WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT
4/14 Raw house show results from Strasbourg, France: Evan Bourne over Chavo Guerrero; Christian over Dos Caras; Willian Regal over MVP; Eve Torres over Maryse; The Miz over Kofi Kingston & Ted Dibiase in a three-way; Sheamus over Mark Henry; and Randy Orton & John Cena over Batista & Big show.
4/14 Smackdown house show results from Oberhausen, Germany: Kane over Shad Gaspard; Michelle McCool & Layla over Beth Phoenix & Mickie James; R-Truth over Dolph Ziggler; The Hart Dynasty over Caylen Croft & Trent Baretta; John Morrison over Luke Gallows; Drew McIntyre over Matt Hardy; Rey Mysterio over CM Punk; and Jack Swagger over Chris Jericho & Edge in a three-way.
The European tour continues today with Raw in Lille, France and Smackdown in Hannover, Germany. There may be some travel issues as many airports in Europe today are shut down due to volcano eruptions in Iceland, which has sent harmful volcanic ash up into airspaces.
Superstars tonight on WGN includes Matt Hardy vs. Carlito and MVP vs. Ted DiBiase.
***
Ezekiel Jackson underwent quadriceps surgery on Tuesday in Birmingham, AL and is expected to require six months of recovery time.
Matt Hardy was diagnosed with a deep bruise to his biceps but there was no tear so he's happy about that.
Comedian Chelsea Handler on her E! show Chelsea Lately, ripped David Hasselhoff and wrestling fans last night after Hasselhoff hosted Raw calling him a "Hoff-hole". Said Handler: "I do have one deep, dark secret. No, I do not have a secret love child or a penis. No, I, Chelsea Lately, am a fan of professional wrestling. Everybody knows I enjoy those over-sized meaty bodies, but what I really get hooked on is the masterful storytelling and subtle acting techniques. The other night when I tuned into WWE's Monday Night Raw, I was pissed. Someone made a guest appearance and reigned on my sweat Speedo parade. Check out this jackass... I shouldn't be so surprised that he made this appearance, this wienerschnitzel knows his demo. The same people who think wrestling is real think he's a real lifeguard."
A story in the UK Daily Record on Drew McIntyre talks about his relationship with Tiffany (Taryn Terrell). The story notes that Tiffany met his family for the first time on the European tour after getting engaged last year, and they may have their wedding in May, possibly in Scotland. He said, "From the moment Taryn and I met just over a year ago, we clicked. It was a fantastic moment and our relationship has just got better and better." McIntyre's mom was also quoted. "I've spoken to (Tiffany) on the phone and she sounds like a lovely girl. She's a real stunner. Drew's a lucky lad. It would be fantastic if they tied the knot in Scotland but he's been keeping things under wraps. It would be just like Drew to spring a surprise wedding on us at the last minute. He's always on the road and his plans are never set in stone but it will be lovely to see him. I miss him loads but I always knew he would end up living a jet-set lifestyle. He always wanted this and I'm just so happy that he's living out his dream."
Daniel Bryan noted in his blog that he's suffering from a fever and was really sick at the TV tapings this week. He wrote that he was unhappy with his promo on NXT. "It didn’t help that Matt Stryker interrupted me, but its not like I was going to light the world on fire anyways. When he said 'passion,' the idea that ran through my head was this: Explain the Daniel Bryan Manliness Meter. Describe one thing I’ve done that was really manly (in 2007 I detached my retina in a match and then continued fight for another ten minutes). Say that not only was that manly but it shows the passion I have. My closing line was going to be, 'Passion is what got me here, and passion will take me home.' It’s a line I’ve heard somewhere else, but I can’t remember where. Alas, I never got there and I didn’t feel like I had enough time after the interruption, so I just went for a cheap crowd reaction. And I DO love England! As a side note, I saw Vickie Guerrero later in the evening and she said, 'You sucked tonight.' Nothing to boost the old confidence like constructive criticism." He also talked about being thrilled working with Regal but wished they had longer than two minutes.
Regarding promos on NXT, Chris Jericho wrote on his Twitter: "To truly make it in the WWE, you have to be able to adapt to any situation and be ready for anything every time you step into the ring. Sometimes you have to add five mins onto a match with no notice. Sometimes injuries occur and you have to change things on the fly... And sometimes you have to cut a 30 second promo about toothpaste. The best can go with the flow and succeed in all situations and that's why the NXT Rookies had the talk off this week and that's why it was a very important and relevant segment."
NXT on Tuesday night did a 1.0 rating and 1.2 million viewers.
WWE will release their first quarter earnings results on 5/6 with a Vince McMahon hosted conference call that morning. These calls aren't as much fun as they used to be since WWE started screening callers and only allowing soft ball questions from certain people.
Mattel are releasing a special Undertaker action figure for the San Diego Comic Con this summer... Speaking of Taker, as things stand he is off house shows now until 6/19 at Madison Square Garden, but will be working some TV and PPV in a limited capacity.
WWE and Best Buy have reportedly signed a Blu Ray distribution deal.
TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING
As noted yesterday, Jim Cornette published an email promo he wrote to TNA Director of Talent Terry Taylor and the response he received from TNA's lawyers for what they viewed as "terroristic threats" towards Vince Russo. Cornette talks in depth about what led to the situation at http://whosslammingwho.podomatic.com/ explaining that the legal package he received contained the original email he sent, but showed that Taylor forwarded his message to Russo, so he views Taylor as "a stooge" and believes Russo pushed for legal action. He said he was venting to Taylor in a personal email and feels betrayed by his former friend of 30 years.
Russo is reportedly planning to move from Colorado to Nashville to be closer to the office. He's also been telling people lately that he's burned out on writing television and feels frustrated at tapings because people complain about their segments too much which leads to re-writes on the day of the shows.
Eric Bischoff on Cornette from his Facebook page: "Cornette doesn't know any business. He is a low rent con man that is only good at gaining the attention of the internet wrestling community. He's all yours! Trust me, he never has nor ever will become a part of a meaningful national promotion. But if you are looking for a bootleg DVD or a fake autograph... he's your guy!"
A lot of people have been praising Bischoff of late, especially after going on the house show loop last weekend. People were leery of his presence but noted that Russo has never attended a loop, which considering he's head writer is just mind boggling.
No decision has been made yet from Howard Stern's people regarding "Hulk Hogan Uncensored" becoming a regular radio gig on Sirus. We did get a detailed report from Monday night. Some total BS from Hogan here and bare in mind he was drinking Miller Lite during the show. The Wrestlemania 3 story is now that he tore his lat as well as his biceps and quadriceps doing the famous bodyslam on 700lb Andre the Giant. During that time he said he was wrestling 400 matches per year claiming he did double-shots on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. I guess that's a better explanation than in his book where he claims he did all these shows due to flying backwards and forwards across international timezones. He claimed in WCW that Chris Kanyon used to call him all the time and confessed he was gay and was always worried about it getting out. He also claimed his movie career never took off because a gay Hollywood producer came onto him in his 20s and blackballed him after he refused his advances. The best story he told was claiming that one time Ed "Brutus Beefcake" Leslie stayed at his house with a female who was giving him a blow job. He claimed Linda's mom walked in on Beefcake during the night and was convinced that she saw Hogan giving the blowjob to Beefcake. You can't even make this stuff up. Well, I guess you can...
Brutus Beefcake did an interview this week with http://hardcoresportsradio.com saying he's ready for TNA whenever Hulk Hogan calls.
TNA Epics returns tonight on Spike at 11 with a Mick Foley themed show including Sting's Warriors vs. Jarrett's Army from Lethal Lockdown 2006; Foley vs. Kevin Nash from Hard Justice 2009; and Foley vs. Sting inside the cage from Lockdown 2009.
Velvet Sky is the latest guest on Hermie Sadler's TNA webshow at http://tinyurl.com/y7gg98m.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Indie wrestler J.T. Lightning (James Hasse, 40) out of Cleveland, OH was just diagnosed with cancer.
Nick Dinsmore Pro Wrestling Training Class will begin its very first semester on 5/11. Nick, formerly WWE's Eugene, has 14 years of professional wrestling experience and 9 years of training experience. He has helped train over 100 of the wrestling stars seen today. The class will meet two times a week for 10 weeks in Louisville, KY at the OVW Davis Arena. The class is designed for all experience levels. Cost is $1000. For more info email you2us@wrestlingglobe.com and we will forward your message or go to www.ovwrestling.com.
Torrie Wilson is busy working on a few new projects including some possible reality shows and movies. She's one of the few people that has shied away from wrestling-related bookings since leaving WWE a few years ago.
Former WWE Diva Ashley Massaro recently underwent minor surgery.
Austin Idol is currently writing a book on his life in the wrestling business. He also has a new website at www.tampasuperstars.com.
The American Wrestling Federation will be presenting Jimmy Snuka with a lifetime achievement award on 5/2 in King of Prussia, PA.
For more info call 484-681-4078.
There is another wrestling convention this weekend in White Plains NY at the Stepinac High School. Advertised names include Jim Duggan, Vampiro, AJ Styles, The Godfather, The Pope, Amazing Red, Tommy Dreamer, Greg Valentine, Tito Santana, Gillberg, Ox Baker, Butterbean, Shelly Martinez, Velvet Sky, Angelina Love, and Traci Brooks. More info at http://www.bedofnailz.com/fanfest
Bill Behrens at www.sbibookings.com is now booking for Tracy Brooks and Paul Burchall.
Awesome Kong is heading back to work in Japan soon for Neo Ladies Wrestling.
Dick Togo (Shigeki Sato, 40) recently announced his retirement for June 2011. Togo has worked for numerous Japanese promotions for 20 years as well as WWE, the original ECW and Ring of Honor.
Strikeforce is hoping to schedule Bobby Lashley for a May or June fight after plans for this weekend's show fell through.
Steve Austin talks hunting on his Texas ranch at http://tinyurl.com/y4h6847.
Dawn Marie's www.wrestlersrescue.org canceled their planned July charity cruise. "It has come to our attention that there is a similar cruise event being held within a month of our event. Due to the fear of not having enough participants because of this we are withdrawing our fundraiser cruise. We hope to plan another trip similar to this in the near future. We will keep everyone posted. Thank you for your continued support and understanding."
Today's Diva of the Day at Molly Holly http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
DORRY FUNK JR. ON GENE KINISKI
Funk's Corner - Gene Kiniski, "Give Him Hell Kid"
Giant Gene Kiniski caught me with a double leg pick-up and spun me around in a “Giant Swing” (Grabbed me by the ankles and spun me 360 degrees around and around). I could see the ring light at the Amarillo Sports Arena spinning overhead then I nearly passed out but came to as Gene slowed the Giant Swing and dropped me to the mat. Gene jumped on top of me with a rear chin lock and said, “Here comes your mother, kid. She is coming to help you. Dorothy is coming to ringside.”
Gene Kiniski was 6’ 5” tall 280 pounds of perpetual energy trained by my Father, Dory Funk Sr. We wrestled that night at the Amarillo Sports Arena to a one hour draw. I have often said that match with Gene Kiniski was one of the most demanding athletic events I have ever participated in.
Vancouver British Columbia 1963 - I wanted to be spectacular in the Battle Royal, "Impress the promoter." I was in the corner on the top rope with Tex McKinzie and Mike Sharpe in front of me, both 6' 9" tall. From the top rope I jumped over the top of them. As I jumped, Mike reached up and grabbed at my leg, throwing me off balance. In an effort to land standing in the middle of the ring I reached for the floor with one leg only. As I landed, I could feel my knee break to the inside.
The next morning I was in the doctors office. He said, "Check in the hospital tomorrow and we will do surgery." Disappointed and Dejected, I called promoter, Rod Fenton to give him the bad news. Fenton said, "Before you have surgery, call Gene Kiniski. I didn't speak much to Gene, I just listened. "Kid, go to a sporting good store and buy some tough skin, some tape, and long wrestling tights. Shave your leg and show up for the show one hour ahead of time.” I did what he said.
That night I had to cover up and sneak in the back door. I was on the main event and couldn't let the wrestling fans see that I couldn't walk. Gene was there one hour ahead of schedule. He taped my leg tight as a cast from top to bottom, then said bend it till you get a slight tear in the tape by your knee. As Gene left the room, he growled, "Okay kid, I will see you in the ring."
Gene Kiniski was there every night that week one hour ahead of schedule to tape my knee before we wrestled, then we would go into the ring and he would whip the heck out of me but leave the knee alone. I owe it to Gene Kiniski that I did not have to have surgery on my knee in Vancouver or ever in my life and Gene may have saved my career in professional wrestling.
Gene even told me what I should give him for a present as I was leaving Vancouver to return home to the Amarillo Territory. On the way I stopped by his home in Blain Washington with a 5th of Crown Royal.
When I first came to St. Louis, Gene Kiniski would tell me, "Listen Kid, I don't want to catch you staying at the Claridge Hotel or at the Senator Hotel where all the other wrestlers stay. You stay at a first class hotel, the Jefferson Hotel over on 12th street. I want to always see you in a suit or a sport coat. If you are going to make it to the top, you have got to dress and live like you are at the top. When you go into the ring, I want to see some wrestling holds, not just meat chopping. The sign out front says wrestling and that is what people want to see." Gene was my mentor, advisor and at times caretaker.
February 11, 1969 in Tampa, Florida I won the NWA World Championship from the man who saved my career Gene Kiniski. No one could be prouder of my career as NWA Champion than Gene Kiniski.
