Saturday, February 06, 2010
"LSD" Walks Out!!
----Just got a phone call that before the ASWF show started tonight, that Cody Only, Idol Bane and Deadly Dale - collectively known as "LSD" walked out. Apparently they had some major disagreement with ASWF owner David Walls. We should have the full story posted sometime early in the week.
Friday, February 05, 2010
(WGN) Feb 5: WWE legal threats, Raw show tonight postponed, WWE NXT, Actress on Austin, Jack Brisco, Bubba goes after Honky Tonk Man, Steiner update, Hogan calls RVD, TNA agent gone, Knockouts notes, Trish Stratus, more...
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WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Friday February 5, 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.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
2/2 ECW TV results from Memphis, TN: Vance Archer over Shelton Benjamin; Yoshi Tatsu over Trent Barreta; and Christian over Zack Ryder via DQ.
2/4 Superstars TV results: Alicia Fox & Katie Lea over Kelly Kelly & Eve; Evan Bourne over Carlito; and Matt Hardy, John Morrison & Great Khali over The Hart Dynasty & Drew McIntyre. If you missed the show, Bourne-Carlito is worth going out of your way to see.
Smackdown TV tonight has qualifying matches for the SD Elimination Chamber; John Morrison vs. Kane & Drew McIntyre in a three-way; Mike Knox vs. R-truth; CM Punk vs. Batista; Chris Jericho vs. Matt Hardy; Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler; plus Beth Phoenix & Mickie James vs. Michelle McCool & Layla. There is also a Cutting Edge segment.
Raw and SD crews are on the road this weekend. Raw was scheduled for Philadelphia tonight but according to the Wachovia Center website the show is postponed [likely due to the expected extreme weather], Saturday night Raw runs in Alexandria, LA, Sunday afternoon in Lake Charles is a tri-branded Supershow and Raw TV is Monday from Lafayette. Smackdown runs Saturday night in Waco, TX, and the TV tapings are next Tuesday in Baton Rouge. We're looking for reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.
***
Vince McMahon announced on Tuesday night that he was "proudly" shutting down ECW in three weeks to be replaced by WWE NXT which premieres on March 2 from Wichita, KS. The concept is that the show will be built around new faces meaning developmental call ups and maybe some cuts, and there is a twist to the show which hasn't yet been reported. The idea of killing off ECW as a brand has been talked about for months largely due to flagging ratings and pressure from executives at SyFy. NXT, meaning Next, was chosen from a shortlist of names which WWE applied to trademark on January 25. They have also registered the domain name, WWENXT.com. Ironically there is already an independent group in Scotland called NXT Wrestling. They have been around since 2006 as a promotion designed to showcase up and coming talent in the country. Peter Murphy, owner of the Scottish Wrestling Alliance, who also owns NXT Wrestling, released the following statement: "We have had no direct contact from WWE regarding this matter but we welcome any conversation or resolution they would like to put forward. Everyone at the Scottish Wrestling Alliance is honoured that WWE have decided to name their latest product after SWA's feeder program, NXT. We would like to assure our fans that the original NXT is still leading the way for trainees in Scotland."
ECW on Tuesday night did a 1.0 rating and 1.40 million viewers.
The WWE legal team have been doing a lot of chest pounding this week. Lauren Middlen, who is WWE's intellectual property attorney, sent out a number of threat-o-grams to wrestling fansites for using photos of WWE wrestlers and they also sent a cease and desist letter on Tuesday to a small UK independent group based out of Portsmouth, England for trademark infringment. Varsity Pro Wrestling are running shows next weekend with former WWE wrestlers billed as Hardcore Holly, Billy Gunn [Kip James] and Road Dogg [Brian James]. Their promotional poster they put up all over town also included the DX Logo. WWE said if VPW didn't recall all advertising baring WWE trademarks within 48 hours they would commence legal proceedings. WWE's letter to the group stated: "It is WWE’s concern that The Guildhall [the building VPW are running their shows] is using the popularity of the WWE trademarks to improperly attempting to pass off this event as an official event of WWE. Your actions in doing so constitute unfair competition and false designation of origin. WWE, as trademark holder, can institute a civil action seeking permanent injunctive relief and an award of treble damages, counsel fees and costs." A rep from VPW told us that they have responded to WWE and met their demands.
70s and 80s AWA wrestler Doug Somers was refused entry to the backstage area at last Sunday's Royal Rumble pay-per-view in Atlanta. The show was "closed set" so no friends or family were allowed in due to paranoia somebody would leak that Edge was returning in the Rumble match. Apparently he gave security a piece of his mind.
The promotional poster for Wrestlemania 26 was just released featuring Cena, Undertaker, Batista, Triple H, and Michaels. Not that this means anything but the poster states that the show is rated TV14.
One creative idea discussed for Joey Mercury is for him to return on the Smackdown side as part of CM Punk's Straight-Edge Society. The idea would be to play off his well documented pain killer addiction that contributed to his release in 2007.
Actress Erica Cerra did an interview talking about working with Steve Austin in The Stranger, Austin's next movie about a man with a rare form of memory loss. Cerra is best known for her role as Jo Lupo on Syfy's series Eureka. She said of working with Austin: "Steve plays a man who has a mental illness that makes him forget what's going on. It's kind of bizarre because it's kind of like amnesia but you do get it back. You sort of get bits and pieces back of your memory but you go from personality to personality. So you forget who you are and then all of the sudden you create this character in your mind and two minutes later you forget who that character is and your confused so it's a really quite sad mental disorder. I play a psychologist named Grace Bishop who is called in when the FBI finds Steve's character in a very terrible circumstance. My character is there to help him find out who he is and where he is from. After years of me trying to help this man ... the movie begins years later when we've grown to have a relationship together but he still doesn't know me all the time because his memory goes in and out. My character tries to find him and help him figure out who he is. I've obviously created some kind of bond with this person and there's a lot of fighting. I think it will be cool and Steve does an absolutely great job and it was a pleasure working with him. I think the film will be great. The movie is sort of a psychological thriller/rough and tough movie/drama so I think it has a little bit of everything. It's the tough guy movie that every boy wants to watch. It's still that but I think it was also an opportunity for Steve to put his acting chops to work and use a little bit more than just his muscles. I think he did a great job and I really enjoyed working with him."
Austin and Triple H both have covers up for Muscle and Fitness' cover of the year. WWE.com is encouraging fans to vote. Well, they are encouraging them to vote for Triple H. No mention of Austin.
Triple H will appear at the International Toy Fair in New York City next week to promote Mattel's new line of action figures.
WWE Films is holding open casting calls for it's upcoming film Big Red this weekend in Los Angeles and New York City. The movie starts production at the end of the month in New Orleans. They are looking for young males between 13 and 16 years old, at least five-feet, eight-inches tall with red or light-colored hair. The call in LA is Saturday 10am at Sunset Gower Studios, 1438 North Gower Street, Bldg. 35, Suite 270 (Street parking only; entrance on Gower St.). Sunday in New York is 11am at 330 West 38th Street, Suite 170 (between 8 and 9th Avenues).
WWE has launched a website for Big Show's upcoming film Knucklehead at www.knuckleheadthemovie.com.
Kelly Kelly and Maria talk about their "bouts" in the UK at http://tinyurl.com/y8n773o.
Gregory Helms was called in for television on Tuesday after Vince decided to play off of his arrest. Not sure it's going any where but this fits in with the new concept of NXT. Helms is having a tough time right now following the passing of his grandmother. He wrote on his Twitter page: "I was able to see my last remaining and closest grandparent yesterday before she passed this morning. She was very weak but she woke up, looked at me and rubbed my face. We got one final "I love you" in. I will never forget that moment... She was an amazing mother of ten and just a great person."
This is a weird one. Powerslam magazine in the UK wrote on their Facebook page this week that Bret Hart has an agreement with TNA. Of course there is no truth to that. I assume this was a joke based off of the photo that Jeremy Borash posted on his Twitter after Bret had dinner with TNA staffers Monday night in downtown Nashville after Raw.
Bret talks about the upcoming Hart and Soul: The Hart Family Anthology DVD set at http://tinyurl.com/yljfr9d. The set is slated for an April 6 release.
Jewel and Ty Murray will guest co-host Raw on February 22 from Indianapolis, while Criss Angel will host on March 8 from Portland.
William Shatner talks hosting Raw at http://ow.ly/16u2bp.
FOX News has a story at http://tinyurl.com/ykmeev3 noting Linda McMahon's Senatorial Republican opponent Rob Simmons is planning to use the Eugene character against her to sway voters. Simmons intends to "demand that she account for it.," sources say. Linda's campaign responded today through her spokesperson Ed Patru. "In the soap opera world of WWE, the character 'Eugene' was developmentally disabled, but rather than the beaten down, pathetic character that Rob presents, Eugene was treated via scripting like all WWE superstars with no special privileges," Patru said.
John Cena did a webchat this week on WWE.com. When asked about Hogan and whether he would want to wrestle him down the road, he said: "Yes. I just don't think that's going to happen right now. He's too busy wasting his time."
David Skolnic, Editor of Wrestling Perspective -- a defunct print-wrestling newsletter that ran from 1990 to 2006 -- posted his 1996 interview with Jack Brisco at http://tinyurl.com/ygmu9l6. A really good read, especially when talking about the night he discovered Hulk Hogan. Brisco was quoted as saying at the time: "... back in my single days I was hanging around in nightclubs and running around with wild women. I ran into these two women one night at some nightclub who wanted me to go see a band that they really liked. I went to this nightclub called the Other Place. It was about midnight. I walked into this place and standing there was Hogan playing guitar in a band. God damn, if I had that boy, I could become rich (laughs). So they went on break. During the break, I came over to him at the table for a beer. He was just so impressive. He was only like 21 years old at the time. I couldn't believe my eyes I asked him, 'Did you ever think about being a wrestler?'... He said, 'It's what I've always wanted to do. I'm a big fan of yours and I've been watching you for years. It's what I've always wanted to do.' I said, 'Well, be at the Sportatorium at nine o'clock in the morning and we'll get you going.' I got there at a quarter to nine and he was out front waiting. I introduced him to Eddie Graham and Hiro Matsuda. Hiro, Eddie and those guys fell in love with him just like I did. Hiro started working him out. Hiro had a gym, a place to train. He started preparing him there. Johnny Valentine was the booker in Florida at the time. For some reason, Johnny didn't like him. He went ahead and gave him some matches here. I'll never forget his first night. It was in Vero Beach. He was in the opening match with Don Cerano. Don was a hell of a hand in the ring. Jerry and I went out to watch Hogan in his first match. Hogan came out of the dressing room and the people saw him. They all just rose to their feet. His first match before he ever got to the ring, he had the whole place give him a standing ovation. Chills were running up and down my spine thinking about the all the money we could make with him. Like I said, Johnny was booking here and never gave him a break. He gave him an occasional booking. The guy got a standing ovation every place he went before he got to the ring."
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
2/4 Impact TV results from Orlando, FL: Mr. Anderson over Brutus Magnus; Matt Morgan & Hernadez over Team 3-D to retain the tag team titles; Samoa Joe over Jesse Neal; The Pope over A.J. Styles; Kurt Angle over Tomko; Tara over Angelina Love to retain the Knockouts title; and Kevin Nash over Mick Foley.
AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe for the TNA heavyweight title is now the official main event for Against All Odds on Valentine's Day.
TNA are on the road this weekend with a show tonight in Wichita, KS at Hartman Arena and also Saturday in Joplin, MO at The Memorial Hall. Advertised matches are Jeff Jarrett vs. Mr. Anderson; Matt Morgan & Hernandez vs. Team 3D; and Tara vs. ODB with Shark Boy as guest referee. Plus a crew of Abyss, Desmond Wolfe, Samoa Joe, The Pope, Jay Lethal, Chris Sabin, and more. We're looking for reports from both shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.
***
Brent Hatley, Executive Producer of the Tampa-based Bubba the Love Sponge radio show, sent a cease and desist letter to Roy Wayne Ferris [The Honky Tonk Man] on Wednesday. Hatley claimed that Ferris and his webmaster Steve Wilton had committed a federal crime by posting intellectual property from the Bubba show on his website, HonkyTonkMan.net. Hatley, who isn't an attorney, wrote that Bubba, "will take all legal remedies available, criminal and civil, to put an end to your illegal conduct." Wilton has now removed the offending materials -- a photo of Hulk Hogan wearing a Bubba T-Shirt and a 60-second audio bite where Bubba, Hogan and Eric Bischoff make derogatory remarks about Ferris -- which he isn't too happy about. "These [recordings] will be passed on to our attorney for him to decide if we should pursue this issue," Ferris said in a statement on his website. "Mr. Clem is not a party to this action at this time. Mr. Bischoff who represents TNA as an official and executive of TNA will have to answer for his derogatory remarks much like Mr. [Vince] Russo had to answer for his words concerning his comments about Hulk Hogan on a WCW broadcast. Mr. Hogan could become a party to this action since he has said he is in charge of the day to day operations of TNA and was on the same segment of Mr. Clem's radio show when the defaming statements were made."
Ferris also went on record saying he was in talks with TNA concerning a deal with Jakks Pacific for an action figure.
Hulk Hogan called Rob Van Dam on Wednesday to persuade him to come to TNA. Van Dam was doing his weekly radio show at the time so he put him on the air. Hogan gave the hard sell and talked about Impact moving to Monday night. He said he talked to Jeff Hardy on Tuesday and they were discussing "whacked out" storyline ideas. Van Dam said he was interested in hearing more and said he would talk to Hogan off air. You can listen to RVD's show at http://blogtalkradio.com/rvdradio.
