I'm sure you've all heard that the "boys" don't exist anymore. Everyone is out for themselves and that's all that matters. Well here's a story that proves the "boys" still exist.
Recently I was backstage at a show after wrestling earlier, watching the main event. When a loud obnoxious older man walked in the locker room. The first thing that caught my attention was him saying "I don't care, I'll whip everybody's ass in here, I run this!" well he goes on to shake one of the wrestlers hands and as the wrestler introduces himself this guy shakes his hand and throws it away and walks off saying "shut the f*ck up." Not only did it piss the wrestler off but once everyone else started to hear about it a rumbling started flowing through the locker room because of how disrespectful this guy was being almost as soon as he walked in, add to it that none of us knew who he was.
About 15 minutes pass and I go to the office, where said man is, to get my p.o. and I'm standing behind another wrestler listening to the guy disrespect him as well. He asks the wrestler his name and proceeds to tell him not to get an attitude after he says his name more than once. It was clear that the wrestler was avoiding a confrontation and didn't have an attitude so I decided to speak up and tell this guy that he did tell him his name and didn't have an attitude. Another one of the boys was standing beside me and asked if he was still running his mouth and I made it clear that he was and made sure the individual heard me.
At this point I didn't realize it but the whole locker room was standing up and moving towards the office door. This guy wasn't getting out very easily! After I made the statement that he was treating everyone like shit he said to the promoter that he thought had a problem with these three guys and I told him he had a problem with all of us. That's when the promoter walks past him and tells me to calm down! Calm down? Calm down after watching him disrespect the wrestlers? Right! This was when things started getting very tense because we still didn't know who this guy was that felt he could come in and disrespect anyone he talked to. Well after a few minutes of going back and forth the promoter tells the guy its time to go outside. By now the locker room has crowded the doorway. The promoter takes the guy by the arm as all of split down the middle to let this guy leave.
Unfortunately this wasn't over. Things relaxed for a few minutes and a few of us made it clear to the promoter not to let that man back in here after the way he acted. Well the man comes back through the curtain, which immediately brought everyone back to their feet and getting ready to run him out for good. A couple of people were serving as a barricade between us and the guy, with me being the closest to this guy since I was about to walk through the curtain. He says, "I just wanted to say everyone did a good job tonight" which got a groan from the locker room. Being the closest and most vocal earlier I felt the need to tell him not only was his opinion or comments not welcomed, but neither was he. His response, a very mature one at that, was "f*ck you" accompanied with a salute. In pure working mode, knowing I was surrounded by enough people to stop me, I tried getting to him and was abruptly held back.
This ended the locker room side of the altercation but the man went at it again with another member of the staff and when threatened to have the police called, he finally went home. So there you have it. Its not often that these type of situations occur, but its nice knowing that some locker rooms will still band together when needed.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Golden Circle "Frankensteiner" by Greg Anthony
It was a cold October night when I saw Scott Steiner debut The Frankensteiner during Halloween Havoc. I had just witnessed the greatest move in wrestling. It was both athletic and powerful, smooth but devastating. The Steiners were very innovative and this was Scott's Sistine Chapel. Now fast forward to 2010, is there any move that could make me feel that way again?
Let me clarify, as most already know, I'm more interested in the storytelling process of a match than the moves there within. However the moves themselves are important. What would Stone Cold be without The Stunner, or is there a move the embodies Shawn Michaels more than The Superkick? Having the right move can also tell a story of your personality.
Over the last 20 years we have become so desensitized to moves. Well actually we've become desensitized to life. The Frankensteiner was new, I'ld never seen a headscissors that ended with a DDT like bump before, it blew my mind. I thought "What else is possible?". The Frankensteiner was innovation and revolutionary but most of all it was safe.
The industry now has this misconception that for something to be cool, then someone has to die. In the late 90s, I started seeing alot of brainbusters being used in various places. Its not hard to pick somone up in a suplex then drop them on their head. For awhile I had forgot how safe the brainbuster could be the way Koko B. Ware or Dick Murdoch used it. Somethings need to change... back.
I'm not saying we should "devolve" as a business but we can for sure be safer. The business can only strive with talent individuals at the helm. What will happen to the business if the ones with all the talent are dropped on their heads by some goof who created a new move on Smackdown vs Raw 2010? If the story is there then you don't need a Three Flip Springboard Cradle Piledriver with a Bridge... I promise.
Let me clarify, as most already know, I'm more interested in the storytelling process of a match than the moves there within. However the moves themselves are important. What would Stone Cold be without The Stunner, or is there a move the embodies Shawn Michaels more than The Superkick? Having the right move can also tell a story of your personality.
Over the last 20 years we have become so desensitized to moves. Well actually we've become desensitized to life. The Frankensteiner was new, I'ld never seen a headscissors that ended with a DDT like bump before, it blew my mind. I thought "What else is possible?". The Frankensteiner was innovation and revolutionary but most of all it was safe.
The industry now has this misconception that for something to be cool, then someone has to die. In the late 90s, I started seeing alot of brainbusters being used in various places. Its not hard to pick somone up in a suplex then drop them on their head. For awhile I had forgot how safe the brainbuster could be the way Koko B. Ware or Dick Murdoch used it. Somethings need to change... back.
I'm not saying we should "devolve" as a business but we can for sure be safer. The business can only strive with talent individuals at the helm. What will happen to the business if the ones with all the talent are dropped on their heads by some goof who created a new move on Smackdown vs Raw 2010? If the story is there then you don't need a Three Flip Springboard Cradle Piledriver with a Bridge... I promise.
RassleResults: DoggCW Jonesboro, AR 01.23.10 - New Champion!!
Show starts off with the National Anthem as usual and Casey Rinaldi & Jeff Perryman in the booth ready to call some play by play action in the the Dogg House...Casey Rinaldi notices Jeff Perryman wearing a suit and asked Jeff why he decided to wear that to the arena, and Jeff tells Casey he has NO COMMENT!! Then the Poker Face Showcase music hits and the DCW World Heaveyweight Champion comes to the ring...Poker tells the crowd he could have beat down Southside, but decided to be nice since he has all the STROKE around here then Southside comes out and chases Poker Face out of the ring and begins to talk about how he is the #1 Contender since technically he has never been beaten by Poker Face..Poker tells him, he could have killed him last week, but decided to be a GENEROUS CHAMPION! Poker then begins to talk about he brought in a BIG WRESTLING SUPERSTAR to challenge for his title tonite, since no one in DCW can hang with him...Southside begins to talk about wanting to face Poker again then the Redd Dogg Rodney Mack comes out..Rodney proceeds to tell Southside, he is the #1 Contender b/c he never got the re-match as a champion who loses should get..Then Southside and Rodney face off in the ring and you can cut the tension with a knife..Then Soul Train comes out and says he could be the #1 Contender, but Poker tells Soul Train that he has other plans for him tonite, he will be facing both memebers of the Dynasty..Then Dynasty comes out, but Rodney Mack asked Soul Train if he could help him beat on them so we have our first match...
Match 1: Rodney Mack & Soul Train vs. Dynasty
-match was phenominal from start to finish..you can def tell these 4 are some of the top Superstars in this area..When it comes to tag teams, there are very few if any better than Blaylock and Anthongy..and when you add Rodney Mack and his good friend Soul Train..man you have one heck of a match..Rodney and Soul Train seem to have the upper hand, but like always the Dynasty try to use dirty tactics to try and win but Senior DCW Official Tim Daniels catches them this time..winner via DQ Rodney Mack and Soul Train
Match 2: Angelina & Lovely Latricia vs. Mike Ward & Dangerous Dominique
-match wasn't too bad, but Mike Ward def should not be in the ring or should he? Match goes back and forth with both teams isolating their opponents at different times in the match..but this time Mike Ward and Dominique get the victory via pinfall..winner Mike Ward and Dangerous Dominique
Match 3: Chellious Adams vs. Shawn Reed
-once again the new DCW Superstar Shawn Reed impressed once again..Everyone knows that Chellious' experience, size, and agility makes him very dangerous in the ring, but Reed really takes it to Adams..match goes back and forth then Adams gets the upper hand, but Reed rolls up Adams for the 1-2-3..winner via pinfall Shawn Reed
Intermission
Match 4: Tejano Kid w/Dangerous Dominique vs. Boss
-def could be considered match of the night..these two worked amazingly in the ring together! Boss' size and agility with Tejano's great technical ability in the ring and his persona equals some great matches..Match goes back and forth, to the outside of the ring back into the inside of the ring, but in the end..experience will always come out ahead! While Tim Daniels is turned toward Dominique, Tejano takes a chair and hits the mat while Boss is still staggering around..then Tejano lays out in the ring and throws the chair to Boss and when referee Tim Daniels see's this he calls for the bell..winner via DQ Tejano Kid
Match 5: Lucky vs Poker Face for the DCW Heavyweight Championship
- match was pretty good..went back and forth for the entire match! No one had the upper hand until at the very end of the match..Lucky took Poker over to the DCW Appareal Stand and beat on him, he took him by the bathrooms and beat on him, then Poker started to beat on Lucky by the concession stand..match finally ends back in the ring where DCW Official Tim Daniels gets knocked out..then Rodney Mack comes from the back and hits Poker with a HUGE spear..Lucky turns Poker over and gets the 1-2-3...winner via pinfall and NEW DCW CHAMPION LUCKY!
Show was pretty good tonite..about 120 there and card was good from top to bottom! Good to see Lucky back in DCW and man what a return...
Biggest Heat: Tejano Kid
Biggest Pop: Lucky (after he wins the title from Poker)
Credit: Jeff Perryman
----Rodney Mack returned, so we should see some increase in crowds...Say what you want to say about Lucky [and I have only seen him in one good bout - vs Rude], but the surprise of putting him over Poker probably was good for the fans. Kudos to Poker for being a true professional.
Match 1: Rodney Mack & Soul Train vs. Dynasty
-match was phenominal from start to finish..you can def tell these 4 are some of the top Superstars in this area..When it comes to tag teams, there are very few if any better than Blaylock and Anthongy..and when you add Rodney Mack and his good friend Soul Train..man you have one heck of a match..Rodney and Soul Train seem to have the upper hand, but like always the Dynasty try to use dirty tactics to try and win but Senior DCW Official Tim Daniels catches them this time..winner via DQ Rodney Mack and Soul Train
Match 2: Angelina & Lovely Latricia vs. Mike Ward & Dangerous Dominique
-match wasn't too bad, but Mike Ward def should not be in the ring or should he? Match goes back and forth with both teams isolating their opponents at different times in the match..but this time Mike Ward and Dominique get the victory via pinfall..winner Mike Ward and Dangerous Dominique
Match 3: Chellious Adams vs. Shawn Reed
-once again the new DCW Superstar Shawn Reed impressed once again..Everyone knows that Chellious' experience, size, and agility makes him very dangerous in the ring, but Reed really takes it to Adams..match goes back and forth then Adams gets the upper hand, but Reed rolls up Adams for the 1-2-3..winner via pinfall Shawn Reed
Intermission
Match 4: Tejano Kid w/Dangerous Dominique vs. Boss
-def could be considered match of the night..these two worked amazingly in the ring together! Boss' size and agility with Tejano's great technical ability in the ring and his persona equals some great matches..Match goes back and forth, to the outside of the ring back into the inside of the ring, but in the end..experience will always come out ahead! While Tim Daniels is turned toward Dominique, Tejano takes a chair and hits the mat while Boss is still staggering around..then Tejano lays out in the ring and throws the chair to Boss and when referee Tim Daniels see's this he calls for the bell..winner via DQ Tejano Kid
Match 5: Lucky vs Poker Face for the DCW Heavyweight Championship
- match was pretty good..went back and forth for the entire match! No one had the upper hand until at the very end of the match..Lucky took Poker over to the DCW Appareal Stand and beat on him, he took him by the bathrooms and beat on him, then Poker started to beat on Lucky by the concession stand..match finally ends back in the ring where DCW Official Tim Daniels gets knocked out..then Rodney Mack comes from the back and hits Poker with a HUGE spear..Lucky turns Poker over and gets the 1-2-3...winner via pinfall and NEW DCW CHAMPION LUCKY!
Show was pretty good tonite..about 120 there and card was good from top to bottom! Good to see Lucky back in DCW and man what a return...
Biggest Heat: Tejano Kid
Biggest Pop: Lucky (after he wins the title from Poker)
Credit: Jeff Perryman
----Rodney Mack returned, so we should see some increase in crowds...Say what you want to say about Lucky [and I have only seen him in one good bout - vs Rude], but the surprise of putting him over Poker probably was good for the fans. Kudos to Poker for being a true professional.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
(WGN) Jan 27: Monday Night Wars take two, fun story on The Undertaker, Jim Cornette reveals another untold story, TNA in England, Lacey Von Erich talks sex and prank calls 80s legend, WrestleReunion, Brock Lesnar vents, Jeff Hardy, more...
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WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Wednesday January 27, 2010
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Wrestling Globe Newsletter by Mike Aldren - All the latest professional wrestling news, gossip and occasional opinion direct to you here at RRO. WGN is read by industry power players, many top wrestlers and thousands of fans from all around the world.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
1/26 ECW TV results from Cincinnati, OH: William Regal & Ezekiel Jackson over Christian & Kane; and Yoshi Tatsu, Goldust & Hurricane over Zack Ryder, Trent Barreta & Caylen Croft.
***
The new season of Psych premieres tonight on USA with John Cena playing the role of Juliet's brother Ewan, a soldier in the military.
Raw on Monday night did a 3.6 rating and 5.14 million viewers. Down slightly again from the previous week.
Last night in Cincinnati they taped a Rey Mysterio vs. Shawn Michaels match for Friday's Smacdown which I'm told is off the charts.
A number of WWE Legends contracts [based off of the Wrestlemania video game] are due to expire soon and WWE hasn't made any movements to re-sign the majority of those under such deals.
The former Kizarny was interviewed at www.carnagecrew.net. He noted one time being backstage at a Smackdown taping and observed The Undertaker bobbing his head and singing along to R-Truth's entrance music from behind the curtain. He said it was the most surreal thing he has ever witnessed.
WWE are taping another Legends Roundtable for 24/7 this week in Stamford with Gene Okerlund, J.J. Dillon, Pat Patterson, Nick Bockwinkel, and Michael Hayes discussing tag teams and wrestling in the 1970s.
Several guys were doing voice over work yesterday in Cincinnati for THQ's upcoming Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 game.
WWE.com reportedly locked Rob Van Dam out of his WWE Universe profile amid rumors he was going to sign with TNA. For the many that asked, he's not giving anything away regarding going to TNA or returning to WWE at the Royal Rumble.
Another UK tour was officially announced for November with tickets going on sale January 30 [Scotland only] and February 16 for shows in Endland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Due to complaints, Superstars will be returning to the WGN Chicago line up in the first week of February. Canada also uses the Chicago feed.
Zach Ryder gives quite the interview for his hometown newspaper at http://tinyurl.com/ycyoc96. He talks about trying to win the Royal Rumble and going on to main event at Wrestlemania.
Sunday's Rumble at Phillips Arena in Atlanta is completely sold out. They may release a few tickets on the day of the show.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels met with brothers David Hillar and Cole Dever through the Granted Wish Foundation as they suffer from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Story at http://tinyurl.com/yevw2f2.
Michelle McCool did a brief interview for her website at http://tinyurl.com/ykqotp4.
A clip of Chris Masters on Big Time Crush is online at http://tinyurl.com/y93r6jx.
Sen. Joe Lieberman at http://tinyurl.com/yg99a6e says he may endorse Linda McMahon for Senate. He said he will stand back for now and see how the Senatorial race unfolds before he makes a decision.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
1/26 house show results from Bournemouth, England: Chris Sabin over Suicide & Amazing Red in a three-way; Eric Young over Hamada; the returning Pope over Rhino; Kurt Angle [replacing Matt Morgan] & Hernandez over The British Invasion, Team 3D & Bear Money in a four-way; Samoa Joe over Daniels in a 'I Quit' match; The Beautiful People over Taylor Wilde & Sarita; and AJ Styles over Desmond Wolfe.
The show drew an estimated 2,000 people and was close to a sell out. The British Invasion were over as heels after cutting a promo and ripping up Jeremy Borash's backstage passes. Earl Hebner got his own entrance and came down to the ring wearing black shades, a leather jacket, and did the Bret Hart gimmick. Following the Knockouts tag everyone sang Happy Birthday to Taylor Wilde who turned 24 yesterday. Wolfe worked babyface in the main event which was said to be match of the night. Told it was a great show top to bottom.
