----Mike Aldren with WGN.
WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTERThursday, January 6, 2011
Twitter: www.twitter.com/wrestlingglobe
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/37gdqcm
Wrestling Globe Newsletter by Mike Aldren - All the latest professional wrestling news direct to your inbox. WGN is read by industry power players, many top wrestling talent and thousands of fans from around the world.
To subscribe email: wrestlingglobe-subscribe@topica.com
Please send all news tips to: you2us@wrestlingglobe.com
=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT
1/3 Raw TV results from Phoenix, AZ: Miz over John Morrison in a falls count anywhere match to retain the WWE title; Natalya, Brie Bella & Eve Torres over Melina, Maryse & Alicia Fox; The Usos over Santino Marella & Kozlov; Alberto Del Rio over R-Truth; and Randy Orton over Sheamus & Wade Barrett in a cage to become No. 1 contender for the WWE title. Dark match was Mason Ryan over Primo.
1/4 NXT TV results from Tucson, AZ: Dolph Ziggler won the Pros battle royal; Byron Saxton over Jacob Novak; Conor O'Brian won the Battle of the Mic; Brodus Clay over Johnny Curtis; and Jacob Novak was eliminated.
Superstars tonight on WGN America has Yoshi Tatsu vs. Zach Ryder; Ted DiBiase & Tyson Kidd vs. Daniel Bryan & Mark Henry; JTG vs. Tyler Reks; and Chris Masters vs. Curt Hawkins.
***
WWE Hall of Famer Paul Orndorff, 61, revealed this week that he's been diagnosed with cancer. Orndorff said he just found out so did not elaborate further other than saying he was scheduled for several medical consultations later this month.
Alex Riley is scheduled for court in Tampa on 1/13 for an arraignment relating to his DUI arrest in November where he refused a sobriety test.
Ronald Basham III, an 18-year-old wrestling fan from Clarksville, IN filed a lawsuit Monday against WWE, Paul Levesque (Triple H) and Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) over injuries allegedly suffered a decade ago during a live event in Louisville, KY. Basham claims he suffered "sustained severe and painful injuries" during the Judgement Day PPV at Freedom Hall in May 2000, when he was just 7 years old attending the show with his mother. The pay-per-view was headlined by Triple H vs. The Rock in an Iron Man match. During the match it's claimed that Rock while brawling with Triple H in the crowd collided with a women who fell onto Basham which caused injuries to his leg and knee. The teenager, who recently underwent knee surgery, is now seeking punitive damages and compensation from WWE for "gross, reckless, wilful, and wanton disregard for safety". His attorney, Harris J. Berman, claims there is no statue of limitations for filing the suit since his client was a minor at the time of the alleged incident. No response from WWE at press time. Story is developing.
Jim Ross endorses the idea of Sting going into the WWE Hall of Fame in his latest blog at www.jrsbarbq.com. Ross writes, "I actually don't know the answer to that one but suspect that Sting is still officially with TNA. Nonetheless many fans hope that Sting is inducted in the WWE HOF in Atlanta at WM27. Theoretically, if Sting were not working for another wrestling company, it would be a splendid idea. It still might be but that's not for me to speculate on. Sting was the first and only WCW star that Turner's people 'made' in Atlanta that never wrestled for WWE as best that I recall. I'd love to help produce a definitive Sting DVD some day as I was around him when he first started in the biz and teamed with the Ultimate Warrior, then known as Rock, in the UWF as the tag team duo known as the Bladerunners."
WWE is criticized in a new report on SeekingAlpha.com for paying dividends exceeding its net income for the past few years. The financial website called for Vince McMahon to "demonstrate financial sanity" in a soft economy which they think will encourage more people to invest in WWE stock in the future. Full story at http://tinyurl.com/2wsbyh4.
WWE Producer Kevin Dunn and WWE COO Michelle Goldsmith were among several major executives cashing in stock options at the end of the year. Dunn sold 18,000 shares for $258,300 on 12/29 with stock remaining valued at $1.7 million. Goldsmith sold 28,000 shares for $397,600 on 12/30 with stock remaining valued at $1.4 million. Vince McMahon also sold nearly 3 million shares from his trust fund which he set up for his family in 2008 which equates to just over $40 million--or enough to fund a Senate campaign. The remaining worth of his trust after the sale goes through will be around $145 million. Those shares are separate from his own personal stock.