Hogan is interviewed at http://tinyurl.com/ygot98z talking TNA and bringing back the art form of wrestling. "I’m plugged in full-time, brother. I’m there all the way across the board. Before I used to wrestle, I mean before I used to lace the yellow boots up, steal the main-event payday and run home, now, I’m in the dressing room with the guys, talking to them about finishes and storylines and stuff like that, but then I’m also partners with Dixie." He also talks about Jesse Ventura and cannot understand why Ventura would be mad at him. I can think of a few reasons. Anyway, he says, "I’m dying to find out what made [Jesse] snap, you know, because I was around when we were doing the wrestling. Jesse came to Japan one day, you know, and he worked one or two main events the whole time I was around. And I would love to find out what really makes him tick just for curiosity reasons."
Scott D'Amore has left the company again. The office had asked him to relocate to Nashville several times, but that wasn't something he wanted to do. He said he was proud of his time with TNA both infront and behind the camera and is rooting for them to succeed. He was most recently an agent for the Knockouts division but missed the last set of television tapings due to shoulder surgery. He announced that his Border City Wrestling group, based out of Windsor, Ontario, will be merging with Toronto's BSE Pro Wrestling, run by Jason Brown, to become Maximum Pro Wrestling. The new company is planning to run live event tours, pay-per-view, and DVD releases as well as develop a new television series. More infomation will be posted soon at www.bordercitywrestling.com.
Scott Steiner also appears to be gone. He was removed from the TNA website roster page and hasn't been used for a while.
Some pretty embarrassing nude photos of Frankie Kazarian [Suicide] have been leaked on to the Internet during the past few days.
Lockdown on April 18 takes place in St. Charles, MO at the Family Arena. The set-up will likely be 6,000 although since they are bringing Hogan and Flair capacity if need be could be extended to 10,000. Lockdown ran at the Family Arena in 2007 drawing 5,000 with a main event of Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Rhino, Sting, and Jeff Jarrett vs. Christian Cage, AJ Styles, Scott Steiner, Abyss, and Tomko. Tickets go on sale on February 26 and they are also doing a fan interaction day on April 17, the night before the pay-per-view.
The office originally booked Lockdown at a venue in St. Louis but they were canceled on when WWE came in booked a date and insisted the venue sign a no-compete.
TNA PPV will be streamed live over the Internet for overseas viewers-only [limited countries] starting with Against No Odds. Price is $14.95 USD. Still no update on PPV in the UK although Dixie had meetings with TV execs over there last week while on tour.
TNA's latest webmatch is Traci Brooks & ODB vs. Sarita & Taylor Wilde at http://tinyurl.com/yc226d5.
Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne did a photo shoot for the UK version of FHM magazine. It's a huge coup for the company as FHM is the second biggest selling men's mag over there.
Madison Rayne turned 24 on Thursday.
Mick Foley has a comedy show with Colt Cabana and Bruce Prichard at the Las Vegas Hilton on Saturday. It's afternoon show [4pm] to benefit Best Buddies. For more information you can call 800-222-5361.
Bobby Lashley reportedly earned $50,000 for his Strikeforce debut win over Wes Sims.
Taz wrote on Twitter that he didn't like that Vince McMahon didn't thank any original ECW wrestlers or Paul Heyman in his announcement about the end of ECW.
TNA are running live events in Ozark, AL and Columbus, GA, during Wrestlemania weekend. More info at www.tnawrestling.com.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
The Sun at www.the-sun.co.uk/wrestling has launched it's annual Golden Robe Wrestling Awards where people can vote for their favorite wrestlers, matches and moments of 2009.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is booked on today's Oprah Winfrey Show.
Ring of Honor are still planning to go ahead with their television tapings this weekend in Philadelphia, despite the expected snowstorm.
Greg Oliver has a good story on the no longer missing Hollywood Blond Jerry Brown at http://tinyurl.com/yg9n5kv.
Trish Stratus has landed the lead role in an independent Canadian film called Bail Enforcers -- about a down on their luck team of bounty hunters who run into trouble when they are confronted with a moral dilemma.
Jesse Ventura's next book American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies that the Government Tells Us will be released on March 8.
Multichannel News has a detailed report looking at ratings for wrestling, boxing and MMA shows. The report at http://tinyurl.com/ybvy9ee notes how scandals like the Chris Benoit murders and Waxman steroid investigation has not hurt pro wrestling's popularity on television.
Dave Prasak's Shimmer group has just a few front tickets remaining for his DVD tapings on April 10 and 11at the Eagles Club in Berwyn, IL. More info at www.shimmerwrestling.com.
Today's Diva of the Day is Gail Kim at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
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WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Friday February 5, 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.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
2/2 ECW TV results from Memphis, TN: Vance Archer over Shelton Benjamin; Yoshi Tatsu over Trent Barreta; and Christian over Zack Ryder via DQ.
2/4 Superstars TV results: Alicia Fox & Katie Lea over Kelly Kelly & Eve; Evan Bourne over Carlito; and Matt Hardy, John Morrison & Great Khali over The Hart Dynasty & Drew McIntyre. If you missed the show, Bourne-Carlito is worth going out of your way to see.
Smackdown TV tonight has qualifying matches for the SD Elimination Chamber; John Morrison vs. Kane & Drew McIntyre in a three-way; Mike Knox vs. R-truth; CM Punk vs. Batista; Chris Jericho vs. Matt Hardy; Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler; plus Beth Phoenix & Mickie James vs. Michelle McCool & Layla. There is also a Cutting Edge segment.
Raw and SD crews are on the road this weekend. Raw was scheduled for Philadelphia tonight but according to the Wachovia Center website the show is postponed [likely due to the expected extreme weather], Saturday night Raw runs in Alexandria, LA, Sunday afternoon in Lake Charles is a tri-branded Supershow and Raw TV is Monday from Lafayette. Smackdown runs Saturday night in Waco, TX, and the TV tapings are next Tuesday in Baton Rouge. We're looking for reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.
***
Vince McMahon announced on Tuesday night that he was "proudly" shutting down ECW in three weeks to be replaced by WWE NXT which premieres on March 2 from Wichita, KS. The concept is that the show will be built around new faces meaning developmental call ups and maybe some cuts, and there is a twist to the show which hasn't yet been reported. The idea of killing off ECW as a brand has been talked about for months largely due to flagging ratings and pressure from executives at SyFy. NXT, meaning Next, was chosen from a shortlist of names which WWE applied to trademark on January 25. They have also registered the domain name, WWENXT.com. Ironically there is already an independent group in Scotland called NXT Wrestling. They have been around since 2006 as a promotion designed to showcase up and coming talent in the country. Peter Murphy, owner of the Scottish Wrestling Alliance, who also owns NXT Wrestling, released the following statement: "We have had no direct contact from WWE regarding this matter but we welcome any conversation or resolution they would like to put forward. Everyone at the Scottish Wrestling Alliance is honoured that WWE have decided to name their latest product after SWA's feeder program, NXT. We would like to assure our fans that the original NXT is still leading the way for trainees in Scotland."
ECW on Tuesday night did a 1.0 rating and 1.40 million viewers.
The WWE legal team have been doing a lot of chest pounding this week. Lauren Middlen, who is WWE's intellectual property attorney, sent out a number of threat-o-grams to wrestling fansites for using photos of WWE wrestlers and they also sent a cease and desist letter on Tuesday to a small UK independent group based out of Portsmouth, England for trademark infringment. Varsity Pro Wrestling are running shows next weekend with former WWE wrestlers billed as Hardcore Holly, Billy Gunn [Kip James] and Road Dogg [Brian James]. Their promotional poster they put up all over town also included the DX Logo. WWE said if VPW didn't recall all advertising baring WWE trademarks within 48 hours they would commence legal proceedings. WWE's letter to the group stated: "It is WWE’s concern that The Guildhall [the building VPW are running their shows] is using the popularity of the WWE trademarks to improperly attempting to pass off this event as an official event of WWE. Your actions in doing so constitute unfair competition and false designation of origin. WWE, as trademark holder, can institute a civil action seeking permanent injunctive relief and an award of treble damages, counsel fees and costs." A rep from VPW told us that they have responded to WWE and met their demands.
70s and 80s AWA wrestler Doug Somers was refused entry to the backstage area at last Sunday's Royal Rumble pay-per-view in Atlanta. The show was "closed set" so no friends or family were allowed in due to paranoia somebody would leak that Edge was returning in the Rumble match. Apparently he gave security a piece of his mind.
The promotional poster for Wrestlemania 26 was just released featuring Cena, Undertaker, Batista, Triple H, and Michaels. Not that this means anything but the poster states that the show is rated TV14.
One creative idea discussed for Joey Mercury is for him to return on the Smackdown side as part of CM Punk's Straight-Edge Society. The idea would be to play off his well documented pain killer addiction that contributed to his release in 2007.
Actress Erica Cerra did an interview talking about working with Steve Austin in The Stranger, Austin's next movie about a man with a rare form of memory loss. Cerra is best known for her role as Jo Lupo on Syfy's series Eureka. She said of working with Austin: "Steve plays a man who has a mental illness that makes him forget what's going on. It's kind of bizarre because it's kind of like amnesia but you do get it back. You sort of get bits and pieces back of your memory but you go from personality to personality. So you forget who you are and then all of the sudden you create this character in your mind and two minutes later you forget who that character is and your confused so it's a really quite sad mental disorder. I play a psychologist named Grace Bishop who is called in when the FBI finds Steve's character in a very terrible circumstance. My character is there to help him find out who he is and where he is from. After years of me trying to help this man ... the movie begins years later when we've grown to have a relationship together but he still doesn't know me all the time because his memory goes in and out. My character tries to find him and help him figure out who he is. I've obviously created some kind of bond with this person and there's a lot of fighting. I think it will be cool and Steve does an absolutely great job and it was a pleasure working with him. I think the film will be great. The movie is sort of a psychological thriller/rough and tough movie/drama so I think it has a little bit of everything. It's the tough guy movie that every boy wants to watch. It's still that but I think it was also an opportunity for Steve to put his acting chops to work and use a little bit more than just his muscles. I think he did a great job and I really enjoyed working with him."
Austin and Triple H both have covers up for Muscle and Fitness' cover of the year. WWE.com is encouraging fans to vote. Well, they are encouraging them to vote for Triple H. No mention of Austin.
Triple H will appear at the International Toy Fair in New York City next week to promote Mattel's new line of action figures.
WWE Films is holding open casting calls for it's upcoming film Big Red this weekend in Los Angeles and New York City. The movie starts production at the end of the month in New Orleans. They are looking for young males between 13 and 16 years old, at least five-feet, eight-inches tall with red or light-colored hair. The call in LA is Saturday 10am at Sunset Gower Studios, 1438 North Gower Street, Bldg. 35, Suite 270 (Street parking only; entrance on Gower St.). Sunday in New York is 11am at 330 West 38th Street, Suite 170 (between 8 and 9th Avenues).
WWE has launched a website for Big Show's upcoming film Knucklehead at www.knuckleheadthemovie.com.
Kelly Kelly and Maria talk about their "bouts" in the UK at http://tinyurl.com/y8n773o.
Gregory Helms was called in for television on Tuesday after Vince decided to play off of his arrest. Not sure it's going any where but this fits in with the new concept of NXT. Helms is having a tough time right now following the passing of his grandmother. He wrote on his Twitter page: "I was able to see my last remaining and closest grandparent yesterday before she passed this morning. She was very weak but she woke up, looked at me and rubbed my face. We got one final "I love you" in. I will never forget that moment... She was an amazing mother of ten and just a great person."
This is a weird one. Powerslam magazine in the UK wrote on their Facebook page this week that Bret Hart has an agreement with TNA. Of course there is no truth to that. I assume this was a joke based off of the photo that Jeremy Borash posted on his Twitter after Bret had dinner with TNA staffers Monday night in downtown Nashville after Raw.
Bret talks about the upcoming Hart and Soul: The Hart Family Anthology DVD set at http://tinyurl.com/yljfr9d. The set is slated for an April 6 release.
Jewel and Ty Murray will guest co-host Raw on February 22 from Indianapolis, while Criss Angel will host on March 8 from Portland.
William Shatner talks hosting Raw at http://ow.ly/16u2bp.
FOX News has a story at http://tinyurl.com/ykmeev3 noting Linda McMahon's Senatorial Republican opponent Rob Simmons is planning to use the Eugene character against her to sway voters. Simmons intends to "demand that she account for it.," sources say. Linda's campaign responded today through her spokesperson Ed Patru. "In the soap opera world of WWE, the character 'Eugene' was developmentally disabled, but rather than the beaten down, pathetic character that Rob presents, Eugene was treated via scripting like all WWE superstars with no special privileges," Patru said.
John Cena did a webchat this week on WWE.com. When asked about Hogan and whether he would want to wrestle him down the road, he said: "Yes. I just don't think that's going to happen right now. He's too busy wasting his time."
David Skolnic, Editor of Wrestling Perspective -- a defunct print-wrestling newsletter that ran from 1990 to 2006 -- posted his 1996 interview with Jack Brisco at http://tinyurl.com/ygmu9l6. A really good read, especially when talking about the night he discovered Hulk Hogan. Brisco was quoted as saying at the time: "... back in my single days I was hanging around in nightclubs and running around with wild women. I ran into these two women one night at some nightclub who wanted me to go see a band that they really liked. I went to this nightclub called the Other Place. It was about midnight. I walked into this place and standing there was Hogan playing guitar in a band. God damn, if I had that boy, I could become rich (laughs). So they went on break. During the break, I came over to him at the table for a beer. He was just so impressive. He was only like 21 years old at the time. I couldn't believe my eyes I asked him, 'Did you ever think about being a wrestler?'... He said, 'It's what I've always wanted to do. I'm a big fan of yours and I've been watching you for years. It's what I've always wanted to do.' I said, 'Well, be at the Sportatorium at nine o'clock in the morning and we'll get you going.' I got there at a quarter to nine and he was out front waiting. I introduced him to Eddie Graham and Hiro Matsuda. Hiro, Eddie and those guys fell in love with him just like I did. Hiro started working him out. Hiro had a gym, a place to train. He started preparing him there. Johnny Valentine was the booker in Florida at the time. For some reason, Johnny didn't like him. He went ahead and gave him some matches here. I'll never forget his first night. It was in Vero Beach. He was in the opening match with Don Cerano. Don was a hell of a hand in the ring. Jerry and I went out to watch Hogan in his first match. Hogan came out of the dressing room and the people saw him. They all just rose to their feet. His first match before he ever got to the ring, he had the whole place give him a standing ovation. Chills were running up and down my spine thinking about the all the money we could make with him. Like I said, Johnny was booking here and never gave him a break. He gave him an occasional booking. The guy got a standing ovation every place he went before he got to the ring."