The TNA crew run tonight in Cardiff, Wales, with AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe; Eric Young vs. Rob Terry; and The British Invasion vs. Beer Money in a UK v USA challenge as the top advertised matches. The remaining tour dates this week are Coventry, Manchester, and London. We're looking for reader reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.
***
Monday March 1 is the tentative date for the next Impact head-to-head against Raw on Spike TV. No word yet if this will be a live show. March 1 is also the night that Wrestlicious debuts on MavTV and Bite TV. This means that there will be six hours of wrestling on national television that night with ROH, Raw, Impact, and Wrestlicious.
For those who use DVR, Impact is once again listed on screen guides as "TNA Impact" as oppose to "TNA Wrestling".
An announcement regarding the status of TNA PPV in the UK is expected imminently. Dixie Carter met with UK television people yesterday to put the finishing touches on a new deal.
Roxxi is telling people she will be sidelined for another month tops with her leg and ankle injury.
Lacey Von Erich recently filmed a bizarre DVD with Kayfabe Commentaries called Missy Hyatt's Pajama Party. You can imagine how this goes. She basically hangs out with Missy and Northeast indy worker Amy Lee and together they are filmed doing lots of wacky stuff like faking orgasms and debating anal sex. They also prank call different wrestlers, including The Honky Tonk Man, during which Lacey pretends to be Dixie Carter's personal assistant. She offers him $200 to come to Orlando and take a guitar shot. You can hear Honky on speakerphone saying, "No, I'm committed to WWE." Seriously, you can't even make this stuff up. There is a trailer online at http://tinyurl.com/ybppnyb.
On a related note, Honky Tonk Man claims on his website that he has been negotiating with TNA since early-December. I can't see him wrestling in TNA, but then again they put Brian Knobbs in the ring, so anything is possible. I could see him doing some announcing but those spots appear to be filled.
Lacey was interviewed on Right After Wrestling on Sirius satellite radio. She talked about how she broke into the business with WWE after they called her uncle Kevin and basically just asked him to ask her if she wanted to be a Diva. She said she was assigned to developmental in Tampa but things didn't work out too well. "We don’t watch wrestling in our family anymore because it was really a sore subject – I mean everyone died! ... I signed my contract and went to FCW [she relocated from LA to Tampa]. I took my first bump and I loved it. I love pain. We’re a little screwed up who wrestle. We all have something in us. I loved it, but I had a son. I was constantly wrestling and they were just about to put me on the road and they told me the schedule was like 300 days per year. I felt like my dad and he always left us. I just felt like I was going to turn into daddy and never see [my son], so I got out as fast as I could." She said soon after TNA called and the schedule was a better fit: "I love TNA and I like the writers. I’m just going to show up to work and do whatever the heck they tell me. I’m not going to question the writers or what they’re doing. They know where the story is going in the future. You want people to be captured in the story and that keeps them coming back. We need controversy and fighting and real-life things put into the show like me coming into The Beautiful People and Angelina coming back and being pissed."
The Miami Herald interviewed Bobby Lashley at http://tinyurl.com/yaeqhef. Lashley makes his Strikeforce debut Saturday night on the Show Time card from Sunrise, FL. He says he's looking to fight Fedor two or three fight from this one. "I feel I'm ready now, but then people will think I'm too cocky and over my head. At the same time by prolonging a match with Fedor then people will start asking themselves why I'm taking so long, and say I'm ducking him. I can't win. But all kidding aside I want to take my time before I fight Fedor. I'm going to learn and get better with each fight. I want to do it the right way."
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Jim Cornette during his latest Podcast at http://whosslammingwho.podomatic.com/ revealed one of the great untold stories of professional wrestling when discussing Georgiann Makropoulos who passed away earlier this week. As noted, she ran fan clubs for several wrestlers in the 60s and 70s including Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers. Cornette recalls that Bruno told him years ago that Georgie was over at Rogers house one day talking to his wife. His wife accidently let slip that Rogers and "his crew" were planning a hostile take over of the WWWF. Georgie took the information back to Bruno, who told Vince McMahon Sr., and the days of Rogers having any influence in the WWWF came to a close shortly there after. "Not that many people get to play that an important role in wrestling history," Cornette said. "She was involved for 50 years."
One of the biggest wrestling conventions of the year takes place this weekend in Los Angeles at the LAX Hilton. WrestleReunion will feature talent from all over the world including The Great Muta, Jushin Liger, Rob Van Dam, Bruno Sammartino, Super Crazy, Stan Hansen, Austin Idol, Nick Bockwinkel, Larry Zbyszko, Demolition, Koko B. Ware, Diamond Dallas Page, Road Warrior Animal, Tammy Sytch, Terri Runnells, and Scotty Taylor. Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla are also putting on live events on Friday and Saturday with The Briscoe Brothers, The Young Bucks, The American Wolves, Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Jerry Lynn, Tyler Black, The Necro Butcher, El Generico, Colt Cabana, Brian Kendrick, and many more. Vendor guests include Bret Hart, Dan Severn, Ron Simmons, Rikishi, Jimmy Hart, JJ Dillon and Chavo Guerrero Sr. More info at www.wrestlereunion.com.
Jason Clevett has a story on DDP pushing WrestleReunion at http://tinyurl.com/yd6ndgp. "It is a good time, and a real honor for the legends. I helped them get a lot of guys in the past that weren't going to do these types of reunions. There is a lot of camaraderie. You don't get to see the guys when you are off the road and it is all different generations of guys. Really I could have been from all generations because I started so late, a lot of these guys are only two or three years older than me. They were in the business since they were kids I didn't start until I was 35." Page said he is most looking forward to hanging out with Austin Idol.
There is also a convention in the UK on Saturday from 9am-3.30pm at the Renaissance Hotel in Manchester with Terry Funk, Bushwacker Luke, Howard Finkel, Lanny Poffo, The Warlord, The Barbarian, Molly Holly, Mr. Fuji [who turns 75 soon], Bryan Clarke, and Nikolai Volkoff. More info at www.wrestleslamuk.com.
James Mitchell passed away on Sunday night. Not the former wrestling manager, but the 89-year-old former star of ABC soap opera All My Children. Apparently there was a temporary bit of confusion over that on Twitter. Why the wrestling manager James Mitchell doesn't have a job with WWE or TNA just boggles the mind.
Paul Heyman has an exclusive interview with Brock Lesnar at http://tinyurl.com/yhs76fn. Lesnar says he is not going to shut up regarding his views on health care in Canada and the United states: "I'm not some dumb meathead fighter. I have something to say. I still have my career today because of the United States Health Care System. Does it need some fixing? Absolutely. But the changes I'm hearing about don't sit well with me, and I'm exercising my rights by speaking my mind." Worth going out of your way to read.
National Wrestling Superstars runs Friday night in Manville, NJ, at the VFW Hall [600 Washington Avenue, minutes from Routes 28 and I-287] with Angelina Love, The Patriot, Devon Moore, Jack Spade, Alex Payne, and many more. NWS also run Saturday night in Brick Township, NJ, at the Elks Lodge [2491 Hooper Avenue, minutes from The Parkway, Route 70, and the Brick Plaza] with Mr. Ken Anderson, Salvatore Sincere, Kevin Matthews, The Nigerian Nightmares, and more. Go to www.nwswrestling.com for all the details.
James Guttman interviewed wrestling referee Nick Patrick about WWE vs. WCW, his role in Hogan vs. Sting at Starrcade, and more at www.WorldWrestlingInsanity.com.
Perez Hilton rips the former Linda Bollea at http://tinyurl.com/yjgu4k7 for writing a tell-all book about her marriage to Hulk Hogan.
Jeff Hardy and Shannon Moore will be signing autographs on February 20 at K&M All Star Sports store in the Crystal Mall in Waterford, CT.
Lilian Garcia, Lisa Marie Varon, Amy "Lita" Dumas and Candice Michelle are available for personal appearances and autograph sessions. To book them, you can contact Steve Woolf at celebritysignings@sbcglobal.net or go to www.ipanetwork.com.
Today's Diva of the Day is Daffney at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
WRESTLING GLOBE MAILBAG
RE Shawne Merriman Tweeting about WWE
This from a guy whose team couldn't even take out the Jets in the Playoffs. Vince would never take a chance on a loose cannon like this fool hurting one of his wrestlers (Vinny Mac, that is; Russo would hire him in a NY Minute). Still, with Merriman's mouth, they should put him in there with a shooter and watch the San Diego media go postal. In any case, it's not like this guy even has significant name recognition outside San Diego.
You should need a license tweet.
Keep up the good work, as always.
Bill Kunkel
EIC RunningWithScissors.com
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WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Wednesday January 27, 2010
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Wrestling Globe Newsletter by Mike Aldren - All the latest professional wrestling news, gossip and occasional opinion direct to you here at RRO. WGN is read by industry power players, many top wrestlers and thousands of fans from all around the world.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
1/26 ECW TV results from Cincinnati, OH: William Regal & Ezekiel Jackson over Christian & Kane; and Yoshi Tatsu, Goldust & Hurricane over Zack Ryder, Trent Barreta & Caylen Croft.
***
The new season of Psych premieres tonight on USA with John Cena playing the role of Juliet's brother Ewan, a soldier in the military.
Raw on Monday night did a 3.6 rating and 5.14 million viewers. Down slightly again from the previous week.
Last night in Cincinnati they taped a Rey Mysterio vs. Shawn Michaels match for Friday's Smacdown which I'm told is off the charts.
A number of WWE Legends contracts [based off of the Wrestlemania video game] are due to expire soon and WWE hasn't made any movements to re-sign the majority of those under such deals.
The former Kizarny was interviewed at www.carnagecrew.net. He noted one time being backstage at a Smackdown taping and observed The Undertaker bobbing his head and singing along to R-Truth's entrance music from behind the curtain. He said it was the most surreal thing he has ever witnessed.
WWE are taping another Legends Roundtable for 24/7 this week in Stamford with Gene Okerlund, J.J. Dillon, Pat Patterson, Nick Bockwinkel, and Michael Hayes discussing tag teams and wrestling in the 1970s.
Several guys were doing voice over work yesterday in Cincinnati for THQ's upcoming Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 game.
WWE.com reportedly locked Rob Van Dam out of his WWE Universe profile amid rumors he was going to sign with TNA. For the many that asked, he's not giving anything away regarding going to TNA or returning to WWE at the Royal Rumble.
Another UK tour was officially announced for November with tickets going on sale January 30 [Scotland only] and February 16 for shows in Endland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Due to complaints, Superstars will be returning to the WGN Chicago line up in the first week of February. Canada also uses the Chicago feed.
Zach Ryder gives quite the interview for his hometown newspaper at http://tinyurl.com/ycyoc96. He talks about trying to win the Royal Rumble and going on to main event at Wrestlemania.
Sunday's Rumble at Phillips Arena in Atlanta is completely sold out. They may release a few tickets on the day of the show.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels met with brothers David Hillar and Cole Dever through the Granted Wish Foundation as they suffer from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Story at http://tinyurl.com/yevw2f2.
Michelle McCool did a brief interview for her website at http://tinyurl.com/ykqotp4.
A clip of Chris Masters on Big Time Crush is online at http://tinyurl.com/y93r6jx.
Sen. Joe Lieberman at http://tinyurl.com/yg99a6e says he may endorse Linda McMahon for Senate. He said he will stand back for now and see how the Senatorial race unfolds before he makes a decision.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
1/26 house show results from Bournemouth, England: Chris Sabin over Suicide & Amazing Red in a three-way; Eric Young over Hamada; the returning Pope over Rhino; Kurt Angle [replacing Matt Morgan] & Hernandez over The British Invasion, Team 3D & Bear Money in a four-way; Samoa Joe over Daniels in a 'I Quit' match; The Beautiful People over Taylor Wilde & Sarita; and AJ Styles over Desmond Wolfe.
The show drew an estimated 2,000 people and was close to a sell out. The British Invasion were over as heels after cutting a promo and ripping up Jeremy Borash's backstage passes. Earl Hebner got his own entrance and came down to the ring wearing black shades, a leather jacket, and did the Bret Hart gimmick. Following the Knockouts tag everyone sang Happy Birthday to Taylor Wilde who turned 24 yesterday. Wolfe worked babyface in the main event which was said to be match of the night. Told it was a great show top to bottom.
The TNA crew run tonight in Cardiff, Wales, with AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe; Eric Young vs. Rob Terry; and The British Invasion vs. Beer Money in a UK v USA challenge as the top advertised matches. The remaining tour dates this week are Coventry, Manchester, and London. We're looking for reader reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.
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Monday March 1 is the tentative date for the next Impact head-to-head against Raw on Spike TV. No word yet if this will be a live show. March 1 is also the night that Wrestlicious debuts on MavTV and Bite TV. This means that there will be six hours of wrestling on national television that night with ROH, Raw, Impact, and Wrestlicious.
For those who use DVR, Impact is once again listed on screen guides as "TNA Impact" as oppose to "TNA Wrestling".
An announcement regarding the status of TNA PPV in the UK is expected imminently. Dixie Carter met with UK television people yesterday to put the finishing touches on a new deal.
Roxxi is telling people she will be sidelined for another month tops with her leg and ankle injury.
Lacey Von Erich recently filmed a bizarre DVD with Kayfabe Commentaries called Missy Hyatt's Pajama Party. You can imagine how this goes. She basically hangs out with Missy and Northeast indy worker Amy Lee and together they are filmed doing lots of wacky stuff like faking orgasms and debating anal sex. They also prank call different wrestlers, including The Honky Tonk Man, during which Lacey pretends to be Dixie Carter's personal assistant. She offers him $200 to come to Orlando and take a guitar shot. You can hear Honky on speakerphone saying, "No, I'm committed to WWE." Seriously, you can't even make this stuff up. There is a trailer online at http://tinyurl.com/ybppnyb.
On a related note, Honky Tonk Man claims on his website that he has been negotiating with TNA since early-December. I can't see him wrestling in TNA, but then again they put Brian Knobbs in the ring, so anything is possible. I could see him doing some announcing but those spots appear to be filled.
Lacey was interviewed on Right After Wrestling on Sirius satellite radio. She talked about how she broke into the business with WWE after they called her uncle Kevin and basically just asked him to ask her if she wanted to be a Diva. She said she was assigned to developmental in Tampa but things didn't work out too well. "We don’t watch wrestling in our family anymore because it was really a sore subject – I mean everyone died! ... I signed my contract and went to FCW [she relocated from LA to Tampa]. I took my first bump and I loved it. I love pain. We’re a little screwed up who wrestle. We all have something in us. I loved it, but I had a son. I was constantly wrestling and they were just about to put me on the road and they told me the schedule was like 300 days per year. I felt like my dad and he always left us. I just felt like I was going to turn into daddy and never see [my son], so I got out as fast as I could." She said soon after TNA called and the schedule was a better fit: "I love TNA and I like the writers. I’m just going to show up to work and do whatever the heck they tell me. I’m not going to question the writers or what they’re doing. They know where the story is going in the future. You want people to be captured in the story and that keeps them coming back. We need controversy and fighting and real-life things put into the show like me coming into The Beautiful People and Angelina coming back and being pissed."
The Miami Herald interviewed Bobby Lashley at http://tinyurl.com/yaeqhef. Lashley makes his Strikeforce debut Saturday night on the Show Time card from Sunrise, FL. He says he's looking to fight Fedor two or three fight from this one. "I feel I'm ready now, but then people will think I'm too cocky and over my head. At the same time by prolonging a match with Fedor then people will start asking themselves why I'm taking so long, and say I'm ducking him. I can't win. But all kidding aside I want to take my time before I fight Fedor. I'm going to learn and get better with each fight. I want to do it the right way."
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Jim Cornette during his latest Podcast at http://whosslammingwho.podomatic.com/ revealed one of the great untold stories of professional wrestling when discussing Georgiann Makropoulos who passed away earlier this week. As noted, she ran fan clubs for several wrestlers in the 60s and 70s including Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers. Cornette recalls that Bruno told him years ago that Georgie was over at Rogers house one day talking to his wife. His wife accidently let slip that Rogers and "his crew" were planning a hostile take over of the WWWF. Georgie took the information back to Bruno, who told Vince McMahon Sr., and the days of Rogers having any influence in the WWWF came to a close shortly there after. "Not that many people get to play that an important role in wrestling history," Cornette said. "She was involved for 50 years."