1996 - WCW Slamboree show in Atlanta - Gene was my manager in the legends match against Nick Bockwinkel with Verne Gagne in Nick‘s corner. As we walked into the ring at the Omni, Gene had his arm around my shoulder, still the boss and still telling me what to do. As we came to the center of the ring, He stopped, looked at me and said, "Look up, pointing to the top of the Omni Arena, “Your father is up there looking at us now. Do you see Nick Bockwinkel over there?" "Give Him hell Kid."
Gene Kiniski was a legend in the wrestling business as NWA World Champion and as a friend I can never thank enough for the guidance he was willing to give.
My condolences to Kelly, Nick and the family of Gene Kiniski.
Now on our website at http://www.dory-funk.com NWA World Championship Match February 11, 1969 from Tampa, Florida, Dory Funk Jr. vs. Gene Kiniski commentated by Gordon Solie.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Wayne's World "Life of a Wrestler" by Eric Wayne
Wayne's World is back and even though none of this is really groundbreaking, I wrote it for my website. Also, all the Wayne's World columns will start appearing on www.ericwaynewrestling.com as well as here.
Life of a wrestler
From the everyday aches and pains, to the sacrifices that are made..the life of a wrestler is definitely an adventure til the end. Not much of it makes sense at times but not everything has to make sense. It all adds up over time and in the end, all that matters is being inside the ring. Its an incredible sensation to make the fans scream, cheer, boo, cry, or go completely and eerily silent, watching people throw whatever is available or physically being held back by security. What's equally as important as that is the challenge of making a living in a business that has gone downhill tremendously when compared to what it once was. For those with the heart and dedication to become the best, its a long road but the final destination is worth the trip. The normal person never seems to quite understand why anyone would put themselves through so much for what seems like so little. Its always hard to explain because the answer changes all the time, for me at least.
The aches and pains that we feel everyday are what people in their 40s and 50s are supposed to feel, not someone in their mid-20s. Its not much different than what any other athlete feels on any given day, but the injuries seem to happen more often. Its rarely anything major but whether its jumping from 10feet in the air or being hit with chairs..or something as simple as a bodyslam or clothesline, it all adds up over time.
The sacrifices made aren't always physical either. It doesn't make sense to normal people that we would drive 3 hours for a 5 second match, which I did for several weeks. But the fact that we sometimes have to be gone all day for a 20 minute match at night can be confusing. Missing birthdays, funerals, weddings and countless other events are all just part of the life of a wrestler. When it comes to a wrestling family, you can count on a few of us being late or not there at all because of previous obligations. Making it home at 2 in the morning only to have to wake up at 7am is a normal occurrence for us as well.
The only thing people ever see is the final product. What happens in the ring is only 10% of what happens in the life of a wrestler. Long hours on the road, dealing with nagging injuries, missing time with family and friends, training to stay well conditioned...its all a normal day for us. Its not much different than what any other athlete goes through but the life of a wrestler can be just as strenuous as the life of any other athlete. Most of the time though, we face conditions that normal athletes don't. A lot of the time we deal with other wrestlers with a serious lack of training, poor building conditions, low pay and lots of bumps, bruises and soreness. But most of us have the same dream: a full time job wrestling. Once we fulfill our dream, nothing else matters.
Life of a wrestler
From the everyday aches and pains, to the sacrifices that are made..the life of a wrestler is definitely an adventure til the end. Not much of it makes sense at times but not everything has to make sense. It all adds up over time and in the end, all that matters is being inside the ring. Its an incredible sensation to make the fans scream, cheer, boo, cry, or go completely and eerily silent, watching people throw whatever is available or physically being held back by security. What's equally as important as that is the challenge of making a living in a business that has gone downhill tremendously when compared to what it once was. For those with the heart and dedication to become the best, its a long road but the final destination is worth the trip. The normal person never seems to quite understand why anyone would put themselves through so much for what seems like so little. Its always hard to explain because the answer changes all the time, for me at least.
The aches and pains that we feel everyday are what people in their 40s and 50s are supposed to feel, not someone in their mid-20s. Its not much different than what any other athlete feels on any given day, but the injuries seem to happen more often. Its rarely anything major but whether its jumping from 10feet in the air or being hit with chairs..or something as simple as a bodyslam or clothesline, it all adds up over time.
The sacrifices made aren't always physical either. It doesn't make sense to normal people that we would drive 3 hours for a 5 second match, which I did for several weeks. But the fact that we sometimes have to be gone all day for a 20 minute match at night can be confusing. Missing birthdays, funerals, weddings and countless other events are all just part of the life of a wrestler. When it comes to a wrestling family, you can count on a few of us being late or not there at all because of previous obligations. Making it home at 2 in the morning only to have to wake up at 7am is a normal occurrence for us as well.
The only thing people ever see is the final product. What happens in the ring is only 10% of what happens in the life of a wrestler. Long hours on the road, dealing with nagging injuries, missing time with family and friends, training to stay well conditioned...its all a normal day for us. Its not much different than what any other athlete goes through but the life of a wrestler can be just as strenuous as the life of any other athlete. Most of the time though, we face conditions that normal athletes don't. A lot of the time we deal with other wrestlers with a serious lack of training, poor building conditions, low pay and lots of bumps, bruises and soreness. But most of us have the same dream: a full time job wrestling. Once we fulfill our dream, nothing else matters.
Shows for the Weekend 4.16 to 4.18.10
----CLICK HERE for regular scheduled shows. Below are three big shows for the weekend.
-CLICK HERE for a Legends show details for Friday night.
-CLICK HERE for the ASWF Anniversary show on Saturday night in Tuckerman, AR.
-CLICK HERE for a benefit show in Trenton, TN on Sunday afternoon.
-CLICK HERE for a Legends show details for Friday night.
-CLICK HERE for the ASWF Anniversary show on Saturday night in Tuckerman, AR.
-CLICK HERE for a benefit show in Trenton, TN on Sunday afternoon.
RassleResults: NBW Results Wrapup Newbern, TN 3.27 to 4.10.10
3.27.10
Shannon Lee beat Azeal...Weezy beat Void...Jason Reed beat Big Red - No contest..."High Stakes" [Chris O'Neal/Stan Lee] beat Shannon Lee/Blaine Devine...JR Manson beat Jeremy Moore...Mark Justice/Kid vs Bishop/Motley Cruz - no contest
NOTES
"Stakes" match was for tag team title tourny...Rocker helped Manson beat Moore...90-100 in the crowd.
4.03.10
Shannon Lee beat Brandon Barbwire...Jason Reed/Big Red beat Mark Justice/Kid...Blaine Devine beat Weezy...Jeremy Moore beat Buckwheat..."High Stakes" [Chris O'Neal/Stan Lee] vs Bishop/Motely Cruz - no contest.
NOTES
80-85 in the crowd...Red/Reed tag was a tag team tourny matchup...Red/Reed are being forced to tag.
4.10.10
Stan Lee beat Blaine Devine...Shannon Lee beat Chris O'Neal...Derrick King/Cody Melton beat Weezy/JR Manson...Mark Justice/Kid beat Big Red...Jason Reed vs Jeremy Moore - no contest.
NOTES
60-70 in the crowd...DK/Melton match was a tag team tourny bout...Rocker/Eric Wayne made the save for Reed in the main.
Coming up for this week: Final week of 1st round of tag team tourny with Cruz/Bishop vs Dan Matthews/Kevin Charles...Eric Wayne/Kid Nikels vs Oz/Blaine Devine...NBW Title/Lacing Boots in the middle of ring vs Rocker being a slave: Jeremy Moore vs Chris Rocker.
----This group has improved their roster with EWE and NEW guys migrating to here. They picked up Stan Lee, Chris O'Neal, Kid Nikels and Eric Wayne as regulars in just the last few weeks...I like the idea of all these tag teams being put in a tag team tourny. I like an one night thing better, but in a way this is putting over the belts even more...One of my only gripes about their booking would be too many NO CONTEST bouts. I know a booker may use this to set up things in the future, but clean finishes can also do that.
Shannon Lee beat Azeal...Weezy beat Void...Jason Reed beat Big Red - No contest..."High Stakes" [Chris O'Neal/Stan Lee] beat Shannon Lee/Blaine Devine...JR Manson beat Jeremy Moore...Mark Justice/Kid vs Bishop/Motley Cruz - no contest
NOTES
"Stakes" match was for tag team title tourny...Rocker helped Manson beat Moore...90-100 in the crowd.
4.03.10
Shannon Lee beat Brandon Barbwire...Jason Reed/Big Red beat Mark Justice/Kid...Blaine Devine beat Weezy...Jeremy Moore beat Buckwheat..."High Stakes" [Chris O'Neal/Stan Lee] vs Bishop/Motely Cruz - no contest.
NOTES
80-85 in the crowd...Red/Reed tag was a tag team tourny matchup...Red/Reed are being forced to tag.
4.10.10
Stan Lee beat Blaine Devine...Shannon Lee beat Chris O'Neal...Derrick King/Cody Melton beat Weezy/JR Manson...Mark Justice/Kid beat Big Red...Jason Reed vs Jeremy Moore - no contest.
NOTES
60-70 in the crowd...DK/Melton match was a tag team tourny bout...Rocker/Eric Wayne made the save for Reed in the main.
Coming up for this week: Final week of 1st round of tag team tourny with Cruz/Bishop vs Dan Matthews/Kevin Charles...Eric Wayne/Kid Nikels vs Oz/Blaine Devine...NBW Title/Lacing Boots in the middle of ring vs Rocker being a slave: Jeremy Moore vs Chris Rocker.
----This group has improved their roster with EWE and NEW guys migrating to here. They picked up Stan Lee, Chris O'Neal, Kid Nikels and Eric Wayne as regulars in just the last few weeks...I like the idea of all these tag teams being put in a tag team tourny. I like an one night thing better, but in a way this is putting over the belts even more...One of my only gripes about their booking would be too many NO CONTEST bouts. I know a booker may use this to set up things in the future, but clean finishes can also do that.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
(WGN) Breaking News: TNA legal letter to Jim Cornette
TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING
In an explosive story, Jim Cornette today wrote on his website www.jimcornette.com and verbalized at http://whosslammingwho.podomatic.com that TNA Wrestling has notified Federal and State law enforcement in Kentucky, where he resides, that Cornette intends to inflict harm upon TNA creative writer Vince Russo.
This is a legit story, and not a wrestling angle, as apparently Russo is worried for his life.
Cornette, who worked for TNA from 2006-2009, recently wrote an email to TNA talent chief Terry Taylor, expressing his disdain for Russo saying he wanted to clear the air, and that should Taylor ever hear Cornette giving interviews against the company, that it wasn't personal and he means no ill will to anyone there aside from Russo.
In part, Cornette wrote: "I will say it because I am trying to quell the burning in my heart--I hate Vince Russo. I despise Vince Russo. I want Vince Russo to die. If I could figure out a way to murder him without going to prison, I would consider it the greatest accomplishment of my life.
"I hate him for the money he's cost me. I hate him for what he's done to the business. I hate him for keeping TNA from being competitive to WWE. I hate him for the careers, even the lives he's ruined with his shitty booking and the irreparable damage he's done to every promotion he's been involved with. I regularly wake up from dreams in which I am in the act of murdering him. I literally burn whenever I think of him. I have sworn to myself that I will willingly go to jail if I ever see him in person again, and he had better pray to his fictitious invisible man in the sky that that day never comes. I intend to make it my life's work and mission to fuck with him and anything he ever has anything to do with in the wrestling business."
"Why am I writing you this? One, I got the irresistable urge to explain to you the depth of my abhorrence for this abominable prick, and two, I want to make sure that you, and anyone you care to share this with, knows that I truly and genuinely wanted TNA to succeed and liked working with all of you. I am no longer a supporter of TNA as a company, I hope it goes under quickly and painfully because of the stupidity Dixie has exhibited in employing Russo and now the WCW murderers, and I apparently will see my wishes come true with the new direction, but I really did want to see it succeed. I still like everyone there, and am only mad at a few people--Jeff, for talking me into co-existing with that miserable waste of human flesh for 3 years to the point where I have trouble looking at myself in the mirror and not a day goes by that I am not ashamed of myself for abandoning every principle I ever had and speaking to the motherfucker; and Dixie, not just for employing that useless twat, but for lying to me about the reasons for my firing (never mentioning Ed Ferrara's name and acting like Russo had no part in it), and lying ABOUT me (letting some Russo stooge spread rumors that I was fired for acting unprofessionally toward him, then not putting her name on the retraction while knowing it wasn't true.)"
"Otherwise, I like everyone there and wish their hard work could be rewarded, and they could all make millions--but they won't, because of a lack of competence and judgement in their leadership. I have nothing to lose--I'm done with corporate wrestling, and I will never again have to occupy the same arena or even city with Vince Fucking Russo, but I still feel bad for everyone else who has labored long and hard in vain because of what he's done to the company's chances. I like you--I like Tenay, and West, and Mitchell, and Sahadi, and Ryder, and the talent, and the crew, and all the rest--even Penzer! And I don't want you or any of them to take it personally when I verbally roast TNA every chance I get--but as far as I'm concerned, Jeff should have WAY known better than to hire that asshole, and Dixie, as clueless as she may be about wrestling, should have been more careful in whom she entrusted her father's money, and more perceptive when it came to spotting imbeciles. I don't want any of you to be harmed or affected because of their stupid decisions, but as I said, it's now my life's work to fuck with anything Russo has anything to do with."
The full unedited letter is posted at www.jimcornette.com.
In response, TNA turned the email over to it's legal reps in California.