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
2/4 Impact TV results from Orlando, FL: Mr. Anderson over Brutus Magnus; Matt Morgan & Hernadez over Team 3-D to retain the tag team titles; Samoa Joe over Jesse Neal; The Pope over A.J. Styles; Kurt Angle over Tomko; Tara over Angelina Love to retain the Knockouts title; and Kevin Nash over Mick Foley.
AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe for the TNA heavyweight title is now the official main event for Against All Odds on Valentine's Day.
TNA are on the road this weekend with a show tonight in Wichita, KS at Hartman Arena and also Saturday in Joplin, MO at The Memorial Hall. Advertised matches are Jeff Jarrett vs. Mr. Anderson; Matt Morgan & Hernandez vs. Team 3D; and Tara vs. ODB with Shark Boy as guest referee. Plus a crew of Abyss, Desmond Wolfe, Samoa Joe, The Pope, Jay Lethal, Chris Sabin, and more. We're looking for reports from both shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.
***
Brent Hatley, Executive Producer of the Tampa-based Bubba the Love Sponge radio show, sent a cease and desist letter to Roy Wayne Ferris [The Honky Tonk Man] on Wednesday. Hatley claimed that Ferris and his webmaster Steve Wilton had committed a federal crime by posting intellectual property from the Bubba show on his website, HonkyTonkMan.net. Hatley, who isn't an attorney, wrote that Bubba, "will take all legal remedies available, criminal and civil, to put an end to your illegal conduct." Wilton has now removed the offending materials -- a photo of Hulk Hogan wearing a Bubba T-Shirt and a 60-second audio bite where Bubba, Hogan and Eric Bischoff make derogatory remarks about Ferris -- which he isn't too happy about. "These [recordings] will be passed on to our attorney for him to decide if we should pursue this issue," Ferris said in a statement on his website. "Mr. Clem is not a party to this action at this time. Mr. Bischoff who represents TNA as an official and executive of TNA will have to answer for his derogatory remarks much like Mr. [Vince] Russo had to answer for his words concerning his comments about Hulk Hogan on a WCW broadcast. Mr. Hogan could become a party to this action since he has said he is in charge of the day to day operations of TNA and was on the same segment of Mr. Clem's radio show when the defaming statements were made."
Ferris also went on record saying he was in talks with TNA concerning a deal with Jakks Pacific for an action figure.
Hulk Hogan called Rob Van Dam on Wednesday to persuade him to come to TNA. Van Dam was doing his weekly radio show at the time so he put him on the air. Hogan gave the hard sell and talked about Impact moving to Monday night. He said he talked to Jeff Hardy on Tuesday and they were discussing "whacked out" storyline ideas. Van Dam said he was interested in hearing more and said he would talk to Hogan off air. You can listen to RVD's show at http://blogtalkradio.com/rvdradio.
Hogan is interviewed at http://tinyurl.com/ygot98z talking TNA and bringing back the art form of wrestling. "I’m plugged in full-time, brother. I’m there all the way across the board. Before I used to wrestle, I mean before I used to lace the yellow boots up, steal the main-event payday and run home, now, I’m in the dressing room with the guys, talking to them about finishes and storylines and stuff like that, but then I’m also partners with Dixie." He also talks about Jesse Ventura and cannot understand why Ventura would be mad at him. I can think of a few reasons. Anyway, he says, "I’m dying to find out what made [Jesse] snap, you know, because I was around when we were doing the wrestling. Jesse came to Japan one day, you know, and he worked one or two main events the whole time I was around. And I would love to find out what really makes him tick just for curiosity reasons."
Scott D'Amore has left the company again. The office had asked him to relocate to Nashville several times, but that wasn't something he wanted to do. He said he was proud of his time with TNA both infront and behind the camera and is rooting for them to succeed. He was most recently an agent for the Knockouts division but missed the last set of television tapings due to shoulder surgery. He announced that his Border City Wrestling group, based out of Windsor, Ontario, will be merging with Toronto's BSE Pro Wrestling, run by Jason Brown, to become Maximum Pro Wrestling. The new company is planning to run live event tours, pay-per-view, and DVD releases as well as develop a new television series. More infomation will be posted soon at www.bordercitywrestling.com.
Scott Steiner also appears to be gone. He was removed from the TNA website roster page and hasn't been used for a while.
Some pretty embarrassing nude photos of Frankie Kazarian [Suicide] have been leaked on to the Internet during the past few days.
Lockdown on April 18 takes place in St. Charles, MO at the Family Arena. The set-up will likely be 6,000 although since they are bringing Hogan and Flair capacity if need be could be extended to 10,000. Lockdown ran at the Family Arena in 2007 drawing 5,000 with a main event of Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Rhino, Sting, and Jeff Jarrett vs. Christian Cage, AJ Styles, Scott Steiner, Abyss, and Tomko. Tickets go on sale on February 26 and they are also doing a fan interaction day on April 17, the night before the pay-per-view.
The office originally booked Lockdown at a venue in St. Louis but they were canceled on when WWE came in booked a date and insisted the venue sign a no-compete.
TNA PPV will be streamed live over the Internet for overseas viewers-only [limited countries] starting with Against No Odds. Price is $14.95 USD. Still no update on PPV in the UK although Dixie had meetings with TV execs over there last week while on tour.
TNA's latest webmatch is Traci Brooks & ODB vs. Sarita & Taylor Wilde at http://tinyurl.com/yc226d5.
Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne did a photo shoot for the UK version of FHM magazine. It's a huge coup for the company as FHM is the second biggest selling men's mag over there.
Madison Rayne turned 24 on Thursday.
Mick Foley has a comedy show with Colt Cabana and Bruce Prichard at the Las Vegas Hilton on Saturday. It's afternoon show [4pm] to benefit Best Buddies. For more information you can call 800-222-5361.
Bobby Lashley reportedly earned $50,000 for his Strikeforce debut win over Wes Sims.
Taz wrote on Twitter that he didn't like that Vince McMahon didn't thank any original ECW wrestlers or Paul Heyman in his announcement about the end of ECW.
TNA are running live events in Ozark, AL and Columbus, GA, during Wrestlemania weekend. More info at www.tnawrestling.com.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
The Sun at www.the-sun.co.uk/wrestling has launched it's annual Golden Robe Wrestling Awards where people can vote for their favorite wrestlers, matches and moments of 2009.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is booked on today's Oprah Winfrey Show.
Ring of Honor are still planning to go ahead with their television tapings this weekend in Philadelphia, despite the expected snowstorm.
Greg Oliver has a good story on the no longer missing Hollywood Blond Jerry Brown at http://tinyurl.com/yg9n5kv.
Trish Stratus has landed the lead role in an independent Canadian film called Bail Enforcers -- about a down on their luck team of bounty hunters who run into trouble when they are confronted with a moral dilemma.
Jesse Ventura's next book American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies that the Government Tells Us will be released on March 8.
Multichannel News has a detailed report looking at ratings for wrestling, boxing and MMA shows. The report at http://tinyurl.com/ybvy9ee notes how scandals like the Chris Benoit murders and Waxman steroid investigation has not hurt pro wrestling's popularity on television.
Dave Prasak's Shimmer group has just a few front tickets remaining for his DVD tapings on April 10 and 11at the Eagles Club in Berwyn, IL. More info at www.shimmerwrestling.com.
Today's Diva of the Day is Gail Kim at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
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Cheap Heat by Gene Jackson
2/6/2010
Well folks it's already February and another year is rolling right along. It's been an interesting one so far. After stating numerous times that I'd "never set foot in a wrestling ring again"....like so many before me, I did just that not once but TWICE a couple of weeks ago. Since I have been losing weight I've been feeling a lot better and got the urge to get in the ring at least one more time. I went down to Tupelo to work for TFW since my friend Tony Dabbs was nice enough to agree to let me work a couple of tag matches there. I went on Jan. 22nd teaming with my buddy Neil against Tony and a guy named A.N.T. Neil and I had Al Hall in our corner which was a lot of fun...Al is hilarious. Even the old Bad Boys referee Buster McCarter was there and refereed our match......wow it was like going back in time getting to wrestle Tony teaming with Neil.....with Buster as the referee and Sammy Hall watching on from the back.
The match of course was not a technical masterpiece with me being involved but it was fun and I think it was entertaining for the small amount of people who were there. The match ended with me pinning Tony leading to a rematch the next Friday with Tony bringing in Mickey Ray from the Family of Pain to face Southern Destruction in what was supposed to be my "last match"........well thanks to the snow and ice last weekend neither Mickey or myself could get to Tupelo so that match didn't happen...perhaps sometime in the near future.......
So...back to my big wrestling weekend......since we were in Mississippi, my girlfriend and I decided to ride with Neil on Saturday night to Kosciusko to watch the show down there. As always I brought my gear "just in case" but really didn't plan on doing anything but watching the show and seeing some old friends I hadn't seen in a while.....Well Neil went in when we got there and got me on the show so the next thing you know I'm getting ready to work my second match in two days after not wrestling for about 5/6 years.
From my understanding the show was being ran by CJ Cash. The first person I ran into was J.D. Mckay and we talked for a bit and he told me he would be working Mitch Toretta....who apparently has adopted Chris Kilgore's snake........Anyways...I went in the dressing room and I honestly didn't know many of the folks in there at the time....I mean I knew who they were but never met any of them before. Cameron Valentine, Precious, etc.
In turn most of them didn't know me either....and the few that did, knew me as that guy that writes shit on BT's website.....so I'm sure people were wondering why I was working. The show was ran pretty well....the building was nice, the crowd was good....however things were confusing at first. I was told at one point I'd be wrestling Johnny Morton......then I was told I would be working Suicide in the opening match.....then I was told I was teaming with J.D. in a tag.......then I heard J.D. and I were doing a six man tag.....then someone said I was tagging with Neil......they finally settled on J.D. and I against Full Scale Assault.
Full Scale Assault is Xander Raines and Jason Steele. I'd never met these guys before but they were super nice guys and really easy to work with. We went out and had about a 15 minute match (that was supposed to be 10 but you know how that goes) the crowd was up the whole match and it was fun. I'd like to work with these guys again sometime.
After this match I realized that maybe I wasn't done wrestling....I had a good time and my back wasn't really hurting me like it had been...so maybe if I keep losing weight I might wrestle a little more often....especially now that I'm with someone who actually LIKES wrestling and likes traveling to shows......there is one catch though. As I was telling Neil riding the 4 hours back to Fulton, it just seems weird walking out there as "Gene Jackson".....I dropped the "War Machine" name when Rhino started using it.....and the 'Big Pimpin' gimmick is way too dated so I think if I'm going to continue to work I need to distance the "website guy" from the "wannabe wrestler" so I'm working on a new masked gimmick to reinvent myself to make myself more marketable to get booked on shows and to distinguish between the two personalities. Look for the new gimmick to turn up somewhere in Mississippi or Alabama in maybe late March or so.
Well that's all for this week, I'll be back with more soon. I'm also working with someone on putting together a big fundraiser show here in Alabama for the American Cancer Society that's gonna be sponsored by my employer....it should be happening in May or perhaps June....if anyone is interested in getting booked as it gets closer contact me at genejackson95@gmail.com
BT's PIC OF THE WEEK!!
NBW Vendetta Card Announced!!
----Here is the card for Saturday night.
MAIN EVENT
Tag Title
Sid Vicious/Jeremy Moore vs. Family of Pain (c)
NBW Title
Crazytrain (c) vs. Motley
Mark Justice vs. Lord Humongus
NBW High Risk Ladder match
Weezy vs. Shannon
Jason Reed/??? vs. "Anarchy" Syn/Stunner
Mixed Tag Midget Match
Ron rage/Lil Devil vs. The Kid/Kid J
Plus more!!!
Memphis Mofo Mark Bravura Cleans Up!!
----Congrats to our friend Mark Bravura for his recent awards. North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia area seem to really put Mark over this year. Too bad Mark does not work this area anymore - he would be a major asset!!
The Mid-Atlantic Awards for 2009 were announced last night on the Airplane Spin Podcast. You can listen to it here:
The Mempho Mofo dominated the awards he was eligible for and the promotion he helps run and books dominated the promotion awards.