One of the biggest wrestling conventions of the year takes place this weekend in Los Angeles at the LAX Hilton. WrestleReunion will feature talent from all over the world including The Great Muta, Jushin Liger, Rob Van Dam, Bruno Sammartino, Super Crazy, Stan Hansen, Austin Idol, Nick Bockwinkel, Larry Zbyszko, Demolition, Koko B. Ware, Diamond Dallas Page, Road Warrior Animal, Tammy Sytch, Terri Runnells, and Scotty Taylor. Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla are also putting on live events on Friday and Saturday with The Briscoe Brothers, The Young Bucks, The American Wolves, Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Jerry Lynn, Tyler Black, The Necro Butcher, El Generico, Colt Cabana, Brian Kendrick, and many more. Vendor guests include Bret Hart, Dan Severn, Ron Simmons, Rikishi, Jimmy Hart, JJ Dillon and Chavo Guerrero Sr. More info at www.wrestlereunion.com.
Jason Clevett has a story on DDP pushing WrestleReunion at http://tinyurl.com/yd6ndgp. "It is a good time, and a real honor for the legends. I helped them get a lot of guys in the past that weren't going to do these types of reunions. There is a lot of camaraderie. You don't get to see the guys when you are off the road and it is all different generations of guys. Really I could have been from all generations because I started so late, a lot of these guys are only two or three years older than me. They were in the business since they were kids I didn't start until I was 35." Page said he is most looking forward to hanging out with Austin Idol.
There is also a convention in the UK on Saturday from 9am-3.30pm at the Renaissance Hotel in Manchester with Terry Funk, Bushwacker Luke, Howard Finkel, Lanny Poffo, The Warlord, The Barbarian, Molly Holly, Mr. Fuji [who turns 75 soon], Bryan Clarke, and Nikolai Volkoff. More info at www.wrestleslamuk.com.
James Mitchell passed away on Sunday night. Not the former wrestling manager, but the 89-year-old former star of ABC soap opera All My Children. Apparently there was a temporary bit of confusion over that on Twitter. Why the wrestling manager James Mitchell doesn't have a job with WWE or TNA just boggles the mind.
Paul Heyman has an exclusive interview with Brock Lesnar at http://tinyurl.com/yhs76fn. Lesnar says he is not going to shut up regarding his views on health care in Canada and the United states: "I'm not some dumb meathead fighter. I have something to say. I still have my career today because of the United States Health Care System. Does it need some fixing? Absolutely. But the changes I'm hearing about don't sit well with me, and I'm exercising my rights by speaking my mind." Worth going out of your way to read.
National Wrestling Superstars runs Friday night in Manville, NJ, at the VFW Hall [600 Washington Avenue, minutes from Routes 28 and I-287] with Angelina Love, The Patriot, Devon Moore, Jack Spade, Alex Payne, and many more. NWS also run Saturday night in Brick Township, NJ, at the Elks Lodge [2491 Hooper Avenue, minutes from The Parkway, Route 70, and the Brick Plaza] with Mr. Ken Anderson, Salvatore Sincere, Kevin Matthews, The Nigerian Nightmares, and more. Go to www.nwswrestling.com for all the details.
James Guttman interviewed wrestling referee Nick Patrick about WWE vs. WCW, his role in Hogan vs. Sting at Starrcade, and more at www.WorldWrestlingInsanity.com.
Perez Hilton rips the former Linda Bollea at http://tinyurl.com/yjgu4k7 for writing a tell-all book about her marriage to Hulk Hogan.
Jeff Hardy and Shannon Moore will be signing autographs on February 20 at K&M All Star Sports store in the Crystal Mall in Waterford, CT.
Lilian Garcia, Lisa Marie Varon, Amy "Lita" Dumas and Candice Michelle are available for personal appearances and autograph sessions. To book them, you can contact Steve Woolf at celebritysignings@sbcglobal.net or go to www.ipanetwork.com.
Today's Diva of the Day is Daffney at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
WRESTLING GLOBE MAILBAG
RE Shawne Merriman Tweeting about WWE
This from a guy whose team couldn't even take out the Jets in the Playoffs. Vince would never take a chance on a loose cannon like this fool hurting one of his wrestlers (Vinny Mac, that is; Russo would hire him in a NY Minute). Still, with Merriman's mouth, they should put him in there with a shooter and watch the San Diego media go postal. In any case, it's not like this guy even has significant name recognition outside San Diego.
You should need a license tweet.
Keep up the good work, as always.
Bill Kunkel
EIC RunningWithScissors.com
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Mama Says It Beees That Way Sometimes "NEW and TV” by Bruno Lauer
After 30 years in the business [31 as of April 8th], I can’t remember being as excited abut anything as I am right now about NEW going to Mississippi television. Heck, it reminds me of the when I got my start day with WWE back in the 80s! I’ve had about 10 really exciting things happen to me in the business. Things that really made me love life and the business – the world in general. In no particular order, here they are
-My first day on Memphis television [1984]
-My first championship I managed somebody to win. [Hawaii 1983 – Superfly Tui – not Snuka]
-Getting the call to go to the WWF.
-Buying and owning my home and property outright! [hell, the business paid for it; right??]
-Main eventing in Wrestlemania 91.
-Eddie Marlin putting me in charge of the ticket sales and ring crew in 1988.
-Tojo Yamamoto buying me a Lincoln Continental in 1987.
-Robert Fuller teaching me how to A) Drive and B) Swim C) Drink excessively.
-Having a book of my life in the business published by Scott
And FINALLY last, but not least – being a chosen member of the inner circle of New Experience Wrestling since its inception, since DAY ONE. I am proud to see great kids..no I take that back…great MEN – Like Eric Wayne, Kid Nikels, Austin Lane, Alan Steele and Kevin Charles – all NEW mainstays – get repeated looks and opportunities from the WWE. I am proud I was able to bring a great referee that I personally trained – Chuck Poe – into NEW and have watched him also become in demand ref on the Mississippi circuit. I am proud of Justin Smart, Dan Matthews, Richard Bressler, DJ Stegall, DJ Senior, Critter Gitter, Dan and Kaityln Grice, Donna Partee, Mike Anthony, Debbie Wayne, John Steele, Brian Thompson, Mike Ward, Terrance Ward, The Bressler family, Kacey, Gred, Vickie, Kolby, my buddy Phillip, Shawn Reed, Mayor Gene Alday, Uncle Larry and all our loyal NEW regulars!! I am proud as a peacock of all of us and if I forgot somebody, then it wasn’t intentional…and a BIG thanks to Brian Tramel for his undying support!!
-My first day on Memphis television [1984]
-My first championship I managed somebody to win. [Hawaii 1983 – Superfly Tui – not Snuka]
-Getting the call to go to the WWF.
-Buying and owning my home and property outright! [hell, the business paid for it; right??]
-Main eventing in Wrestlemania 91.
-Eddie Marlin putting me in charge of the ticket sales and ring crew in 1988.
-Tojo Yamamoto buying me a Lincoln Continental in 1987.
-Robert Fuller teaching me how to A) Drive and B) Swim C) Drink excessively.
-Having a book of my life in the business published by Scott
And FINALLY last, but not least – being a chosen member of the inner circle of New Experience Wrestling since its inception, since DAY ONE. I am proud to see great kids..no I take that back…great MEN – Like Eric Wayne, Kid Nikels, Austin Lane, Alan Steele and Kevin Charles – all NEW mainstays – get repeated looks and opportunities from the WWE. I am proud I was able to bring a great referee that I personally trained – Chuck Poe – into NEW and have watched him also become in demand ref on the Mississippi circuit. I am proud of Justin Smart, Dan Matthews, Richard Bressler, DJ Stegall, DJ Senior, Critter Gitter, Dan and Kaityln Grice, Donna Partee, Mike Anthony, Debbie Wayne, John Steele, Brian Thompson, Mike Ward, Terrance Ward, The Bressler family, Kacey, Gred, Vickie, Kolby, my buddy Phillip, Shawn Reed, Mayor Gene Alday, Uncle Larry and all our loyal NEW regulars!! I am proud as a peacock of all of us and if I forgot somebody, then it wasn’t intentional…and a BIG thanks to Brian Tramel for his undying support!!
RassleResults: MCW Osceola, AR 1.22.10
The night opened up with the women's match. Miss Innocent escorted to the ring by Rashard vs Ms. Candi escorted by Homer and once again Ms. Candi took the win. Looks like Miss Innocent would finally learn her lesson.
Hambones 1 &2 escorted by Rashard went up against Wild Bill and Homer. Rashard and the Hambones threw in some of their dirty tricks and Wild Bill and Homer took the win by DQ. You know if Rashard is at ringside with his double crossers that there is going to be some cheating going on.
3rd Match of the evening was Bishop escorted by Rashard, these two make a good pair, both of them are dirty double crosser, going against The All American Frankie Tucker, for the heavyweight belt. The match was intense and Frankie as always was getting the best of Bishop. Rashard and Bishop can't handle being beat so in runs Pokerface and his plan was to take Frankie out but instead he hit Bishop. Frankie won by DQ and remains the "Heavyweight Champ." That's what happens when you're wrestling with a bunch of CHUMPS!
Semi main event was Jeremy Spiker vs CMoney vs Aaron Exstacy in a triple threat match for the cruizer weight title. CMoney showed them both who was the boss and retained his belt.
Main event was Pokerface and Bishop vs VMan and Sgt Hudson with special ref Rashard. That should be Croaked ref Rashard. Double Pay goes to the winner and for Tag team belts. No winner so nobody got paid and the title doesn't change hands. Don't you wonder who will pay for Rashards supper tonight? Thanks fans for joining us at MCW, your support is greatly appreciated.
Credit: MCW and Kim Wallace
Hambones 1 &2 escorted by Rashard went up against Wild Bill and Homer. Rashard and the Hambones threw in some of their dirty tricks and Wild Bill and Homer took the win by DQ. You know if Rashard is at ringside with his double crossers that there is going to be some cheating going on.
3rd Match of the evening was Bishop escorted by Rashard, these two make a good pair, both of them are dirty double crosser, going against The All American Frankie Tucker, for the heavyweight belt. The match was intense and Frankie as always was getting the best of Bishop. Rashard and Bishop can't handle being beat so in runs Pokerface and his plan was to take Frankie out but instead he hit Bishop. Frankie won by DQ and remains the "Heavyweight Champ." That's what happens when you're wrestling with a bunch of CHUMPS!
Semi main event was Jeremy Spiker vs CMoney vs Aaron Exstacy in a triple threat match for the cruizer weight title. CMoney showed them both who was the boss and retained his belt.
Main event was Pokerface and Bishop vs VMan and Sgt Hudson with special ref Rashard. That should be Croaked ref Rashard. Double Pay goes to the winner and for Tag team belts. No winner so nobody got paid and the title doesn't change hands. Don't you wonder who will pay for Rashards supper tonight? Thanks fans for joining us at MCW, your support is greatly appreciated.
Credit: MCW and Kim Wallace
(WGN) Jan 26: TNA in Paris, Joe injured, Pope update, Rock talks wrestling Cena, location of Wrestlemania 27, Kelly Kelly's bad habit and more!
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WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Tuesday January 26, 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 on RRO!!
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
1/25 Raw TV results from Columbus, OH: DX over Legacy in a non-title match; Big Show over MVP; Maryse over Eve to qualify for the finals of the Divas title tournament; Kofi Kingston over The Miz in a non-title match; Gail Kim over Alicia Fox to qualify for the finals of the Divas title tournament, and Sheamus vs. John Cena was a no contest in another non-title match.
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James Roday didn't appear Monday night as Raw guest host as he was hospitalized on Saturday and underwent an emergency appendectomy.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was interviewed on the LAW at www.thefightnetwork.com. When asked about a potential matchup with John Cena at Wrestlemania, he said: "I've never been interested in wrestling John Cena. The guys I wrestled in the past, from Goldberg to Hogan to Austin, were guys who I've really wanted to wrestle... it's very important if I do go back that the writing [is] ripped open and really pushed. I came from a time in the Attitude era where we trail-blazed and were fearless in the things we said and did." He added: "There are a lot of restrictions now [with the change to PG] on the product, which by the way, I understand, and I enjoy some of the stuff I see and I know some of the writers and they're challenged every week, but if in fact I do go back, it would be an interesting collision of an Attitude time that I loved and the time now, but I'm sure we can always infuse things to make it work." He said he will probably guest host Raw in the summer after he completes his next movie.
Ted DiBiase Jr. was also interviewed on Live Audio Wrestling. TNA was brought up as a topic. DiBiase said he wishes "those guys" the best but felt TNA are bringing in talent that can't draw money or get it done in the ring. "God bless them, I have nothing but respect for those guys... They paved the way for us, but Hulk Hogan can't even drop a leg anymore," he said. "...You definitely get the nostalgic value, I agree, but how long can that last? How long can you get excited about seeing this old guy come out? I welcome 'Monday Night Wars' if you want to call it a war - it's not much of a fight - but competition is always exciting for us. Most all wrestlers grew up playing competitive sports, so that's in our blood, man. Bring it on." Regarding Jeff Hardy appearing on Impact on January 4, he said: "Jeff has his own demons he's battling right now, I guess, but what can you do? Maybe it's something he had to do. I wish him the best because he was a great performer, but it was a little disappointing, I guess."
Jeff Hardy's girlfriend Beth must have been listening. She wrote on her Twitter last night: "I think it's silly that people use the generalized term "demons" when talking about Jeff, especially when they have had their own share. Just sayin'... Oh, and BTW... Jeff appearing on TNA was anything but a disappointment."
Elliot Harris of the Chicago Sun-Times filed a report on the Rey Mysterio signing at KMart. He told us he left before all the chaos ensued. Mysterio noted his 12 year old son is already taller than him with an interest in wrestling but his daughter is showing the most passion for it: "[My son is] very passionate about football. He loves football. I don't know. What scares me is my daughter might like it even more. She's only 8 years old. She's taking acting lessons right now, so hopefully we'll have some sort of connection between wrestling and acting/movies/soap opera." Mysterio also said he would love to do a movie with WWE Studios. "That's one of my goals in life and in my career that I might get an opportunity to do some cinematography now that WWE has their own film industry. So that's something that I would really love to push forward." Story is at http://tinyurl.com/y8ehls8.
The location of Wrestlemania 27 has reportedly come down to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and the Sun Life Stadium in Miami, according to Gary Stokan, President of the Atlanta Sports Council, in an interview with www.georgiawrestlinghistory.com. Stoken said the announcement would be made on February 1, coincidentally the day after Royal Rumble at Philips Arena in Atlanta. [Thanks to Larry Goodman]
Country Weekly magazine has a blurb on Mickie James and her musical aspirations. She said she grew up in Virginia listening to Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and her favorite Willie Nelson: "I've always written stuff, whether its short stories or poetry. I started writing songs, and I was working with some artists in Virginia. I feel like God always puts these signs in your way, like paths you should be on. I've always wanted to sing, and I kept getting this weird feeling that I should just try it. I will record an album and see what happens. If nothing happens, at least I did it." [Thanks to reader Mike Thompson]
Kelly Kelly answers some pointless questions at http://tinyurl.com/y8qalla. If her house was on fire the first thing she would save would be her teddy bear... She bites her nails... And she wouldn't like to be stuck in a lift with Paris Hilton. "I really don't care for her," Kelly said.
MTV at http://tinyurl.com/yjmb3jm talked to Chris Jericho about his new album with Fozzy which goes on sale today.
Jericho was at Raw last night and cut a promo for the Royal Rumble that will air on Superstars.
I was glad to see they didn't do one of those lame Battle Royals to hype the Rumble PPV this year. Lazy booking in my view. The video package with all the stats was tremendous and far more effective in selling the show. I also enjoyed the confrontation between John Cena and Vince McMahon which leads to Bret Hart returning next Monday in Nashville.
The NFC Championship game on Sunday between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings drew a monster 57.9 million viewers, making it the second most watched NFC Championship game in history. The Royal Rumble was originally scheduled for January 24 as late as September until somebody in Stamford noticed the clash with football.
Shawne Merriman, outside linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, has been posting bizarre WWE-related messages on his Twitter teasing an appeance at Wrestlemania. He wrote: "Is the WWE still doing good right now? ... I'm tired of all the no name wrestlers that look like they came off the street and had a tryout... I couldn't wrestle because I wouldn't fake it... Don't be surprised to see me in the Royal Rumble in March... I meant Wrestlemania in March, that too." Merriman hit headlines for the wrong reasons last year when he was arrested and charged with battery and false imprisonment of reality TV star Tila Tequila, who claimed in an arrest complaint that he choked and restrained her when she tried to leave his home. The charges were later dismissed.
Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland is claiming the Sunday afternoon Smackdown show drew 10,000 people although most people in attendance say it was closer to 5,000.
Santino Marella has some fun with the media at http://tinyurl.com/ybw7f3s. They did recently shoot something but its unlikely to lead to anything other than WWE.com, let alone a sitcom on national television. Several wrestling websites appear to be sold on the story.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
1/25 house show results from Paris, France: Suicide over Amazing Red & Chris Sabin in a three-way; Beer Money over Eric Young & Rob Terry; Taylor Wilde over Hamada; Kurt Angle over Desmond Wolfe; Hernandez over Rhino; Team 3D over The British Invasion in a Tables match; and AJ Styles over Samoa Joe & Daniels in a three-way. The show drew around 2,500 paid. Dixie Carter gave a speech to the crowd during intermission thanking them for their support. We had several reports that the fans loved the show.
The TNA crew run tonight in Bournemouth, England, with AJ Styles vs. Desmond Wolfe and Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe in an I Quit match as the top advertised matches. The remaining tour dates this week are Cardiff, Coventry, Manchester, and London. We're looking for readers reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.
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Samoa Joe dislocated a rib last night in Paris but said he won't be missing any time.
The Pope is battling a gastric infection, according to TNA people, which is why he's missed the first leg of the European tour as the doctor wouldn't clear him to wrestle.
Ken Anderson was interviewed last night on ESPN Milwaukee. Regarding going to TNA, he said: "I had wanted to hopefully sign with TNA immediately after my WWE career ended, but I had to make sure that I wasn't stepping into the wrong situation... I just got out of a relationship [with WWE] that wasn't necessarily good for probably both sides for quite some time and I wanted to make sure I didn't make the same mistakes again and setting myself up for failure." He has signed a contract with them but it's a per night deal. He said Hogan and Bischoff approached him to come on board during the Hulkamania tour of Australia. "We went back and forth for a while and it was kind of a fun negotiation process. It was actually kind of nice," he said. "When I first started with WWE, there was no negotiating at all. It was, 'Take it or leave it, pal.' It was kind of nice to be able to say, 'This is stuff I'm willing to negotiate on.' They came through and I couldn't have been happier with the debut and I was happy to work with Abyss." He added: "I like the fact that I was able to go in and tape a whole month's worth of TV in four days. I'm not kidding you. Then you have the rest of the month to rest your body. That's one thing about being on the road 52 weeks per year, and maybe one of the reasons I was injury-prone because I was working five days per week."
Anderson makes his live event debut the weekend of February 4 in Kansas and Missouri.
New live event dates for March were added in Pensacola, Erie, Wheeling, and aPittsburgh at the Rostraver Ice Arena; a 5,000-seat arena they are hoping to sell out with Kurt Angle as the main draw, plus AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett, Beer Money, The Pope, The Beautiful People and many more. They have a deal where if you purchase a ticket for $35 then you get a free DVD on the night of the show. More info at www.tnawrestling.com.
Mick Foley has a stand up gig on February 6 in Las Vegas at the Vegas Hilton and Casino. Its the night before the Super Bowl. More info at www.TotalExtremeComedy.com.
Taylor Wilde turns 24 today.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
We've received a ton of email on Wrestling Chatterbox editor Georgiann Makropoulos who passed away yesterday at the age of 67. Messages of condolence for her husband George can be left with Bob Mulerin at bobmul345@aol.com. Funeral arrangements via Thomas Quinn & Sons Funeral Home, 35-20 Broadway, Long Island City, NY, phone 718-721-9200. There is a wake tonight from 7-9 pm and Wednesday 2-5 pm and 7-9 pm. Funeral Mass is Thursday at Most Precious Blood, 32-33 37th Street, Long Island City, NY.
Paul Heyman wrote about Georgie on his website at http://tinyurl.com/yenkn5b. He described her at "wrestling's best friend" and said she was, "a truly genuine individual without a malicious bone in her body."
Steve Johnson at the Slam Wrestling website has an obit up at http://tinyurl.com/y9yhprh. His article noted that Georgie ran the fan clubs of Buddy Rogers and Bruno Sammartino in the 1960s, and had successfully battled cancer in 2004.
A new book on Minnesota wrestling titled, Minnesota's Golden Age of Wrestling - from Verne Gagne to the Road Warriors, will be released on May 1. The book is written by George Schire through Minnesota Historical Society Press. Schire is an avid wrestling historian dating back to the 1950s and has one of the most extensive collection of wrestling programs, clippings, photos and memorabilia in existence. A blurb on the book reads: Why was Minnesota, a land known for its stoic farmers, reasonable politics, and comfortable casseroles, a hotbed of the wacky and wild world of professional wrestling? And how did that old-school wrestling become the Saturday night program of choice for thousands of Midwestern families in the last half of the twentieth century? Professional wrestling historian and insider George Schire is here not only to set the record straight but to entice you into a world gone by, a world that comes alive through his colorful and perceptive reporting.
Wrestlicious announced that its new all-women wrestling show TakeDown will be syndicated nationally on America One. The show will air Saturday evenings at 11:30pm ET on affiliates beginning Saturday, March 6. In a separate syndication deal announced last week, TakeDown has cleared 15 U.S. markets including Little Rock and Memphis and top 10 DMA’s Atlanta and Dallas. More clearances, including at least two more top 10 DMAs, are expected this week. TakeDown is currently being marketed at the 2010 NAPTE (National Association Of Television Program Executives) convention in Las Vegas.
Wrestlicious is also teasing the signings of recently released TNA Knockouts.
Melissa Anderson aka Alissa Flash in TNA out of San Francisco is now available for wrestling bookings, personal appearances and autograph sessions by contacting Bill Behrens at showbis@aol.com or www.sbibookings.com.
RVD radio airs on Wednesday night 9-11pm ET with Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Sabu, Fonzie and more putting Tiger Woods and David Letterman under the stoplight. Go to www.robvandam.com for more info.
The latest promo for Celebrity Apprentice at http://tinyurl.com/yhtrbyb has a brief clip of Bill Goldberg, but no mention of Maria Kanellis.
Jim Rome burned Brock Lesnar yesterday on his show for Brock's comments on Canadian health care. He basically said that Brock was unfair in his assessment because he based his opinion on a one day stay in hospital in the middle of no where. ESPN's Jake Rossen has a story on this at http://tinyurl.com/ybjrabz.
The Honkytonk Man has a new podcast at www.honkytonkman.net. He talks a number of subjects including Hogan in TNA, Randy Savage, crossing Vince McMahon, and more.
An upcoming A&E series with Bob Saget will feature a segment on backyard wrestlers in California.
Today's Diva of the Day is Kelly Kelly at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Tuesday January 26, 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 on RRO!!
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
1/25 Raw TV results from Columbus, OH: DX over Legacy in a non-title match; Big Show over MVP; Maryse over Eve to qualify for the finals of the Divas title tournament; Kofi Kingston over The Miz in a non-title match; Gail Kim over Alicia Fox to qualify for the finals of the Divas title tournament, and Sheamus vs. John Cena was a no contest in another non-title match.
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James Roday didn't appear Monday night as Raw guest host as he was hospitalized on Saturday and underwent an emergency appendectomy.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was interviewed on the LAW at www.thefightnetwork.com. When asked about a potential matchup with John Cena at Wrestlemania, he said: "I've never been interested in wrestling John Cena. The guys I wrestled in the past, from Goldberg to Hogan to Austin, were guys who I've really wanted to wrestle... it's very important if I do go back that the writing [is] ripped open and really pushed. I came from a time in the Attitude era where we trail-blazed and were fearless in the things we said and did." He added: "There are a lot of restrictions now [with the change to PG] on the product, which by the way, I understand, and I enjoy some of the stuff I see and I know some of the writers and they're challenged every week, but if in fact I do go back, it would be an interesting collision of an Attitude time that I loved and the time now, but I'm sure we can always infuse things to make it work." He said he will probably guest host Raw in the summer after he completes his next movie.
Ted DiBiase Jr. was also interviewed on Live Audio Wrestling. TNA was brought up as a topic. DiBiase said he wishes "those guys" the best but felt TNA are bringing in talent that can't draw money or get it done in the ring. "God bless them, I have nothing but respect for those guys... They paved the way for us, but Hulk Hogan can't even drop a leg anymore," he said. "...You definitely get the nostalgic value, I agree, but how long can that last? How long can you get excited about seeing this old guy come out? I welcome 'Monday Night Wars' if you want to call it a war - it's not much of a fight - but competition is always exciting for us. Most all wrestlers grew up playing competitive sports, so that's in our blood, man. Bring it on." Regarding Jeff Hardy appearing on Impact on January 4, he said: "Jeff has his own demons he's battling right now, I guess, but what can you do? Maybe it's something he had to do. I wish him the best because he was a great performer, but it was a little disappointing, I guess."
Jeff Hardy's girlfriend Beth must have been listening. She wrote on her Twitter last night: "I think it's silly that people use the generalized term "demons" when talking about Jeff, especially when they have had their own share. Just sayin'... Oh, and BTW... Jeff appearing on TNA was anything but a disappointment."
Elliot Harris of the Chicago Sun-Times filed a report on the Rey Mysterio signing at KMart. He told us he left before all the chaos ensued. Mysterio noted his 12 year old son is already taller than him with an interest in wrestling but his daughter is showing the most passion for it: "[My son is] very passionate about football. He loves football. I don't know. What scares me is my daughter might like it even more. She's only 8 years old. She's taking acting lessons right now, so hopefully we'll have some sort of connection between wrestling and acting/movies/soap opera." Mysterio also said he would love to do a movie with WWE Studios. "That's one of my goals in life and in my career that I might get an opportunity to do some cinematography now that WWE has their own film industry. So that's something that I would really love to push forward." Story is at http://tinyurl.com/y8ehls8.
The location of Wrestlemania 27 has reportedly come down to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and the Sun Life Stadium in Miami, according to Gary Stokan, President of the Atlanta Sports Council, in an interview with www.georgiawrestlinghistory.com. Stoken said the announcement would be made on February 1, coincidentally the day after Royal Rumble at Philips Arena in Atlanta. [Thanks to Larry Goodman]
Country Weekly magazine has a blurb on Mickie James and her musical aspirations. She said she grew up in Virginia listening to Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and her favorite Willie Nelson: "I've always written stuff, whether its short stories or poetry. I started writing songs, and I was working with some artists in Virginia. I feel like God always puts these signs in your way, like paths you should be on. I've always wanted to sing, and I kept getting this weird feeling that I should just try it. I will record an album and see what happens. If nothing happens, at least I did it." [Thanks to reader Mike Thompson]
Kelly Kelly answers some pointless questions at http://tinyurl.com/y8qalla. If her house was on fire the first thing she would save would be her teddy bear... She bites her nails... And she wouldn't like to be stuck in a lift with Paris Hilton. "I really don't care for her," Kelly said.
MTV at http://tinyurl.com/yjmb3jm talked to Chris Jericho about his new album with Fozzy which goes on sale today.
Jericho was at Raw last night and cut a promo for the Royal Rumble that will air on Superstars.
I was glad to see they didn't do one of those lame Battle Royals to hype the Rumble PPV this year. Lazy booking in my view. The video package with all the stats was tremendous and far more effective in selling the show. I also enjoyed the confrontation between John Cena and Vince McMahon which leads to Bret Hart returning next Monday in Nashville.
The NFC Championship game on Sunday between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings drew a monster 57.9 million viewers, making it the second most watched NFC Championship game in history. The Royal Rumble was originally scheduled for January 24 as late as September until somebody in Stamford noticed the clash with football.
Shawne Merriman, outside linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, has been posting bizarre WWE-related messages on his Twitter teasing an appeance at Wrestlemania. He wrote: "Is the WWE still doing good right now? ... I'm tired of all the no name wrestlers that look like they came off the street and had a tryout... I couldn't wrestle because I wouldn't fake it... Don't be surprised to see me in the Royal Rumble in March... I meant Wrestlemania in March, that too." Merriman hit headlines for the wrong reasons last year when he was arrested and charged with battery and false imprisonment of reality TV star Tila Tequila, who claimed in an arrest complaint that he choked and restrained her when she tried to leave his home. The charges were later dismissed.
Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland is claiming the Sunday afternoon Smackdown show drew 10,000 people although most people in attendance say it was closer to 5,000.
Santino Marella has some fun with the media at http://tinyurl.com/ybw7f3s. They did recently shoot something but its unlikely to lead to anything other than WWE.com, let alone a sitcom on national television. Several wrestling websites appear to be sold on the story.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
1/25 house show results from Paris, France: Suicide over Amazing Red & Chris Sabin in a three-way; Beer Money over Eric Young & Rob Terry; Taylor Wilde over Hamada; Kurt Angle over Desmond Wolfe; Hernandez over Rhino; Team 3D over The British Invasion in a Tables match; and AJ Styles over Samoa Joe & Daniels in a three-way. The show drew around 2,500 paid. Dixie Carter gave a speech to the crowd during intermission thanking them for their support. We had several reports that the fans loved the show.
The TNA crew run tonight in Bournemouth, England, with AJ Styles vs. Desmond Wolfe and Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe in an I Quit match as the top advertised matches. The remaining tour dates this week are Cardiff, Coventry, Manchester, and London. We're looking for readers reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.
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Samoa Joe dislocated a rib last night in Paris but said he won't be missing any time.
The Pope is battling a gastric infection, according to TNA people, which is why he's missed the first leg of the European tour as the doctor wouldn't clear him to wrestle.
Ken Anderson was interviewed last night on ESPN Milwaukee. Regarding going to TNA, he said: "I had wanted to hopefully sign with TNA immediately after my WWE career ended, but I had to make sure that I wasn't stepping into the wrong situation... I just got out of a relationship [with WWE] that wasn't necessarily good for probably both sides for quite some time and I wanted to make sure I didn't make the same mistakes again and setting myself up for failure." He has signed a contract with them but it's a per night deal. He said Hogan and Bischoff approached him to come on board during the Hulkamania tour of Australia. "We went back and forth for a while and it was kind of a fun negotiation process. It was actually kind of nice," he said. "When I first started with WWE, there was no negotiating at all. It was, 'Take it or leave it, pal.' It was kind of nice to be able to say, 'This is stuff I'm willing to negotiate on.' They came through and I couldn't have been happier with the debut and I was happy to work with Abyss." He added: "I like the fact that I was able to go in and tape a whole month's worth of TV in four days. I'm not kidding you. Then you have the rest of the month to rest your body. That's one thing about being on the road 52 weeks per year, and maybe one of the reasons I was injury-prone because I was working five days per week."
Anderson makes his live event debut the weekend of February 4 in Kansas and Missouri.
New live event dates for March were added in Pensacola, Erie, Wheeling, and aPittsburgh at the Rostraver Ice Arena; a 5,000-seat arena they are hoping to sell out with Kurt Angle as the main draw, plus AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett, Beer Money, The Pope, The Beautiful People and many more. They have a deal where if you purchase a ticket for $35 then you get a free DVD on the night of the show. More info at www.tnawrestling.com.
Mick Foley has a stand up gig on February 6 in Las Vegas at the Vegas Hilton and Casino. Its the night before the Super Bowl. More info at www.TotalExtremeComedy.com.
Taylor Wilde turns 24 today.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
We've received a ton of email on Wrestling Chatterbox editor Georgiann Makropoulos who passed away yesterday at the age of 67. Messages of condolence for her husband George can be left with Bob Mulerin at bobmul345@aol.com. Funeral arrangements via Thomas Quinn & Sons Funeral Home, 35-20 Broadway, Long Island City, NY, phone 718-721-9200. There is a wake tonight from 7-9 pm and Wednesday 2-5 pm and 7-9 pm. Funeral Mass is Thursday at Most Precious Blood, 32-33 37th Street, Long Island City, NY.
Paul Heyman wrote about Georgie on his website at http://tinyurl.com/yenkn5b. He described her at "wrestling's best friend" and said she was, "a truly genuine individual without a malicious bone in her body."
Steve Johnson at the Slam Wrestling website has an obit up at http://tinyurl.com/y9yhprh. His article noted that Georgie ran the fan clubs of Buddy Rogers and Bruno Sammartino in the 1960s, and had successfully battled cancer in 2004.