Raw on Monday night did a 3.1 rating and 4.5 million viewers. Q8 was the highest rated quarter hour doing a 3.2 for the cage match with Orton, Sheamus & Barrett. The overrun peaked at 3.8 which essentially added an extra 1.5 million viewers which is a tremendous number without John Cena.
Smackdown on 12/31 did a 1.4 rating and 2.2 million viewers. It's the lowest first-run Smackdown rating for years, but this was New Years Eve, so the number wasn't considered a major disappointment.
Joey Mercury is currently working as a trainer behind the scenes in developmental. He's been sidelined since September after undergoing surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle.
Christian will be appearing at the FCW show on 1/15 in Port Charlotte, FL at the County Fairgrounds Expo Hall. More info at www.fcwwrestling.com. Christian is close to returning having also undergone surgery in October to repair a torn pectoral muscle.
Great Khali is expected back soon too as his commitments on India's Big Boss house (Big Brother) come to an end this weekend.
The Smackdown TV taping Tuesday night in Tucson drew 4,600 at the Convention Center.
Wade Barrett is now officially part of the Smackdown roster.
Rey Mysterio requested and was granted time off this month as he's dealing with a nagging shoulder injury. As a result he's working a very limited house show schedule.
Big Show has an upcoming cameo in the Nickelodeon kids TV show Supah Ninjas.
Brooke Adams (TNA’s Miss Tessmacher) wasn't very complimentary towards Melina in a new interview when asked about the reasons she left WWE. Brooke said: "The reason I left WWE never had anything to do with her, that was just a rumor. When I left I was actually the only person that liked her. She was such a rude, fake, bitch to everyone. She then tried to turn my girls Layla and Kelly Kelly against me by telling them a lie that I said which in reality was a rumor that SHE started. It was never anything I said. I can’t stand her and neither can most of the rest (of the locker room)."
Brian Shields, author of the WWE Encyclopedia, is appearing in New York City at Franklin Square Library on 1/29. More info at http://tinyurl.com/358tuz2.
Slam Wrestling has a story on Daniel Bryan at http://tinyurl.com/37sgxjm who discusses his WWE experience thus far. He said he's hoping for programs with CM Punk and Tyson Kidd in 2011. "I'd love to wrestle Tyson Kidd. We tag teamed in New Japan Pro Wrestling back in 2003 and I think we even did a singles match in Budokan Hall in Japan."
TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING
Impact tonight on Spike is the go-home show for Sunday's Genesis PPV including Jay Lethal vs. Abyss; Douglas Williams vs. Rob Terry; Motor City Machine Guns vs. AJ Styles & Kazarian; and Rob Van Dam vs. a mystery opponent "selected" by Immortal.
TNA runs tonight in Wallingford, CT at the Oakdale Theatre headlined by Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Anderson; Jay Lethal vs. Kazarian & Robbie E in a three-way; Madison Rayne vs. Mickie James; and Beer Money vs. Ink Inc. They also run Friday night in Westbury on Long Island at the Community Bank Theatre.
***
Former WCW personality Mark Madden takes TNA to task in his latest blog over Jeff Hardy's legal issues. Madden gives the following analogy writing, "Let’s say Alex Rodriguez was arrested in possession of 262 doses of Vicodin, 180 somas, 55 ml of anabolic steroids, residual traces of cocaine powder and drug paraphernalia, then pled guilty to lesser drug charges by way of dodging jail time, would Major League Baseball take punitive action? DAMN RIGHT. If Lebron James got pinched holding 262 doses of Vicodin, 180 somas, 55 ml of anabolic steroids, residual traces of cocaine powder and drug paraphernalia, then pled guilty to lesser drug charges by way of dodging jail time, would the National Basketball Association take punitive action? DAMN RIGHT. That’s how the sports world works. Major corporations like U.S. Steel and AT&T, too. That’s how the world works. It’s not how TNA works. Jeff Hardy is still TNA world champion. Still one of the promotion’s major foci. TNA isn’t punishing, or even FLINCHING. TNA can’t think Hardy is innocent, because he’s ADMITTING HE’S GUILTY. Tells you all you need to know about TNA." Full blog at http://tinyurl.com/3ayrohd.