Match of the Year:
WINNER: Sean Denny vs. Mark Bravura - NWA Fusion November
Runner Up: Geordie Bulldogs vs. Vulstag & Hatriot - NWA Fusion September
Wrestler of the Year:
WINNER: Sean Denny
Runner Up: Mark Bravura
Rookie of the Year:
WINNER: Mr. Integrity/Zack Hilton
Runner Up: Mia Yim
Manager of the Year:
WINNER: Shiek Ali Akbar
Runner Up: Marcus Dowling
Tag Team of the Year:
WINNER: The Set
Runner Up: Assault & Battery
Show of the Year
WINNER: NWA Fusion Nov. (Denny vs. Bravura)
Runner Up: RLL - Last Call
Promotion of the Year:
WINNER: NWA Fusion
Runner Up: VCW
Referee of the Year
WINNER: Dustin Pruitt
Runner Up: Bobby Cruz
Most Improved Wrestler
WINNER: CA Elliott
Runner Up: Eddie Diamond
Feud of the Year:
WINNER: Bravura vs. The Dennys
Runner Up: Cicero vs. Booth
Most Loved Babyface:
WINNER: Sean Denny
Runner Up: Jimmy Cicero
Most Hated Heel:
WINNER: Mark Bravura
Runner Up: Q-Sic
Breakout Superstar:
WINNER: Brandon Day
Runner Up: CA Elliott
WINNER: Sean Denny vs. Mark Bravura - NWA Fusion November
Runner Up: Geordie Bulldogs vs. Vulstag & Hatriot - NWA Fusion September
Wrestler of the Year:
WINNER: Sean Denny
Runner Up: Mark Bravura
Rookie of the Year:
WINNER: Mr. Integrity/Zack Hilton
Runner Up: Mia Yim
Manager of the Year:
WINNER: Shiek Ali Akbar
Runner Up: Marcus Dowling
Tag Team of the Year:
WINNER: The Set
Runner Up: Assault & Battery
Show of the Year
WINNER: NWA Fusion Nov. (Denny vs. Bravura)
Runner Up: RLL - Last Call
Promotion of the Year:
WINNER: NWA Fusion
Runner Up: VCW
Referee of the Year
WINNER: Dustin Pruitt
Runner Up: Bobby Cruz
Most Improved Wrestler
WINNER: CA Elliott
Runner Up: Eddie Diamond
Feud of the Year:
WINNER: Bravura vs. The Dennys
Runner Up: Cicero vs. Booth
Most Loved Babyface:
WINNER: Sean Denny
Runner Up: Jimmy Cicero
Most Hated Heel:
WINNER: Mark Bravura
Runner Up: Q-Sic
Breakout Superstar:
WINNER: Brandon Day
Runner Up: CA Elliott
Thursday, February 04, 2010
IWA News and Notes
----A big question mark is about all I can say right now about the only wrestling promotion airing on Memphis TV. Tatt2 is gone - fired. Precious is gone - suspended. Seth Knight is gone - he quit. Johnny Dotson is gone or is he?? LOL
----I was told that the show was pulled this past Saturday because it was building for their next big show and it said "tonight tonight" on it. They didn't want people traveling to see the show, because it was canceled due to the snow. I was told they were going to air the show this weekend and the big show would be Saturday night. But...I am also being told they will be doing the big show at 2:00 PM on Saturday.
----I was told that the show was pulled this past Saturday because it was building for their next big show and it said "tonight tonight" on it. They didn't want people traveling to see the show, because it was canceled due to the snow. I was told they were going to air the show this weekend and the big show would be Saturday night. But...I am also being told they will be doing the big show at 2:00 PM on Saturday.
RassleResults: NBW Newbern, TN Results Wrapup 1.16 to 1.23.10
----I am going to post these just the way I received them. Because of not getting results on a weekly basis, I am not sure who is who, when the reporter just gives the names of some of the teams. As you can tell by the pic above though, "Anarchy" listed below features Jason The Brain, DJ Stunner, Syn and Jeremy Moore.
1-16-10
shannon lee def. the kid
The Anarchy def. Jason Reed/Mark Justice after Jeremy Moore gave Reed an acecrusher
weezy def. motley cruz by DQ
F.O.P. def. high society
Jason Reed def. Jeremy Moore by DQ
1-23-10
Show opened w/ F.O.P./Jason Reed/Mark Justice in the ring saying that they wanted The Anarchy tonight. Jeremy Moore and the Anarchy came out and stated they had proved last week that they were unbeatable and that they wouldn't face them tonight because CoCo Anderson would side with The Anarchy. Moore then suggested to CoCo that Jason Reed sweep floors, Sarge and Mark have a bra and panties match since they are girls and Mickey Ray lace his boots. CoCo said that while those were good ideas, they would get the matches because it was best for business. Moore was livid and He and CoCo went nose to nose.
The High Risk Title was held up after Weezy gave Shannon a superplex off the top and Shannon legs intertwined w/ Weezy for a double pin. Weezy and Shannon will have a ladder match at vendetta to determine the champion.
Syn def. Mickey Ray in a wild match. post match The Anarchy attacked Mickey and were ran out by Reed, Mark and Sarge.
Moore def. Reed after Syn got involved. This match was another wild one that went all over the place and after the match The Anarchy jumped in again to once again be ran out.
Motley Cruz had an interview stating that Crazytrain was scared and if he didn't show up at Vendetta then Motley should be handed the NBW Championship.
D.J. Stunner def. Sarge and after the match Moore was going to try and paint Sarge's back but was stopped.
Mark Justice def. High Society in a handicap match that had 1 hand tied behind Mark's back so he couldn't chop. Mark won by DQ when The Anarchy jumped him but he broke free and chopped everyone out of the ring and then gave Blaine a Hard Justice on top of OZ. Moore then said if mark thinks he is so tough then Moore will find him an opponent for Vendetta. Mark agreed to the match, the opponent will be announced this week.
Awesome show and the crowd was up to probably 90. the week before was 75 or so.
NBW Vendetta
Jeremy Moore/SID VICIOUS vs. F.O.P. ( NBW Tag Title Match )
Motley Cruz vs. Crazytrain? ( NBW Title Match )
Mark Justice vs. ???
Jason Reed and ??? vs. Syn and Stunner
Weezy vs. Shannon Lee ( Ladder Match for the High Risk Title )
PLUS MORE!!!
Shows for the Weekend 2.05 to 2.06.10
-Vendetta is Saturday night at the NBW arena in Newbern, TN. I will have the results from the three weeks leading up to it posted above, but as of right now - less than 48 hours before the show - no complete card yet. Due to family plans being canceled last weekend, I will not know if I am attending this show until sometime Saturday afternoon.
-Full details of Cage match by CLICKING HERE. This features two of my favorite guys out of Mississippi - Tony Dabbs and Neil Taylor - should be a fun cage match - these guys should turn it up for the big show.
SPWA Saturday Feb. 6th in Selmer Tn. At the Jaycees Building on the fairgrounds Bell Time will be 7:00
The Outlaw Don Bass
Big Nasty Bill
The Canadians
New Blood
Gentleman Jim Casey
Megaman Rodney Grimes
Destiny
Kim Porter
Michael Gilbert
and many many more.
SAW Online!!
----As CSAnderson reported on the KAYFABE BOARD - Here's a link to the SAW TV show. This show includes Dutch Mantell, Brian Christopher, PG-13, Flash Flanagan, Derrick King Enterprises and more! CLICK HERE!! These guys have a really good show and it features a lot of local talent.
Coach's Corner "Inside the Brain of Brian" by Brian Tramel
>
----As I sit here getting ready to write my bi-weekly column, I noticed it is right in the middle of the slowest week of news probably since this site started. Mother Nature walked thru and canceled all the shows, except only a few and no big news coming out of it. Even the area wrestlers that worked for WWE this past week have not sparked real news. I really had a few things I wanted to talk about and not really just in-depth and not even the one liners like my “just saying” piece last year. So these are just some things that have been going thru my head during a slow week.
----EPW is my favorite promotion right now. What?? Yes, they are my favorite promotion to BASH!! And I got a yahoo message this past week that said, “Why do you hate EPW so much?” And my response, well..I don’t hate them – but they suck. That’s right I think they suck. Get over it!! I was down there and almost quit my web site because they embarrass this area so much. Buddy Diliberto was the man who first stated that if the Saints made the Super Bowl that he would wear a dress. Let me just say here – if anyone on the current EPW roster ever gets a contract with the WWE or TNA – I will wear a dress and walk down the main street of Booneville , MS
----I have learn from time to time while doing this site that kayfabe does still exist. At times, I am kept in the dark, because people don’t want their business on the web site. It even surprises me when I look at the hit history of the site. This site is seen by a lot of important people in this business – not just in this area. And, after giving Jason the Brain a little hell, I do see why at times it is best just to not put anyone over. Some people do not belong in the wrestling business [and some of you reading this probably think I am one of them..lol], but at times you just have to go with the flow. Sometimes you have to stand up and say what is right or wrong. Some things said that night are unforgiveable to me and I think if everyone knew the whole story, they would be shocked. Suicide became my favorite mid-level card guy [sorry Dell Tucker] though after talking with a few people. After all is said and done, it is STILL not ok to put up a story about an injury as if it is a work, when it is legit. No one believes that crap anymore – or those guys would be in jail!!
----Rumors are always running wild…much like Hulkamania. [Sorry I could not resist.] I hate to admit this, but I do read my critics. I have to sort them from constructive to those that just make you laugh to those that just hate me. I have listened to many famous people [no..not saying I am famous] that say that you can either take them in strive or just dread reading them. I love it!! Thanks for putting me over!! I am writing not only my opinion, but I truly think that I am the voice of many in this area. Rumors are just that and I have to answer them sometimes. Yes, I am gay. Yes, I am on steroids. [I am being sarcastic here..or I am?] I hate it though when all people can talk about is how I “fixed” the awards when I spent HOURS going thru all of them and the people coming to this site VOTED ON THEM!! I invite you to my home and you can go thru all those ballots and I promise you – you will get the same results as I did.
----I got to be honest here, I am a mark for Greg Anthony the performer – “The Golden Boy” is one of the best workers in this area. He knows his stuff and has a great wrestling mind. But, I didn’t vote for him as columnist. He just wasn’t my favorite, because at times I thought, “is this the same thing I just read??’ But..ever since he won the award, it seems he has picked up the pace and I have enjoyed him more than I did last year. But..another "but" here…Pokerface has to be my favorite columnist right now. I find myself just dying to open the e-mail and see what he said for the new column. Maybe someday, when they retire and I am dead & gone, PKO and TGB can take control of RRO. They both got me as a fan and I promise you that and when I make a promise…wait..
----Does it make a difference in your attendance if you are not covered on RRO?? Not sure. I do know that when I go to a show, there are people that come, because I state I am coming to the show. If it is only 5 people per show, then you are looking at pay for at least one worker. There are promotions in this area that wait until the week of their big show and want me to put it over. You can’t follow the build up because..well there is no TV and no build up!! Take a look at the attendance of big shows that RRO covered, that were advertised like they should be advertised and they featured known talent – there were people in the building!! No, it is not just RRO covering your promotion, but why do they expect me to put you over, when they can’t even take 5 minutes to send in results?? It might be time to “tunnel” our vision even more and just cover those guys that take the time to send stuff?? For those that say I don’t need that crap, I don’t have to advertise and I use local talent – then keep promoting putting over crappy shows that no one wants to see or even great shows that 50 people are attending.
----In a week that snow and ice made it difficult to get out and go to wrestling, the news has been slow. Nothing happening, so nothing happens on the site. I mean Seth Knight's major tweet this week has been "Sitting at the liquor store picking up my girl from work." [Am I the only one that misses his columns???] I hope you have enjoyed a look into my brain. And as my favorite columnist says, “Keep your pimp hand strong..” [Wow..that just doesn’t sound the same with me saying that; does it??]
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
(WGN) Feb 2: Raw notes including what Maryse said to Gail Kim, Jack Brisco stories, Finkel on Fong, UK convention debacle, TNA staffers hanging out with Bret Hart, Honky Tonk Man, more...
WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Tuesday February 2, 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.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
2/1 Raw TV results from Nashville, TN: John Cena over Cody Rhodes; Triple H over Jack Swagger; Randy Orton over Shawn Michaels; Ted DiBiase Jr. over Mark Henry; Kofi Kingston over Big Show via DQ. All the matches were qualifying matches for a spot in the Raw Elimination Chamber for a title shot at Sheamus at the pay-per-view in St. Louis. The show drew 15,184.
The SD/ECW tapings are tonight in Memphis. Vince McMahon will appear on tonight's ECW broadcast to address the future of the brand, and Smackdown has qualifying matches for the Smackdown Elimination Chamber for a title shot at The Undertaker.
***
TMZ obtained the police report in regards to the arrest of Chris Jericho and Gregory Helms for public intoxication last week in Northern Kentucky. Helms was found to be in possession of a single white pill which he identified to police as Soma -- the muscle relaxer Carisoprodol. He said he had a prescription at home for the medication. The police used their discretion and didn't charge him because it was such a small amount.
Vince was said to be thrilled with Raw and the general consensus was that they produced one of their best television shows in quite some time. The show did a 3.6 rating and 5.29 million viewers. Viewership was up three percent on last week.
The Divas title match last night was cut due to time constraints. I assume they will try again next week. Oh, and for those who were wondering, Maryse told Gail Kim: "Just want to let you know that, at the end, I will win the championship!"
Howard Finkel spoke his mind during a WWE.com web chat before Raw. He was critical of ring announcer Angela Fong [Savannah] for her performance during the Royal Rumble. He said: "Did anyone catch Savannah's two goofs last night announcing Ezekiel Jackson? Well, she did not announce Zeke as the challenger... Furthermore, she announced him as weighing 209 pounds... Folks, I might be a little tough on the announcers, but let's face it... You are on a WWE PPV, you DO NOT screw up." Finkel admitted that he too made mistakes during his career but claimed he never flubbed his lines during a live television broadcast. He added: "Savannah is getting better, agreed, but as the BEST ring announcer ever, I can speak my mind!"
Jim Ross noted that last night's tribute to Jack Brisco reduced him to tears. He described Jack as, "One of the greatest in ring technicians to ever lace up a pair of boots. Through hard work and dedication he became one of the most famous men to ever wrestle for a living."
The St. Petersburg Times has a story on Brisco at http://tinyurl.com/yaxjnza with quotes from Brian Blair and Dusty Rhodes.
The Tampa Tribune has a story at http://tinyurl.com/yztlqzw including quotes from brother Jerry who described Jack as a modest guy who identified with his fans. Funeral services have not yet been finalized.