Guy S. Blake of Davis Shapiro Lewit & Hayes, wrote to Cornette stating on behalf of the wrestling company that they took his letter seriously and had notified law enforcement in Kentucky.
Blake wrote, "It is our view that the foregoing statements constitute "terroristic threats" under virtually every jurisdiction in the country, including under the US Code (18 USC 875) and Kentucky State Law (KRS 508.080). Generally, under both Federal and State Law, a person will be guilty of having made terroristic threats if such person willfully threatens to commit a crime which would result in death or great bodily injury to the victim and demonstrates specific intent to communicate such threat to the victim or to a third party who the perpetrator believes will convey such threat to the intended victim. Your email satisfies all of the foregoing elements and it is irrelevant whether you intended to actually carry out such threat or not. Nonetheless, we must assume the worst. Indeed, the language of the email is so specific, unequivocal and unconditional that Vince Russo (a TNA employee) has understandably experienced extreme fear for himself and his family. TNA management shares his concern, not only for Vince, but for all of it's employees, staff members and talent (some of whom were specifically named in your email as being targets of your anger)."
Blake also warned Cornette about leaking private company information as all former contractors are bound by a confidentiality agreement when they leave the company for a certain period of time.
Wrote Blake: "Your email contained certain statements which discussed internal TNA management decisions and the circumstances surrounding your departure from TNA. Those matters constitute Confidential information. Accordingly, we are taking this opportunity to remind you that the Confidential Information is proprietary and is not to be revealed except as expressly permitted by TNA in writing. As a former talent of TNA, you continue to be bound by your legal obligations and duties to maintain the confidentiality of such Confidential Information in accordance with the terms of your various talent agreements. You cannot share Confidential Information with ANYONE (including current or former TNA talent) and TNA will vigorously enforce it's rights in this regard."
Cornette said that the worst thing that has come out of this situation is the break down of his 30-year friendship to Terry Taylor.
=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
In an explosive story, Jim Cornette today wrote on his website www.jimcornette.com and verbalized at http://whosslammingwho.podomatic.com that TNA Wrestling has notified Federal and State law enforcement in Kentucky, where he resides, that Cornette intends to inflict harm upon TNA creative writer Vince Russo.
This is a legit story, and not a wrestling angle, as apparently Russo is worried for his life.
Cornette, who worked for TNA from 2006-2009, recently wrote an email to TNA talent chief Terry Taylor, expressing his disdain for Russo saying he wanted to clear the air, and that should Taylor ever hear Cornette giving interviews against the company, that it wasn't personal and he means no ill will to anyone there aside from Russo.
In part, Cornette wrote: "I will say it because I am trying to quell the burning in my heart--I hate Vince Russo. I despise Vince Russo. I want Vince Russo to die. If I could figure out a way to murder him without going to prison, I would consider it the greatest accomplishment of my life.
"I hate him for the money he's cost me. I hate him for what he's done to the business. I hate him for keeping TNA from being competitive to WWE. I hate him for the careers, even the lives he's ruined with his shitty booking and the irreparable damage he's done to every promotion he's been involved with. I regularly wake up from dreams in which I am in the act of murdering him. I literally burn whenever I think of him. I have sworn to myself that I will willingly go to jail if I ever see him in person again, and he had better pray to his fictitious invisible man in the sky that that day never comes. I intend to make it my life's work and mission to fuck with him and anything he ever has anything to do with in the wrestling business."
"Why am I writing you this? One, I got the irresistable urge to explain to you the depth of my abhorrence for this abominable prick, and two, I want to make sure that you, and anyone you care to share this with, knows that I truly and genuinely wanted TNA to succeed and liked working with all of you. I am no longer a supporter of TNA as a company, I hope it goes under quickly and painfully because of the stupidity Dixie has exhibited in employing Russo and now the WCW murderers, and I apparently will see my wishes come true with the new direction, but I really did want to see it succeed. I still like everyone there, and am only mad at a few people--Jeff, for talking me into co-existing with that miserable waste of human flesh for 3 years to the point where I have trouble looking at myself in the mirror and not a day goes by that I am not ashamed of myself for abandoning every principle I ever had and speaking to the motherfucker; and Dixie, not just for employing that useless twat, but for lying to me about the reasons for my firing (never mentioning Ed Ferrara's name and acting like Russo had no part in it), and lying ABOUT me (letting some Russo stooge spread rumors that I was fired for acting unprofessionally toward him, then not putting her name on the retraction while knowing it wasn't true.)"
"Otherwise, I like everyone there and wish their hard work could be rewarded, and they could all make millions--but they won't, because of a lack of competence and judgement in their leadership. I have nothing to lose--I'm done with corporate wrestling, and I will never again have to occupy the same arena or even city with Vince Fucking Russo, but I still feel bad for everyone else who has labored long and hard in vain because of what he's done to the company's chances. I like you--I like Tenay, and West, and Mitchell, and Sahadi, and Ryder, and the talent, and the crew, and all the rest--even Penzer! And I don't want you or any of them to take it personally when I verbally roast TNA every chance I get--but as far as I'm concerned, Jeff should have WAY known better than to hire that asshole, and Dixie, as clueless as she may be about wrestling, should have been more careful in whom she entrusted her father's money, and more perceptive when it came to spotting imbeciles. I don't want any of you to be harmed or affected because of their stupid decisions, but as I said, it's now my life's work to fuck with anything Russo has anything to do with."
The full unedited letter is posted at www.jimcornette.com.
In response, TNA turned the email over to it's legal reps in California.
Guy S. Blake of Davis Shapiro Lewit & Hayes, wrote to Cornette stating on behalf of the wrestling company that they took his letter seriously and had notified law enforcement in Kentucky.
Blake wrote, "It is our view that the foregoing statements constitute "terroristic threats" under virtually every jurisdiction in the country, including under the US Code (18 USC 875) and Kentucky State Law (KRS 508.080). Generally, under both Federal and State Law, a person will be guilty of having made terroristic threats if such person willfully threatens to commit a crime which would result in death or great bodily injury to the victim and demonstrates specific intent to communicate such threat to the victim or to a third party who the perpetrator believes will convey such threat to the intended victim. Your email satisfies all of the foregoing elements and it is irrelevant whether you intended to actually carry out such threat or not. Nonetheless, we must assume the worst. Indeed, the language of the email is so specific, unequivocal and unconditional that Vince Russo (a TNA employee) has understandably experienced extreme fear for himself and his family. TNA management shares his concern, not only for Vince, but for all of it's employees, staff members and talent (some of whom were specifically named in your email as being targets of your anger)."
Blake also warned Cornette about leaking private company information as all former contractors are bound by a confidentiality agreement when they leave the company for a certain period of time.
Wrote Blake: "Your email contained certain statements which discussed internal TNA management decisions and the circumstances surrounding your departure from TNA. Those matters constitute Confidential information. Accordingly, we are taking this opportunity to remind you that the Confidential Information is proprietary and is not to be revealed except as expressly permitted by TNA in writing. As a former talent of TNA, you continue to be bound by your legal obligations and duties to maintain the confidentiality of such Confidential Information in accordance with the terms of your various talent agreements. You cannot share Confidential Information with ANYONE (including current or former TNA talent) and TNA will vigorously enforce it's rights in this regard."
Cornette said that the worst thing that has come out of this situation is the break down of his 30-year friendship to Terry Taylor.
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(WGN) April 14: Gene Kiniski dead at 81, Maria Kanellis on WWE creative, Melina calls her a liar, Mysterio update, TNA contacts a major WWE name, Orlando Jordan, British wrestler quits at young age, more...
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT
4/13 NXT TV results from London, England: Christian over Wade Barrett; William Regal over Daniel Bryan; and Darren Young over Luke Gallows.
4/13 Raw house show results from Sheffield, England: Evan Bourne over Chavo Guerrero MVP over Dos Caras; Chris Masters vs. Hornswoggle in a Masterlock Challenge was a no contest; Eve Torres over Maryse with Kelly Kelly as referee; Ted DiBiase Jr. over Kofi Kingston; Sheamus over Mark Henry; and John Cena & Randy Orton over Batista & Big Show. Bret Hart also worked the show as guest host. Bourne-Guerrero was said to be match of the night.
The European tour continues today with Raw in Strasbourg, France and Smackdown in Oberhausen, Germany.
***
Former Diva Maria Kanellis did an interview with Diva-Dirt.com to push her new album. She was fairly critical when talking about WWE creative saying it sucked for the women who seem to be consigned to working two minute matches and used mostly in comedy segments. She also alluded to the women being reprimanded for producing good matches. As an example, she said that Melina and Michelle McMcCool were told that their ring work looked "too devastating" following their 2009 Night of Champions title match. She said, "We're supposed to be sexy, strong and powerful women but at the same time, how can we show we're sexy, strong and powerful women when you're not even allowing us to talk? You're not even letting us do anything other than go out there maybe in a Baywatch bikini and act like 'Oh this is just awesome', but no it's not, it sucks. There's nothing to it, it's not showing anything. I'd rather go out there like I used to do with Torrie (Wilson), Trish (Stratus), and Stacy (Kiebler) and put on an eight minute pillowfight than put on a two-minute Baywatch match. It doesn't make any sense." Melina Perez apparently wasn't too happy with some of Maria's comments in the interview. She responded on Twitter, "Our little Maria, I wish you can find it in your soul to be honest one day. To tell THE TRUTH. I admire your strong will and believe you will always shine in some way because you have it in you, no doubt. I just pray you see the truth about certain things in life and Speak The Truth. Treasure the fact that you did so much with the WWE and did it successfully! Now you are doing amazing things and your album is doing great! You are blessed and are young so there is more to come. If saying those things make you feel better, I hope you do. All I hope is that you are happy. I love you no matter what Maria. And I'm still proud."
The New York Times has a story on Smackdown moving to SyFy at http://tinyurl.com/y7q3k6g. WWE COO Donna Goldsmith is quoted as saying, "Cable is where it’s at right now" adding she didn't anticipate losing many viewers moving from MNTV as SyFy is almost equivalent to a broadcast network. The story noted that the deal is for two years, with an option for a third year. Goldsmith also confirmed that they are trying to find a new home for NXT.
Rey Mysterio is said to be really banged up right now. He was looking at another knee surgery earlier this year but wanted to get past Wrestlemania first before making a decision.
November dates were announced for WWE's next European tour which includes Raw and Smackdown tapings at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England on 11/8 and 11/9.
David Hasselhoff talks about his "Hoffsome night" as Raw guest host at http://ow.ly/174iUa.
The WWE website posted part one of a story on the former Warlord (Terry Szopinski) at http://ow.ly/174hjD. I believe he's now living near Fort Lauderdale, FL and running a security company, but I may be wrong.
TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING
TNA CFO Dean Broadhead recently made serious overtures to a major name who's WWE contract is about to expire. This person declined the offer but didn't rule out doing business in the future. Broadhead asked this person what they would do to improve the television product, and their response was to remove Vince Russo from creative. This person also laid blame on TNA's problems with Hulk Hogan saying that his days as a money or ratings draw are behind him although admitting that Hogan is valuable in terms of garnering mainstream media attention.
Cameron, Orlando Jordan's storyline companion, is gone from the company. Apparently they have already found someone to replace him if they decide to continue the gimmick. This stems partly from a bar incident following the last live Impact. We've heard differing versions but something happened on the dance floor of the Hard Rock which led to an intoxicated Ric Flair cutting a promo on the kid and making him cry. This all went down in front of a major television executive. Flair's wife was also present and was apologizing to people afterwards. Cameron showed up to the Tuesday taping the next day but was not used.
The leading contender of new names suggested for The Band, believe it or not, is "The Klique" or a slight variation of that spelling. Nobody has registered that mark, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Kevin Nash was the one who made the suggestion and joked that they could tease Shawn Michaels coming in. Michaels is still on the WWE payroll despite his retirement and will likely remain in that position for a long time to come.
There is talk again about reducing the number of PPV's to 6-8 shows per year and running three hour specials on Spike. Not sure about the later idea but reducing the number of PPV's will help the company financially as since bringing in the big names they are losing more money than ever before.
Spike sent out a press release yesterday claiming Impact averaged a 0.9 rating on Monday night. The actual rating was 0.79, according to Nelson, but a Spike rep said they rounded the number up. Not sure what they were rounding it up to. Quarter hours were 0.74, 0.84, 0.83, 0.85, 0.78, 0.65, 0.72, 0.80 and 0.97 for an overrun which ran just over 30 seconds.
The Nasty Boys and Consequences Creed were removed from the TNA website roster. Daniels is still listed.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Sad to report the death today of Gene Kiniski at the age of 81. He had recently stopped eating after his cancer spread to his brain. Kiniski was one of the all-time great heels who's career spanned just over 40 years winning multiple championships. The pinnacle of Kiniski's career came in January, 1966, when he defeated Lou Thesz to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in front of 11,612 fans at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Greg Oliver has a really great obit at http://tinyurl.com/y3kdco6 which I encourage everyone to check out.
British wrestler, Jetta, 22 of SHIMMER fame, has announced that she will be leaving the business. She has been wrestling around the world for seven years but succumbed to nagging injuries and has new life plans. She didn't rule out returning in the future noting nobody ever really retires. Her final show is next month in Belgium.
www.carnagecrew.net has a new audio show online with JJ Dillon as a guest.
Dave Herro presents Great Lakes Championship Wrestling this weekend in Racine, WI with Roddy Piper, Sean Waltman, Al Snow, Road Warrior Animal, Road Dogg, and Traci Brooks. For more info call (262) 636-9169 or visit www.blizzardbrawl.com.