KHon News 2 in Hawaii has a nice feature on Matt Morgan at http://tinyurl.com/386gduj. Morgan played basketball at Chaminade University on the Island, where he finished his college basketball career before he broke into wrestling a few years later.
Some notes on Little Red, the storyline brother of Amazing Red. He's Tommy Mercer a 26-year-old Nashville indy wrestler who started training under Jeff Daniels just a couple of years ago. TNA signed him after several trips to Orlando. Before wrestling, Mercer served five years in the United States Army, which included two tours of Iraq in the 101st Airborne Division and as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He currently works as a personal trainer in Clarksville, TN and attends classes in business management at Austin Peay State University.
The Poughkeepsie Journal interviewed Matt Hardy about his future plans at http://tinyurl.com/2eygsoa. He said he's not taking many wrestling bookings and is concentrating on having fun. When asked about TNA he said they have some "creative issues" but a lot of potential and put over the work of Beer Money, Generation Me and the Machine Guns in the tag division. He also touched upon the concussion issue. "So much of a big deal was made of the concussion thing. I was in the (WWE) meeting where the no-chairshots thing was brought up. Over the past year, I think like 32 or 36 wrestlers had concussions. It’s not that the chairshots are going to help, but the reason they banned them is because perception was reality. There is a way to do them that was somewhat safe. Most concussions I know of in wrestling weren’t caused by chairshots. Then you have the situation with Jeff and Mr. Anderson where that concussion was caused by a bad chairshot. Yet, WWE still does TLC pay-per-views. And after the pay-per-view, you have two nights of television. They have to be careful about not setting a double-standard.” Hardy added that he's an advocate of a wrestling off-season, especially for guys working in WWE. "One thing I do agree with is that it would be great if they cycled everyone off . If they could find a way to cycle talent off for six to eight weeks and still paid them and not made them want to come back and be bloodthirsty for a payday, it would be beneficial.”
Former WWE Diva Angela Fong noted that she turned down a TNA tryout last year soon after her WWE release. She said she was busy doing other things and didn't want to waste their time.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Gyspy Joe (Gilberto Melendez, 77) often debated as the oldest ring active wrestler in the world is planning to retire following a match Friday for the SWF group in Tullahoma, TN. Joe made his debut in the United States in 1963 after a brief career in Puerto Rico where he trained with the likes of Pedro Morales and Carlos Colon. He has continued to wrestle ever since. In April 2003 he was involved in a memorable hardcore match with New Jack in which, due to Joe no-selling throughout the match, Jack legitimately attacked Joe with a chain, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, and chairs. In 2007, WWE Magazine named Joe the world's oldest wrestler at the age of 73. In recent years, Joe has continued to wrestle regularly in the Tennessee area.
Chris Antal, who wrestles as "The Skunk" in eastern Massachusetts, was arrested on 12/30 and charged with assault for punching a 59-year-old woman. Authorities say that Antal assaulted the women after she interjected herself in a fight between Antal and another man. The women was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries. Antal, who resides in Marlborough, made national news headlines in 2007 when he pretended to urinate on a Brazilian flag on local access TV. Brazilian news network O Globo got hold of the footage and broadcast the segment to millions of viewers. This caused uproar in the country and led to an official from the Brazilian consulate visiting Marlborough to meet the Mayor, who apologized on behalf of the city.
Brock Lesnar, who's apparently lost his razor, hypes his new book at http://tinyurl.com/2v84rh6. He said he's going to be working hard over the coming week's to promote his book which was co-written by Paul Heyman.
Vivendi Entertainment announced a distribution agreement with Nasser Entertainment Group for home video, television and digital distribution rights. Steve Austin is signed to Nasser and his upcoming film Hangar 14, co-starring Michael Jai White, will be the first title released under the new deal.
The Miami Herald at http://tinyurl.com/32utqu7 has a story on Maria Kanellis who's planning a night club tour with former Divas Taryn Terrell and Jillian Hall. Begging for trouble, the tour is promoted as DivaMania 2011. Said Maria: "We are going to be there to have a good time and visit with people who are fans. Just really let loose after all the craziness with WWE. It's our after party. I'm sure we will be sending lots of photos and videos.''