The Fox news affiliate in Tampa also ran a story on Brisco at http://tinyurl.com/yh6octo.
Another absentee from Sunday's Rumble match was William Regal. He was originally advertised as an entrant but was never in the match.
Shawn Michaels has now smashed Steve Austin's record of most Rumble eliminations with 41.
Joanie "Chyna" Laurer said she couldn't care less about Beth Phoenix' post-Rumble comments about her. She said she wishes nothing but the best for all the Divas in WWE.
Tyson Kidd was disappointed that he didn't get a Royal Rumble opportunity. He wrote on his Facebook page: "Guess they found 30 guys better, either that or I drew number 31."
NASCAR driver Carl Edwards will guest host Raw next week in Baton Rouge. A New Orleans Saints parade planned for next Tuesday means that SD/ECW will also tape in Baton Rouge at the River Center.
Jon Robinson has a Q&A with MVP at http://tinyurl.com/yasvhj7 where he describes his character as, "An amalgamation of T.O. [Terrell Owens] and Ochocinco and Allen Iverson and Ron Artest... All the bad attitudes and misbehaviors of overpaid, pompous athletes rolled into one." He also talks meeting Bret Hart for the first time, breaking through the glass ceiling, video games, and wrestling websites.
An updated finance report revealed this week that Linda McMahon has already spent around $6.5 million of her own money on her campaign for the U.S. Senate. The report, which was posted on the Federal Elections Commission website, shows Linda has loaned $6 million to her campaign and has spent $500,000 on expenses and in-kind contributions. The report also noted that she has received at $11,582 in contributions from voters.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
Bret Hart met briefly with TNA staffers last night after Raw at Bailey's, an Irish pub in downtown Nashville.
Vince Russo was interviewed last night on the Monday Night Mayhem radio show. Full audio at www.mondaynightmayhem.com.
Hermie Sadler interviewed Samoa Joe at http://tinyurl.com/yzjrn5k. He talks about relocating to Florida and recently becoming a father. He also touches upon all the changes the company is going through right now.
The Iron Sheik calls Hulk Hogan and Kurt Angle "gold diggers" and has a message for Tiger Woods at http://tinyurl.com/ygwvcun.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
The WrestleSlam convention in England this past weekend encountered some issues with wrestlers attempting to enter the country. Those turned away were all former WWE names -- Nora "Molly Holly" Greenwald, Bushwhacker Luke, The Barbarian, Tugboat, Nikolai Vollkoff, and 74-year-old Mr Fuji. They were detained and questioned by immigration agents for several hours. It was determined that they didn't have the correct documentation required to work in the UK. They were later granted temporary entry but ordered to return to the U.S. on available flights the next day. Their passports were confiscated and each were given a charge that stays on their file for ten years. Anthony Thomas, promoter of WrestleSlam, met them at the host hotel afterwards and had them sign 8X10s for fans who had prepaid for autographs. Those that made it into the country without issue were Terry Funk, Lanny Poffo, The Warlord, Bryan Clarke, and Howard Finkel. Promoter Thomas claimed that a rival group called immigration and said some of the wrestlers were terrorists in an effort to sabotage his event. However, UK Border Agency reps vehemently deny that story saying it's pure fiction. Steve Brassington, Regional Director of the UK Border Agency, said in an email: "Under the Government's tough new Points Based System, paid professionals must obtain a valid Certificate of Sponsorship prior to arriving in the UK. These rules are designed to make sure that a legitimate sponsor is linked to each application to enter the UK for work purposes. Responsibility rests with applicants to have the correct documents in place to allow them to work in the UK before traveling. This is a firm and fair approach and it applies to everyone. All applications are considered on their merits and in accordance with the Immigration Rules, taking into account all the circumstances and supporting evidence."
The Honky Tonk Man posted a new blog today. He backtracked slightly from his comments of a few days ago and issued an apology to John Laurinaitis of WWE: "He dealt with me as a first class gentleman and what we in the business call 'one of the boys.' John was up front with me from day one. He has a difficult job as a middle man trying to negotiate for the final say in everything that happens in the [WWE]. The final say comes down to Vince McMahon. Can you imagine the number of phone calls John has to make on his day off or the number of calls he receives on a day off from Vince?" Honky also promised that a rebuttal to the recent comments Eric Bischoff made about him would be forthcoming.
Former WWE wrestler Ken Doane made it past the first round eliminations on new Fox Reality series Seducing Cindy. There is a replay tonight at 9pm ET.
Jackie Haas has entered a contest to be on the next cover of Status Fitness magazine. You can vote for her at http://tinyurl.com/y863gzt.
Eric Escobar has returned to Puerto Rico and is working for the World Wrestling Council.
Today's Diva of the Day is Beth Phoenix at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
Update on RCW TV
I just wanted to let everyone know about the new start date for the Ringside Championship Wrestling (RCW) TV show on KAIT TV-8 in Jonesboro, AR. Due to the cancellation of the Jan. 29 debut event in Trumann, which would have served as a TV Taping for 3 to 4 weeks worth of RCW TV, the debut of the television program has been pushed back from Feb. 20 to March 13.
RCW has rescheduled its first event in Trumann for Friday, March 5. This will be a TV taping. There is also a show being booked for the following night (Saturday, March 6). As soon as that date, time and location are all confirmed it will be announced both here at RRONews.com and at www.RCWwrestling.com.
I want to thank both the fans who planned to attend last Friday for their patience as well as KAIT TV-8 for understanding the unfortunate predicament that the weather placed us in.
RCW has rescheduled its first event in Trumann for Friday, March 5. This will be a TV taping. There is also a show being booked for the following night (Saturday, March 6). As soon as that date, time and location are all confirmed it will be announced both here at RRONews.com and at www.RCWwrestling.com.
I want to thank both the fans who planned to attend last Friday for their patience as well as KAIT TV-8 for understanding the unfortunate predicament that the weather placed us in.
IWA Did Not Air!!!
----IWA did not air this week!! If you want to get an audience, you have to air your show!!
The Straight Flush "Learn Your Craft" by Pokerface
Learn Your Craft
How many times have I heard that from veterans over the years? I wonder how many guys actually listened. As with any job, hobby, side interest, etc, you have to have some kind of knowledge to be successful or at least have a fighting chance at it. I feel that most guys act or I should say, play their craft. The learning system in this business isn't what it used to be. Now I'm not saying that as if I'm a grizzled veteran, who has been there and done that. I'm saying that through personal observation and the quality of the product on every level.
Case in point, how many mega stars are there in pro wrestling these days? I mean guys who are main stream. Guys that you see on all the talk shows. I'm talking guys that you see like every fifth person on the street wearing their merchandise. The answer, almost none. The reason I feel is because no one is learning their craft like they used to. Some of the top guys in our business past and present were so over the top, because they had a chance to get on the road and night after night and learn this business. Guys like Shawn Michaels, Jerry Lawler, Triple H, Curt Hennig, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, Scott Hall, Sid Vicious, The Rock, The Undertaker, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, just to name a few. You watch old tapes of wrestling from around the U.S., even Japan, and I guarantee you that the majority of any of those guys will pop up. They had the opportunity to actually eat from this business. By that I mean, that was their only means of income. So they had to produce to keep their job. They also had the opportunity to work with guys who knew how to get over. The veterans of their time shared their knowledge so in return the guys like HBK,The Rock, Ric Flair could get over too, thus bigger box office receipts, thus a bigger payday for everybody, well hopefully.
Today its different. In my opinion, there are very few people whose heart is really in this business, and fewer veterans who are willing to give back. You have to hunger to get better. I take that back. You have to lust to get better and learn your craft. I strive to learn everything I can from everybody. You can learn from a main event guy all the way down to a jobber. Even if i guy who has sub par skills can teach you something. You may not learn what to do, but you can learn what not to do. I've seen guys get in major trouble with management, and I learn not to do what they did. I observe top guys. They tend to carry themselves a slightly different. It might be how they walk, talk, dress, wrestle, politic, conduct business and so on. I make it a point to be very observant of veterans, even if its not involving me. I try to be in earshot of them so I can pick up even the slightest tidbit of info. Last, for damn sure, certainly not least, I ask questions. You would be amazed at how many vets are willing to give pointers and advice, but very few are just going to offer it. YOU GOTTA ASK, you DUMB ASSES ! Even the guys on a higher level are trained one way and don't have the chance to really travel to different regions or countries. They only know one system of working. So nobody really stands out.
Like I said earlier the learning system is not what it used to be. So it's up to us as wrestlers to adjust and adapt. I try, maybe not as much as I used to, to get in the ring as much as possible. I'll get on Youtube for hours on end watching old matches of guys that could work and get over. When I'm doing a show a big name is on , I sit and watch their matches. I have followed Tommy Rogers of the Fantastics around my gym for bout an hour asking questions and soaking up whatever. I've been in the same gym with Sid Vicious and absorbed his knowledge. You will definitely get more out of this business if you put more into it. But always remember GENI, Good Enough Never Is. Be the guy that not only watches other tapes, but watch your own. You would be amazed at how much you don't know. But on the same token, a lot of guys have a warped sense of perception, so they wouldn't know if they had a good match or bad match. Plus there is no one in the locker room to tell them one way or the other, Because hell, they don't know.
Lastly guys, once again, look the part. The back yard look is passe. Hell it was never in fashion. Get gear! I can't stress this enough. You know how they give school supplies to under privileged kids, maybe we need to have a drive for under privileged wrestlers. That's all for now. Until next time, keep your pimp hand strong!
How many times have I heard that from veterans over the years? I wonder how many guys actually listened. As with any job, hobby, side interest, etc, you have to have some kind of knowledge to be successful or at least have a fighting chance at it. I feel that most guys act or I should say, play their craft. The learning system in this business isn't what it used to be. Now I'm not saying that as if I'm a grizzled veteran, who has been there and done that. I'm saying that through personal observation and the quality of the product on every level.
Case in point, how many mega stars are there in pro wrestling these days? I mean guys who are main stream. Guys that you see on all the talk shows. I'm talking guys that you see like every fifth person on the street wearing their merchandise. The answer, almost none. The reason I feel is because no one is learning their craft like they used to. Some of the top guys in our business past and present were so over the top, because they had a chance to get on the road and night after night and learn this business. Guys like Shawn Michaels, Jerry Lawler, Triple H, Curt Hennig, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, Scott Hall, Sid Vicious, The Rock, The Undertaker, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, just to name a few. You watch old tapes of wrestling from around the U.S., even Japan, and I guarantee you that the majority of any of those guys will pop up. They had the opportunity to actually eat from this business. By that I mean, that was their only means of income. So they had to produce to keep their job. They also had the opportunity to work with guys who knew how to get over. The veterans of their time shared their knowledge so in return the guys like HBK,The Rock, Ric Flair could get over too, thus bigger box office receipts, thus a bigger payday for everybody, well hopefully.
Today its different. In my opinion, there are very few people whose heart is really in this business, and fewer veterans who are willing to give back. You have to hunger to get better. I take that back. You have to lust to get better and learn your craft. I strive to learn everything I can from everybody. You can learn from a main event guy all the way down to a jobber. Even if i guy who has sub par skills can teach you something. You may not learn what to do, but you can learn what not to do. I've seen guys get in major trouble with management, and I learn not to do what they did. I observe top guys. They tend to carry themselves a slightly different. It might be how they walk, talk, dress, wrestle, politic, conduct business and so on. I make it a point to be very observant of veterans, even if its not involving me. I try to be in earshot of them so I can pick up even the slightest tidbit of info. Last, for damn sure, certainly not least, I ask questions. You would be amazed at how many vets are willing to give pointers and advice, but very few are just going to offer it. YOU GOTTA ASK, you DUMB ASSES ! Even the guys on a higher level are trained one way and don't have the chance to really travel to different regions or countries. They only know one system of working. So nobody really stands out.
Like I said earlier the learning system is not what it used to be. So it's up to us as wrestlers to adjust and adapt. I try, maybe not as much as I used to, to get in the ring as much as possible. I'll get on Youtube for hours on end watching old matches of guys that could work and get over. When I'm doing a show a big name is on , I sit and watch their matches. I have followed Tommy Rogers of the Fantastics around my gym for bout an hour asking questions and soaking up whatever. I've been in the same gym with Sid Vicious and absorbed his knowledge. You will definitely get more out of this business if you put more into it. But always remember GENI, Good Enough Never Is. Be the guy that not only watches other tapes, but watch your own. You would be amazed at how much you don't know. But on the same token, a lot of guys have a warped sense of perception, so they wouldn't know if they had a good match or bad match. Plus there is no one in the locker room to tell them one way or the other, Because hell, they don't know.
Lastly guys, once again, look the part. The back yard look is passe. Hell it was never in fashion. Get gear! I can't stress this enough. You know how they give school supplies to under privileged kids, maybe we need to have a drive for under privileged wrestlers. That's all for now. Until next time, keep your pimp hand strong!
Local Talent at WWE!!
----Local talent was working out today before the show. Nothing confirmed on anyone, but as he has reported on his site - Dustin Starr was there. I should have a full report posted sometime after tomorrow night in Memphis. Good luck guys!!
Monday, February 01, 2010
(WGN) Feb 1: Jack Brisco dies, Rumble backstage, Raw tonight with Captain Kirk, WWE re-signs former talent, ROH files lawsuit against Ric Flair, Sheik at the Grammy's, former star opens wrestling school, more...