A new book on Minnesota wrestling titled, Minnesota's Golden Age of Wrestling - from Verne Gagne to the Road Warriors, will be released on May 1. The book is written by George Schire through Minnesota Historical Society Press. Schire is an avid wrestling historian dating back to the 1950s and has one of the most extensive collection of wrestling programs, clippings, photos and memorabilia in existence. A blurb on the book reads: Why was Minnesota, a land known for its stoic farmers, reasonable politics, and comfortable casseroles, a hotbed of the wacky and wild world of professional wrestling? And how did that old-school wrestling become the Saturday night program of choice for thousands of Midwestern families in the last half of the twentieth century? Professional wrestling historian and insider George Schire is here not only to set the record straight but to entice you into a world gone by, a world that comes alive through his colorful and perceptive reporting.
Wrestlicious announced that its new all-women wrestling show TakeDown will be syndicated nationally on America One. The show will air Saturday evenings at 11:30pm ET on affiliates beginning Saturday, March 6. In a separate syndication deal announced last week, TakeDown has cleared 15 U.S. markets including Little Rock and Memphis and top 10 DMA’s Atlanta and Dallas. More clearances, including at least two more top 10 DMAs, are expected this week. TakeDown is currently being marketed at the 2010 NAPTE (National Association Of Television Program Executives) convention in Las Vegas.
Wrestlicious is also teasing the signings of recently released TNA Knockouts.
Melissa Anderson aka Alissa Flash in TNA out of San Francisco is now available for wrestling bookings, personal appearances and autograph sessions by contacting Bill Behrens at showbis@aol.com or www.sbibookings.com.
RVD radio airs on Wednesday night 9-11pm ET with Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Sabu, Fonzie and more putting Tiger Woods and David Letterman under the stoplight. Go to www.robvandam.com for more info.
The latest promo for Celebrity Apprentice at http://tinyurl.com/yhtrbyb has a brief clip of Bill Goldberg, but no mention of Maria Kanellis.
Jim Rome burned Brock Lesnar yesterday on his show for Brock's comments on Canadian health care. He basically said that Brock was unfair in his assessment because he based his opinion on a one day stay in hospital in the middle of no where. ESPN's Jake Rossen has a story on this at http://tinyurl.com/ybjrabz.
The Honkytonk Man has a new podcast at www.honkytonkman.net. He talks a number of subjects including Hogan in TNA, Randy Savage, crossing Vince McMahon, and more.
An upcoming A&E series with Bob Saget will feature a segment on backyard wrestlers in California.
Today's Diva of the Day is Kelly Kelly at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Guys Headed In That Need Work!!
----Steve Boz, Austin Roberts, Nick Brubaker and Mr. 450 are headed into the area this weekend and are looking for work. It seems their gig got canceled and they are looking to be booked on shows in the area. Contact Tatt2 at http://www.myspace.com/inkcredibletatt2. The guys are wanting to work and willing to do double shots. Below are photos of 3 of the 4 guys.
Nick Brubaker
Steve Boz and Austin Roberts with fan
Steve Boz
http://www.myspace.com/inkcredibletatt2
Nick Brubaker
Steve Boz and Austin Roberts with fan
Steve Boz
http://www.myspace.com/inkcredibletatt2
RCW talent to discuss Friday event on 101.9 KISS FM
Three local talents involved with the Ringside Championship Wrestling (RCW) debut event in Trumann, AR, Friday night will discuss their careers and the show during the next three mornings on "KISS in the Morning" with "Double B" Brandon Baxter and Booger. The interviews will broadcast sometime after 8 a.m. each morning on 101.9 KISS FM in Jonesboro.
Here's the schedule of appearances:
- Wednesday, Jan. 27: Derrick King
- Thursday, Jan. 28: Dustin "Five" Starr
- Friday, Jan. 29: "Human Highlight Reel" Austin Lane
In addition to the radio air time, there will be an article in tomorrow's edition of the East Arkansas News-Leader spotlighting Dustin "Five" Starr and his trip to Trumann as part of the RCW show.
For more on the event, keep reading www.RasslinRiotOnline.com or visit www.RCWwrestling.com.
Here's the schedule of appearances:
- Wednesday, Jan. 27: Derrick King
- Thursday, Jan. 28: Dustin "Five" Starr
- Friday, Jan. 29: "Human Highlight Reel" Austin Lane
In addition to the radio air time, there will be an article in tomorrow's edition of the East Arkansas News-Leader spotlighting Dustin "Five" Starr and his trip to Trumann as part of the RCW show.
For more on the event, keep reading www.RasslinRiotOnline.com or visit www.RCWwrestling.com.
(WGN) Georgiann Makropoulos passes away!!
----I received this in my e-mail tonight and I was sadden to hear it. Before the world was internet infested, wrestling kayfabe sheets were put out by typewriters and copiers. Georgiann was a pioneer in putting out fanzines and was very instrumental in getting the word out about newsletters like the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Squared Circle [which I worked on for about a year] and the former fanzine - TU Rasslin Riot [my own zine]. She will be missed!!
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WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Monday January 25, 2010
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GEORGIANN MAKROPOULOS PASSES AWAY
Very sad to report this evening that Georgiann Makopoulos passed earlier away today after suffering a massive heart attack. She was 67.
Makropoulos was well known and sincerely admired within the pro wrestling industry. I guess you could call her a "super fan" and maintained friendships with numerous wrestlers and promoters dating back nearly 50 years.
She wrote her own newsletter called Wrestling Chatterbox, a postal mail publication with news, photos and content that has been published monthly for over 22 years. She also spent much of her time working on the www.wrestlingfigs.com website posting fan reports and pictures from wrestling autograph signings and personal appearances.
I exchanged emails with Georgie on a regular basis since I started this newsletter in 1999. I last heard from her on January 3 where she remarked that she was tired of the cold weather in New York City and wished me well after I developed flu. She was a very nice and classy lady.
Georgie is survived by her husband George and a Siamese cat she loved dearly named Rocky.
Funeral arrangements:
Thomas Quinn & Sons Funeral Home
35-20 Broadway
Long Island City, NY
718-721-9200
There will be a wake Tuesday from 7-9 pm and Wednesday 2-5 pm and 7-9 pm. Funeral Mass is Thursday.
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WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Monday January 25, 2010
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GEORGIANN MAKROPOULOS PASSES AWAY
Very sad to report this evening that Georgiann Makopoulos passed earlier away today after suffering a massive heart attack. She was 67.
Makropoulos was well known and sincerely admired within the pro wrestling industry. I guess you could call her a "super fan" and maintained friendships with numerous wrestlers and promoters dating back nearly 50 years.
She wrote her own newsletter called Wrestling Chatterbox, a postal mail publication with news, photos and content that has been published monthly for over 22 years. She also spent much of her time working on the www.wrestlingfigs.com website posting fan reports and pictures from wrestling autograph signings and personal appearances.
I exchanged emails with Georgie on a regular basis since I started this newsletter in 1999. I last heard from her on January 3 where she remarked that she was tired of the cold weather in New York City and wished me well after I developed flu. She was a very nice and classy lady.
Georgie is survived by her husband George and a Siamese cat she loved dearly named Rocky.
Funeral arrangements:
Thomas Quinn & Sons Funeral Home
35-20 Broadway
Long Island City, NY
718-721-9200
There will be a wake Tuesday from 7-9 pm and Wednesday 2-5 pm and 7-9 pm. Funeral Mass is Thursday.
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RassleResults: EPW Booneville, MS 01.23.10 - Bill Dundee Puts Up His Hair!!
Brody Hawk defeated Tysin Starr (Winner's Choice Tournament match).
EPW Extreme Champion Chazz defeated Cassanova Kid to retain after interference by Antwon Smooth, Iron Jake, and Rajah.
Buzz Harley defeated JR Mauler (Winner's Choice Tournament match).
Chris Fontaine defeated "Big Daddy" Neno due to interference by Justin Rhodes.
In the finals of the Winner's Choice Tournament, Brody Hawk defeated Buzz Harley. Brody will now get a shot at any EPW championship he wants.
Bill "Superstar" Dundee defeated Bonecrusher by DQ due to interference by Brody Hawk, Justin Rhodes, & Chris Fontaine, who gave Dundee a beating. "Big Daddy" Neno, Robert Devine, & Buzz Harley in to make the save.
Dundee issued a challenge for an 8-man tag match, with the stipulation that the one who gets pinned to lose the match loses his hair. So....
This Saturday night it will be Bill Dundee, "Big Daddy" Neno, Robert Devine, & Buzz Harley vs. Bonecrusher, Justin Rhodes, Brody Hawk, & Chris Fontaine. Whoever is pinned to lose the match loses his hair. That will be a great match, so DON'T miss it! It all happens at the EPW Arena (old Dodds Garage building) on Highway 145 in Booneville, MS. Bell time is 8:00 p.m. See you there!
Credit: "Axeman" Randall Lewis @ www.wrestlingnewscenter.com
----Dundee doing the challenge for a 8-man should help draw a crowd if they advertise...Yes, Virgina, Dundee still wrestles and is better than 98% of the guys in Mississippi. And, no, Virgina, Bonecrusher is not a wrestler.
EPW Extreme Champion Chazz defeated Cassanova Kid to retain after interference by Antwon Smooth, Iron Jake, and Rajah.
Buzz Harley defeated JR Mauler (Winner's Choice Tournament match).
Chris Fontaine defeated "Big Daddy" Neno due to interference by Justin Rhodes.
In the finals of the Winner's Choice Tournament, Brody Hawk defeated Buzz Harley. Brody will now get a shot at any EPW championship he wants.
Bill "Superstar" Dundee defeated Bonecrusher by DQ due to interference by Brody Hawk, Justin Rhodes, & Chris Fontaine, who gave Dundee a beating. "Big Daddy" Neno, Robert Devine, & Buzz Harley in to make the save.
Dundee issued a challenge for an 8-man tag match, with the stipulation that the one who gets pinned to lose the match loses his hair. So....
This Saturday night it will be Bill Dundee, "Big Daddy" Neno, Robert Devine, & Buzz Harley vs. Bonecrusher, Justin Rhodes, Brody Hawk, & Chris Fontaine. Whoever is pinned to lose the match loses his hair. That will be a great match, so DON'T miss it! It all happens at the EPW Arena (old Dodds Garage building) on Highway 145 in Booneville, MS. Bell time is 8:00 p.m. See you there!
Credit: "Axeman" Randall Lewis @ www.wrestlingnewscenter.com
----Dundee doing the challenge for a 8-man should help draw a crowd if they advertise...Yes, Virgina, Dundee still wrestles and is better than 98% of the guys in Mississippi. And, no, Virgina, Bonecrusher is not a wrestler.
RassleResults: TFW Tupelo, MS 01.22.10 - RRO's Gene Jackson In The Ring!!
Jay Webster w/Dirty Rell Moe defeated "Dangerous" David Cox.
Curly Moe w/Dirty Rell Moe defeated "Big Daddy" Neno by count out.
Chop defeated Anton Leveigh.
TFW Lightweight Champion Josh Matthews defeated former champion LSD to retain.
TFW Tag Team Champions "The Future" Chris Styles & Syn defeated Suicide & DJ Stunner to retain.
Southern Destruction (Neil "The Real Deal" Taylor & Gene "War Machine" Jackson) defeated "Bad Attitude" Tony Dabbs & A.N.T. (Amazing Natural Talent).
The card at TFW this Friday night will include Mickey Ray (1/2 of Family of Pain) & Tony Dabbs vs. Southern Destruction. It will be a great show so don't miss it! The TFW Arena is located on Hwy. 178 in Skyline, just outside the Tupelo city limits. Bell time is 8:00 p.m.
Credit: "Axeman" Randall Lewis @ www.wrestlingnewscenter.com
----I was told that Gene actually tagged with JD McKay on Saturday night in Kosciusko, MS. That team [Gene/JD] proves that no matter who you are - you can wrestle in Mississippi. LOL...Well at least Gene was not the worst worker on this show - Anton LeVeigh worked it. Omg..I apologize. Anton really isn't that bad or is he?? No, he isn't - I just couldn't resist. I mean Anton did one time wish that I would be killed in a car wreck with Dustin Starr. LOL
Curly Moe w/Dirty Rell Moe defeated "Big Daddy" Neno by count out.
Chop defeated Anton Leveigh.
TFW Lightweight Champion Josh Matthews defeated former champion LSD to retain.
TFW Tag Team Champions "The Future" Chris Styles & Syn defeated Suicide & DJ Stunner to retain.
Southern Destruction (Neil "The Real Deal" Taylor & Gene "War Machine" Jackson) defeated "Bad Attitude" Tony Dabbs & A.N.T. (Amazing Natural Talent).
The card at TFW this Friday night will include Mickey Ray (1/2 of Family of Pain) & Tony Dabbs vs. Southern Destruction. It will be a great show so don't miss it! The TFW Arena is located on Hwy. 178 in Skyline, just outside the Tupelo city limits. Bell time is 8:00 p.m.
Credit: "Axeman" Randall Lewis @ www.wrestlingnewscenter.com
----I was told that Gene actually tagged with JD McKay on Saturday night in Kosciusko, MS. That team [Gene/JD] proves that no matter who you are - you can wrestle in Mississippi. LOL...Well at least Gene was not the worst worker on this show - Anton LeVeigh worked it. Omg..I apologize. Anton really isn't that bad or is he?? No, he isn't - I just couldn't resist. I mean Anton did one time wish that I would be killed in a car wreck with Dustin Starr. LOL
Rock N Roll Rock C is new Memphis Ladies Wrestling Champion!!
----Rock N Roll Rock C [I just don't "get it" when it comes to her name] beat Su Yung this past week at the MLW tapings to win the belt. Below is what was posted over at www.mlwonline.com. And yes, Virgina, kayfabe is still alive. LOL
On January 23rd, Su Yung defended her MLW title against the East Tennessee star, Rock N Roll Rock C. Rock C had lost her last few matches to Su, but this time you could tell Rock C was ready. Su must have thought Rock C was ready too as she hired Rock C's biggest opponent ever in Misty James, arquiring her services for this one match. Misty and Rock C have hated each other since they first met at MLW on October 4th, 2008 in Tupelo, Miss. Su told Misty several times and reminded her that Misty was hired to help her keep Rock C in check. Misty was not happy about Su's tactics and did not like the way Su was wrestling. Misty argued with Su several times, saying she did not have to wrestle dirty. She even made Misty help her when misty did not want to do so. Misty is normally a good, clean wrestler, but her and Rock C just bring the best out of each other. Both ladies have used dirty tactics, but they do respect each other greatly. After many times of trying, Misty finally had enough and tripped Su. After a few moves, Rock C came to life and dropped Su Yung with a piledriver before pinning her and becoming the new MLW champion. Misty congratulated Rock C by handing her the belt. Rock C grabbed the belt from Misty and let her know that she did not need her help. Rock C and Misty exchanged words and, as Misty turned away, Rock C jumped Misty and dropped her with a piledriver No doubt, this has reignited the feud between Misty and Rock C. Apparently Rock C is more willing to fight dirty now that she has the title. Rock C told MLW that she hated all of the fans, and that she finally got what she deserved. More importantly, she said, Su Yung and Misty James both got what they deserved. Let's hope Rock C comes back to her senses
Tojo Gets Stitches!!
----I got this from Tojo Yamamoto Jr. The letter with it stated that Tojo received 100 stitches and had to get 4 pints of blood put back into his body, because of the cut.
Monday, January 25, 2010
(WGN) Jan 25: Raw tonight, WWE settles lawsuit, McMahon talks Katie Vick, Bret Hart update, Undertaker misses house show, TNA injury note and more!!
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WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Monday January 25, 2010
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Wrestling Globe Newsletter by Mike Aldren - All the latest professional wrestling news, gossip and occasional opinion direct to you.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
1/23 SD/ECW house show results from Hammond, IN: R-Truth over Dolph Ziggler; The Hart Dynasty over Jimmy Yang & Slam Master J; Tyler Reks over Goldust; Mickie James & Maria over Beth Phoenix & Layla; Matt Hardy over Finlay; Christian over Ezekiel Jackson; Drew McIntyre over John Morrison; and Rey Mysterio & Kane over Chris Jericho & CM Punk. The show was a complete sell out drawing 4,000.
1/24 Raw house show results from Champaign, IL: Chris Masters over Johnny Curtis; Mark Henry & Evan Bourne over Legacy; The Miz beat Primo, Carlito & MVP in a four-way; Gail Kim & Bella Twins over Maryse & Jillian Hall & Alicia Fox in a trios match with Santino as guest referee; Big Show over Jack Swagger in an over-the-top-rope challenge; Randy Orton over Kofi Kingston; and John Cena over Sheamus via DQ. Show drew an estimated 8,000.