Terrell was removed from a booking with Pro Wrestling Revolution against Melissa Anderson in February after she reportedly made additional demands following being signed. A statement on the groups website read: "We were very excited to be working with Taryn in her first independent match, however after confirming and promoting her for the show, Ms Terrell made requests that should have been brought up prior to the booking being accepted and promotion of the match taking place. While these requests were simply not feasible for the independent wrestling scene, we’d like to stress that ChickFight and Pro Wrestling Revolution did attempt to cater to Ms Terrell’s requests, despite already having an agreement with her. We’re saddened that things didn’t work out to either sides’ satisfaction." Terrell commented on the situation on her Twitter account saying she was taken off the show without her knowledge, and that she wasn't asking for anything out of the ordinary.
Tammy Sytch at http://tinyurl.com/35kcnww talks about being back into Sunny shape. She's currently working on getting a cook book published which will include several road stories. "Since many times I was the only girl on the road with 30 or so guys, I had the birds-eye view to all the shenanigans! I was one of the boys, so I was let in on many funny jokes and pranks... that you'll all soon read about!" Sounds ominous.
Sean Waltman is now doing The X-Pac Show, an uncensored audio show at CowHead.tv. He said he wants to use his show as an ear for others who have gone through similar experiences to him in their life. The show originates from St. Petersburg, FL from the Cowhead TV studios and airs weekly on Wednesdays at 8pm ET.
The late Luna Vachon and April Hunter were announced as inductees into the WSU Hall of Fame event on 3/5.
Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson along with Mike Mooneyham are working on a new book with the working title of "Heroes and Icons" which is a follow up to Greg and Steve's 2007 book "Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels".
Nick Bockwinkel is the latest legend added to the NWA Legends fanfest in Atlanta in August. Other names announced so far include Ole Anderson, The Assassin, Mr. Wrestling II, Ted Dibiase, David Schultz, Tony Atlas, Killer Tim Brooks, The Masked Superstar, Dory Funk Jr., Terry Funk, Eddie Mansfield, and Tommy Rich. More info at www.nwalegends.com.
Dustin Diamond aka Screech from the hit 90s show Saved by the bell and Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity wrestling as well as The Iron Sheik are now available for bookings for wrestling related appearances as a manager, guest ref, special enforcer or autograph signings. For more info email bookings@sheikshow.com.
Today's Babe of the Day is Torrie Wilson at http://thewrestlingpress.com/?page_id=298
=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Twitter: www.twitter.com/wrestlingglobe
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/37gdqcm
Wrestling Globe Newsletter by Mike Aldren - All the latest professional wrestling news direct to your inbox. WGN is read by industry power players, many top wrestling talent and thousands of fans from around the world.
To subscribe email: wrestlingglobe-subscribe@topica.com
Please send all news tips to: you2us@wrestlingglobe.com
=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT
1/3 Raw TV results from Phoenix, AZ: Miz over John Morrison in a falls count anywhere match to retain the WWE title; Natalya, Brie Bella & Eve Torres over Melina, Maryse & Alicia Fox; The Usos over Santino Marella & Kozlov; Alberto Del Rio over R-Truth; and Randy Orton over Sheamus & Wade Barrett in a cage to become No. 1 contender for the WWE title. Dark match was Mason Ryan over Primo.
1/4 NXT TV results from Tucson, AZ: Dolph Ziggler won the Pros battle royal; Byron Saxton over Jacob Novak; Conor O'Brian won the Battle of the Mic; Brodus Clay over Johnny Curtis; and Jacob Novak was eliminated.
Superstars tonight on WGN America has Yoshi Tatsu vs. Zach Ryder; Ted DiBiase & Tyson Kidd vs. Daniel Bryan & Mark Henry; JTG vs. Tyler Reks; and Chris Masters vs. Curt Hawkins.
***
WWE Hall of Famer Paul Orndorff, 61, revealed this week that he's been diagnosed with cancer. Orndorff said he just found out so did not elaborate further other than saying he was scheduled for several medical consultations later this month.
Alex Riley is scheduled for court in Tampa on 1/13 for an arraignment relating to his DUI arrest in November where he refused a sobriety test.