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WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Monday February 1, 2010
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Wrestling Globe Newsletter by Mike Aldren - All the latest professional wrestling news, gossip and occasional opinion direct to you at RRO.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
1/31 Royal Rumble results from Atlanta, GA: The Undertaker over Rey Mysterio to retain the World title; Sheamus over Randy Orton via DQ to retain WWE title; Christian over Ezekiel Jackson to retain the ECW title, Mickie James over Michelle McCool to capture the Women's title; and the 30-man Rumble match was won by the returning Edge for a title shot at Wrestlemania 26. The show was a sellout drawing over 16,000. Dark match was The Bella Twins, Gail Kim, Eve Torres & Kelly Kelly over Alicia Fox, Katie Lea, Maryse, Natalya & Jillian Hall.
The SD/ECW tapings are Tuesday in Memphis with the return of Edge and the build towards the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
***
WWE Hall of Famer Jack Brisco passed away this morning at the age of 68. He had been in poor health for some time although his family had asked for his ailments to be kept private. He died due to complications from heart surgery that he underwent two week's ago.
Jack Brisco was one of the all-time greats who forged his legacy in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. He was widely regarded as the single most gifted wrestler of his era and truly one of the nicest guys outside the ring that you could ever wish to meet. In 2005, Don Leo Jonathan described Jack as, "probably the greatest champion of the 20th century."
He grew up in Blackwell, Oklahoma and won a scholarship to attend Oklahoma State University. He was the first Native American to win an NCAA National Championship, winning at 191 pounds in 1965. Incredibly he won that title without getting taken down once during the entire season. He was also a two-time NCAA All American in 1964 and 1965.
He always knew that he wanted to be a professional wrestler. Lou Thesz and local heroes Danny Hodge and Dick Hutton were his idols growing up. He was recruited into the sport by promoter Leroy McGuirk. He wrestled in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Dallas, Amarillo, and Australia before coming to Florida, where he was a top draw under Eddie Graham, and became a two-time World heavyweight champion, and multi-time tag team champion with his younger brother Gerald.
His first NWA World title reign came when he defeated Harley Race in Houston on July 20, 1973. He was originally scheduled to take the title from Dory Funk Jr. a few months earlier following a long standing feud, but forces politically manouvered for Funk to drop the title to Race instead.
He defended the title in NWA affiliated territories until he lost to Japanese legend Giant Baba on December 2, 1974, only to regain the title seven days later. Jack would eventually drop the belt to Terry Funk on December 10, 1975. His loss continued the feud between the Briscos and the Funks.
His reign as NWA champion was particularly significant as he was only the second wrestler in history to have won the title more than once at the time, with the other and first multi-time champion being Lou Thesz.
In 1984, Jack and brother Gerald acquired a minority interest in Georgia Championship Wrestling, and convinced a majority of the shareholders to sell their shares to Vince McMahon, enabling McMahon to increase his dominance across the country. The brothers were offered lifetime jobs with McMahon as part of the deal in exchange for selling their interests in GCW.
Jack left the business in 1984 and retired to his home in Florida, while Gerald has worked with the WWF/WWE ever since. He is one of the few major wrestling stars to retire, and actually stay retired. In later life, Jack and Gerald also ran a very successful auto body shop business. He was inducted into the Lou Thesz-George Tragos Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame at the International Wrestling Museum and Institute in Iowa in 2001, and was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.
***
Japanese legend Antonio Inoki is the second confirmed name for the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame. He will be inducted by Stan Hanson, according to the Japanese version of WWE.com.
WWE has re-signed Adam Birch, the former Joey Mecury/Matthews, who formed the team MNM with John Morrison and Melina in OVW and on Smackdown. His last run in 2007 didn't end too well after he was abruptly released following a Wellness Program violation. He has done several interviews since then praising WWE for firing him and putting him through rehab for pain pill addiction after he suffered a severe facial injury during the 2006 Armageddon pay-per-view.
WWE hosted a media-only press conference earlier today to announce Wrestlemania 27 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Sunday, April 3, 2011. Vince McMahon made the announcement with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Atlanta Sports Council President Gary Stokan, Atlanta Falcons President Rich McKay, and John Cena, Batista, Big Show, Rey Mysterio, Mark Henry, Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres. The Atlanta Journal Constitution has a story at http://tinyurl.com/y8hyu6z where Vince talks about wrestling dating back to Abraham Lincoln.
ECW will likely be no more after Wrestlemania. The company is currently locked in ongoing discussions with execs at SyFy to completely re-brand the show under a new name with the focus on fresh faces and new characters.
Edge returned last night to win the Royal Rumble match after six months on the sidelines following surgery to repair an Achilles tendon rupture. He had recently told people that he was unlikely to rehab in time for the Rumble and Wrestlemania would be a better estimate. Philips Arena last night was "closed set" meaning no friends or family backstage and Edge was hidden away and not returning any messages all weekend. His ankle was heavily strapped before he entered at No 29 to eliminate John Cena to win the title shot at Wrestlemania. No other real surprises other than Beth Phoenix. She entered as No 6 and eliminated the Great Khali with a lip lock but was quickly tossed herself by CM Punk. They had Phoenix cut a promo backstage afterwards for WWE.com where she blasts Chyna--the only other women in history to ever compete in the Rumble. This company really can't let things go sometimes, can they?
Santino was pulled was from the Rumble due to injury. No update on his status at press time although it's not thought to be anything serious.
Matt Hardy was obviously buried for the sins of his friends last night. A lot of people got a kick out of his entrance. One person backstage noted to us that they had never seen him move as fast. I guess except for last Wednesday morning in Northern Kentucky.
Several WWE wrestlers showed up for the Rumble yesterday morning, told they weren't booked, and drove on to Nashville/Memphis for the television tapings.
WWE are reportedly trying to book Conan O'Brien to guest host a future edition of Raw. The major sticking point is Conan's settlement with NBC over the Tonight Show debacle which doesn't allow him to host any television shows until September. Of course NBC owns USA Network so you would think it wouldn't be that hard to come to an arrangement.
Brian Fritz has a story on Sheamus at http://tinyurl.com/yaos5ve talking about living his dream.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
The story on the ladder match in Manchester that never happened was that they couldn't find a suitable ladder. All the ladders in the building were single sided and made of aluminum so they would have been destroyed after one spot. By the time somebody raised it as an issue it was too late to send someone out to find a new ladder.
Matt Morgan got the news he was hoping for. His father, who is battling brain cancer, underwent a successful tumor removal procedure a few days ago. Morgan described the procedure as a miracle and his father will apparently be okay for now.
MOBO nominated rapper Lethal Bizzle attended the TNA show at Wembley Arena on Saturday night. He loved it. The Sun has the story at http://tinyurl.com/ya2qcwu.
Epics returns to Spike on February 11 at 11pm ET with a special on Sting. This includes his matches from Bound For Glory in 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Dixie Carter is interviewed at http://tinyurl.com/y9kema5. Nothing that she hasn't said before.
Vince Russo's book release has been pushed back to March 1. I guess Bischoff hasn't had time to look through it and fix everything yet.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Ring of Honor tonight on HD Net has Tyler Black vs. Roderick Strong; Delirious vs. Rhett Titus; and Colt Cabana vs. Sonjay Dutt. More info at www.hd.net/ringofhonor.
ROH has filed a lawsuit against Ric Flair stemming from autograph signings that Flair was paid for but then pulled out of last summer. They are seeking a judgment of $40,000. Flair currently has a long list of creditors and is paying alimony on two previous marriages.
The Miami Herald at http://tinyurl.com/yb5y8k3 has a story on WrestleReunion which took place over the weekend in Los Angeles. I've not heard a negative word about this convention. All the talent behaved and were great with the fans--no really crazy stories like most conventions. The Iron Sheik was there and had a camera crew following him to shoot footage for his new reality show.
Sheik was also at the Grammy's last night cutting promos on Hogan and Tiger Woods.
We have a really crazy story about another wrestling convention over the weekend in the next newsletter.
Former TNA performer and Survivor winner Jenna Morasca and her boyfriend Ethan, who is battling cancer, are featured on a show called The Doctors that airs today on CBS affiliates. There is a preview clip at http://tinyurl.com/ykclq9o.
Former WWE/WCW wrestler Bill DeMott and his wife Lacey recently opened a wrestling school in McDonough, GA.
Tooth Fairy with Dwayne Johnson finished at No. 4 again this past weekend at the U.S. box office. The movie grossed $10 million behind When In Rome [12.3M], Edge of Darkness [17.2M], and Avatar [£31M]. The current worldwide gross is estimated at $55 million doing very strong business in Australia, Mexico, and Spain.
There is a good interview with Rob Van Dam at http://tinyurl.com/y8qmfy8. He touches on a number of WWE and TNA-related topics.
Today's Diva of the Day is Michelle McCool at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
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WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Monday February 1, 2010
=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Wrestling Globe Newsletter by Mike Aldren - All the latest professional wrestling news, gossip and occasional opinion direct to you at RRO.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
1/31 Royal Rumble results from Atlanta, GA: The Undertaker over Rey Mysterio to retain the World title; Sheamus over Randy Orton via DQ to retain WWE title; Christian over Ezekiel Jackson to retain the ECW title, Mickie James over Michelle McCool to capture the Women's title; and the 30-man Rumble match was won by the returning Edge for a title shot at Wrestlemania 26. The show was a sellout drawing over 16,000. Dark match was The Bella Twins, Gail Kim, Eve Torres & Kelly Kelly over Alicia Fox, Katie Lea, Maryse, Natalya & Jillian Hall.
The SD/ECW tapings are Tuesday in Memphis with the return of Edge and the build towards the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
***
WWE Hall of Famer Jack Brisco passed away this morning at the age of 68. He had been in poor health for some time although his family had asked for his ailments to be kept private. He died due to complications from heart surgery that he underwent two week's ago.
Jack Brisco was one of the all-time greats who forged his legacy in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. He was widely regarded as the single most gifted wrestler of his era and truly one of the nicest guys outside the ring that you could ever wish to meet. In 2005, Don Leo Jonathan described Jack as, "probably the greatest champion of the 20th century."
He grew up in Blackwell, Oklahoma and won a scholarship to attend Oklahoma State University. He was the first Native American to win an NCAA National Championship, winning at 191 pounds in 1965. Incredibly he won that title without getting taken down once during the entire season. He was also a two-time NCAA All American in 1964 and 1965.
He always knew that he wanted to be a professional wrestler. Lou Thesz and local heroes Danny Hodge and Dick Hutton were his idols growing up. He was recruited into the sport by promoter Leroy McGuirk. He wrestled in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Dallas, Amarillo, and Australia before coming to Florida, where he was a top draw under Eddie Graham, and became a two-time World heavyweight champion, and multi-time tag team champion with his younger brother Gerald.
His first NWA World title reign came when he defeated Harley Race in Houston on July 20, 1973. He was originally scheduled to take the title from Dory Funk Jr. a few months earlier following a long standing feud, but forces politically manouvered for Funk to drop the title to Race instead.
He defended the title in NWA affiliated territories until he lost to Japanese legend Giant Baba on December 2, 1974, only to regain the title seven days later. Jack would eventually drop the belt to Terry Funk on December 10, 1975. His loss continued the feud between the Briscos and the Funks.
His reign as NWA champion was particularly significant as he was only the second wrestler in history to have won the title more than once at the time, with the other and first multi-time champion being Lou Thesz.
In 1984, Jack and brother Gerald acquired a minority interest in Georgia Championship Wrestling, and convinced a majority of the shareholders to sell their shares to Vince McMahon, enabling McMahon to increase his dominance across the country. The brothers were offered lifetime jobs with McMahon as part of the deal in exchange for selling their interests in GCW.
Jack left the business in 1984 and retired to his home in Florida, while Gerald has worked with the WWF/WWE ever since. He is one of the few major wrestling stars to retire, and actually stay retired. In later life, Jack and Gerald also ran a very successful auto body shop business. He was inducted into the Lou Thesz-George Tragos Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame at the International Wrestling Museum and Institute in Iowa in 2001, and was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.
***
Japanese legend Antonio Inoki is the second confirmed name for the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame. He will be inducted by Stan Hanson, according to the Japanese version of WWE.com.
WWE has re-signed Adam Birch, the former Joey Mecury/Matthews, who formed the team MNM with John Morrison and Melina in OVW and on Smackdown. His last run in 2007 didn't end too well after he was abruptly released following a Wellness Program violation. He has done several interviews since then praising WWE for firing him and putting him through rehab for pain pill addiction after he suffered a severe facial injury during the 2006 Armageddon pay-per-view.
WWE hosted a media-only press conference earlier today to announce Wrestlemania 27 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Sunday, April 3, 2011. Vince McMahon made the announcement with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Atlanta Sports Council President Gary Stokan, Atlanta Falcons President Rich McKay, and John Cena, Batista, Big Show, Rey Mysterio, Mark Henry, Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres. The Atlanta Journal Constitution has a story at http://tinyurl.com/y8hyu6z where Vince talks about wrestling dating back to Abraham Lincoln.
ECW will likely be no more after Wrestlemania. The company is currently locked in ongoing discussions with execs at SyFy to completely re-brand the show under a new name with the focus on fresh faces and new characters.
Edge returned last night to win the Royal Rumble match after six months on the sidelines following surgery to repair an Achilles tendon rupture. He had recently told people that he was unlikely to rehab in time for the Rumble and Wrestlemania would be a better estimate. Philips Arena last night was "closed set" meaning no friends or family backstage and Edge was hidden away and not returning any messages all weekend. His ankle was heavily strapped before he entered at No 29 to eliminate John Cena to win the title shot at Wrestlemania. No other real surprises other than Beth Phoenix. She entered as No 6 and eliminated the Great Khali with a lip lock but was quickly tossed herself by CM Punk. They had Phoenix cut a promo backstage afterwards for WWE.com where she blasts Chyna--the only other women in history to ever compete in the Rumble. This company really can't let things go sometimes, can they?
Santino was pulled was from the Rumble due to injury. No update on his status at press time although it's not thought to be anything serious.