1/24 SD/ECW house show results from Cleveland, OH: Drew McIntyre over Matt Hardy, R-Truth & John Morrison in a four-way; Mickie James & Maria over Beth Phoenix & Lalya; The Hart Dynasty over Jimmy Yang & Slam Master J; Christian over Ezekiel Jackson; Tyler Reks over Goldust; Finlay over Dolph Ziggler; Rey Mysterio & Kane over CM Punk & Luke Gallows; and Triple H over Chris Jericho. Show drew an estimated 5,000.
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The lawsuit Jody Hamilton brought against WWE was settled out of court for an undisclosed fee, according to Hamilton's attorney out of Atlanta. Hamilton, 72, who was a wrestler in the 60s, 70s and 80s as The Assassin, reopened his Deep South Wrestling promotion in 2005 as an affiliate of WWE, to train talents signed to developmental contracts. In 2007, WWE abruptly ended their contract with Hamilton and DSW with no notice. In April 2009, Hamilton sued for breach of contract and intentional interference with contractual and business relations. His attorney claimed that, WWE "fraudulently contrived a reason to end the agreement" without giving 90-days notice as laid out in the contract between Hamilton, DSW, and WWE. A key-paragraph in the suit read: "WWE unlawfully entered the premises occupied by Hamilton and DSW and removed property that belonged to DSW and Hamilton. Contemporaneously with its clandestine operation to dismantle DSW's operation and cripple its ability to operate at all, John Laurentis [sic], WWE's VP of Promotions and a member of the Board of Directors [Laurinaitis is actually WWE EVP of Talent Relations], assembled all the independant contractor wrestlers who were committed to DSW's upcoming events and issued an ominous warning. He cautioned them that, 'if they ever set foot in this building again or had anything to do with Hamilton or DSW their relationship with WWE would end and they would never work again in the wrestling industry.'" Apparently there were two former WWE talents willing to come forward and testify that Laurinaitis gave that speech. WWE were unsuccessful in a motion to dismiss so settled with Hamilton before the case went to trial.
The Undertaker and Michelle McCool, who turns 30 today, missed the Smackdown show last night in Cleveland due to a death in their family. Triple H was brought in as Taker's replacement in the main event against Jericho. Both are expected back for TV tomorrow in Cincinnati.
Bret Hart is scheduled back with WWE this week. Not sure he will appear at the Royal Rumble but likely next Monday in Nashville.
Linda McMahon appeared on Face the State, a political show in Connecticut, which is the first extended television interview of her Senate campaign. She fielded questions from two local journalists, including questions on the content of WWE TV, the Wellness Program, independent contractor status, and Henry Waxman's congressional enquiry into illegal steroid use in pro wrestling. She came across very well and wasn't flustered at any point. When asked about the Katie Vick storyline involving Triple H simulating sex with a corpse she admitted that creative pushed the envelope too far with that one and brought up the change from TV14 to PG. Other interesting notes are that one of her heroes is Maggie Thatcher [UK Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990] and that Vince McMahon might campaign with her closer to the Republican Primary. Full interview is online at www.wfsb.com.
A lot of unhappy fans in Chicago this past weekend. Rey Mysterio was in town for a book signing at KMart. Hundreds of fans turned out and purchased $35 or more of merchandise for a wristband that was supposed to guarantee them an autograph. However, Kmart allowed people to stand in line without a wristband. To make matters worse Mysterio was 30 minutes late arriving to the signing and tried to leave early. All hell broke loose. People rushed him and security had to force people back so he could escape. Afterwards lots of people took the merchandise they just purchased back to the counter for a refund.
WWE are keeping the CM Punk gimmick alive at weekend live events as they are finding local workers/fans willing to have their heads shaved.
Jamie Noble was working the Smackdown tour as an agent over the weekend.
The Miz is profiled in his hometown paper at http://tinyurl.com/ydn8nxt. Miz' father is quoted as saying in the article: "Michael has got a fantastic personality... He's very, very smart. He's a comedian. I think he's going to definitely go into movies or something. I don't think that's his goal, but what they're doing with him on WWE, I don't see them doing that with anybody else." Umm, okay.
Alan Wojcik at http://alanwojcik.com has an interview with the former DJ Gabriel [Steve Lewington] talking about his release: "I don’t have any bitterness for the WWE because the only thing they did was give me a chance. That’s all I asked for. I didn’t complain about the personas I played and I don’t have any ill feelings towards anyone in the WWE. I was lucky enough to be in the number one company in the world for almost five years because I proved that I had what it took to be there. I’m utmost happy about my tenure with the WWE and maybe one day I’ll return." He said he has friends in TNA and would love to go there if the opportunity presented itself.
There is a presale tomorrow morning for WrestleMania Axxess. There are $55 VIP tickets that get you line jumps to interactive areas, an 8x 10 signed photo, and access to an exclusive area ringside. Standard price is $35.
Chasing The Grail, the fourth album of Fozzy with Chris Jericho, goes on sale tomorrow via iTunes.com. The track, Martyr No More, from the album is the official theme song of the Royal Rumble.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
TNA debuts in France tonight with a house show at Le Zenith De Paris. No line up announced. The original date that was booked for Sunday had an advance of 3,500. A good advance considering they currently have no television in the country and have done very little by way of advertising. Dixie Carter will be at the show and is presumably working this week to address the TV situation in France.
The remaining tour dates are all in the UK this coming week with stops in Bournemouth, Cardiff, Coventry, Manchester, and London. We're looking for readers reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.
The Beautiful People [Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne] have been called in for the remainder of the tour starting with Bournemouth on Tuesday. They are working tags against Taylor Wilde and Sarita. Not sure where this leaves Hamada.
***
AJ Styles rips on WWE at www.the-sun.co.uk/wrestling saying, "All the horror stories I've heard about WWE, there is no reason why I'd want to go. I'm going to tell you what I know as the main difference between the two companies. Desmond [Wolfe] and I are going to work together to make this company the best, for everybody. Whereas in the other company they will stab each other in the back to get themselves to the next level. It's not about me. It's about us in TNA." Regarding reverting back to a traditional wrestling ring, Styles said the reason he was given was that they wanted to be taken seriously as a wrestling company. He said: "I can understand that. I don't care what it is that gets us to the next level as long as we get there."
There is talk of Styles bleaching his hair as part of the new storyline with Ric Flair.
Styles also promotes the UK tour at http://tinyurl.com/ykchg4r. When asked about watching British wrestling he said he didn't but put over Johhny Saint after watching some of his matches on tape.
Roxxi is having X-Rays on her ankle today to determine whether her fracture has healed enough to start light training.
The storyline with Jay Lethal jobbing to old-timers appears to have been dropped under the new regime. The original plan was for this to lead to Lethal dropping the Machismo gimmick.
Hulk Hogan was awarded a judgment in his favor over ex-wife Linda removing fixtures and fittings from their Bellaire mansion. Hogan filed a complaint in December which claimed that Linda unlawfully removed items from their former family home including chandeliers, a tanning bed and even a "wooden antique toilet seat from the guest house". A friend of Hogan [wonder who that could be?] that wasn't named is quoted in various showbiz reports saying that a judge has ordered Linda to return the toilet seat and other items she had removed. Linda sent out a press release through her agent before the holidays claiming she had used the toilet seat to frame a photo of the Hulkster.
Trishelle Cannatella wrote on her Twitter page that she watches TNA and would love to appear on the show. She is the former Real World contestant who gained notoriety for having a three-way in a hot tub with two other male contestants, and later had a fling with The Miz during a Real World/Road Rules reunion show. She was also one of the women on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling.
Lance Storm reviews last Thursday's edition of Impact and makes some great points about the show at http://tinyurl.com/y97almr.
John Pollock of The Fight Network posted his December interview with Hulk Hogan at http://tinyurl.com/yfceysq.
Tara has an upcoming interview in Lifestyle magazine.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Ring of Honor tonight on HD Net has The Briscoes vs. Cheech & Cloudy; Skullkrusher Raschke Brown vs. Bobby Shields; and Kenny King vs. El Generico. Plus, Jim Cornette handles business regarding the Final Battle controversy involving ROH champ Austin Aries and Tyler Black. More info at www.rohwrestling.com.
Tooth Fairy with Dwayne Johnson finished the weekend at No. 4 at the U.S. box office. Studio estimates has the movie taking in $14.5 million [plus $6.3M overseas] for its first weekend behind Legion [$18.2M, first week], The Book of Eli [$17M, second week], and Avatar [$36M, sixth week]... Avatar is on a course to become the highest-grossing movie of all time ahead of Titanic.
Cinematical.com has a Q&A with Dwayne Johnson at http://tinyurl.com/ygj7jw3. When asked how wrestling has helped him for acting, he said: "Wrestling has helped me [because] now I guess it goes back to checking your ego at the door. I didn't have to win, and winning wasn't important to me. Being world champion wasn't important to me. What was important to me was entertaining the audience, and whether that meant winning, losing, singing, or whatever it was on the live show we were doing every week, which was awesome, I was game for it. So I think you check your ego at the door, put your audience first, make sure you love your material, and then think about how much the audience is going to enjoy it as well." ... Julie Andrews puts over Johnson at http://tinyurl.com/y9hol4l.
Gabe Sapolsky talks Dragon Gate USA, TNA vs. WWE, his excommunication from Ring of Honor, and more at http://tinyurl.com/y937xcu.
WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel will be participating in a special Q&A session at the Promolast Atlanta Reunion Fanfest scheduled for June 4 and 5 in Atlanta, GA. Diamond Dallas Page and Kimberly will also be giving a Yoga demo at the event. Other talent booked to appear include Booker T, Lex Luger, Ron Simmons, Molly Holly, and Glacier. More info at www.promolastevents.com.
The American Wrestling Rampage tour of France has been moved from March to November with dates in Bordeaux, Marseille, Grenoble, Dijon, Lille, and Rouen.
The New York State Wrestling Federation runs on March 20 at the high school in New Rochelle, NY, with Jimmy Suka, Trevor Murdoch, plus a Mexican midget match. This event serves as a fundraiser for the New Rochelle Girls’ Varsity Basketball Team. Tickets are available at www.nyswfwrestling.com.
www.InYourHeadOnline.com has an audio interview up with Bruno Sammartino.
www.forceofwrestling.com has an interview with Balls Mahoney.
Today's Diva of the Day is Dawn Marie at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Monday January 25, 2010
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Wrestling Globe Newsletter by Mike Aldren - All the latest professional wrestling news, gossip and occasional opinion direct to you.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
1/23 SD/ECW house show results from Hammond, IN: R-Truth over Dolph Ziggler; The Hart Dynasty over Jimmy Yang & Slam Master J; Tyler Reks over Goldust; Mickie James & Maria over Beth Phoenix & Layla; Matt Hardy over Finlay; Christian over Ezekiel Jackson; Drew McIntyre over John Morrison; and Rey Mysterio & Kane over Chris Jericho & CM Punk. The show was a complete sell out drawing 4,000.
1/24 Raw house show results from Champaign, IL: Chris Masters over Johnny Curtis; Mark Henry & Evan Bourne over Legacy; The Miz beat Primo, Carlito & MVP in a four-way; Gail Kim & Bella Twins over Maryse & Jillian Hall & Alicia Fox in a trios match with Santino as guest referee; Big Show over Jack Swagger in an over-the-top-rope challenge; Randy Orton over Kofi Kingston; and John Cena over Sheamus via DQ. Show drew an estimated 8,000.
1/24 SD/ECW house show results from Cleveland, OH: Drew McIntyre over Matt Hardy, R-Truth & John Morrison in a four-way; Mickie James & Maria over Beth Phoenix & Lalya; The Hart Dynasty over Jimmy Yang & Slam Master J; Christian over Ezekiel Jackson; Tyler Reks over Goldust; Finlay over Dolph Ziggler; Rey Mysterio & Kane over CM Punk & Luke Gallows; and Triple H over Chris Jericho. Show drew an estimated 5,000.
***
The lawsuit Jody Hamilton brought against WWE was settled out of court for an undisclosed fee, according to Hamilton's attorney out of Atlanta. Hamilton, 72, who was a wrestler in the 60s, 70s and 80s as The Assassin, reopened his Deep South Wrestling promotion in 2005 as an affiliate of WWE, to train talents signed to developmental contracts. In 2007, WWE abruptly ended their contract with Hamilton and DSW with no notice. In April 2009, Hamilton sued for breach of contract and intentional interference with contractual and business relations. His attorney claimed that, WWE "fraudulently contrived a reason to end the agreement" without giving 90-days notice as laid out in the contract between Hamilton, DSW, and WWE. A key-paragraph in the suit read: "WWE unlawfully entered the premises occupied by Hamilton and DSW and removed property that belonged to DSW and Hamilton. Contemporaneously with its clandestine operation to dismantle DSW's operation and cripple its ability to operate at all, John Laurentis [sic], WWE's VP of Promotions and a member of the Board of Directors [Laurinaitis is actually WWE EVP of Talent Relations], assembled all the independant contractor wrestlers who were committed to DSW's upcoming events and issued an ominous warning. He cautioned them that, 'if they ever set foot in this building again or had anything to do with Hamilton or DSW their relationship with WWE would end and they would never work again in the wrestling industry.'" Apparently there were two former WWE talents willing to come forward and testify that Laurinaitis gave that speech. WWE were unsuccessful in a motion to dismiss so settled with Hamilton before the case went to trial.
The Undertaker and Michelle McCool, who turns 30 today, missed the Smackdown show last night in Cleveland due to a death in their family. Triple H was brought in as Taker's replacement in the main event against Jericho. Both are expected back for TV tomorrow in Cincinnati.
Bret Hart is scheduled back with WWE this week. Not sure he will appear at the Royal Rumble but likely next Monday in Nashville.
Linda McMahon appeared on Face the State, a political show in Connecticut, which is the first extended television interview of her Senate campaign. She fielded questions from two local journalists, including questions on the content of WWE TV, the Wellness Program, independent contractor status, and Henry Waxman's congressional enquiry into illegal steroid use in pro wrestling. She came across very well and wasn't flustered at any point. When asked about the Katie Vick storyline involving Triple H simulating sex with a corpse she admitted that creative pushed the envelope too far with that one and brought up the change from TV14 to PG. Other interesting notes are that one of her heroes is Maggie Thatcher [UK Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990] and that Vince McMahon might campaign with her closer to the Republican Primary. Full interview is online at www.wfsb.com.
A lot of unhappy fans in Chicago this past weekend. Rey Mysterio was in town for a book signing at KMart. Hundreds of fans turned out and purchased $35 or more of merchandise for a wristband that was supposed to guarantee them an autograph. However, Kmart allowed people to stand in line without a wristband. To make matters worse Mysterio was 30 minutes late arriving to the signing and tried to leave early. All hell broke loose. People rushed him and security had to force people back so he could escape. Afterwards lots of people took the merchandise they just purchased back to the counter for a refund.
WWE are keeping the CM Punk gimmick alive at weekend live events as they are finding local workers/fans willing to have their heads shaved.
Jamie Noble was working the Smackdown tour as an agent over the weekend.
The Miz is profiled in his hometown paper at http://tinyurl.com/ydn8nxt. Miz' father is quoted as saying in the article: "Michael has got a fantastic personality... He's very, very smart. He's a comedian. I think he's going to definitely go into movies or something. I don't think that's his goal, but what they're doing with him on WWE, I don't see them doing that with anybody else." Umm, okay.
Alan Wojcik at http://alanwojcik.com has an interview with the former DJ Gabriel [Steve Lewington] talking about his release: "I don’t have any bitterness for the WWE because the only thing they did was give me a chance. That’s all I asked for. I didn’t complain about the personas I played and I don’t have any ill feelings towards anyone in the WWE. I was lucky enough to be in the number one company in the world for almost five years because I proved that I had what it took to be there. I’m utmost happy about my tenure with the WWE and maybe one day I’ll return." He said he has friends in TNA and would love to go there if the opportunity presented itself.
There is a presale tomorrow morning for WrestleMania Axxess. There are $55 VIP tickets that get you line jumps to interactive areas, an 8x 10 signed photo, and access to an exclusive area ringside. Standard price is $35.