Chris Daniels talks returning to Ring of Honor at http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/april-14th-videowire/.
Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw vs. Gran Akuma & Akira Tozawa was announced for Dragon Gate USA on 5/7 in Windsor, ONT. More info at www.dgusa.tv.
Shane Helms is doing his first post-WWE interview tomorrow at 4pm PST at Jeff Katz' website www.geekweek.com.
OVW in Louisville, KY is holding a tryout day soon where one person will be awarded one year free tuition at OVW's school under Danny Davis and Rip Rogers. More info at www.ovwrestling.com.
Wrestlicious signed a deal with The Fight Network in Canada to start airing it's shows beginning in early May.
Today's Diva of the Day at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
4/13 NXT TV results from London, England: Christian over Wade Barrett; William Regal over Daniel Bryan; and Darren Young over Luke Gallows.
4/13 Raw house show results from Sheffield, England: Evan Bourne over Chavo Guerrero MVP over Dos Caras; Chris Masters vs. Hornswoggle in a Masterlock Challenge was a no contest; Eve Torres over Maryse with Kelly Kelly as referee; Ted DiBiase Jr. over Kofi Kingston; Sheamus over Mark Henry; and John Cena & Randy Orton over Batista & Big Show. Bret Hart also worked the show as guest host. Bourne-Guerrero was said to be match of the night.
The European tour continues today with Raw in Strasbourg, France and Smackdown in Oberhausen, Germany.
***
Former Diva Maria Kanellis did an interview with Diva-Dirt.com to push her new album. She was fairly critical when talking about WWE creative saying it sucked for the women who seem to be consigned to working two minute matches and used mostly in comedy segments. She also alluded to the women being reprimanded for producing good matches. As an example, she said that Melina and Michelle McMcCool were told that their ring work looked "too devastating" following their 2009 Night of Champions title match. She said, "We're supposed to be sexy, strong and powerful women but at the same time, how can we show we're sexy, strong and powerful women when you're not even allowing us to talk? You're not even letting us do anything other than go out there maybe in a Baywatch bikini and act like 'Oh this is just awesome', but no it's not, it sucks. There's nothing to it, it's not showing anything. I'd rather go out there like I used to do with Torrie (Wilson), Trish (Stratus), and Stacy (Kiebler) and put on an eight minute pillowfight than put on a two-minute Baywatch match. It doesn't make any sense." Melina Perez apparently wasn't too happy with some of Maria's comments in the interview. She responded on Twitter, "Our little Maria, I wish you can find it in your soul to be honest one day. To tell THE TRUTH. I admire your strong will and believe you will always shine in some way because you have it in you, no doubt. I just pray you see the truth about certain things in life and Speak The Truth. Treasure the fact that you did so much with the WWE and did it successfully! Now you are doing amazing things and your album is doing great! You are blessed and are young so there is more to come. If saying those things make you feel better, I hope you do. All I hope is that you are happy. I love you no matter what Maria. And I'm still proud."
The New York Times has a story on Smackdown moving to SyFy at http://tinyurl.com/y7q3k6g. WWE COO Donna Goldsmith is quoted as saying, "Cable is where it’s at right now" adding she didn't anticipate losing many viewers moving from MNTV as SyFy is almost equivalent to a broadcast network. The story noted that the deal is for two years, with an option for a third year. Goldsmith also confirmed that they are trying to find a new home for NXT.
Rey Mysterio is said to be really banged up right now. He was looking at another knee surgery earlier this year but wanted to get past Wrestlemania first before making a decision.
November dates were announced for WWE's next European tour which includes Raw and Smackdown tapings at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England on 11/8 and 11/9.
David Hasselhoff talks about his "Hoffsome night" as Raw guest host at http://ow.ly/174iUa.
The WWE website posted part one of a story on the former Warlord (Terry Szopinski) at http://ow.ly/174hjD. I believe he's now living near Fort Lauderdale, FL and running a security company, but I may be wrong.
TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING
TNA CFO Dean Broadhead recently made serious overtures to a major name who's WWE contract is about to expire. This person declined the offer but didn't rule out doing business in the future. Broadhead asked this person what they would do to improve the television product, and their response was to remove Vince Russo from creative. This person also laid blame on TNA's problems with Hulk Hogan saying that his days as a money or ratings draw are behind him although admitting that Hogan is valuable in terms of garnering mainstream media attention.
Cameron, Orlando Jordan's storyline companion, is gone from the company. Apparently they have already found someone to replace him if they decide to continue the gimmick. This stems partly from a bar incident following the last live Impact. We've heard differing versions but something happened on the dance floor of the Hard Rock which led to an intoxicated Ric Flair cutting a promo on the kid and making him cry. This all went down in front of a major television executive. Flair's wife was also present and was apologizing to people afterwards. Cameron showed up to the Tuesday taping the next day but was not used.
The leading contender of new names suggested for The Band, believe it or not, is "The Klique" or a slight variation of that spelling. Nobody has registered that mark, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Kevin Nash was the one who made the suggestion and joked that they could tease Shawn Michaels coming in. Michaels is still on the WWE payroll despite his retirement and will likely remain in that position for a long time to come.
There is talk again about reducing the number of PPV's to 6-8 shows per year and running three hour specials on Spike. Not sure about the later idea but reducing the number of PPV's will help the company financially as since bringing in the big names they are losing more money than ever before.
Spike sent out a press release yesterday claiming Impact averaged a 0.9 rating on Monday night. The actual rating was 0.79, according to Nelson, but a Spike rep said they rounded the number up. Not sure what they were rounding it up to. Quarter hours were 0.74, 0.84, 0.83, 0.85, 0.78, 0.65, 0.72, 0.80 and 0.97 for an overrun which ran just over 30 seconds.
The Nasty Boys and Consequences Creed were removed from the TNA website roster. Daniels is still listed.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Sad to report the death today of Gene Kiniski at the age of 81. He had recently stopped eating after his cancer spread to his brain. Kiniski was one of the all-time great heels who's career spanned just over 40 years winning multiple championships. The pinnacle of Kiniski's career came in January, 1966, when he defeated Lou Thesz to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in front of 11,612 fans at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Greg Oliver has a really great obit at http://tinyurl.com/y3kdco6 which I encourage everyone to check out.
British wrestler, Jetta, 22 of SHIMMER fame, has announced that she will be leaving the business. She has been wrestling around the world for seven years but succumbed to nagging injuries and has new life plans. She didn't rule out returning in the future noting nobody ever really retires. Her final show is next month in Belgium.
www.carnagecrew.net has a new audio show online with JJ Dillon as a guest.
Dave Herro presents Great Lakes Championship Wrestling this weekend in Racine, WI with Roddy Piper, Sean Waltman, Al Snow, Road Warrior Animal, Road Dogg, and Traci Brooks. For more info call (262) 636-9169 or visit www.blizzardbrawl.com.
Chris Daniels talks returning to Ring of Honor at http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/april-14th-videowire/.
Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw vs. Gran Akuma & Akira Tozawa was announced for Dragon Gate USA on 5/7 in Windsor, ONT. More info at www.dgusa.tv.
Shane Helms is doing his first post-WWE interview tomorrow at 4pm PST at Jeff Katz' website www.geekweek.com.
OVW in Louisville, KY is holding a tryout day soon where one person will be awarded one year free tuition at OVW's school under Danny Davis and Rip Rogers. More info at www.ovwrestling.com.
Wrestlicious signed a deal with The Fight Network in Canada to start airing it's shows beginning in early May.
Today's Diva of the Day at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
The Golden Circle: "Metro Sexual Mania?" by Greg Anthony
Wrestling is a tough business. We've got grown men throwing and slamming each other and Contrary to popular belief, it hurts. In addition, we've all got that "jock" mentality. Machismo reaching a boiling point a lot of times. With all that being said, Metro sexual Mania is still running wild in pro wrestling.
Here I am in a locker room with some of the toughest men I've ever known and I hear things like... "Do I look bloated?", "Your abs look great", "Does my ass look flat in these tights?". Everyone has said or done something to that extent. Have you ever asked another man to rub baby oil on your back? Not acceptable at the gym but its ok in pro wrestling. Some of things I've seen and heard would make a great Saturday Night Live skit.
We all have friends outside the business. Being in Tennessee some of mine are good ole boys from the country. Things that are musts/requirements in wrestling seem very gay to the average male. Like highlighting your hair or the extensive man-scaping that goes on with a pro wrestler. Even tanning in a tanning bed is a little much for some men.
Once, back in the LAW in Dyersburg days, Christian Jacobs had a run in during the show. So CJ was dressed in a pair of jeans with no shirt and had oiled up. Waiting for his spot Chris O'Neal comes asks if he has time to run to Taco Bell with him? CJ agrees and hops in the car with Chris. They get back and tell me they went to the drive thru. I can only imagine what the people working the window must have been thinking with two males, one shirtless and oiled up coming thru. The best part is that Chris was wearing a Picture Perfect t-shirt with his and CJ's picture on the front. You can't write stuff like that.
Is metro sexuality good or bad for wrestling? I can't answer that myself. I think we are more a product of the environment that anything else. We are constantly under the microscope like super models. To be thin, tan or whatever magazine dream people think we should be thus creating this sometime insecurity about our appearance. I say be healthy but be you, I promise you can't go wrong with that.. and when "The Golden Boy' Greg Anthony makes a promise its as good as gold.
Arena Report: MCW Osceola, AR 4.10.10
----Rashard Devon and Bishop came out for an interview. They called out Pokerface. Good segment. Rashard has improved tons on the mic and is easily my favorite manager this year so far. This interview was about the title and how Poker had left the family. Devon even said that Poker was “segregating” and told him that “our president is black now!” Good stuff from all three of them.
----C-Money by DQ over Ray when V-Man and Officer Hudson interfered. Just a solid bout. Ray was in the opening bout [under a hood] and you would have never known it was the same person. Perfect psychology. Money carried him to a good bout. Heels jumped in to make tag match for later. [**3/4]
----Big Daddy LaFonce/Frankie Tucker beat Adrian Stratton/Kilo. Another solid match with perfect psychology. Kilo was on and did a good job. Adrian is a big guy and moves slow. Big Daddy did his part. Tucker got in some chops and a nice dropkick. Lots of shine. Tucker pinned Kilo after hot tag. [**1/2]
----V-Man/Officer Hudson beat Aaron Ecstasy/C-Money in pretty much a TV squash match. V-Man looked really good with just power move after power move on Ecstasy that took the heat. A few “oh shit” moments with V-Man gorilla slamming him from the floor to inside the ring. Hudson worked a little slower. V-Man just beat the hell out of Ecstasy. Perfect psychology. V-Man ended it with a sitdown chokeslam. [**1/2]
----Pokerface beat Bishop with special ref Big Jim in a Ghetto Street fight. This one had it all – signs, blood, stiff shots, great psychology, “oh shit” moments and just solid back & forth. Jim got hit really hard with a Stop sign. Poker juiced good after getting thrown into the announcer’s table and on top of the table. Poker wins and crowd popped. [***3/4]
NOTES
----110-130 in the building…Money did something that you see from old pros – get a good match out of someone by just telling a story and by calling just simple stuff…Stratton is a guilty pleasure for me. Not a great worker, but he understands what you are suppose to do and just does what he does…Kilo has lost some weight and was good as usual. I would have loved to have seen him against C-Money…Rashard came out with all the heels [as I have said before] – that does not work with every manager, but he pulls it off…Hudson has improved since the first matches I have seen him on IWA…V-Man has always been solid…TJ is turning into a good ref…Bishop, Rashard, Money and Poker all come off as “stars” here. They could work anywhere in the area…Poker does stuff in his matches that NO ONE does in this area. He is easily my pick for MVP Performer this year so far. I would like to see Poker in the ring with guys like Alan Steele [seen a great bout with them a few years back], Christian Jacobs, Stan Lee, TGB and guys like that. Poker against Eric Wayne would be fun also…Big Jim worked for CCW as Big Peter Waldo…As you can tell by the match ratings, there was only one bout that was “off the charts”, but everything was real solid. Crowd was into every bout and seem to have a good time…Photo of Poker [with arms wide open holding the belt] above is one of my favorite wrestling photos [that I have taken] of all time. And remember folks, I have been taking photos since the early 80s…Thanks to MCW for having RRO on our final stop of Yearbook Tour 2010. Great time was had by all.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
At the Start of a New Romance Video
----I just thought this was cool. This is Sal Corrente's dad - Sal Sr. Rob Russen wrote the following on youtube about this video.
Sal Corrente was lead singer of the Dials. Also in the group was Frank Ragone, Dario Bianchini, Jimmy Raguso, Joe Rasulo Sal was also lead singer with The Johnny Law Four. He also sang with The Regents, The Runarounds, The Belmonts and The 1929 Depression. He was a prolific songwriter and one of the truly outstanding vocalists of that era. Corrente was truly worthy of becoming a huge star of the doowop era had he just caught a break like so many others did to ride their way to stardom. Sal's love for music still remains today and he can be found performing regularly throughout his Yonkers, NY home base. Do yourself a favor and catch this wonderful man and outstanding talent if you find him performing in your area. You'll be very glad you did.
Sal Corrente was lead singer of the Dials. Also in the group was Frank Ragone, Dario Bianchini, Jimmy Raguso, Joe Rasulo Sal was also lead singer with The Johnny Law Four. He also sang with The Regents, The Runarounds, The Belmonts and The 1929 Depression. He was a prolific songwriter and one of the truly outstanding vocalists of that era. Corrente was truly worthy of becoming a huge star of the doowop era had he just caught a break like so many others did to ride their way to stardom. Sal's love for music still remains today and he can be found performing regularly throughout his Yonkers, NY home base. Do yourself a favor and catch this wonderful man and outstanding talent if you find him performing in your area. You'll be very glad you did.