Matt Hardy was obviously buried for the sins of his friends last night. A lot of people got a kick out of his entrance. One person backstage noted to us that they had never seen him move as fast. I guess except for last Wednesday morning in Northern Kentucky.
Several WWE wrestlers showed up for the Rumble yesterday morning, told they weren't booked, and drove on to Nashville/Memphis for the television tapings.
WWE are reportedly trying to book Conan O'Brien to guest host a future edition of Raw. The major sticking point is Conan's settlement with NBC over the Tonight Show debacle which doesn't allow him to host any television shows until September. Of course NBC owns USA Network so you would think it wouldn't be that hard to come to an arrangement.
Brian Fritz has a story on Sheamus at http://tinyurl.com/yaos5ve talking about living his dream.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
The story on the ladder match in Manchester that never happened was that they couldn't find a suitable ladder. All the ladders in the building were single sided and made of aluminum so they would have been destroyed after one spot. By the time somebody raised it as an issue it was too late to send someone out to find a new ladder.
Matt Morgan got the news he was hoping for. His father, who is battling brain cancer, underwent a successful tumor removal procedure a few days ago. Morgan described the procedure as a miracle and his father will apparently be okay for now.
MOBO nominated rapper Lethal Bizzle attended the TNA show at Wembley Arena on Saturday night. He loved it. The Sun has the story at http://tinyurl.com/ya2qcwu.
Epics returns to Spike on February 11 at 11pm ET with a special on Sting. This includes his matches from Bound For Glory in 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Dixie Carter is interviewed at http://tinyurl.com/y9kema5. Nothing that she hasn't said before.
Vince Russo's book release has been pushed back to March 1. I guess Bischoff hasn't had time to look through it and fix everything yet.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Ring of Honor tonight on HD Net has Tyler Black vs. Roderick Strong; Delirious vs. Rhett Titus; and Colt Cabana vs. Sonjay Dutt. More info at www.hd.net/ringofhonor.
ROH has filed a lawsuit against Ric Flair stemming from autograph signings that Flair was paid for but then pulled out of last summer. They are seeking a judgment of $40,000. Flair currently has a long list of creditors and is paying alimony on two previous marriages.
The Miami Herald at http://tinyurl.com/yb5y8k3 has a story on WrestleReunion which took place over the weekend in Los Angeles. I've not heard a negative word about this convention. All the talent behaved and were great with the fans--no really crazy stories like most conventions. The Iron Sheik was there and had a camera crew following him to shoot footage for his new reality show.
Sheik was also at the Grammy's last night cutting promos on Hogan and Tiger Woods.
We have a really crazy story about another wrestling convention over the weekend in the next newsletter.
Former TNA performer and Survivor winner Jenna Morasca and her boyfriend Ethan, who is battling cancer, are featured on a show called The Doctors that airs today on CBS affiliates. There is a preview clip at http://tinyurl.com/ykclq9o.
Former WWE/WCW wrestler Bill DeMott and his wife Lacey recently opened a wrestling school in McDonough, GA.
Tooth Fairy with Dwayne Johnson finished at No. 4 again this past weekend at the U.S. box office. The movie grossed $10 million behind When In Rome [12.3M], Edge of Darkness [17.2M], and Avatar [£31M]. The current worldwide gross is estimated at $55 million doing very strong business in Australia, Mexico, and Spain.
There is a good interview with Rob Van Dam at http://tinyurl.com/y8qmfy8. He touches on a number of WWE and TNA-related topics.
Today's Diva of the Day is Michelle McCool at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
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(WGN) Legendary wrestler Jack Brisco passes away at 68
JACK BRISCO PASSES AWAY
We are very sad to report that WWE Hall of Famer -- the legendary Jack Brisco, 70s wrestling star and brother of Gerald, passed away this morning at the age of 68.
Brisco had recently underwent open heart surgery.
We hope to post more details later today.
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Thoughts From Jason The Brain
----IWA's Jason The Brain, who worked a lot last year for XOW, posted a piece over at WNC. CLICK HERE to read it. It is interesting for a few things. #1: He never mentions the promotion or the person he is talking about. #2: He went to another promotion's show. #3: The promoter seem to call them out in front of the crowd.
----First, if you are going to do a shoot on someone - say who it is. The promotion and guy he is talking about is XOW and Tony Watts. Apparently Watts seems to be upset for some reason at IWA. I am not sure if it is because they have TV and he does not, but it all seems sort of childish. Second, if this is an angle and you are shooting a XOW/IWA angle - then all of the stuff you did at the show would make sense, but you still have to tell people that it is XOW. But, if it isn't an angle, then Jason is paying to see a show and Watts is putting over IWA to the crowd. And finally, Jason said, "We gathered around talking about going in the ring and shutting him up for good, but we decided to just leave." Sorry guys, I might be on your side here and share your thoughts about Watts, but if you get in someone else's ring [and it is not an angle] it is very unproffesional and not safe. You could get your ass whipped and go to jail.
----First, if you are going to do a shoot on someone - say who it is. The promotion and guy he is talking about is XOW and Tony Watts. Apparently Watts seems to be upset for some reason at IWA. I am not sure if it is because they have TV and he does not, but it all seems sort of childish. Second, if this is an angle and you are shooting a XOW/IWA angle - then all of the stuff you did at the show would make sense, but you still have to tell people that it is XOW. But, if it isn't an angle, then Jason is paying to see a show and Watts is putting over IWA to the crowd. And finally, Jason said, "We gathered around talking about going in the ring and shutting him up for good, but we decided to just leave." Sorry guys, I might be on your side here and share your thoughts about Watts, but if you get in someone else's ring [and it is not an angle] it is very unproffesional and not safe. You could get your ass whipped and go to jail.
Jason Reed: Picture of the Week
A new version of "Picture Perfect"?? Where was CJ??
Cody Melton, DK and Jason
This was a PPV party for Royal Rumble - there are ALOT of workers here!! Reed called it a Entertainment Center Reunion!!
RassleResults: EPW Booneville, MS 01.30.10 - Bonecrusher Loses Hair!!
Cody Hawk defeated Chazz Stone.
Tysin Starr defeated Blackjack (BJ Fuller).
JR Mauler defeated Chrome w/Smooth by DQ due to interference by Rajah. Rajah, Chrome, & Smooth started to give JR a beating until Cassanova Kid ran in to make the save.
Bill "Superstar" Dundee, "Big Daddy" Neno, Buzz Harley, & Robert Devine defeated Bonecrusher, Cody Hawk, Brody Hawk, & Chris Fontaine when Dundee pinned Bonecrusher. Match stipulations called for the one who got pinned to lose his hair, so Bonecrusher got a Bozo the Clown style haircut, compliments of Neno.
The card at EPW this Saturday night will include JR Mauler & Cassanova Kid vs. Smooth, Inc.
It will be a great night of action at EPW this Saturday night, so DON'T MISS IT! The EPW Arena is located on Hwy. 145 No. in Booneville. Bell time is 8:00 p.m. Remember, you never know what will happen at EPW!
As we reported last week, EPW Commissioner, Kross, had surgery this past Tuesday in Memphis to repair damage to his leg & ankle from the beating Smooth, Inc. gave him on 1/23/10. Kross will be out of action indefinitely. If anyone would like to send him a card, mail it to P. O. Box 301356, Memphis, TN 38130.
Credit: "Axeman" Randall Lewis @ www.wrestlingnewscenter.com
----Lewis posted a photo with this over at WNC, but the quality was so bad. Was there not a camera in the building?? He was getting his head shaved!! How could you not have a good pic??...And, Lewis mentions Kross having surgery as part of an angle and even ran it as part of a news story last week. Kross has had problems with his ankle for a while now and he was not injuried by Smooth Inc!! Why post something like that and expect people to believe anything else you write??
Tysin Starr defeated Blackjack (BJ Fuller).
JR Mauler defeated Chrome w/Smooth by DQ due to interference by Rajah. Rajah, Chrome, & Smooth started to give JR a beating until Cassanova Kid ran in to make the save.
Bill "Superstar" Dundee, "Big Daddy" Neno, Buzz Harley, & Robert Devine defeated Bonecrusher, Cody Hawk, Brody Hawk, & Chris Fontaine when Dundee pinned Bonecrusher. Match stipulations called for the one who got pinned to lose his hair, so Bonecrusher got a Bozo the Clown style haircut, compliments of Neno.
The card at EPW this Saturday night will include JR Mauler & Cassanova Kid vs. Smooth, Inc.
It will be a great night of action at EPW this Saturday night, so DON'T MISS IT! The EPW Arena is located on Hwy. 145 No. in Booneville. Bell time is 8:00 p.m. Remember, you never know what will happen at EPW!
As we reported last week, EPW Commissioner, Kross, had surgery this past Tuesday in Memphis to repair damage to his leg & ankle from the beating Smooth, Inc. gave him on 1/23/10. Kross will be out of action indefinitely. If anyone would like to send him a card, mail it to P. O. Box 301356, Memphis, TN 38130.
Credit: "Axeman" Randall Lewis @ www.wrestlingnewscenter.com
----Lewis posted a photo with this over at WNC, but the quality was so bad. Was there not a camera in the building?? He was getting his head shaved!! How could you not have a good pic??...And, Lewis mentions Kross having surgery as part of an angle and even ran it as part of a news story last week. Kross has had problems with his ankle for a while now and he was not injuried by Smooth Inc!! Why post something like that and expect people to believe anything else you write??
RassleResults: TFW Tupelo, MS 01.29.10
Curly Moe cheated his way to victory over "Big Daddy" Neno.
"Dangerous" David Cox over David Andrews by DQ.
TFW Lightweight Champion Josh Matthews defeated Jay Webster.
TFW Tag Team Champions Chris Styles & Syn defeated LSD & Blazing Star. After the match Chris Styles attacked referee Joey Lynn and beat him with a belt.
TFW Champion Neil "The Real Deal" Taylor vs. "Bad Attitude" Tony Dabbs ended in a double count out.
The card at TFW this Friday night will include:
Curly Moe vs. "Big daddy" Neno in a NO DQ match.
Chris Styles & Syn vs. Joey Lynn & a partner of his choosing in a fans lumberjack strap match.
Neil Taylor vs. Tony Dabbs IN A STEEL CAGE!
It's gonna be a wild night at TFW this Friday night! It all happens at the TFW Arena on Hwy. 178 in Skyline, just outside the Tupelo city limits. Bell time is 8:00 p.m. Don't miss it!
Credit: "Axeman" Randell Lewis @ www.wrestlingnewscenter.com
----Dabbs vs Taylor in a cage could be fun!! Maybe Gene will hiding under the cage!! LOL
"Dangerous" David Cox over David Andrews by DQ.
TFW Lightweight Champion Josh Matthews defeated Jay Webster.
TFW Tag Team Champions Chris Styles & Syn defeated LSD & Blazing Star. After the match Chris Styles attacked referee Joey Lynn and beat him with a belt.
TFW Champion Neil "The Real Deal" Taylor vs. "Bad Attitude" Tony Dabbs ended in a double count out.
The card at TFW this Friday night will include:
Curly Moe vs. "Big daddy" Neno in a NO DQ match.
Chris Styles & Syn vs. Joey Lynn & a partner of his choosing in a fans lumberjack strap match.
Neil Taylor vs. Tony Dabbs IN A STEEL CAGE!
It's gonna be a wild night at TFW this Friday night! It all happens at the TFW Arena on Hwy. 178 in Skyline, just outside the Tupelo city limits. Bell time is 8:00 p.m. Don't miss it!
Credit: "Axeman" Randell Lewis @ www.wrestlingnewscenter.com
----Dabbs vs Taylor in a cage could be fun!! Maybe Gene will hiding under the cage!! LOL
(WGN) Jan 31: TNA in the UK, Wrestlemania 27 location, Lashley wins, Hogan rips Russo again, Dixie's cell phone address book, and much more...
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WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Sunday January 31, 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.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
1/29 Smackdown TV results from Cleveland, OH: Triple H over CM Punk; R-Truth over Chris Jericho; Drew McIntyre over John Morrison to retain the IC title; Michelle MCCool over Lalya as Mickie James; and Rey Mysterio vs. Shawn Michaels was a no contest.
1/30 Supershow results from Macon, GA: Yoshi Tatsu over Zach Ryder; Drew McIntyre over John Morrison; The Bella Twins over Layla & Natalya Niedhart; Finley over Tyler Reks; The Miz over MVP; Christian over Ezekiel Jackson; Big Show over Mark Henry; DX & Kofi Kingston over Legacy & Randy Orton; and John Cena defeated Sheamus via DQ. The show drew an estimated 7,000.
Raw TV is Monday from Nashville with William Shatner as guest host, plus Bret Hart. The SD/ECW tapings are Tuesday in Memphis which usually means a Jerry Lawler appearance.
***
The Atlanta Business Journal reported on Friday that "a major sporting event" has been scheduled at the Georgia Dome. The official announcement of Wrestlemania 27 at the Dome will be made tonight during the pay-per-view.
Santino Marella's name was removed from the WWE.com list of Rumble participants. R-Truth was added. 25/30 names are known at press time plus John Morrison did a radio interview yesterday saying he would be involved. That leaves four open spots including one name we know is planned as a surprise although this person is not who most people assume.
Memphis indy wrestler Dustin Starr is booked on tonight's show.
Gregory Helms was told to stay at home and isn't booked for tonight's show or the television tapings next week. He is taking all the heat from the incident that led to his and Chris Jericho's arrest this past week in Kentucky.
The pay-per-view $5 price increase goes into effect from tonight.
There are some very detailed Rumble stats at http://tinyurl.com/y9ajp5p.
Chris Jericho had some amusing tweets over the weekend including, "Just had the TMZ camera kicked out of the Fozzy Instore. Sorry No footage tonight gossip girls..." and "Bischoff's right, I can't headline in TNA...cos I'm not in my 50s."