Chasing The Grail, the fourth album of Fozzy with Chris Jericho, goes on sale tomorrow via iTunes.com. The track, Martyr No More, from the album is the official theme song of the Royal Rumble.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
TNA debuts in France tonight with a house show at Le Zenith De Paris. No line up announced. The original date that was booked for Sunday had an advance of 3,500. A good advance considering they currently have no television in the country and have done very little by way of advertising. Dixie Carter will be at the show and is presumably working this week to address the TV situation in France.
The remaining tour dates are all in the UK this coming week with stops in Bournemouth, Cardiff, Coventry, Manchester, and London. We're looking for readers reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.
The Beautiful People [Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne] have been called in for the remainder of the tour starting with Bournemouth on Tuesday. They are working tags against Taylor Wilde and Sarita. Not sure where this leaves Hamada.
***
AJ Styles rips on WWE at www.the-sun.co.uk/wrestling saying, "All the horror stories I've heard about WWE, there is no reason why I'd want to go. I'm going to tell you what I know as the main difference between the two companies. Desmond [Wolfe] and I are going to work together to make this company the best, for everybody. Whereas in the other company they will stab each other in the back to get themselves to the next level. It's not about me. It's about us in TNA." Regarding reverting back to a traditional wrestling ring, Styles said the reason he was given was that they wanted to be taken seriously as a wrestling company. He said: "I can understand that. I don't care what it is that gets us to the next level as long as we get there."
There is talk of Styles bleaching his hair as part of the new storyline with Ric Flair.
Styles also promotes the UK tour at http://tinyurl.com/ykchg4r. When asked about watching British wrestling he said he didn't but put over Johhny Saint after watching some of his matches on tape.
Roxxi is having X-Rays on her ankle today to determine whether her fracture has healed enough to start light training.
The storyline with Jay Lethal jobbing to old-timers appears to have been dropped under the new regime. The original plan was for this to lead to Lethal dropping the Machismo gimmick.
Hulk Hogan was awarded a judgment in his favor over ex-wife Linda removing fixtures and fittings from their Bellaire mansion. Hogan filed a complaint in December which claimed that Linda unlawfully removed items from their former family home including chandeliers, a tanning bed and even a "wooden antique toilet seat from the guest house". A friend of Hogan [wonder who that could be?] that wasn't named is quoted in various showbiz reports saying that a judge has ordered Linda to return the toilet seat and other items she had removed. Linda sent out a press release through her agent before the holidays claiming she had used the toilet seat to frame a photo of the Hulkster.
Trishelle Cannatella wrote on her Twitter page that she watches TNA and would love to appear on the show. She is the former Real World contestant who gained notoriety for having a three-way in a hot tub with two other male contestants, and later had a fling with The Miz during a Real World/Road Rules reunion show. She was also one of the women on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling.
Lance Storm reviews last Thursday's edition of Impact and makes some great points about the show at http://tinyurl.com/y97almr.
John Pollock of The Fight Network posted his December interview with Hulk Hogan at http://tinyurl.com/yfceysq.
Tara has an upcoming interview in Lifestyle magazine.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Ring of Honor tonight on HD Net has The Briscoes vs. Cheech & Cloudy; Skullkrusher Raschke Brown vs. Bobby Shields; and Kenny King vs. El Generico. Plus, Jim Cornette handles business regarding the Final Battle controversy involving ROH champ Austin Aries and Tyler Black. More info at www.rohwrestling.com.
Tooth Fairy with Dwayne Johnson finished the weekend at No. 4 at the U.S. box office. Studio estimates has the movie taking in $14.5 million [plus $6.3M overseas] for its first weekend behind Legion [$18.2M, first week], The Book of Eli [$17M, second week], and Avatar [$36M, sixth week]... Avatar is on a course to become the highest-grossing movie of all time ahead of Titanic.
Cinematical.com has a Q&A with Dwayne Johnson at http://tinyurl.com/ygj7jw3. When asked how wrestling has helped him for acting, he said: "Wrestling has helped me [because] now I guess it goes back to checking your ego at the door. I didn't have to win, and winning wasn't important to me. Being world champion wasn't important to me. What was important to me was entertaining the audience, and whether that meant winning, losing, singing, or whatever it was on the live show we were doing every week, which was awesome, I was game for it. So I think you check your ego at the door, put your audience first, make sure you love your material, and then think about how much the audience is going to enjoy it as well." ... Julie Andrews puts over Johnson at http://tinyurl.com/y9hol4l.
Gabe Sapolsky talks Dragon Gate USA, TNA vs. WWE, his excommunication from Ring of Honor, and more at http://tinyurl.com/y937xcu.
WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel will be participating in a special Q&A session at the Promolast Atlanta Reunion Fanfest scheduled for June 4 and 5 in Atlanta, GA. Diamond Dallas Page and Kimberly will also be giving a Yoga demo at the event. Other talent booked to appear include Booker T, Lex Luger, Ron Simmons, Molly Holly, and Glacier. More info at www.promolastevents.com.
The American Wrestling Rampage tour of France has been moved from March to November with dates in Bordeaux, Marseille, Grenoble, Dijon, Lille, and Rouen.
The New York State Wrestling Federation runs on March 20 at the high school in New Rochelle, NY, with Jimmy Suka, Trevor Murdoch, plus a Mexican midget match. This event serves as a fundraiser for the New Rochelle Girls’ Varsity Basketball Team. Tickets are available at www.nyswfwrestling.com.
www.InYourHeadOnline.com has an audio interview up with Bruno Sammartino.
www.forceofwrestling.com has an interview with Balls Mahoney.
Today's Diva of the Day is Dawn Marie at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
Jason Reed: Photo of the Week!!!
----Jason writes.."Rufus walked around for ever like this lol."
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RassleResults: Traditional Championship Wrestling Russellville, AR 1.23.10
Traditional Championship Wrestling
Sat. Jan. 23, 2010
Russellville, AR
Hughes Community Center
1) Apoc pinned Steve Anthony by reversing a Pat O'Conner roll and hooking the tights. Afterwards, Anthony gave him a plancha, rolled him back in, hit a superkick, and the 450 splash off the top for a good pop.
2) Prince Al Farat beat Scott Murdoch with a camel clutch.
3) "Latin Lover" Antonio Garza beat ACW Champion Mike Jackson to win the belt.
4) Kid J beat Lil' Bruiser in a midget match with the tadpole splash off the top rope. Afterwards, The Dark Circle hit Kid J with a double flapjack (from their knees). Reckage & Romance made the save. EMTs stretched Kid J from the arena.
5) Johnny Dotson beat Alan Steele with Rich Rude.
6) Tag Team Champions Reckage & Romance (Matt Riviera & Jeff Jett) beat Midnight Gold (Bobby Eaton & Greg Anthony) with Brian Thompson when Riviera pinned Eaton. Good tag match.
7)International Champion Tim Storm beat Al Snow via disqualification.
Sellout of 500 fans. Buddy Landel was taken off the show due to an illness. Snow was brought in as a replacement last minute.
Next show is Superclash on Feb. 27 in Clarksville, AR at the Marvin Vinson Multi-Purpose Building with Jerry Lynn, Danny Hodge, General Skandor Akbar, and a girls match with Malia Hosaka vs. Athena.
----This group has been promoting as "Mid-South Wrestling", but this one was listed as Traditional Championship Wrestling...RRO Nominees and winners - Dotson, Rivera, "Gold" with Thompson and Steele were all on the show...This was the biggest show of the year so far and last week's being the second.
Sat. Jan. 23, 2010
Russellville, AR
Hughes Community Center
1) Apoc pinned Steve Anthony by reversing a Pat O'Conner roll and hooking the tights. Afterwards, Anthony gave him a plancha, rolled him back in, hit a superkick, and the 450 splash off the top for a good pop.
2) Prince Al Farat beat Scott Murdoch with a camel clutch.
3) "Latin Lover" Antonio Garza beat ACW Champion Mike Jackson to win the belt.
4) Kid J beat Lil' Bruiser in a midget match with the tadpole splash off the top rope. Afterwards, The Dark Circle hit Kid J with a double flapjack (from their knees). Reckage & Romance made the save. EMTs stretched Kid J from the arena.
5) Johnny Dotson beat Alan Steele with Rich Rude.
6) Tag Team Champions Reckage & Romance (Matt Riviera & Jeff Jett) beat Midnight Gold (Bobby Eaton & Greg Anthony) with Brian Thompson when Riviera pinned Eaton. Good tag match.
7)International Champion Tim Storm beat Al Snow via disqualification.
Sellout of 500 fans. Buddy Landel was taken off the show due to an illness. Snow was brought in as a replacement last minute.
Next show is Superclash on Feb. 27 in Clarksville, AR at the Marvin Vinson Multi-Purpose Building with Jerry Lynn, Danny Hodge, General Skandor Akbar, and a girls match with Malia Hosaka vs. Athena.
----This group has been promoting as "Mid-South Wrestling", but this one was listed as Traditional Championship Wrestling...RRO Nominees and winners - Dotson, Rivera, "Gold" with Thompson and Steele were all on the show...This was the biggest show of the year so far and last week's being the second.
RassleResults: Mid-South Wrestling Ft. Worth Smith, AR 01.16.10 -Big Crowd!!
Mid-South Wrestling
Sat. Jan. 16, 2010
Ft. Smith, AR
Events Center
1) Dexter Hardaway with Talon beat Shawn Shultz with Tony Lacassio. Finish saw Talon spear Lacassio blocking his interference, and Hardaway hitting a sunset flip for the finish.
2) Prince Al Farat beat Private Sebren with a camel clutch.
3) John Saxon beat Prince Al Farat via countout.
4) Apoc defeated Wes Robinson with a Death Valle Driver.
5) Steve Anthony beat Greg Anthony with Brian Thompson via disqualification. Afterwards, S Anthony hit the 450 splash on G Anthony to a monster pop.
6) Athena beat Malia Hosaka with a school girl with special guest referee DJ Dennis McCasslin. Hosaka kicked McCasslin in the nuts afterwards and began choking him until all the referees ran out and pulled her off of him.
7) International Champion Tim Storm beat Al Snow.
8) Tag Team Champions Reckage & Romance (Matt Riviera & Jeff Jett) beat Alan Steele & Buddy Landel with Riviera pinned Steele after the One Night Stand.
Attedance was 400. This group is changing its name to Traditional Championship Wrestling. Their website is www.traditionalwrestling.com.
Sat. Jan. 16, 2010
Ft. Smith, AR
Events Center
1) Dexter Hardaway with Talon beat Shawn Shultz with Tony Lacassio. Finish saw Talon spear Lacassio blocking his interference, and Hardaway hitting a sunset flip for the finish.
2) Prince Al Farat beat Private Sebren with a camel clutch.
3) John Saxon beat Prince Al Farat via countout.
4) Apoc defeated Wes Robinson with a Death Valle Driver.
5) Steve Anthony beat Greg Anthony with Brian Thompson via disqualification. Afterwards, S Anthony hit the 450 splash on G Anthony to a monster pop.
6) Athena beat Malia Hosaka with a school girl with special guest referee DJ Dennis McCasslin. Hosaka kicked McCasslin in the nuts afterwards and began choking him until all the referees ran out and pulled her off of him.
7) International Champion Tim Storm beat Al Snow.
8) Tag Team Champions Reckage & Romance (Matt Riviera & Jeff Jett) beat Alan Steele & Buddy Landel with Riviera pinned Steele after the One Night Stand.
Attedance was 400. This group is changing its name to Traditional Championship Wrestling. Their website is www.traditionalwrestling.com.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
RassleResults: NEW West Memphis, AR 1.22.10
-Justin Smart beat via blockbuster Jason Rose
-RRO MVP Performer 2009: Austin Lane beat RRO Most Underrated 2009: Alan Steele
-Shawn Reed over Dan Matthews
-Eric Wayne vs Kid Nikels - no contest
----Jason Rose is better known as Void in this area. He was a member of RRO's Tag Team of the Year 2008 "Black Label Society"...I was told the Steele/Lane bout was real good...Steele/Reed interfered in the main event...RRO Ref of the Year 2008/2009: Downtown Bruno was the ref...RRO Announcer of the Year 2009: Terrance Ward with John Steele did announcing duties.
-RRO MVP Performer 2009: Austin Lane beat RRO Most Underrated 2009: Alan Steele
-Shawn Reed over Dan Matthews
-Eric Wayne vs Kid Nikels - no contest
----Jason Rose is better known as Void in this area. He was a member of RRO's Tag Team of the Year 2008 "Black Label Society"...I was told the Steele/Lane bout was real good...Steele/Reed interfered in the main event...RRO Ref of the Year 2008/2009: Downtown Bruno was the ref...RRO Announcer of the Year 2009: Terrance Ward with John Steele did announcing duties.
(WGN) Jan 24: Royal Rumble, Kelly Kelly talks Test, TNA in Glasgow, Legend hospitalized, new guest hosts, Tara profiled and more!!
WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Sunday January 24, 2010
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Wrestling Globe Newsletter by Mike Aldren - All the latest professional wrestling news, gossip and occasional opinion direct to you. WGN is read by industry power players, many top wrestlers and thousands of fans from all around the world.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
1/22 Smackdown TV results from Greenville, SC: Finlay over Batista via DQ; John Morrison & R-Truth over Drew McIntyre & Chris Jericho; Cryme Tyme vs. Mike Knox & Charlie Haas was a no contest; and Great Khali & Matt Hardy over The Hart Dynasty. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jimmy Yang that was taped Tuesday didn't air due to time constraints.
1/22 Raw house show results from Cape Girardeau, MO: Yoshi Tatsu over Zack Ryder; Legacy over Evan Bourne & Mark Henry in a three-way; Gail Kim & The Bella Twins over Maryse, Alicia Fox & Jilian Hall with Santino as guest referee; Primo over Johnny Curtis; The Miz over Jack Swagger, MVP, and Carlito in a four-way; Big Show over Chris Masters; Randy Orton over Kofi Kingston; and John Cena over Sheamus via DQ. The show drew an estimated 5,500 in a 8,000 seat arena. Kelly Kelly was doing the deal with upgrading people to better seats.
1/23 Raw house show results from Evansville, IN: Yoshi Tatsu over Zack Ryder; Mark Henry over Jack Swagger in an over the top rope challenge; Legacy over Evan Bourne & Primo; Chris Masters over Johnny Curtis; The Miz over MVP & Calito in a three-way; Gail Kim & The Bella Twins over Maryse, Alicia Fox & Jilian Hall with Santino as guest referee; Randy Orton over Kofi Kingston; Triple H w/ Hornswoggle over Big Show in a street fight; and John Cena over Sheamus via DQ. Show drew an estimated 7,000.
The Raw crew runs this afternoon in Champaign, IL, while SD/ECW runs Cleveland with The Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho as the main event. Raw TV is Monday from Columbus with James Roday and Dule Hill of Psych fame. The SD/ECW tapings are Tuesday in Cincinnati with Drew McIntyre vs. John Morrison for the IC title; and DX vs. The Straight EDGE Society for the tag titles. We're looking for reader reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com as well as the SD/ECW show from last night in Hammond, IN.
***
The current line up for next Sunday's Royal Rumble: The Undertaker vs. Rey Mysterio for the World title; Sheamus vs. Randy Orton for the WWE title; Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson for the ECW title; Michelle McCool vs. Mickie James for the Women's title; and the 30-man Rumble match has 24 names announced thus far. There is one surprise planned or at least was as of last week. That leaves five spots for over 20 guys including Matt Hardy, John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, Drew McIntyre, Chavo, Finlay, Kozlov, The Hart Dynasty, and Cryme Tyme.
John Cena was switched to the Rumble match due to his back issues. The feeling was he couldn't perform at the level he wants in a singles title match at a major pay-per-view. After some shows of late he has been undergoing heat and ice therapy, and some other treatments, according to those who would know.
The Daily Star in the UK at http://tinyurl.com/y8bys94 has a story on Kelly Kelly, who publicly talks about the death of boyfriend Andrew "Test" Martin for the first time. She said: "I like to talk about him – to tell the world how great a man he was. He was a big part of my life, we were together for two-and-a- half years. When I first started [in ECW], Andrew looked after me. We were there together, we had some good times and some hard times – he wanted more than anything to be healthy. I honestly could not say enough about him – he was the love of my life. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about Andrew. He was an amazing person who had so much love to give the world – he loved wrestling." She also puts over Katie Lea for helping her develop in the ring. "I learned a lot from her – she is an amazing wrestler," Kelly said.
Superstars this past week with Chris Jericho vs. Kane did a 1.1 rating which is a good number.