The Straight Flush "Presence and Promos" by Pokerface
Presence and Promos (Interviews)
I'm gonna get straight to the point. Presence and confidence can say alot for a person. And a lot of the time, the lack thereof can easily be spotted. I hate being at or watching a show where a wrestler, manager, etc is lacking any kinda flash. For instance wrestlers, whether they are a good or bad guy, who just walk to the ring with no expression, life, or excitement. Now granted my name is Pokerface, but even I show some kind of emotion. Or how about when a wrestler(s) are standing in the ring waiting on their opponent(s) and they just stand motionless until they arrive. I was told from the time I walk through the curtain, always do something, even if it is something small. Something is better than nothing. Take Chris benoit for example. he may not have not have been the most charismatic wrestler, but when he walked to the ring, he walked with a purpose. When in the ring waiting for his opponent, he would pace back and forth like a caged tiger or he would stretch and warm up. C'mon guys you can at least hit the ropes or slap yourself. And we wonder why people get bored at the shows. Who says that even on the indy level we can present ourselves like the guys in the big leagues. Guys when we watch tapes of our matches, lets not watch them just to stroke our own egos. Try to lean something. Even you turn down the volume when watching your matches from start to finish , would you honestly still be entertained? Think on that.
Promos - Promos and/or interviews in my opinion is what separates the boys from the men. I really feel that it's a lost art. Most of the biggest names in the business haven't been the best in-ring technicians, but have been some of the best talkers. For example Jerry Lawler, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, The Rock, Jackie Fargo, Stone Cold, Jesse Ventura, Ric Rude, Randy Savage, hell even Jim Cornette and Paul Heyman. Think about it. I guarantee you that most fights or even better, most emotions are stirred up more by words than actions. If you had two guys that wrestled and looked exactly alike, but one couldn't give an interview, and the other had the gift of gab like a Rick Rude, who do think the crowd would pay to see first? But I don't think that there are too many guys in the indies or the big leagues, that can talk asses in the seats. I once heard that Jackie Fargo wasn't that good when it came to pure wrestling, but he would talk so good on the mic, that you didn't care, you just wanted to see him kick somebody's ass. I've been at shows where I knew what Jerry Lawler's interview was going to be about, but it he talks so naturally and with such ease, I'm drawn into it like I'm hearing it for the first time. FYI, I'm non kissing ass with that last sentence either. Or how about when Bill Dundee gives a hellified post match interview after Kamala has jumped him. I really wanna see him beat the shit out of Kamala. But I guess that's the fan in me. So guys let's work on the whole package. But if you aren't the most athletically inclined, at least be able to talk so good people will never know it. Hey look at Hulk Hogan, but what does he know? Until text time, God Bless, and keep your pimp hand strong.
I'm gonna get straight to the point. Presence and confidence can say alot for a person. And a lot of the time, the lack thereof can easily be spotted. I hate being at or watching a show where a wrestler, manager, etc is lacking any kinda flash. For instance wrestlers, whether they are a good or bad guy, who just walk to the ring with no expression, life, or excitement. Now granted my name is Pokerface, but even I show some kind of emotion. Or how about when a wrestler(s) are standing in the ring waiting on their opponent(s) and they just stand motionless until they arrive. I was told from the time I walk through the curtain, always do something, even if it is something small. Something is better than nothing. Take Chris benoit for example. he may not have not have been the most charismatic wrestler, but when he walked to the ring, he walked with a purpose. When in the ring waiting for his opponent, he would pace back and forth like a caged tiger or he would stretch and warm up. C'mon guys you can at least hit the ropes or slap yourself. And we wonder why people get bored at the shows. Who says that even on the indy level we can present ourselves like the guys in the big leagues. Guys when we watch tapes of our matches, lets not watch them just to stroke our own egos. Try to lean something. Even you turn down the volume when watching your matches from start to finish , would you honestly still be entertained? Think on that.
Promos - Promos and/or interviews in my opinion is what separates the boys from the men. I really feel that it's a lost art. Most of the biggest names in the business haven't been the best in-ring technicians, but have been some of the best talkers. For example Jerry Lawler, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, The Rock, Jackie Fargo, Stone Cold, Jesse Ventura, Ric Rude, Randy Savage, hell even Jim Cornette and Paul Heyman. Think about it. I guarantee you that most fights or even better, most emotions are stirred up more by words than actions. If you had two guys that wrestled and looked exactly alike, but one couldn't give an interview, and the other had the gift of gab like a Rick Rude, who do think the crowd would pay to see first? But I don't think that there are too many guys in the indies or the big leagues, that can talk asses in the seats. I once heard that Jackie Fargo wasn't that good when it came to pure wrestling, but he would talk so good on the mic, that you didn't care, you just wanted to see him kick somebody's ass. I've been at shows where I knew what Jerry Lawler's interview was going to be about, but it he talks so naturally and with such ease, I'm drawn into it like I'm hearing it for the first time. FYI, I'm non kissing ass with that last sentence either. Or how about when Bill Dundee gives a hellified post match interview after Kamala has jumped him. I really wanna see him beat the shit out of Kamala. But I guess that's the fan in me. So guys let's work on the whole package. But if you aren't the most athletically inclined, at least be able to talk so good people will never know it. Hey look at Hulk Hogan, but what does he know? Until text time, God Bless, and keep your pimp hand strong.
Flag this message (WGN) April 13: Major WWE TV change, TNA wrestler on current creative, Melina talks women's wrestling, Monday night ratings, Dixie answers fan questions, Brock Lesnar on Vince McMahon, Brian Knobbs, Iron Sheik, more...
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT
4/12 Raw TV results from London, England: Eve Torres over Maryse to win the Diva's Championship; The Miz over DH Smith; Evan Bourne over Carlito; John Cena over David Otunga; Kofi Kingston over Sheamus via DQ; The Bella Twins over Rosa Mendez & Jillian Hall and Gail Kim & Kelly Kelly in a three-way; and Randy Orton over Batista via DQ.
4/12 Smackdown house show results from Nottingham, England: Jack Swagger over Kane; R-Truth over Shad Gaspard; Beth Phenoix over Layla; Finley over Dolph Ziggler; John Morrison over Luke Gallows; Drew McIntyre over Matt Hardy; Rey Mysterio over CM Punk; and Edge over Chris Jericho in a street fight.
The NXT/Smackdown tapings are tonight in London with the main event of Jack Swagger vs. Chris Jericho vs. Edge for the World title. There is also a Raw show tonight in Sheffield.
***
In a major programming move, WWE today confirmed a multi-year agreement with NBC Universal to bring Smackdown to Friday nights on Syfy from 10/1. The move is believed to be the death knell for MyNetwork TV which contributed to major financial losses for News Corporation in 2008. The network ceased airing original series last Fall, and is now a repository for syndicated shows. The biggest impact of the deal for WWE will mean NXT moving to a new channel as Syfy's existing ratings draws such as Caprica, Stargate Universe and Sanctuary will switch to Tuesday nights. Syfy will pay around $30 million per year in television rights fees for Smackdown.
Jack Swagger reportedly got married a couple of week's ago in Las Vegas. Bryan Alverez reported that Swagger attended a Criss Angel show and was introduced with a women as his bride. His wife or girlfriend would be model Catalina White who at one point was in WWE developmental under the name Saylor James. She was cut around the time an adult film company announced it was going to release a sex tape she shot with a previous boyfriend... Swagger worked double duty last night in the opening match at the Smackdown show in Nottingham then took a cross-country helicopter ride to make Raw over 100 miles away in London.
Raw last night did a 3.2 rating and 4.7 million viewers.
Swagger vs. Randy Orton for the WWE title and Triple H vs. Sheamus in a street fight are the first two matches announced for Extreme Rules on 4/25.
The Miz appeared today on the popular UK television show Blue Peter. It's quite a big deal for WWE as before the move to PG they would never have been able to open these doors. Miz did two segments--one where he trained the hosts in cutting promos and another where he made a wrestling ring out of a Pizza box.
ESPN Video Games interviewed Brock Lesnar about appearances in multiple sports games, moving into MMA, and the chance of returning to WWE. He was fairly diplomatic compared to answers he's given in the past. When asked about differences between Vince McMahon and UFC President Dana White he said, "If I had to say one thing about Vince it would be ruthless. If I had to say something about Dana it would be diligent and somewhat brilliant. Two different approaches to business. I had a great run with WWE. They gave me great visibility, I met my wife (the former Sable) there, and I got paid a lot of money, it was just my time to go. I sensed it. I was smart enough to leave. That's the bottom line." On ever returning as a guest host: "I wouldn't be opposed to it. I'm still focused on my fighting right now, but if the opportunity arose some day, I'd never say never." Full interview at http://tinyurl.com/y2mjv3y.
Melina got very emotional on Twitter last night after Eve Torres won the Divas Championship although she didn't appear to be happy with the match. She wrote, "Just to make sure everyone understands, I think Eve is an up and coming talent. She has potential like many of our Divas. Like many of our Divas, they deserve a better title moment than that. With a good chase and a good build up. Maybe you need to be a wrestler to know that feeling but, it's an incredible feeling when you have reached such an honor. Where it took time and you invested so much to reach that moment/ that level. She got cheated out of that. No one understands that. Good for her. Be good to your heels, they make you who you are... As a former heel, I know. Do your thing chica. I still stand by what I say. Back in the Trish/Lita/Jazz era, the women earned the title and fought for it. It meant so much. Women looked at them and wanted to be as great as them. It shouldn't be about taking turns on who gets to put in on this week. It should be about who earned it and who brings credibility to it. I still wish it could have been Jillian, Katie or Gail to have that opportunity. All I wanted was to start a new era. To make those women proud to see we were keeping it alive."
The annual three-hour draft show was announced for 4/26 in Richmond, VA. No guest host is scheduled at press time although we're told they are working on someone A-list. If not they may end up using a legend.
Santino's sitcom is set to debut very soon on the WWE website with Beth Phoenix and Kozlov as the main players.
Shawne Merriman of the San Diego Chargers said in an interview this week that he's talked to Vince McMahon about getting into wrestling after football.
WWE recently hired New Jersey wrestling promoter Tommy Fierro to work in the television studio.
The Sun at http://tinyurl.com/y763gmo has a story on Ted DiBiase Sr. who says he's glad that Ultimate Warrior, the former Jim Hellwig, declined a spot in the Hall of Fame this year. He said, "I'm glad he wasn't there because he's somebody I don't particularly care for, and quite frankly he was somebody who got a big push... He's one of those guys that has never really appreciated what was done for him, and all you have to do is watch the DVD. There's a lot of guys that did well in the industry that may have been lacking in some areas."
TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING
4/12 Impact TV results from Orlando, FL: The Band over Team 3D; Shannon Moore vs. Kazarian was a draw; Angelina Love vs. Velvet Sky was a no contest; Matt Morgan & Amazing Red over The Machine Guns to retain the tag titles; and Jeff Hardy over Robert Roode.
Unless there are more swerves the final card for Sunday's Lockdown pay-per-view is AJ Styles vs. The Pope for the TNA heavyweight title; Team Flair (Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode, James Storm) vs. Team Hogan (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy) in Lethal Lockdown; Shannon Moore vs. Kaz vs. Doug Williams in a three-way for the X Division title; The Beautiful People vs. Angelina Love & Tara with both the Knockouts title and tag titles on the line; Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle; Kevin Nash vs. Eric Young; and The Band vs. Team 3D.
***
ODB publicly expressed some frustration with the current creative direction. She wrote regarding Impact on her Facebook page, "Just watched from my DVR the Knockouts match. Wow, WTF is happening to our division?" One source echoed similar sentiments to us this week. They said the Knockout's division has become quite sad in that most of the girls are fighting hard to stick together and want to help each other while some forces seem to be working against them.
Dixie Carter answered the first round of questions for her new column at www.tnawrestling.com. When asked about flagging ratings she said she's happy with four hours of prime time on Spike each week but admitted they cannot compete with WWE numbers. Another person asked about Impact going live in the UK and the possibility of doing a television taping over there. She said that was a call for their UK TV partner Bravo--I assume because she wants them to pay for it. On critics, she said, "You learn to have thick skin. I read fan input daily. There is a difference in someone who is passionate about TNA and wants to see something different versus someone who just hates the product (and won’t give it a chance) and they want to complain. Hearing what fans like is the best feedback for me because we can strive to do more of it." She also said she doesn't pay much attention to the wrestling media, instead prefering fan feedback and not feedback from people offering their perspective to the fans.
Impact last night did a 0.78 rating and 1.1 million viewers. The new show, Reaction, did a horrible number--0.2 and 279,000 viewers.
Brian Knobbs was interviewed last night on the Monday Night Mayhem radio show. He said he didn't know whether he was done here as nobody from the office has contacted him or Jerry Saggs. He noted talking to Hogan who claimed he didn't know whether the Nasty Boys were done either. He also revealed that WWE contacted him in January. "They called me and left a message to call them back, and they wanted to see what our status was in TNA. It was short and sweet, and they left a number, but I never did call it. I told Hogan they called us, and he said we should check it out, but I said right now, we're down here, and our loyalty is our loyalty." You can listen to the interview at www.mondaynightmayhem.com.