Ronald Basham III, an 18-year-old wrestling fan from Clarksville, IN filed a lawsuit Monday against WWE, Paul Levesque (Triple H) and Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) over injuries allegedly suffered a decade ago during a live event in Louisville, KY. Basham claims he suffered "sustained severe and painful injuries" during the Judgement Day PPV at Freedom Hall in May 2000, when he was just 7 years old attending the show with his mother. The pay-per-view was headlined by Triple H vs. The Rock in an Iron Man match. During the match it's claimed that Rock while brawling with Triple H in the crowd collided with a women who fell onto Basham which caused injuries to his leg and knee. The teenager, who recently underwent knee surgery, is now seeking punitive damages and compensation from WWE for "gross, reckless, wilful, and wanton disregard for safety". His attorney, Harris J. Berman, claims there is no statue of limitations for filing the suit since his client was a minor at the time of the alleged incident. No response from WWE at press time. Story is developing.
Jim Ross endorses the idea of Sting going into the WWE Hall of Fame in his latest blog at www.jrsbarbq.com. Ross writes, "I actually don't know the answer to that one but suspect that Sting is still officially with TNA. Nonetheless many fans hope that Sting is inducted in the WWE HOF in Atlanta at WM27. Theoretically, if Sting were not working for another wrestling company, it would be a splendid idea. It still might be but that's not for me to speculate on. Sting was the first and only WCW star that Turner's people 'made' in Atlanta that never wrestled for WWE as best that I recall. I'd love to help produce a definitive Sting DVD some day as I was around him when he first started in the biz and teamed with the Ultimate Warrior, then known as Rock, in the UWF as the tag team duo known as the Bladerunners."
WWE is criticized in a new report on SeekingAlpha.com for paying dividends exceeding its net income for the past few years. The financial website called for Vince McMahon to "demonstrate financial sanity" in a soft economy which they think will encourage more people to invest in WWE stock in the future. Full story at http://tinyurl.com/2wsbyh4.
WWE Producer Kevin Dunn and WWE COO Michelle Goldsmith were among several major executives cashing in stock options at the end of the year. Dunn sold 18,000 shares for $258,300 on 12/29 with stock remaining valued at $1.7 million. Goldsmith sold 28,000 shares for $397,600 on 12/30 with stock remaining valued at $1.4 million. Vince McMahon also sold nearly 3 million shares from his trust fund which he set up for his family in 2008 which equates to just over $40 million--or enough to fund a Senate campaign. The remaining worth of his trust after the sale goes through will be around $145 million. Those shares are separate from his own personal stock.
Raw on Monday night did a 3.1 rating and 4.5 million viewers. Q8 was the highest rated quarter hour doing a 3.2 for the cage match with Orton, Sheamus & Barrett. The overrun peaked at 3.8 which essentially added an extra 1.5 million viewers which is a tremendous number without John Cena.
Smackdown on 12/31 did a 1.4 rating and 2.2 million viewers. It's the lowest first-run Smackdown rating for years, but this was New Years Eve, so the number wasn't considered a major disappointment.
Joey Mercury is currently working as a trainer behind the scenes in developmental. He's been sidelined since September after undergoing surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle.
Christian will be appearing at the FCW show on 1/15 in Port Charlotte, FL at the County Fairgrounds Expo Hall. More info at www.fcwwrestling.com. Christian is close to returning having also undergone surgery in October to repair a torn pectoral muscle.
Great Khali is expected back soon too as his commitments on India's Big Boss house (Big Brother) come to an end this weekend.
The Smackdown TV taping Tuesday night in Tucson drew 4,600 at the Convention Center.
Wade Barrett is now officially part of the Smackdown roster.
Rey Mysterio requested and was granted time off this month as he's dealing with a nagging shoulder injury. As a result he's working a very limited house show schedule.
Big Show has an upcoming cameo in the Nickelodeon kids TV show Supah Ninjas.
Brooke Adams (TNA’s Miss Tessmacher) wasn't very complimentary towards Melina in a new interview when asked about the reasons she left WWE. Brooke said: "The reason I left WWE never had anything to do with her, that was just a rumor. When I left I was actually the only person that liked her. She was such a rude, fake, bitch to everyone. She then tried to turn my girls Layla and Kelly Kelly against me by telling them a lie that I said which in reality was a rumor that SHE started. It was never anything I said. I can’t stand her and neither can most of the rest (of the locker room)."
Brian Shields, author of the WWE Encyclopedia, is appearing in New York City at Franklin Square Library on 1/29. More info at http://tinyurl.com/358tuz2.
