to win the Royal Rumble and going on to main event at Wrestlemania.
Sunday's Rumble at Phillips Arena in Atlanta is completely sold out. They may release a few tickets on the day of the show.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels met with brothers David Hillar and Cole Dever through the Granted Wish Foundation as they suffer from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Story at http://tinyurl.com/yevw2f2.
Michelle McCool did a brief interview for her website at http://tinyurl.com/ykqotp4.
A clip of Chris Masters on Big Time Crush is online at http://tinyurl.com/y93r6jx.
Sen. Joe Lieberman at http://tinyurl.com/yg99a6e says he may endorse Linda McMahon for Senate. He said he will stand back for now and see how the Senatorial race unfolds before he makes a decision.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
1/26 house show results from Bournemouth, England: Chris Sabin over Suicide & Amazing Red in a three-way; Eric Young over Hamada; the returning Pope over Rhino; Kurt Angle [replacing Matt Morgan] & Hernandez over The British Invasion, Team 3D & Bear Money in a four-way; Samoa Joe over Daniels in a 'I Quit' match; The Beautiful People over Taylor Wilde & Sarita; and AJ Styles over Desmond Wolfe.
The show drew an estimated 2,000 people and was close to a sell out. The British Invasion were over as heels after cutting a promo and ripping up Jeremy Borash's backstage passes. Earl Hebner got his own entrance and came down to the ring wearing black shades, a leather jacket, and did the Bret Hart gimmick. Following the Knockouts tag everyone sang Happy Birthday to Taylor Wilde who turned 24 yesterday. Wolfe worked babyface in the main event which was said to be match of the night. Told it was a great show top to bottom.
The TNA crew run tonight in Cardiff, Wales, with AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe; Eric Young vs. Rob Terry; and The British Invasion vs. Beer Money in a UK v USA challenge as the top advertised matches. The remaining tour dates this week are Coventry, Manchester, and London. We're looking for reader reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.
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Monday March 1 is the tentative date for the next Impact head-to-head against Raw on Spike TV. No word yet if this will be a live show. March 1 is also the night that Wrestlicious debuts on MavTV and Bite TV. This means that there will be six hours of wrestling on national television that night with ROH, Raw, Impact, and Wrestlicious.
For those who use DVR, Impact is once again listed on screen guides as "TNA Impact" as oppose to "TNA Wrestling".
An announcement regarding the status of TNA PPV in the UK is expected imminently. Dixie Carter met with UK television people yesterday to put the finishing touches on a new deal.
Roxxi is telling people she will be sidelined for another month tops with her leg and ankle injury.
Lacey Von Erich recently filmed a bizarre DVD with Kayfabe Commentaries called Missy Hyatt's Pajama Party. You can imagine how this goes. She basically hangs out with Missy and Northeast indy worker Amy Lee and together they are filmed doing lots of wacky stuff like faking orgasms and debating anal sex. They also prank call different wrestlers, including The Honky Tonk Man, during which Lacey pretends to be Dixie Carter's personal assistant. She offers him $200 to come to Orlando and take a guitar shot. You can hear Honky on speakerphone saying, "No, I'm committed to WWE." Seriously, you can't even make this stuff up. There is a trailer online at http://tinyurl.com/ybppnyb.
On a related note, Honky Tonk Man claims on his website that he has been negotiating with TNA since early-December. I can't see him wrestling in TNA, but then again they put Brian Knobbs in the ring, so anything is possible. I could see him doing some announcing but those spots appear to be filled.
Lacey was interviewed on Right After Wrestling on Sirius satellite radio. She talked about how she broke into the business with WWE after they called her uncle Kevin and basically just asked him to ask her if she wanted to be a Diva. She said she was assigned to developmental in Tampa but things didn't work out too well. "We don’t watch wrestling in our family anymore because it was really a sore subject – I mean everyone died! ... I signed my contract and went to FCW [she relocated from LA to Tampa]. I took my first bump and I loved it. I love pain. We’re a little screwed up who wrestle. We all have something in us. I loved it, but I had a son. I was constantly wrestling and they were just about to put me on the road and they told me the schedule was like 300 days per year. I felt like my dad and he always left us. I just felt like I was going to turn into daddy and never see [my son], so I got out as fast as I could." She said soon after TNA called and the schedule was a better fit: "I love TNA and I like the writers. I’m just going to show up to work and do whatever the heck they tell me. I’m not going to question the writers or what they’re doing. They know where the story is going in the future. You want people to be captured in the story and that keeps them coming back. We need controversy and fighting and real-life things put into the show like me coming into The Beautiful People and Angelina coming back and being pissed."
The Miami Herald interviewed Bobby Lashley at http://tinyurl.com/yaeqhef. Lashley makes his Strikeforce debut Saturday night on the Show Time card from Sunrise, FL. He says he's looking to fight Fedor two or three fight from this one. "I feel I'm ready now, but then people will think I'm too cocky and over my head. At the same time by prolonging a match with Fedor then people will start asking themselves why I'm taking so long, and say I'm ducking him. I can't win. But all kidding aside I want to take my time before I fight Fedor. I'm going to learn and get better with each fight. I want to do it the right way."