We didn't get much feedback on Hogan's new radio show last night on Sirus. Mike Lano noted to us that Hogan was in full work mode and took a lot of crank calls, including a guy who asked him if he ever had sex with Mr. T. He also told the story claiming Andre the Giant weighed 700lbs when he slammed him at Wrestlemania III.
Regarding the fire ball stunt on Impact, Jeff Hardy's girlfriend Beth wrote on Twitter that Jeff suffered burns around his eye, forehead, nose and mouth. "I hope he doesn't agree to do anything like that again," she said.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Scott Siegel, the actor who played a drug dealer in The Wrestler, was sentenced to 63 months in prison for steroid possession, distribution and law enforcement assault charges to which he plead guilty last October. The New York Daily News has a story at http://tinyurl.com/yc66hcp which noted since his incarceration Siegal has suffered from hormonal imbalances caused by years of steroid abuse.
James "Sinister Minister" Mitchell wrote a great blog discussing Chris Kanyon and his recent death at www.sinisterministerjm.blogspot.com. Mitchell was among the few wrestling personalities who attended Kanyon's private funeral last week in New York. Mick Foley and Scott "Raven" Levy also attended.
Ring of Honor announced Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli vs. TNA's Machine Guns for their return to New York City next month. More info at www.rohwrestling.com.
The Iron Sheik is booked again on Howard Stern on 6/10... Sheik recently put together a list of people he dislikes at http://thetop13.com/104/. Hulk Hogan, Brian Blair and Bubba the Love Sponge all made the cut.
Lance Cade is returning to Japan for a tour with All Japan on 5/15.
WWE's Norman Smiley is doing an upcoming seminar for indie wrestlers at the NYWC school in Deer Park, NY. Cost is $150. For more info contact Pat Buck at patbucknywc@yahoo.com.
Celebrity Boxing Federation promoter Damon Feldman is accused of fixing fights and staging competitions without a license, although he claims he's no different than WWE. Story is at http://tinyurl.com/y6za2zo.
There is a trailer for Dwayne Johnson's upcoming movie The Other Guys at http://tinyurl.com/ybnuqry. The film also stars Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Samuel L. Jackson, and Eva Mendes, and is due to hit theatres on 8/6.
Alebrije, Cujie, Histeria and Psicosis are in dispute with AAA in Mexico over the rights to their gimmicks. They met with an arbitrator a few days ago to try to resolve the situation and were confident that the arbitrator will eventually rule in their favor.
Joe Bruen is promoting a wrestling convention this weekend at the Bright Ridge Club in East Providence, RI. Among the names advertised: Jimmy Snuka, Ox Baker, Doink the Clown, Justin Credible, Bryan Clarke, Larry Zbyszko, John Cena Sr., Antonio Thomas, Rick Martel, Danny Davis, Kenny Dykstra, Melissa Coates, and more.
National Wrestling Superstars has a double shot this weekend in Carteret, NJ and Tower City, PA with Kishi (formerly Rikishi). Tickets are available by calling 732-888-1704 or visiting www.nwswrrestling.com.
Semi-retired wrestler "Lightning" Cheryl Rusa who works as a stunt women in Hollywood had a cameo last week on ABC's Flash Forward as an FBI agent.
Austin "Consequences" Creed is interviewed at http://georgiawrestlinghistory.com/gwhrn/sitd/home.html talking about his departure from TNA.
Maria Kanellis' album Sevin Sins went on sale today on itunes and is currently at No. 16 and climbing on the Rock chart.
The latest edition of Fighting Females magazine is now online. It's 70 pages dedicated to women's wrestling with a stack of interviews including the former Molly Holly, Lexie Fyfe, Rain, Nevaeh and special features on WSU, Wrestlicious, WWE Comics and Rival Angels at www.fightingfemales.co.uk.
Today's Diva of the Day is Melina at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
4/12 Raw TV results from London, England: Eve Torres over Maryse to win the Diva's Championship; The Miz over DH Smith; Evan Bourne over Carlito; John Cena over David Otunga; Kofi Kingston over Sheamus via DQ; The Bella Twins over Rosa Mendez & Jillian Hall and Gail Kim & Kelly Kelly in a three-way; and Randy Orton over Batista via DQ.
4/12 Smackdown house show results from Nottingham, England: Jack Swagger over Kane; R-Truth over Shad Gaspard; Beth Phenoix over Layla; Finley over Dolph Ziggler; John Morrison over Luke Gallows; Drew McIntyre over Matt Hardy; Rey Mysterio over CM Punk; and Edge over Chris Jericho in a street fight.
The NXT/Smackdown tapings are tonight in London with the main event of Jack Swagger vs. Chris Jericho vs. Edge for the World title. There is also a Raw show tonight in Sheffield.
***
In a major programming move, WWE today confirmed a multi-year agreement with NBC Universal to bring Smackdown to Friday nights on Syfy from 10/1. The move is believed to be the death knell for MyNetwork TV which contributed to major financial losses for News Corporation in 2008. The network ceased airing original series last Fall, and is now a repository for syndicated shows. The biggest impact of the deal for WWE will mean NXT moving to a new channel as Syfy's existing ratings draws such as Caprica, Stargate Universe and Sanctuary will switch to Tuesday nights. Syfy will pay around $30 million per year in television rights fees for Smackdown.
Jack Swagger reportedly got married a couple of week's ago in Las Vegas. Bryan Alverez reported that Swagger attended a Criss Angel show and was introduced with a women as his bride. His wife or girlfriend would be model Catalina White who at one point was in WWE developmental under the name Saylor James. She was cut around the time an adult film company announced it was going to release a sex tape she shot with a previous boyfriend... Swagger worked double duty last night in the opening match at the Smackdown show in Nottingham then took a cross-country helicopter ride to make Raw over 100 miles away in London.
Raw last night did a 3.2 rating and 4.7 million viewers.
Swagger vs. Randy Orton for the WWE title and Triple H vs. Sheamus in a street fight are the first two matches announced for Extreme Rules on 4/25.
The Miz appeared today on the popular UK television show Blue Peter. It's quite a big deal for WWE as before the move to PG they would never have been able to open these doors. Miz did two segments--one where he trained the hosts in cutting promos and another where he made a wrestling ring out of a Pizza box.
ESPN Video Games interviewed Brock Lesnar about appearances in multiple sports games, moving into MMA, and the chance of returning to WWE. He was fairly diplomatic compared to answers he's given in the past. When asked about differences between Vince McMahon and UFC President Dana White he said, "If I had to say one thing about Vince it would be ruthless. If I had to say something about Dana it would be diligent and somewhat brilliant. Two different approaches to business. I had a great run with WWE. They gave me great visibility, I met my wife (the former Sable) there, and I got paid a lot of money, it was just my time to go. I sensed it. I was smart enough to leave. That's the bottom line." On ever returning as a guest host: "I wouldn't be opposed to it. I'm still focused on my fighting right now, but if the opportunity arose some day, I'd never say never." Full interview at http://tinyurl.com/y2mjv3y.
Melina got very emotional on Twitter last night after Eve Torres won the Divas Championship although she didn't appear to be happy with the match. She wrote, "Just to make sure everyone understands, I think Eve is an up and coming talent. She has potential like many of our Divas. Like many of our Divas, they deserve a better title moment than that. With a good chase and a good build up. Maybe you need to be a wrestler to know that feeling but, it's an incredible feeling when you have reached such an honor. Where it took time and you invested so much to reach that moment/ that level. She got cheated out of that. No one understands that. Good for her. Be good to your heels, they make you who you are... As a former heel, I know. Do your thing chica. I still stand by what I say. Back in the Trish/Lita/Jazz era, the women earned the title and fought for it. It meant so much. Women looked at them and wanted to be as great as them. It shouldn't be about taking turns on who gets to put in on this week. It should be about who earned it and who brings credibility to it. I still wish it could have been Jillian, Katie or Gail to have that opportunity. All I wanted was to start a new era. To make those women proud to see we were keeping it alive."
The annual three-hour draft show was announced for 4/26 in Richmond, VA. No guest host is scheduled at press time although we're told they are working on someone A-list. If not they may end up using a legend.
Santino's sitcom is set to debut very soon on the WWE website with Beth Phoenix and Kozlov as the main players.
Shawne Merriman of the San Diego Chargers said in an interview this week that he's talked to Vince McMahon about getting into wrestling after football.
WWE recently hired New Jersey wrestling promoter Tommy Fierro to work in the television studio.
The Sun at http://tinyurl.com/y763gmo has a story on Ted DiBiase Sr. who says he's glad that Ultimate Warrior, the former Jim Hellwig, declined a spot in the Hall of Fame this year. He said, "I'm glad he wasn't there because he's somebody I don't particularly care for, and quite frankly he was somebody who got a big push... He's one of those guys that has never really appreciated what was done for him, and all you have to do is watch the DVD. There's a lot of guys that did well in the industry that may have been lacking in some areas."
TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING
4/12 Impact TV results from Orlando, FL: The Band over Team 3D; Shannon Moore vs. Kazarian was a draw; Angelina Love vs. Velvet Sky was a no contest; Matt Morgan & Amazing Red over The Machine Guns to retain the tag titles; and Jeff Hardy over Robert Roode.
Unless there are more swerves the final card for Sunday's Lockdown pay-per-view is AJ Styles vs. The Pope for the TNA heavyweight title; Team Flair (Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode, James Storm) vs. Team Hogan (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy) in Lethal Lockdown; Shannon Moore vs. Kaz vs. Doug Williams in a three-way for the X Division title; The Beautiful People vs. Angelina Love & Tara with both the Knockouts title and tag titles on the line; Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle; Kevin Nash vs. Eric Young; and The Band vs. Team 3D.
***
ODB publicly expressed some frustration with the current creative direction. She wrote regarding Impact on her Facebook page, "Just watched from my DVR the Knockouts match. Wow, WTF is happening to our division?" One source echoed similar sentiments to us this week. They said the Knockout's division has become quite sad in that most of the girls are fighting hard to stick together and want to help each other while some forces seem to be working against them.
Dixie Carter answered the first round of questions for her new column at www.tnawrestling.com. When asked about flagging ratings she said she's happy with four hours of prime time on Spike each week but admitted they cannot compete with WWE numbers. Another person asked about Impact going live in the UK and the possibility of doing a television taping over there. She said that was a call for their UK TV partner Bravo--I assume because she wants them to pay for it. On critics, she said, "You learn to have thick skin. I read fan input daily. There is a difference in someone who is passionate about TNA and wants to see something different versus someone who just hates the product (and won’t give it a chance) and they want to complain. Hearing what fans like is the best feedback for me because we can strive to do more of it." She also said she doesn't pay much attention to the wrestling media, instead prefering fan feedback and not feedback from people offering their perspective to the fans.
Impact last night did a 0.78 rating and 1.1 million viewers. The new show, Reaction, did a horrible number--0.2 and 279,000 viewers.
Brian Knobbs was interviewed last night on the Monday Night Mayhem radio show. He said he didn't know whether he was done here as nobody from the office has contacted him or Jerry Saggs. He noted talking to Hogan who claimed he didn't know whether the Nasty Boys were done either. He also revealed that WWE contacted him in January. "They called me and left a message to call them back, and they wanted to see what our status was in TNA. It was short and sweet, and they left a number, but I never did call it. I told Hogan they called us, and he said we should check it out, but I said right now, we're down here, and our loyalty is our loyalty." You can listen to the interview at www.mondaynightmayhem.com.
We didn't get much feedback on Hogan's new radio show last night on Sirus. Mike Lano noted to us that Hogan was in full work mode and took a lot of crank calls, including a guy who asked him if he ever had sex with Mr. T. He also told the story claiming Andre the Giant weighed 700lbs when he slammed him at Wrestlemania III.
Regarding the fire ball stunt on Impact, Jeff Hardy's girlfriend Beth wrote on Twitter that Jeff suffered burns around his eye, forehead, nose and mouth. "I hope he doesn't agree to do anything like that again," she said.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Scott Siegel, the actor who played a drug dealer in The Wrestler, was sentenced to 63 months in prison for steroid possession, distribution and law enforcement assault charges to which he plead guilty last October. The New York Daily News has a story at http://tinyurl.com/yc66hcp which noted since his incarceration Siegal has suffered from hormonal imbalances caused by years of steroid abuse.
James "Sinister Minister" Mitchell wrote a great blog discussing Chris Kanyon and his recent death at www.sinisterministerjm.blogspot.com. Mitchell was among the few wrestling personalities who attended Kanyon's private funeral last week in New York. Mick Foley and Scott "Raven" Levy also attended.
Ring of Honor announced Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli vs. TNA's Machine Guns for their return to New York City next month. More info at www.rohwrestling.com.
The Iron Sheik is booked again on Howard Stern on 6/10... Sheik recently put together a list of people he dislikes at http://thetop13.com/104/. Hulk Hogan, Brian Blair and Bubba the Love Sponge all made the cut.
Lance Cade is returning to Japan for a tour with All Japan on 5/15.
WWE's Norman Smiley is doing an upcoming seminar for indie wrestlers at the NYWC school in Deer Park, NY. Cost is $150. For more info contact Pat Buck at patbucknywc@yahoo.com.
Celebrity Boxing Federation promoter Damon Feldman is accused of fixing fights and staging competitions without a license, although he claims he's no different than WWE. Story is at http://tinyurl.com/y6za2zo.
There is a trailer for Dwayne Johnson's upcoming movie The Other Guys at http://tinyurl.com/ybnuqry. The film also stars Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Samuel L. Jackson, and Eva Mendes, and is due to hit theatres on 8/6.
