WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT
7/19 Raw TV results from Tulsa, OK: Randy Orton over Edge & Chris Jericho for a WWE title shot; Eve Torres over Maryse; Sheamus over Evan Bourne; Santino Marella & Kozlov over William Regal & Zack Ryder; and Wade Barrett over Mark Henry. Dark match was Alberto Del Rio
over Goldust.
7/20 NXT TV results from Little Rock, AK: Cody Rhodes & Husky Harris over MVP & Percy Watson; Alex Riley over Lucky Cannon; and Michael McGuillicutty won immunity from elimination next week.
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Bret Hart, 53, is getting married to his 28-year-old girlfriend Stephanie Washington of San Francisco Saturday in Calgary. It will be Bret's third marriage and his brides first. "I don't say much about us but I can honestly say that God has looked out for me and, this time around, I know I'll be forever happy and content," Bret wrote on his Facebook page.
Raw on Monday night did a 3.4 rating and averaged 4.8 million viewers.
NXT on Tuesday night did a 1.1 rating and 1.4 million viewers.
Sheamus vs. Randy Orton for WWE title and John Cena, Bret Hart, Chris Jericho, Edge, R-Truth, John Morrison & Great Khali vs. Nexus was announced as the Raw main events for Summerslam.
Orton found his way on to Twitter on Monday and for a short time was the top trending topic worldwide.
Kaval and Mark Henry are both working through shoulder injuries right now.
Bobb'e J. Thompson and Toby Keith are penciled in as Raw guest hosts for October. So it seems the concept is not completely dead just yet. Thompson got the gig due to co-starring with Big Show in the upcoming WWE Studios film, Knucklehead.
SportsTechy at http://tinyurl.com/37x7ed6 spoke to Brian Kalinowski, WWE’s executive Vice President, Interactive about the company's decision to post full episodes of television shows to YouTube. Kalinowski said that the partnership enables WWE to increase its PG-content online, generate revenue, and increase its brand exposure.
Loaded magazine in the UK is working on a big feature with a theme on deaths in wrestling. Ironically the writer covering the story is called McMahon. No relation.
Eric Stein, a one-time WWE creative team member and former Big Brother contestant, wrote in reaction to Jonny Fairplay mocking Jeff Jarrett over not viewing The Miz as a future top star six years ago: "How about when Michael Hayes would spend an hour at a time RIPPING him in creative meetings I was in and counting down the days (until) he was fired? And JBL would follow him around harassing him for sport. I'd bet everything I own that Hayes is so far up his ass now it's unreal." In fairness, I don't think anyone saw Miz as a future main event player back in 2004.
Jack Swagger tweeted today about having this weekend off: "No shows this weekend so I'm taking the Swagger south of the border to assume a missionary position... amongst others." Assume he means a vacation with his wife.
TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING
The promotional video that the company just sent out to cable and satellite providers lists its 8/8 pay-per-view as "Hardcore Justice: One Last Stand" complete with a brief E-C-W chant. Not sure that was a great idea because as of this week the WWE legal department was aware of the planned ECW-based nostalgia show and was debating whether to take legal action before or after the fact. As noted, WWE owns the ECW name and all the related intellectual property. The company will have to tread very cautiously in this area because even a case they can easily defend could cost them more than an average pay-per-view would generate in revenue.
Other former ECW names the company has contacted about the show include Shane Douglas, Sabu, Sandman, Balls Mahoney and Johnny Swinger. They also reached out to Yoshihiro Tajiri but he is double booked in Japan.
Terry Taylor, the company's version of Johnny Ace, is apparently going to be training Reid Flair to get him ready for television.
The Miami Herald interviewed Jeff Jarrett about TNA's 8-year growth at http://tinyurl.com/34pmh47.
The Hulk Hogan and friends event this past weekend in Coquitlam, BC drew 600 fans paying $30,000. Hogan, who days earlier missed the TV tapings due to back surgery, flew over 2,000 miles to make this event and seemed to be moving around okay. Brutus Beefcake, Greg Valentine, Koko B. Ware, Honky Tonk Man, The Nasty Boys and Jimmy Hart were also part of the show which was basically a two hour Q&A session hosted by Hart. Those who attended as fans and as talent said they had a good time. Hogan barely mentioned TNA and said if he could still go would love to wrestle John Cena or Randy Orton. He also said he doesn't think the Ultimate Warrior is Hall of Fame material because "he didn't do anything". If that's the case then he did the most with the least.
Hogan will be among those involved in the Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff that tapes on 8/1 in Los Angeles. The show airs on 8/15.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Hilario Vargas Ruiz, better known as Lucha star Popitekus, passed away on Monday at age 53. He fell victim to thrombosis, brought on by diabetes.
Chris Hamrick, who attempted suicide last week, is already back working indy shows in the Carolinas. For that reason there were people skeptical of his suicide attempt but he insists he got really depressed and took 25 sleeping pills in a cry out for help.
Former WWE diva Molly Holly (Nora Greenwald, 32) is getting married later this month in her hometown of White Bear Lake, MN. She met her future husband, Geno Benshoof, just over a year ago while working at a Minneapolis drug and alcohol recovery program. Benshoof is a recovering drug addict and former dealer. "I never wanted to waste my time, so I have been waiting for ‘the one’ and when you know, you know," Greenwald told The White Bear Press. "I’m a 32-year-old virgin that doesn’t care to be a 33-year-old virgin... A short engagement was most desirable." Benshoof noted he was never really a fan of pro wrestling. "I really didn’t know anything about (wrestling)," he said. "In my past, I didn’t pay much attention to what was going on in the rest of the world. I was caught up in drugs, in selling drugs and crime and everything else. I really didn’t pay attention to anything." The couple say they plan to work within the christian ministry of their local community.
MTV's Lucha Libre USA Masked Warriors debuted this past week with a 0.2 rating and 178,000 viewers.
Steve Austin, The Miz, Kane, Eve Torres, Melina Perez, The Bella Twins, Jerry Lawler, and Christopher Daniels are some of the wrestling names scheduled to appear this weekend at the San Diego Comic Con.
Today's Babe of the Day is Lizzie Valentine at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