Superstars on Thursday night did a 1.0 rating and 962,000 viewers.
Weekend airings on WWE Vintage Collection featured an edited version of the1996 Royal Rumble which was won by Shawn Michaels.
Absentee Raw guest host James Roday of Psych fame cuts a promo on Alicia Fox at http://tinyurl.com/yb6ocut.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
1/29 house show results from Manchester, England: Amazing Red over Sabin & Suicide in a three-way; Rob Terry over Eric Young; Pope over Rhino; AJ Styles over Samoa Joe, Chris Daniels & Hernandez in a four-way; Kurt Angle over Desmond Wolfe; Taylor Wilde & Sarita over Velvet Sky & Madison Rayne with Hamada as guest referee; and Team 3D over The British Invasion & Beer Money in a three-way Tables match. The show drew an estimated 5,000.
1/30 house show results from London, England: Velvet Sky & Madison Rayne over Taylor Wilde & Sarita with Hamada as guest referee; Desmond Wolfe over The Pope; Samoa Joe & Hernandez over Eric Young & Rhino; Beer Money over Team 3D and The British Invasion; Doug Williams over Suicide, Chris Sabin, Amazing Red & Daniels in an Ultimate X match; and AJ Styles over Kurt Angle. The show drew just over 5,000 paid--down significantly from last year when they set their all-time attendance record drawing 8,100 to the same arena.
***
There were a lot of unhappy fans over a bait and switch from an advertised Ladder match Friday night in Manchester, England. TNA had promoted this match for months but did a strange angle involving Styles where he refused to participate. Dixie Carter, who was sat ringside, then cut a promo and ordered him to work the match. Anyway, they didn't do one but never explained why. Presumably the deal was to put heat on Styles, but still, you don't burn your own fans like this especially at a house show where the Ladder match is the main selling point.
In Manchester, Dixie Carter told fans that she had dinner that day with Alex Ferguson, coach of the Manchester United soccer team, and several local soccer players attended the TNA show that night. She also bragged about being friends with several WWE talents and showed fans her cell phone address book which included names we probably shouldn't mention here.
Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were guests on Bubba the Love Sponge on Friday. They spent an hour answering different questions from callers. When asked about Impact going live on March 1 they claimed it wasn't confirmed but said they had read rumors to that effect on the Internet. On going PG, they said that wouldn't happen and will continue to push the envelope each week. When asked about the creative pecking order, Hogan said Russo writes television and then Bischoff "gets an overview of the shit and then he fixes everything." Hogan also ripped into Russo over his "fake wrestling" comments. They both defended the Orlando screw job last week admitting they don't care if they produce shitty television as long as people talk about the show, even in a negative way. Hogan said he wants to bring in the Macho Man to manage Jay Lethal. That will never happen. Regarding a TNA developmental group, they both said there are no current plans but if they did have one--it would likely be Brian Knobbs' sachool in Clearwater, FL. On creating new stars, Bischoff put over Desmond Wolfe while Hogan described Abyss as "the next John Cena!" Seriously. When asked about Sting working limited dates and missing the last television taping [due to a family emergency], they both pretty much buried him saying that he hurt the company and should show more commitment. Bischoff also burried WWE's Big Show and Jericho, saying he thinks Show is lazy and Jericho wouldn't be able to headline in TNA.
Impact did it's highest ever rating [but not viewership] for a Thursday night this past week with a 1.4 rating and 1,867,000 viewers. The show opened with a 1.5 rating but they lost viewers in every single quarter hour until the final 15 minutes.
Scott Hall and Sean Waltman were removed from the opening montage of Impact. Both are still part of future plans but there is a lot of heat on them right now.
Bobby Lashley won his Strikeforce force debut over Wes Sims last night to extend his MMA record to 5-0. He won via TKO after landing multiple strikes in the first round. Sims wasn't happy afterwards. He told media he thought the referee stopped the fight too early. He said: "I warned [the referee] three times that he kept gouging me in the throat. Then I rolled over and gave my back, I took one strike and the ref stops it? I ain't no rookie. I've been in the sport for a long time. I have a helluva high pain threshhold. Bogus stoppage... [Lashley is] just a big juiced up monkey. He ain't got MMA skills... He's juiced. We did not have a drug test. And his own wrestlers threw him under the bus. I'm good friends with a lot of wrestlers."
BBC2 in Wales had a feature on Rob Terry to promote the UK tour. When asked how he got his freaky physique he said he eats a lot of bananas, drinks protein shakes, and trains hard for two hours every day. I guess that's the new magical formula. They also interviewed Brother Ray, Hernandez, and Dixie Carter after Terry won the Global Championship. Story is at the 20-minute mark at http://tinyurl.com/yhhkq4s.
Vince Russo is apparently no longer blogging on his Facebook page. His site will now be maintained "by an administrator who is in contact with Russo."
AAA in Mexico are talking to TNA about bringing in Hernadez for an extended stay.
Mick Foley talks Awesome Kong slapping around Bubba the Love Sponge at http://tinyurl.com/yemdnsc.
Tazz wrote on his Twitter page that he may need a partial knee replacement in the future. He has the option of taking some injections that would delay surgery, but surgery is inevitable at some point. He said he won't be missing any time.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Davey Richards has re-signed with Ring of Honor in a deal that means he can no longer work for Dragon Gate USA or Evolve with former ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky. Richards told Sapolsky and Sal Hamaoui [money man behind Dragon Gate/Evolve] a few months ago that he didn't have a contract with ROH and they subsequently planned several events around his name. The belief is that he did have a contract with ROH all along. Things came to a head recently when Sapolski announced Richards for his Wrestlemania weekend cards in Pheonix. Richards committed to the Dragon Gate dates and told ROH that he wouldn't be available for their shows noting he was frustrated that he hadn't had a raise for three years, and that Dragon Gate was offering more money.
Mike Mooneyham has a nice article on Georgiann Makropoulos at http://tinyurl.com/ygvanlb.
Today's Diva of the Day is Awesome Kong at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Sunday January 31, 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.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
1/29 Smackdown TV results from Cleveland, OH: Triple H over CM Punk; R-Truth over Chris Jericho; Drew McIntyre over John Morrison to retain the IC title; Michelle MCCool over Lalya as Mickie James; and Rey Mysterio vs. Shawn Michaels was a no contest.
1/30 Supershow results from Macon, GA: Yoshi Tatsu over Zach Ryder; Drew McIntyre over John Morrison; The Bella Twins over Layla & Natalya Niedhart; Finley over Tyler Reks; The Miz over MVP; Christian over Ezekiel Jackson; Big Show over Mark Henry; DX & Kofi Kingston over Legacy & Randy Orton; and John Cena defeated Sheamus via DQ. The show drew an estimated 7,000.
Raw TV is Monday from Nashville with William Shatner as guest host, plus Bret Hart. The SD/ECW tapings are Tuesday in Memphis which usually means a Jerry Lawler appearance.
***
The Atlanta Business Journal reported on Friday that "a major sporting event" has been scheduled at the Georgia Dome. The official announcement of Wrestlemania 27 at the Dome will be made tonight during the pay-per-view.
Santino Marella's name was removed from the WWE.com list of Rumble participants. R-Truth was added. 25/30 names are known at press time plus John Morrison did a radio interview yesterday saying he would be involved. That leaves four open spots including one name we know is planned as a surprise although this person is not who most people assume.
Memphis indy wrestler Dustin Starr is booked on tonight's show.
Gregory Helms was told to stay at home and isn't booked for tonight's show or the television tapings next week. He is taking all the heat from the incident that led to his and Chris Jericho's arrest this past week in Kentucky.
The pay-per-view $5 price increase goes into effect from tonight.
There are some very detailed Rumble stats at http://tinyurl.com/y9ajp5p.
Chris Jericho had some amusing tweets over the weekend including, "Just had the TMZ camera kicked out of the Fozzy Instore. Sorry No footage tonight gossip girls..." and "Bischoff's right, I can't headline in TNA...cos I'm not in my 50s."
Superstars on Thursday night did a 1.0 rating and 962,000 viewers.
Weekend airings on WWE Vintage Collection featured an edited version of the1996 Royal Rumble which was won by Shawn Michaels.
Absentee Raw guest host James Roday of Psych fame cuts a promo on Alicia Fox at http://tinyurl.com/yb6ocut.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
1/29 house show results from Manchester, England: Amazing Red over Sabin & Suicide in a three-way; Rob Terry over Eric Young; Pope over Rhino; AJ Styles over Samoa Joe, Chris Daniels & Hernandez in a four-way; Kurt Angle over Desmond Wolfe; Taylor Wilde & Sarita over Velvet Sky & Madison Rayne with Hamada as guest referee; and Team 3D over The British Invasion & Beer Money in a three-way Tables match. The show drew an estimated 5,000.
1/30 house show results from London, England: Velvet Sky & Madison Rayne over Taylor Wilde & Sarita with Hamada as guest referee; Desmond Wolfe over The Pope; Samoa Joe & Hernandez over Eric Young & Rhino; Beer Money over Team 3D and The British Invasion; Doug Williams over Suicide, Chris Sabin, Amazing Red & Daniels in an Ultimate X match; and AJ Styles over Kurt Angle. The show drew just over 5,000 paid--down significantly from last year when they set their all-time attendance record drawing 8,100 to the same arena.
***
There were a lot of unhappy fans over a bait and switch from an advertised Ladder match Friday night in Manchester, England. TNA had promoted this match for months but did a strange angle involving Styles where he refused to participate. Dixie Carter, who was sat ringside, then cut a promo and ordered him to work the match. Anyway, they didn't do one but never explained why. Presumably the deal was to put heat on Styles, but still, you don't burn your own fans like this especially at a house show where the Ladder match is the main selling point.
In Manchester, Dixie Carter told fans that she had dinner that day with Alex Ferguson, coach of the Manchester United soccer team, and several local soccer players attended the TNA show that night. She also bragged about being friends with several WWE talents and showed fans her cell phone address book which included names we probably shouldn't mention here.
Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were guests on Bubba the Love Sponge on Friday. They spent an hour answering different questions from callers. When asked about Impact going live on March 1 they claimed it wasn't confirmed but said they had read rumors to that effect on the Internet. On going PG, they said that wouldn't happen and will continue to push the envelope each week. When asked about the creative pecking order, Hogan said Russo writes television and then Bischoff "gets an overview of the shit and then he fixes everything." Hogan also ripped into Russo over his "fake wrestling" comments. They both defended the Orlando screw job last week admitting they don't care if they produce shitty television as long as people talk about the show, even in a negative way. Hogan said he wants to bring in the Macho Man to manage Jay Lethal. That will never happen. Regarding a TNA developmental group, they both said there are no current plans but if they did have one--it would likely be Brian Knobbs' sachool in Clearwater, FL. On creating new stars, Bischoff put over Desmond Wolfe while Hogan described Abyss as "the next John Cena!" Seriously. When asked about Sting working limited dates and missing the last television taping [due to a family emergency], they both pretty much buried him saying that he hurt the company and should show more commitment. Bischoff also burried WWE's Big Show and Jericho, saying he thinks Show is lazy and Jericho wouldn't be able to headline in TNA.
Impact did it's highest ever rating [but not viewership] for a Thursday night this past week with a 1.4 rating and 1,867,000 viewers. The show opened with a 1.5 rating but they lost viewers in every single quarter hour until the final 15 minutes.
Scott Hall and Sean Waltman were removed from the opening montage of Impact. Both are still part of future plans but there is a lot of heat on them right now.
Bobby Lashley won his Strikeforce force debut over Wes Sims last night to extend his MMA record to 5-0. He won via TKO after landing multiple strikes in the first round. Sims wasn't happy afterwards. He told media he thought the referee stopped the fight too early. He said: "I warned [the referee] three times that he kept gouging me in the throat. Then I rolled over and gave my back, I took one strike and the ref stops it? I ain't no rookie. I've been in the sport for a long time. I have a helluva high pain threshhold. Bogus stoppage... [Lashley is] just a big juiced up monkey. He ain't got MMA skills... He's juiced. We did not have a drug test. And his own wrestlers threw him under the bus. I'm good friends with a lot of wrestlers."
BBC2 in Wales had a feature on Rob Terry to promote the UK tour. When asked how he got his freaky physique he said he eats a lot of bananas, drinks protein shakes, and trains hard for two hours every day. I guess that's the new magical formula. They also interviewed Brother Ray, Hernandez, and Dixie Carter after Terry won the Global Championship. Story is at the 20-minute mark at http://tinyurl.com/yhhkq4s.
Vince Russo is apparently no longer blogging on his Facebook page. His site will now be maintained "by an administrator who is in contact with Russo."
AAA in Mexico are talking to TNA about bringing in Hernadez for an extended stay.
Mick Foley talks Awesome Kong slapping around Bubba the Love Sponge at http://tinyurl.com/yemdnsc.
Tazz wrote on his Twitter page that he may need a partial knee replacement in the future. He has the option of taking some injections that would delay surgery, but surgery is inevitable at some point. He said he won't be missing any time.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Davey Richards has re-signed with Ring of Honor in a deal that means he can no longer work for Dragon Gate USA or Evolve with former ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky. Richards told Sapolsky and Sal Hamaoui [money man behind Dragon Gate/Evolve] a few months ago that he didn't have a contract with ROH and they subsequently planned several events around his name. The belief is that he did have a contract with ROH all along. Things came to a head recently when Sapolski announced Richards for his Wrestlemania weekend cards in Pheonix. Richards committed to the Dragon Gate dates and told ROH that he wouldn't be available for their shows noting he was frustrated that he hadn't had a raise for three years, and that Dragon Gate was offering more money.
Mike Mooneyham has a nice article on Georgiann Makropoulos at http://tinyurl.com/ygvanlb.
Today's Diva of the Day is Awesome Kong at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
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