Alebrije, Cujie, Histeria and Psicosis are in dispute with AAA in Mexico over the rights to their gimmicks. They met with an arbitrator a few days ago to try to resolve the situation and were confident that the arbitrator will eventually rule in their favor.
Joe Bruen is promoting a wrestling convention this weekend at the Bright Ridge Club in East Providence, RI. Among the names advertised: Jimmy Snuka, Ox Baker, Doink the Clown, Justin Credible, Bryan Clarke, Larry Zbyszko, John Cena Sr., Antonio Thomas, Rick Martel, Danny Davis, Kenny Dykstra, Melissa Coates, and more.
National Wrestling Superstars has a double shot this weekend in Carteret, NJ and Tower City, PA with Kishi (formerly Rikishi). Tickets are available by calling 732-888-1704 or visiting www.nwswrrestling.com.
Semi-retired wrestler "Lightning" Cheryl Rusa who works as a stunt women in Hollywood had a cameo last week on ABC's Flash Forward as an FBI agent.
Austin "Consequences" Creed is interviewed at http://georgiawrestlinghistory.com/gwhrn/sitd/home.html talking about his departure from TNA.
Maria Kanellis' album Sevin Sins went on sale today on itunes and is currently at No. 16 and climbing on the Rock chart.
The latest edition of Fighting Females magazine is now online. It's 70 pages dedicated to women's wrestling with a stack of interviews including the former Molly Holly, Lexie Fyfe, Rain, Nevaeh and special features on WSU, Wrestlicious, WWE Comics and Rival Angels at www.fightingfemales.co.uk.
Today's Diva of the Day is Melina at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
Monday, April 12, 2010
RCW Late Nite Wrestling April 10, 2010 Part Three
RCW Late Nite Wrestling Part 3 from April 10 features the final moments of a Midnight Gold promo; words from Premiere Brutality; highlights of Bishop vs. "Girl Candy" Christian Jacobs in the semi-finals of the RCW Championship Tournament; comments from Jon Michael Worthington and a preview of Rodney Mack's RCW debut!
RCW Late Nite Wrestling April 10, 2010 Part Two
See the second part of the April 10, 2010 edition of RCW Late Nite Wrestling. The final moments of Kid Nikels & Eric Wayne vs. Midnight Gold; the post match confrontation between Midnight Gold and Charles "Casino Kid" Moser; and a Midnight Gold promo.
RCW Late Nite Wrestling April 10, 2010 Part One
The first 10 minutes of the April 10 edition of RCW Late Nite Wrestling on KAIT TV-8 features footage of Matt Riviera's attack on Ron Rage in Trumann, AR; and highlights of the Premiere Brutality ("3G" Eric Wayne & Kid Nikels) vs. Midnight Gold (Bobby Eaton & "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony) from Augusta, AR on March 27.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
"Midnight Gold" beat "New Age Outlaws" - TGB pins Billy Gunn!!
RassleResults: ASWF Augusta, AR 4.10.10
This is ASWF's first road show in a while and what an explosive one it was.
1st match- Cody Murdoch vs. Casino- Murdoch was accompanied to the ring by his CM2 partner, Cason McClain. This match started off with alot of Casino countering every move Murdoch tried. This worked well for Casino until McClain started distracting Casino by trying to interfere in the match. Casino tried to come back, but the odds were stacked against him and in the end, with Cason's interference, Murdoch would take the victory.
Winner: Cody Murdoch
2nd match- Cason McClain vs. Austin Lane- In this contest, Murdoch returned the favor to McClain by coming out and distracting the ASWF Heavyweight Champion. At one point it looked as if Austin Lane had it under control and was gonna beat the odds and pull out the victory, but in the end, the numbers game won out and McClain scored a pinfall over the Champ.
Winner: Cason McClain
After this match both members of CM2 were set to launch an attack on Austin Lane and Casino came out from the back to make the save. Austin and Casino then issued a challenge to CM2 for a pinfalls count anywhere title match for later on that night. CM2 accepted the challenge, but stated they would just give them a match; they never accepted it being a title match.
3rd match- CCR vs. X-Kaliber/Morgan Williams- This bout was the return of The American Degenerates and started out with several good moves from both teams. It didn't remain a wrestling match for long though, because CCR obviously came looking for a fight. This match erupted and spilled outside the ring where the referee had no choice but to call the match a No Contest via Double Count Out. Just when it looked to be all over, X-Caliber said he didn't come here for a no contest and he was sure the fans wanted to see more action, and he got the crowd to chant 5 more minutes and so the bell was rung to give them their 5 more minutes. This started out with The American Degenerates in control, but they were quickly overpowered by CCR and with a minute and a half to go, CCR got the pin.
Winner: CCR
4th Match-'Hot Rod' John Ellison vs. Dante Cain- This contest was almost completely dominated by Dante Cain. With this new attitude that he has developed over the last few weeks, he has also developed a mean streak and 'Hot Rod' was on the receiving end of everything Cain had to dish out on this night. Cain got the pin.
Winner: Dante Cain
5th match- Johnny Hawk vs. Christopher Lee- Christopher Lee was in complete control in the opening minutes of this contest and it looked like this would be an easy night for the X-Division Champ. Things changed quickly as Hawk took to the outside of the ring and pulled a foreign object out of his boot. Hawk took advantage of the situation when Lee came outside the ring and jabbed The Renegade Superstar in the throat on a few occasions. As Hawk rolled Lee into the ring, it was obvious that Lee couldn't breathe well, and Hawk quickly got the pin.
Winner: Johnny Hawk
Main Event- CM2 w/Athena vs. Austin Lane/Casino- This match started out with Austin and Casino trying to get CM2 to come outside the ring and start the match. CM2 wanted no part of that. After a few minutes they finally got started in the ring, and this battle was back and forth with no one having the upper hand until they took it outside the ring. Casino had a chair working over Murdoch and Austin and McClain were all over the place. At one point McClain was even put on a dolly and pushed out of the building. This match was EXPLOSIVE! Athena tried to help her guys and she got SPANKED for her troubles. In the end, Austin and Casino got the win and was celebrating their victory with the tag team belts that they thought they had won. CM2 then reminded them that they had said they would give them a match, but never said they would put the titles on the line. Austin and Casino laid the titles in the middle of the ring and told CM2 if they wanted the titles, come get them. CM2 thought better of the situation and pushed Athena in to get them. As Athena was trying to get out of there, CM2 got their titles from her and then left her to the wolves where she was given a massive wedgie and almost another spanking for her time.
Winner: Austin Lane/ Casino
Be watching for the announcement of the next exciting ASWF road show coming soon to an arena near you!
----I was told 70 people in attendance, so if that would be 20 more than the last RCW show. A lower ticket price though, so the gate was less.
1st match- Cody Murdoch vs. Casino- Murdoch was accompanied to the ring by his CM2 partner, Cason McClain. This match started off with alot of Casino countering every move Murdoch tried. This worked well for Casino until McClain started distracting Casino by trying to interfere in the match. Casino tried to come back, but the odds were stacked against him and in the end, with Cason's interference, Murdoch would take the victory.
Winner: Cody Murdoch
2nd match- Cason McClain vs. Austin Lane- In this contest, Murdoch returned the favor to McClain by coming out and distracting the ASWF Heavyweight Champion. At one point it looked as if Austin Lane had it under control and was gonna beat the odds and pull out the victory, but in the end, the numbers game won out and McClain scored a pinfall over the Champ.
Winner: Cason McClain
After this match both members of CM2 were set to launch an attack on Austin Lane and Casino came out from the back to make the save. Austin and Casino then issued a challenge to CM2 for a pinfalls count anywhere title match for later on that night. CM2 accepted the challenge, but stated they would just give them a match; they never accepted it being a title match.
3rd match- CCR vs. X-Kaliber/Morgan Williams- This bout was the return of The American Degenerates and started out with several good moves from both teams. It didn't remain a wrestling match for long though, because CCR obviously came looking for a fight. This match erupted and spilled outside the ring where the referee had no choice but to call the match a No Contest via Double Count Out. Just when it looked to be all over, X-Caliber said he didn't come here for a no contest and he was sure the fans wanted to see more action, and he got the crowd to chant 5 more minutes and so the bell was rung to give them their 5 more minutes. This started out with The American Degenerates in control, but they were quickly overpowered by CCR and with a minute and a half to go, CCR got the pin.
Winner: CCR
4th Match-'Hot Rod' John Ellison vs. Dante Cain- This contest was almost completely dominated by Dante Cain. With this new attitude that he has developed over the last few weeks, he has also developed a mean streak and 'Hot Rod' was on the receiving end of everything Cain had to dish out on this night. Cain got the pin.
Winner: Dante Cain
5th match- Johnny Hawk vs. Christopher Lee- Christopher Lee was in complete control in the opening minutes of this contest and it looked like this would be an easy night for the X-Division Champ. Things changed quickly as Hawk took to the outside of the ring and pulled a foreign object out of his boot. Hawk took advantage of the situation when Lee came outside the ring and jabbed The Renegade Superstar in the throat on a few occasions. As Hawk rolled Lee into the ring, it was obvious that Lee couldn't breathe well, and Hawk quickly got the pin.
Winner: Johnny Hawk
Main Event- CM2 w/Athena vs. Austin Lane/Casino- This match started out with Austin and Casino trying to get CM2 to come outside the ring and start the match. CM2 wanted no part of that. After a few minutes they finally got started in the ring, and this battle was back and forth with no one having the upper hand until they took it outside the ring. Casino had a chair working over Murdoch and Austin and McClain were all over the place. At one point McClain was even put on a dolly and pushed out of the building. This match was EXPLOSIVE! Athena tried to help her guys and she got SPANKED for her troubles. In the end, Austin and Casino got the win and was celebrating their victory with the tag team belts that they thought they had won. CM2 then reminded them that they had said they would give them a match, but never said they would put the titles on the line. Austin and Casino laid the titles in the middle of the ring and told CM2 if they wanted the titles, come get them. CM2 thought better of the situation and pushed Athena in to get them. As Athena was trying to get out of there, CM2 got their titles from her and then left her to the wolves where she was given a massive wedgie and almost another spanking for her time.
Winner: Austin Lane/ Casino
Be watching for the announcement of the next exciting ASWF road show coming soon to an arena near you!
----I was told 70 people in attendance, so if that would be 20 more than the last RCW show. A lower ticket price though, so the gate was less.
(WGN) April 11: Bill Goldberg considers WWE, Kanyon and other wrestling deaths, Jim Ross updates future, TNA cuts and signings, Jericho on Rob Van Dam, new wrestling show, injury notes, Rob Terry chair shot, former Diva pregnant again, more...
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT
PLEASE NOTE: This is our first newsletter since 3/24 as I've been Internet-less due to moving house. Our regular updates will resume tomorrow but today we have an abbreviated version of the news from the past week.
Bill Goldberg has confirmed that he's negotiating with WWE on a merchandise deal as well as a possible DVD project. He hasn't ruled out a return to the ring and said he would love for his young son to be able to see him wrestle. He told ESPN: "It's not something that I'm seeking out to do at 43 years old. But you know, Wrestlemania is next year in Atlanta. Hulk Hogan and I put 43,000 people in the Georgia Dome with three days' notice. I've got a fairly big following in Atlanta. Is it out of the realm of possibility? I'd say no. If not, I'm totally content with the way I went out. To be able to get merchandise out there not only satiates the fans but hopefully there have been a lot of people wondering where my merchandise is. The reason why I want to do this is my boy; just trying to be a good father."
Jim Ross cleared up some recent speculation on his future. He wrote at www.jrsbarbq.com on 4/1 that he was working out the specifics of a new contract and was expecting to be reassigned in a new role. "There are no issues or problems with my negotiations with WWE. The ball is in WWE's court to put together a new role for me within the company," Ross wrote. "Essentially they have decided to reassign me from weekly broadcasting and that includes the monthly PPV's to focus on other areas of the company. I am guessing, and I stress guessing, that may be some form of scouting and/or talent development. I might be wrong on that assumption but I'll know before the end of April as that is when my current extension expires." Ross also wrote on 4/8 that he was close to a deal with a public speaking company and was talking to a literary publisher about a possible multi-book deal.
Bad times for Ezekiel Jackson who missed Wrestlemania due to the death of his father. Jackson is currently in the UK on tour with Smackdown but there are unconfirmed reports he may have suffered a severe quad injury. He worked a match against Kane last night in Glasgow, Scotland but they went to an early finish after something went wrong.
Triple H was off the Raw house shows this weekend in the UK as he's dealing with a neck injury. No update at press time but at last word he was scheduled for television on Monday night.
Zach Gowen recently completed WWE-sponsored drug rehab for pain pill addiction. He said he's in recovery and is ready to take bookings again.
Reality TV star Tila Tequila was contacted about hosting Raw the last week of May which would be 5/31 in Austin, TX. She grew up in the Houston area.
Raw in Miami on 6/7 will be a three-hour show. They are trying to secure Dwayne Johnson to guest host that night if his schedule permits. They have also at least attempted to book Tiger Woods.
Paul Heyman's latest blog at http://tinyurl.com/yhfoy7m discusses a recent meeting with Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar, and the events that led to Austin walking out of WWE in 2002.
John Morrison was optimistic about his future during a recent live chat on the Arizona Republic website. He said (in-character): "Who's champion now? Cena? Ugh. Boring. Yeah, I think my time is coming. I'm rounding the corner right now in the main event parking garage, where all the spots have been taken for a really long time. I think some of the cars in the main event parking lot are about to be ticketed and towed after Wrestlemania. There should be some spots available."