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Jim Cornette during his latest Podcast at http://whosslammingwho.podomatic.com/ revealed one of the great untold stories of professional wrestling when discussing Georgiann Makropoulos who passed away earlier this week. As noted, she ran fan clubs for several wrestlers in the 60s and 70s including Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers. Cornette recalls that Bruno told him years ago that Georgie was over at Rogers house one day talking to his wife. His wife accidently let slip that Rogers and "his crew" were planning a hostile take over of the WWWF. Georgie took the information back to Bruno, who told Vince McMahon Sr., and the days of Rogers having any influence in the WWWF came to a close shortly there after. "Not that many people get to play that an important role in wrestling history," Cornette said. "She was involved for 50 years."
One of the biggest wrestling conventions of the year takes place this weekend in Los Angeles at the LAX Hilton. WrestleReunion will feature talent from all over the world including The Great Muta, Jushin Liger, Rob Van Dam, Bruno Sammartino, Super Crazy, Stan Hansen, Austin Idol, Nick Bockwinkel, Larry Zbyszko, Demolition, Koko B. Ware, Diamond Dallas Page, Road Warrior Animal, Tammy Sytch, Terri Runnells, and Scotty Taylor. Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla are also putting on live events on Friday and Saturday with The Briscoe Brothers, The Young Bucks, The American Wolves, Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Jerry Lynn, Tyler Black, The Necro Butcher, El Generico, Colt Cabana, Brian Kendrick, and many more. Vendor guests include Bret Hart, Dan Severn, Ron Simmons, Rikishi, Jimmy Hart, JJ Dillon and Chavo Guerrero Sr. More info at www.wrestlereunion.com.
Jason Clevett has a story on DDP pushing WrestleReunion at http://tinyurl.com/yd6ndgp. "It is a good time, and a real honor for the legends. I helped them get a lot of guys in the past that weren't going to do these types of reunions. There is a lot of camaraderie. You don't get to see the guys when you are off the road and it is all different generations of guys. Really I could have been from all generations because I started so late, a lot of these guys are only two or three years older than me. They were in the business since they were kids I didn't start until I was 35." Page said he is most looking forward to hanging out with Austin Idol.
There is also a convention in the UK on Saturday from 9am-3.30pm at the Renaissance Hotel in Manchester with Terry Funk, Bushwacker Luke, Howard Finkel, Lanny Poffo, The Warlord, The Barbarian, Molly Holly, Mr. Fuji [who turns 75 soon], Bryan Clarke, and Nikolai Volkoff. More info at www.wrestleslamuk.com.
James Mitchell passed away on Sunday night. Not the former wrestling manager, but the 89-year-old former star of ABC soap opera All My Children. Apparently there was a temporary bit of confusion over that on Twitter. Why the wrestling manager James Mitchell doesn't have a job with WWE or TNA just boggles the mind.
Paul Heyman has an exclusive interview with Brock Lesnar at http://tinyurl.com/yhs76fn. Lesnar says he is not going to shut up regarding his views on health care in Canada and the United states: "I'm not some dumb meathead fighter. I have something to say. I still have my career today because of the United States Health Care System. Does it need some fixing? Absolutely. But the changes I'm hearing about don't sit well with me, and I'm exercising my rights by speaking my mind." Worth going out of your way to read.
National Wrestling Superstars runs Friday night in Manville, NJ, at the VFW Hall [600 Washington Avenue, minutes from Routes 28 and I-287] with Angelina Love, The Patriot, Devon Moore, Jack Spade, Alex Payne, and many more. NWS also run Saturday night in Brick Township, NJ, at the Elks Lodge [2491 Hooper Avenue, minutes from The Parkway, Route 70, and the Brick Plaza] with Mr. Ken Anderson, Salvatore Sincere, Kevin Matthews, The Nigerian Nightmares, and more. Go to www.nwswrestling.com for all the details.
James Guttman interviewed wrestling referee Nick Patrick about WWE vs. WCW, his role in Hogan vs. Sting at Starrcade, and more at www.WorldWrestlingInsanity.com.
Perez Hilton rips the former Linda Bollea at http://tinyurl.com/yjgu4k7 for writing a tell-all book about her marriage to Hulk Hogan.
Jeff Hardy and Shannon Moore will be signing autographs on February 20 at K&M All Star Sports store in the Crystal Mall in Waterford, CT.
Lilian Garcia, Lisa Marie Varon, Amy "Lita" Dumas and Candice Michelle are available for personal appearances and autograph sessions. To book them, you can contact Steve Woolf at celebritysignings@sbcglobal.net or go to www.ipanetwork.com.
Today's Diva of the Day is Daffney at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
WRESTLING GLOBE MAILBAG
RE Shawne Merriman Tweeting about WWE
This from a guy whose team couldn't even take out the Jets in the Playoffs. Vince would never take a chance on a loose cannon like this fool hurting one of his wrestlers (Vinny Mac, that is; Russo would hire him in a NY Minute). Still, with Merriman's mouth, they should put him in there with a shooter and watch the San Diego media go postal. In any case, it's not like this guy even has significant name recognition outside San Diego.
You should need a license tweet.
Keep up the good work, as always.
Bill Kunkel
EIC RunningWithScissors.com
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