Slam Wrestling has a story on Daniel Bryan at http://tinyurl.com/37sgxjm who discusses his WWE experience thus far. He said he's hoping for programs with CM Punk and Tyson Kidd in 2011. "I'd love to wrestle Tyson Kidd. We tag teamed in New Japan Pro Wrestling back in 2003 and I think we even did a singles match in Budokan Hall in Japan."
TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING
Impact tonight on Spike is the go-home show for Sunday's Genesis PPV including Jay Lethal vs. Abyss; Douglas Williams vs. Rob Terry; Motor City Machine Guns vs. AJ Styles & Kazarian; and Rob Van Dam vs. a mystery opponent "selected" by Immortal.
TNA runs tonight in Wallingford, CT at the Oakdale Theatre headlined by Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Anderson; Jay Lethal vs. Kazarian & Robbie E in a three-way; Madison Rayne vs. Mickie James; and Beer Money vs. Ink Inc. They also run Friday night in Westbury on Long Island at the Community Bank Theatre.
***
Former WCW personality Mark Madden takes TNA to task in his latest blog over Jeff Hardy's legal issues. Madden gives the following analogy writing, "Let’s say Alex Rodriguez was arrested in possession of 262 doses of Vicodin, 180 somas, 55 ml of anabolic steroids, residual traces of cocaine powder and drug paraphernalia, then pled guilty to lesser drug charges by way of dodging jail time, would Major League Baseball take punitive action? DAMN RIGHT. If Lebron James got pinched holding 262 doses of Vicodin, 180 somas, 55 ml of anabolic steroids, residual traces of cocaine powder and drug paraphernalia, then pled guilty to lesser drug charges by way of dodging jail time, would the National Basketball Association take punitive action? DAMN RIGHT. That’s how the sports world works. Major corporations like U.S. Steel and AT&T, too. That’s how the world works. It’s not how TNA works. Jeff Hardy is still TNA world champion. Still one of the promotion’s major foci. TNA isn’t punishing, or even FLINCHING. TNA can’t think Hardy is innocent, because he’s ADMITTING HE’S GUILTY. Tells you all you need to know about TNA." Full blog at http://tinyurl.com/3ayrohd.
KHon News 2 in Hawaii has a nice feature on Matt Morgan at http://tinyurl.com/386gduj. Morgan played basketball at Chaminade University on the Island, where he finished his college basketball career before he broke into wrestling a few years later.
Some notes on Little Red, the storyline brother of Amazing Red. He's Tommy Mercer a 26-year-old Nashville indy wrestler who started training under Jeff Daniels just a couple of years ago. TNA signed him after several trips to Orlando. Before wrestling, Mercer served five years in the United States Army, which included two tours of Iraq in the 101st Airborne Division and as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He currently works as a personal trainer in Clarksville, TN and attends classes in business management at Austin Peay State University.
The Poughkeepsie Journal interviewed Matt Hardy about his future plans at http://tinyurl.com/2eygsoa. He said he's not taking many wrestling bookings and is concentrating on having fun. When asked about TNA he said they have some "creative issues" but a lot of potential and put over the work of Beer Money, Generation Me and the Machine Guns in the tag division. He also touched upon the concussion issue. "So much of a big deal was made of the concussion thing. I was in the (WWE) meeting where the no-chairshots thing was brought up. Over the past year, I think like 32 or 36 wrestlers had concussions. It’s not that the chairshots are going to help, but the reason they banned them is because perception was reality. There is a way to do them that was somewhat safe. Most concussions I know of in wrestling weren’t caused by chairshots. Then you have the situation with Jeff and Mr. Anderson where that concussion was caused by a bad chairshot. Yet, WWE still does TLC pay-per-views. And after the pay-per-view, you have two nights of television. They have to be careful about not setting a double-standard.” Hardy added that he's an advocate of a wrestling off-season, especially for guys working in WWE. "One thing I do agree with is that it would be great if they cycled everyone off . If they could find a way to cycle talent off for six to eight weeks and still paid them and not made them want to come back and be bloodthirsty for a payday, it would be beneficial.”