Cheech & Chong were announced as Raw guest hosts for March 1 in Oklahoma City. For those who don't know they are basically a couple of pot head hippies from the 1970s who made some movies and released a string of comedy albums. And I mean that in the nicest possible way. Perhaps another demonstration of how out of touch the WWE is with pop culture although I'll take that back if they book the cast of Jersey Shore in 2010. I mean seriously, Cheech & Chong?
Jim Ross at www.jrsbarbq.com puts over former wrestling announcers Kevin Kelly and Tony Schiavone in his latest blog: "An emailer asked me who I felt like was an underrated, wrestling announcer that I can recall and Kevin Kelly's name came to mind. I always thought that Kevin did a really good job. I also think that Tony Schiavone is underrated and was an excellent announcer particularly during the Crockett era but Tony's passion for the product seemed to be beaten out of him by the end of the WCW days." Ross was also pushing again for Jerry Lawler to get his Wrestlemania match.
Former announcer Jonathan Coachman is now hosting Sportscenter Saturday on ESPN Radio.
The WWE website at http://tinyurl.com/yewe5l7 has a where are they now on Dan Spivey. Today he runs a construction company, Spivey Utility Construction, out of Odessa, FL. He talks about working for All-Japan during the 80s, teaming with Sid Eudy as The Skyscrapers in WCW, and the ill-fated Waylon Mercy gimmick during mid-90s WWF.
R-Truth kayfabes in the New Zealand Herald at http://tinyurl.com/y9sojcy.
The Miz at http://tinyurl.com/yevwlah talks about trying to break through the glass ceiling.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
1/23 house show results from Glasgow, Scotland: Amazing Red over Chris Sabin; Eric Young over Suicide; Hernandez over Rhino; Kurt Angle over Daniels & Desmond Wolfe in a three-way; Hamada over Sarita; Team 3D over Beer Money & The British Invasion in a three-way Tables match; and AJ Styles over Samoa Joe.
A packed house but not sold out. They used the six-sided ring plus a large video screen. Jeremy Borash was ring announcer doing his carny deal promising that the next time TNA returns to Glasgow they will tape television here. The Pope didn't work as he came down sick and the doctor wouldn't clear him. Neither Red or Doug Williams carried the X-title. D-Lo Brown was watching the matches from the crowd. Another interesting note is that the people treated Styles like a heel even though those promos with Flair haven't yet aired in the UK. The three-way between Angle, Daniels and Wolfe was said to be match of the night. One of our readers wrote: 'PPV quality match... Wolfe got so much heat, just for being English, Angle was over, there's no question. Daniels got a few cheers here and there. You would easily put this exact match on TV or a PPV, it was that good. Brilliant seeing Wolfe live, lots of "Nigel" chants and a few people chanting ROH. Angle won after an Angle Slam on Wolfe. I've seen Angle live before, even in a cage match with John Cena, but this was by far the best match I've seen him take part in live.'
Dixie Carter noted she was heading to Paris to take in TNA's debut in France on Monday at Le Zenith De Paris. The remaining dates are all in the UK with stops in Bournemouth, Cardiff, Coventry, Manchester, and London. We're looking for readers reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.
***
Impact this past week did a 1.3 rating [rounded up from 1.26] and 1.9 million viewers. That's an increase of 100,000 viewers from last week. Highest rated quarter hours were Q1 of hour one with Ric Flair/AJ Styles cutting a promo tied with Q3 and Q4 of hour two with the Ken Anderson-Abyss confrontation and the re-creation of the Montreal Screwjob with Kurt Angle and Hulk Hogan.
We had reports that Beer Money were ejected from a night club the other night in Glasgow called Lauders. Nothing serious.
Wes Sims was officially announced by Strikeforce as Bobby Lashley's opponent in Florida on January 30. Lashley makes his Strikeforce debut undefeated at 4-0 while Sims, 30, holds a pro MMA record of 22-12-1, with two no contests.
Mick Foley has a new blog on the TNA website featuring an excerpt from his forthcoming book. He talks about WWE and TNA wrestlers [without mentioning names] wishing they had gone into MMA rather than pro wrestling and recalls a story involving Brock Lesnar.
Tara and her custom car business was profiled on Louisville Life on Kentucky Education Television at http://tinyurl.com/yavyz2v. The story mentions her as a former WWE Diva, now a TNA Knockout, and features some clips from Impact.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
The legendary Gene Kiniski, 81, took a turn for the worse and is currently hospitalized in the Whatcome County area of Washington with pneumonia. He has been battling cancer which recently spread to his immune system. Kiniski was NWA champ from 1966 to 1969, and the only man to hold the NWA, AWA and WWA world championships.
Many readers asked about the Lipstick and Dynamite documentary on 50s and 60s women's wrestling. It's currently available free of charge at http://tinyurl.com/yjc48cw. Well worth going out of you way to see.
Tooth Fairy with Dwayne Johnson opened Friday at No. 4 at the U.S. box office taking in an estimated $3.5 million, behind Avatar [$9.1 million], Legion [$6.7 million], and The Book of Eli [4.9 million]. His last movie, Race to Witch Mountain, did $6.7 million on its opening day. Tooth Fairy is currently projected at doing $14 million this weekend... Sports Illustrated interviewed Johnson about the film at http://tinyurl.com/ybr4ddp.
Former Diva Candice Michelle did a Q&A for her fansite Candi-Shop.org. Nothing of real note. She said her biggest regret while in WWE was not listening to her body and returning too soon from injury, which actually pretty much killed her wrestling career. She said she was thrilled to become a mother and giving birth will be her greatest achievement in life.
The BBC News website at http://tinyurl.com/yju8z2x has a story on 1960s British grappler Tony Edwards, 69, who fought off street robbers by throwing his groceries at them. Edwards said: "My head sort of went back 40 years and I thought, 'I know what's going to happen here', but [the robbers] didn't, but [they] did when the soup landed!" His attackers ran away leaving Edwards with minor bruising.
Joey Kovar of MTV Real World Hollywood fame says he's training to become a pro wrestler and was looking at getting into TNA.
A fun story at http://tinyurl.com/y98956o about a new indy group in West Virginia who say they are different from WWE.
Mike Bucci [Simon Dean in WWE] gives tips on how indy wrestlers can get noticed by WWE at http://tinyurl.com/yd6eo4w.
Mike Mooneyham, who has the longest running weekly pro wrestling column in the world, talks all the latest news at http://tinyurl.com/yccznuu.
Today's Diva of the Day is Velvet Sky at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
Sunday January 24, 2010
=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Wrestling Globe Newsletter by Mike Aldren - All the latest professional wrestling news, gossip and occasional opinion direct to you. WGN is read by industry power players, many top wrestlers and thousands of fans from all around the world.
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
1/22 Smackdown TV results from Greenville, SC: Finlay over Batista via DQ; John Morrison & R-Truth over Drew McIntyre & Chris Jericho; Cryme Tyme vs. Mike Knox & Charlie Haas was a no contest; and Great Khali & Matt Hardy over The Hart Dynasty. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jimmy Yang that was taped Tuesday didn't air due to time constraints.
1/22 Raw house show results from Cape Girardeau, MO: Yoshi Tatsu over Zack Ryder; Legacy over Evan Bourne & Mark Henry in a three-way; Gail Kim & The Bella Twins over Maryse, Alicia Fox & Jilian Hall with Santino as guest referee; Primo over Johnny Curtis; The Miz over Jack Swagger, MVP, and Carlito in a four-way; Big Show over Chris Masters; Randy Orton over Kofi Kingston; and John Cena over Sheamus via DQ. The show drew an estimated 5,500 in a 8,000 seat arena. Kelly Kelly was doing the deal with upgrading people to better seats.
1/23 Raw house show results from Evansville, IN: Yoshi Tatsu over Zack Ryder; Mark Henry over Jack Swagger in an over the top rope challenge; Legacy over Evan Bourne & Primo; Chris Masters over Johnny Curtis; The Miz over MVP & Calito in a three-way; Gail Kim & The Bella Twins over Maryse, Alicia Fox & Jilian Hall with Santino as guest referee; Randy Orton over Kofi Kingston; Triple H w/ Hornswoggle over Big Show in a street fight; and John Cena over Sheamus via DQ. Show drew an estimated 7,000.
The Raw crew runs this afternoon in Champaign, IL, while SD/ECW runs Cleveland with The Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho as the main event. Raw TV is Monday from Columbus with James Roday and Dule Hill of Psych fame. The SD/ECW tapings are Tuesday in Cincinnati with Drew McIntyre vs. John Morrison for the IC title; and DX vs. The Straight EDGE Society for the tag titles. We're looking for reader reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com as well as the SD/ECW show from last night in Hammond, IN.
***
The current line up for next Sunday's Royal Rumble: The Undertaker vs. Rey Mysterio for the World title; Sheamus vs. Randy Orton for the WWE title; Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson for the ECW title; Michelle McCool vs. Mickie James for the Women's title; and the 30-man Rumble match has 24 names announced thus far. There is one surprise planned or at least was as of last week. That leaves five spots for over 20 guys including Matt Hardy, John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, Drew McIntyre, Chavo, Finlay, Kozlov, The Hart Dynasty, and Cryme Tyme.
John Cena was switched to the Rumble match due to his back issues. The feeling was he couldn't perform at the level he wants in a singles title match at a major pay-per-view. After some shows of late he has been undergoing heat and ice therapy, and some other treatments, according to those who would know.
The Daily Star in the UK at http://tinyurl.com/y8bys94 has a story on Kelly Kelly, who publicly talks about the death of boyfriend Andrew "Test" Martin for the first time. She said: "I like to talk about him – to tell the world how great a man he was. He was a big part of my life, we were together for two-and-a- half years. When I first started [in ECW], Andrew looked after me. We were there together, we had some good times and some hard times – he wanted more than anything to be healthy. I honestly could not say enough about him – he was the love of my life. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about Andrew. He was an amazing person who had so much love to give the world – he loved wrestling." She also puts over Katie Lea for helping her develop in the ring. "I learned a lot from her – she is an amazing wrestler," Kelly said.
Superstars this past week with Chris Jericho vs. Kane did a 1.1 rating which is a good number.
Cheech & Chong were announced as Raw guest hosts for March 1 in Oklahoma City. For those who don't know they are basically a couple of pot head hippies from the 1970s who made some movies and released a string of comedy albums. And I mean that in the nicest possible way. Perhaps another demonstration of how out of touch the WWE is with pop culture although I'll take that back if they book the cast of Jersey Shore in 2010. I mean seriously, Cheech & Chong?
Jim Ross at www.jrsbarbq.com puts over former wrestling announcers Kevin Kelly and Tony Schiavone in his latest blog: "An emailer asked me who I felt like was an underrated, wrestling announcer that I can recall and Kevin Kelly's name came to mind. I always thought that Kevin did a really good job. I also think that Tony Schiavone is underrated and was an excellent announcer particularly during the Crockett era but Tony's passion for the product seemed to be beaten out of him by the end of the WCW days." Ross was also pushing again for Jerry Lawler to get his Wrestlemania match.
Former announcer Jonathan Coachman is now hosting Sportscenter Saturday on ESPN Radio.
The WWE website at http://tinyurl.com/yewe5l7 has a where are they now on Dan Spivey. Today he runs a construction company, Spivey Utility Construction, out of Odessa, FL. He talks about working for All-Japan during the 80s, teaming with Sid Eudy as The Skyscrapers in WCW, and the ill-fated Waylon Mercy gimmick during mid-90s WWF.
R-Truth kayfabes in the New Zealand Herald at http://tinyurl.com/y9sojcy.
The Miz at http://tinyurl.com/yevwlah talks about trying to break through the glass ceiling.
TNA WRESTLING NEWS
1/23 house show results from Glasgow, Scotland: Amazing Red over Chris Sabin; Eric Young over Suicide; Hernandez over Rhino; Kurt Angle over Daniels & Desmond Wolfe in a three-way; Hamada over Sarita; Team 3D over Beer Money & The British Invasion in a three-way Tables match; and AJ Styles over Samoa Joe.
A packed house but not sold out. They used the six-sided ring plus a large video screen. Jeremy Borash was ring announcer doing his carny deal promising that the next time TNA returns to Glasgow they will tape television here. The Pope didn't work as he came down sick and the doctor wouldn't clear him. Neither Red or Doug Williams carried the X-title. D-Lo Brown was watching the matches from the crowd. Another interesting note is that the people treated Styles like a heel even though those promos with Flair haven't yet aired in the UK. The three-way between Angle, Daniels and Wolfe was said to be match of the night. One of our readers wrote: 'PPV quality match... Wolfe got so much heat, just for being English, Angle was over, there's no question. Daniels got a few cheers here and there. You would easily put this exact match on TV or a PPV, it was that good. Brilliant seeing Wolfe live, lots of "Nigel" chants and a few people chanting ROH. Angle won after an Angle Slam on Wolfe. I've seen Angle live before, even in a cage match with John Cena, but this was by far the best match I've seen him take part in live.'
Dixie Carter noted she was heading to Paris to take in TNA's debut in France on Monday at Le Zenith De Paris. The remaining dates are all in the UK with stops in Bournemouth, Cardiff, Coventry, Manchester, and London. We're looking for readers reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.
***
Impact this past week did a 1.3 rating [rounded up from 1.26] and 1.9 million viewers. That's an increase of 100,000 viewers from last week. Highest rated quarter hours were Q1 of hour one with Ric Flair/AJ Styles cutting a promo tied with Q3 and Q4 of hour two with the Ken Anderson-Abyss confrontation and the re-creation of the Montreal Screwjob with Kurt Angle and Hulk Hogan.
We had reports that Beer Money were ejected from a night club the other night in Glasgow called Lauders. Nothing serious.
Wes Sims was officially announced by Strikeforce as Bobby Lashley's opponent in Florida on January 30. Lashley makes his Strikeforce debut undefeated at 4-0 while Sims, 30, holds a pro MMA record of 22-12-1, with two no contests.
Mick Foley has a new blog on the TNA website featuring an excerpt from his forthcoming book. He talks about WWE and TNA wrestlers [without mentioning names] wishing they had gone into MMA rather than pro wrestling and recalls a story involving Brock Lesnar.
Tara and her custom car business was profiled on Louisville Life on Kentucky Education Television at http://tinyurl.com/yavyz2v. The story mentions her as a former WWE Diva, now a TNA Knockout, and features some clips from Impact.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
The legendary Gene Kiniski, 81, took a turn for the worse and is currently hospitalized in the Whatcome County area of Washington with pneumonia. He has been battling cancer which recently spread to his immune system. Kiniski was NWA champ from 1966 to 1969, and the only man to hold the NWA, AWA and WWA world championships.
Many readers asked about the Lipstick and Dynamite documentary on 50s and 60s women's wrestling. It's currently available free of charge at http://tinyurl.com/yjc48cw. Well worth going out of you way to see.
Tooth Fairy with Dwayne Johnson opened Friday at No. 4 at the U.S. box office taking in an estimated $3.5 million, behind Avatar [$9.1 million], Legion [$6.7 million], and The Book of Eli [4.9 million]. His last movie, Race to Witch Mountain, did $6.7 million on its opening day. Tooth Fairy is currently projected at doing $14 million this weekend... Sports Illustrated interviewed Johnson about the film at http://tinyurl.com/ybr4ddp.
Former Diva Candice Michelle did a Q&A for her fansite Candi-Shop.org. Nothing of real note. She said her biggest regret while in WWE was not listening to her body and returning too soon from injury, which actually pretty much killed her wrestling career. She said she was thrilled to become a mother and giving birth will be her greatest achievement in life.
The BBC News website at http://tinyurl.com/yju8z2x has a story on 1960s British grappler Tony Edwards, 69, who fought off street robbers by throwing his groceries at them. Edwards said: "My head sort of went back 40 years and I thought, 'I know what's going to happen here', but [the robbers] didn't, but [they] did when the soup landed!" His attackers ran away leaving Edwards with minor bruising.
Joey Kovar of MTV Real World Hollywood fame says he's training to become a pro wrestler and was looking at getting into TNA.
A fun story at http://tinyurl.com/y98956o about a new indy group in West Virginia who say they are different from WWE.
Mike Bucci [Simon Dean in WWE] gives tips on how indy wrestlers can get noticed by WWE at http://tinyurl.com/yd6eo4w.
Mike Mooneyham, who has the longest running weekly pro wrestling column in the world, talks all the latest news at http://tinyurl.com/yccznuu.
Today's Diva of the Day is Velvet Sky at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
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