Former WWE Diva Angela Fong noted that she turned down a TNA tryout last year soon after her WWE release. She said she was busy doing other things and didn't want to waste their time.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Gyspy Joe (Gilberto Melendez, 77) often debated as the oldest ring active wrestler in the world is planning to retire following a match Friday for the SWF group in Tullahoma, TN. Joe made his debut in the United States in 1963 after a brief career in Puerto Rico where he trained with the likes of Pedro Morales and Carlos Colon. He has continued to wrestle ever since. In April 2003 he was involved in a memorable hardcore match with New Jack in which, due to Joe no-selling throughout the match, Jack legitimately attacked Joe with a chain, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, and chairs. In 2007, WWE Magazine named Joe the world's oldest wrestler at the age of 73. In recent years, Joe has continued to wrestle regularly in the Tennessee area.
Chris Antal, who wrestles as "The Skunk" in eastern Massachusetts, was arrested on 12/30 and charged with assault for punching a 59-year-old woman. Authorities say that Antal assaulted the women after she interjected herself in a fight between Antal and another man. The women was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries. Antal, who resides in Marlborough, made national news headlines in 2007 when he pretended to urinate on a Brazilian flag on local access TV. Brazilian news network O Globo got hold of the footage and broadcast the segment to millions of viewers. This caused uproar in the country and led to an official from the Brazilian consulate visiting Marlborough to meet the Mayor, who apologized on behalf of the city.
Brock Lesnar, who's apparently lost his razor, hypes his new book at http://tinyurl.com/2v84rh6. He said he's going to be working hard over the coming week's to promote his book which was co-written by Paul Heyman.
Vivendi Entertainment announced a distribution agreement with Nasser Entertainment Group for home video, television and digital distribution rights. Steve Austin is signed to Nasser and his upcoming film Hangar 14, co-starring Michael Jai White, will be the first title released under the new deal.
The Miami Herald at http://tinyurl.com/32utqu7 has a story on Maria Kanellis who's planning a night club tour with former Divas Taryn Terrell and Jillian Hall. Begging for trouble, the tour is promoted as DivaMania 2011. Said Maria: "We are going to be there to have a good time and visit with people who are fans. Just really let loose after all the craziness with WWE. It's our after party. I'm sure we will be sending lots of photos and videos.''
Terrell was removed from a booking with Pro Wrestling Revolution against Melissa Anderson in February after she reportedly made additional demands following being signed. A statement on the groups website read: "We were very excited to be working with Taryn in her first independent match, however after confirming and promoting her for the show, Ms Terrell made requests that should have been brought up prior to the booking being accepted and promotion of the match taking place. While these requests were simply not feasible for the independent wrestling scene, we’d like to stress that ChickFight and Pro Wrestling Revolution did attempt to cater to Ms Terrell’s requests, despite already having an agreement with her. We’re saddened that things didn’t work out to either sides’ satisfaction." Terrell commented on the situation on her Twitter account saying she was taken off the show without her knowledge, and that she wasn't asking for anything out of the ordinary.
Tammy Sytch at http://tinyurl.com/35kcnww talks about being back into Sunny shape. She's currently working on getting a cook book published which will include several road stories. "Since many times I was the only girl on the road with 30 or so guys, I had the birds-eye view to all the shenanigans! I was one of the boys, so I was let in on many funny jokes and pranks... that you'll all soon read about!" Sounds ominous.
Sean Waltman is now doing The X-Pac Show, an uncensored audio show at CowHead.tv. He said he wants to use his show as an ear for others who have gone through similar experiences to him in their life. The show originates from St. Petersburg, FL from the Cowhead TV studios and airs weekly on Wednesdays at 8pm ET.
The late Luna Vachon and April Hunter were announced as inductees into the WSU Hall of Fame event on 3/5.
Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson along with Mike Mooneyham are working on a new book with the working title of "Heroes and Icons" which is a follow up to Greg and Steve's 2007 book "Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels".
Nick Bockwinkel is the latest legend added to the NWA Legends fanfest in Atlanta in August. Other names announced so far include Ole Anderson, The Assassin, Mr. Wrestling II, Ted Dibiase, David Schultz, Tony Atlas, Killer Tim Brooks, The Masked Superstar, Dory Funk Jr., Terry Funk, Eddie Mansfield, and Tommy Rich. More info at www.nwalegends.com.
Dustin Diamond aka Screech from the hit 90s show Saved by the bell and Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity wrestling as well as The Iron Sheik are now available for bookings for wrestling related appearances as a manager, guest ref, special enforcer or autograph signings. For more info email bookings@sheikshow.com.
Today's Babe of the Day is Torrie Wilson at http://thewrestlingpress.com/?page_id=298
=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