Chris Jericho in an interview with Brian Fritz clarified some comments he made regarding Rob Van Dam and his TNA debut. "I didn't take a shot at it. It just baffled me that they would have (him debut that way). Rob's one of the biggest stars from the last 10 years of wrestling, and to have him come in and only get five seconds of crowd reaction before they cut it off, I just felt it was lunacy. I'm not taking a shot at anything, I think Rob's great, I'm happy that TNA is on Monday night. I hope they become a huge success. It's just better for me, and better for the business, and better for the fans. But doing things like that, it doesn't help anybody. I don't understand why they do the things they do sometimes. I don't work there and it's not my responsibility or my decisions. But like I said, I wish them nothing but the best of luck because I would love to see them do something and pop on the radar huge."
WWE's Andrew Whitaker, who now runs Shane McMahon's old department, expressed an interest in signing Fuifui Moimoi, a New Zealand-Tongan pro rugby player in the Australian National Rugby League.
Batista is scheduled to begin filming Killing Karma for WWE Studios this coming week in New Orleans. He won't miss any television time.
Linda McMahon recently resigned her position on the Connecticut Board of Education as she continues her run for a U.S. Senate spot. She came under heavy media fire this week for her involvement in the WWE steroid trial of 1993 that was based on evidence from the case of Dr. George Zahorian--WWE's live event doctor of choice from 1987 to 1991--who was convicted of illegal steroid distribution in 1991. During the trial, federal prosecutors revealed that Linda wrote a memo to then-WWE Vice President Pat Patterson, suggesting that the company stop using Dr. Zahorian because of mounting attention from the government. Vince McMahon personally admitted to using steroids, and Hulk Hogan admitted to using steroids for over 13 years, but said McMahon never encouraged him to do so. Vince was acquitted of all charges, as the jury ruled the steroid use was an individual choice, not a company policy. The New London Day at http://tinyurl.com/y4xar67 published a detailed report on the case from 17 years ago which Linda's rivals have jumped all over saying the report proves she is unfit to run for office. When asked about her recollection of the trial, Linda is quoted as saying, "I don't pretend to remember to go back, to revisit all the aspects of that case... It has been tried, acquitted and done with, and WWE has evolved its total health and wellness policy over the years, and I'm sure will continue to evolve."
TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING
There have been several roster cuts since our last newsletter; Consequences Creed, The Nasty Boys, Chris Daniels, and referee Jamie Tucker were all confirmed gone from the company. Creed (Austin Watson), 23, was not a major shock as he's been left out of creative plans since the arrival of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. He signed here in 2007 and during the past year or so was paired with Jay Lethal as the tag team Lethal Consequences. He said he wasn't angry or bitter and understood why he was let go. He's already booked solid for the next few week's, including a tour next month with New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is currently working towards a PHD in educational psychology, and has also been pursuing acting of late. He recently did some work as an extra for an upcoming comedy starring Owen Wilson and Christina Applegate... The Nasty Boys had heat. A decision was made not to use them following an incident involving Brian Knobbs during an after show party. Jerry Saggs said he found out that he was fired when he read it online last week... Daniels, 39, is the most shocking departure as he's been a key player almost since the company's inception dating back to 2002 running weekly shows out of Nashville. Nobody is really talking about his release but he had been unhappy with certain things for some time. He has already started working with Ring of Honor and will be reprising his Curry Man gimmick at Chikara's King of Trios tournament on April 23.
Orlando Jordan, Brian Kendrick, Chelsea (Alison Skipper) and Christy Hemme were all signed to multi-year contracts. Hemme's deal is reportedly worth over $150,000 per year over three years which is a big investment for a non-wrestler.
Jeff Jarrett, 42, and Karen Angle, 37, officially announced their engagement this past week. The couple got together around the time Karen finalized her divorce from Kurt Angle in October, 2008. We first heard about the relationship early last year but didn't feel it was newsworthy at the time. A few months later the relationship became public which caused drama in the locker room and resulted in Dixie Carter removing Jarrett from the writing team and sending him home. This will be the second marriage for both Jarrett and Angle. Jarrett's first wife Jill passed away in 2007 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Kurt Angle is scheduled to take some time off following the Lockdown pay-per-view to rest up and allow time for some nagging injuries to heel.
Impact moving from 9-11 to 8-10 on a permanent basis was confirmed by Dixie Carter. The company had claimed last Monday's 8-10 show was a one-time deal due to NCAA Basketball. The show averaged a 0.9 rating, an increase from the previous week's all-time low of 0.6.
A new show called TNA Reaction debuts on Monday at 7pm before Impact. It's a taped show with backstage interviews and promos. A Spike press release reads, "Fans will experience all the unseen drama as rivals speak openly about their plans to destroy their most hated foes." Bischoff described the show as, "a fresh, cutting edge format that really showcases TNA talent in a new way."
Tara suffered a broken hand in the first blood match on Impact two week's ago.
Kevin Nash suffered a concussion at the 3/23 tapings taking a swanton from Jeff Hardy.
Tommy Dreamer's WWE no compete just expired. He said he's been talking to people here about coming in.
The new Miss Teschmaker character is Brooke Adams, the former WWE Diva who was a dancer in the ECW Extreme Expose group. WWE fired her in 2007 because they felt she was a bad influence on some of the other Divas. She was described back then as a "wild child" who enjoyed the party scene a little too much.
Lance Storm at http://tinyurl.com/yf6wkuf wrote that he's given up watching Impact for good following Monday's show, specifically after the unprotected chair shot to Rob Terry. He wrote: "The wrestling Industry has suffered an incredible number of deaths due to drug use, steroid use, and suicide over the last several years, and in a post Benoit tragedy world seeing a wrestling company put no effort forth to protect it’s talent roster offends me to no end." Storm added: "When is this industry and the people in it going to wake up and learn from the death toll this business has experienced? Thankfully WWE is taking steps forward with their wellness policy and the banning of chair shots to the head, but TNA seems content to seek short term, shock value ratings and ignore the horrific long term writing on the wall. This may be a decision the company and the talent made willingly together, but it is one I am not willing to tolerate any longer. I have lost too many friends, and we should all know better by now."
Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman was at Universal Studios this week. He came to the Impact taping and took pictures with some of the crew backstage after the show. Apparently he wasn't too taken with Jeff Hardy. Shannon Moore wrote on his Twitter, "Me and Jeff just got shot down by Dog the Bounty hunter. Wow what a Jack Ass."
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Chris Klucsaritis, who wrestled in WWE and WCW as Chris Kanyon and Mortis, was found in grave condition on the evening of 4/2 at his apartment in Sunnyside, NY. Reportedly, Klucsaritis was found by his brother, concerned about him not answering his phone. EMT's were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead in his apartment. The medical examiner's office is investigating to determine the exact cause of death although the police are treating the case as an apparent suicide, having found an empty bottle of the drug Seroquel (for schizophrenia) and a note where Klucsaritis apologized to his family for taking his own life. He was 40 years old and was known to suffer from bipolar disorder and depression. Klucsaritis graduated from the University at Buffalo in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in physical therapy. He worked for three years as a full time physical therapist before deciding to become a pro wrestler in 1995. He got his first big break with WCW after training with Bobby Eagle in New York City and the late Fabulous Moolah (Lillian Ellison) in South Carolina. He worked the bulk of his career with WCW right up until the company was sold to WWE in 2001. He made his WWE debut a few months after the sale as part of the invasion storyline and shortly thereafter was awarded the U.S. title. In the storyline he would refer to himself as "The Alliance MVP" and frequently posed the rhetorical question "Who betta than Kanyon?". He was later sidelined for the remainder of the Invasion storyline after he tore his ACL during a dark match with Randy Orton. After surgery he was sent to developmental--Ohio Valley Wrestling in Louisville, KY at the time--but suffered another injury set back when he hurt his shoulder during a match with Lance Cade. In July, 2002 following surgery on his injured shoulder he was hostipalized as a result of an allergy to the medication with which he was being treated. He recovered and was discharged from hospital having lost 32 pounds. For the remainder of his WWE run he was rarely used aside from dark matches or wacky skits. He was released from his contract in February, 2004. He worked once for TNA at the 2005 Turning Point pay-per-view but was never brought back. On the indies he worked when he could get booked billing himself as an openly gay wrestler having come out in 2006. He made several attempts to return to WWE in the past couple of years--even after he put his name on a failed lawsuit attempt with Scott "Raven" Levy and Mike Sanders against WWE for misclassifying wrestlers as independent contracts. Someone who spoke to Klucsaritis recently said that he had been talking about opening a wrestling school in his local community and had started writing a book.
The legendary Gene Kiniski, 81, who is battling cancer, has taken a turn for the worse. The cancer has spread to his brain and he is no longer eating.
Journeyman wrestler Tom Burton passed away on 3/29 at the age of 46. Candace Rummel (aka Candi Divine), Burton's partner of 17 years, said that he suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He had been on oxygen for several years, was in poor health battling sleep apnea and was overweight at 430 pounds. A native of Minneapolis, Burton worked most notably in Tennessee and Texas during the late 80s as part of a tag team with Tony Anthony as the Dirty White Boys. He was also a regular in Japan for the UWFI promotion during the early-mid 90s and did occasional jobs on WWF and WCW television. Last year Rummel sued Burton on the TV show Divorce Court, accusing him of running over her cat with his car, and killing it, which he denied.
Ken Layton, 45, who worked indies in Alabama as Kenny Valentine, was killed on 3/26 when he crashed his tractor-trailer truck head-on into a church bus. The accident happened on Interstate 65 near Munfordville, KY and was described as one of the worst traffic accidents in the history of the state of Kentucky. The accident claimed 11 lives including three young children. The church bus was en route to a wedding in Iowa.
Kentucky indie wrestler Glen "Ice Pick" Bussell died last weekend at age 22 in Scott County as a result of a car accident.
Bob Ziolkowski, who worked as Baby Haystacks for Powerhouse Pro Wrestling in Wisconsin, passed away this week from heart failure at the age of 34.
Jack Tunney's nephew Eric Tunney, 45, was found dead in his apartment last weekend. He was a stand-up comedian in Ontario. Friends say he had battled severe depression since the break up of his marriage. The official cause of death is unknown pending an autopsy although it's expected to be ruled a suicide.
Chris Whitehead, 30, and Danielle Whitehead, 27, who work indies in Tennessee as Thorn and Kandy were arrested on 3/29 in South Carolina after a meth lab was found in their home. Three children, aged 9, 4 and 1, who shared a small room in the house, were placed in emergency protective custody. Danielle Whitehead had been pulled over by cops for speeding in a Ford SUV. A search of the vehicle revealed Sudafed and batteries, which are key items in making methamphetamine. Narcotics agents then searched the house and found a meth lab in the bathroom. The couple were charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, exposing children to methamphetamine and possession of marijuana.
Rena Lesnar, 42, the former Sable, who is married to Brock Lesnar, is expecting the couple's second child in July. They are expecting another boy. Their first child, Turk, was born last June.
Bobby Lashley and Kristal Marshall have publicly announced their split. The former couple had a son together in 2008.
Awesome Kong starts with Ring of Honor on 5/8 in New York City under her pre-TNA ring name of Amazing Kong.
Dallas Page and Roddy Piper just shot a direct-to-DVD sci-fi movie called Pizza Man. Page plays a character called The Big Cheese.
Scott Steiner is heading to work for WWC in Puerto Rico. He recently taped a confrontation with Ray Gonzalez at Abdullah the Butcher’s House of Ribs in Atlanta.
Today's Diva of the Day is Maryse at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
PLEASE NOTE: This is our first newsletter since 3/24 as I've been Internet-less due to moving house. Our regular updates will resume tomorrow but today we have an abbreviated version of the news from the past week.
Bill Goldberg has confirmed that he's negotiating with WWE on a merchandise deal as well as a possible DVD project. He hasn't ruled out a return to the ring and said he would love for his young son to be able to see him wrestle. He told ESPN: "It's not something that I'm seeking out to do at 43 years old. But you know, Wrestlemania is next year in Atlanta. Hulk Hogan and I put 43,000 people in the Georgia Dome with three days' notice. I've got a fairly big following in Atlanta. Is it out of the realm of possibility? I'd say no. If not, I'm totally content with the way I went out. To be able to get merchandise out there not only satiates the fans but hopefully there have been a lot of people wondering where my merchandise is. The reason why I want to do this is my boy; just trying to be a good father."
Jim Ross cleared up some recent speculation on his future. He wrote at www.jrsbarbq.com on 4/1 that he was working out the specifics of a new contract and was expecting to be reassigned in a new role. "There are no issues or problems with my negotiations with WWE. The ball is in WWE's court to put together a new role for me within the company," Ross wrote. "Essentially they have decided to reassign me from weekly broadcasting and that includes the monthly PPV's to focus on other areas of the company. I am guessing, and I stress guessing, that may be some form of scouting and/or talent development. I might be wrong on that assumption but I'll know before the end of April as that is when my current extension expires." Ross also wrote on 4/8 that he was close to a deal with a public speaking company and was talking to a literary publisher about a possible multi-book deal.
Bad times for Ezekiel Jackson who missed Wrestlemania due to the death of his father. Jackson is currently in the UK on tour with Smackdown but there are unconfirmed reports he may have suffered a severe quad injury. He worked a match against Kane last night in Glasgow, Scotland but they went to an early finish after something went wrong.
Triple H was off the Raw house shows this weekend in the UK as he's dealing with a neck injury. No update at press time but at last word he was scheduled for television on Monday night.
Zach Gowen recently completed WWE-sponsored drug rehab for pain pill addiction. He said he's in recovery and is ready to take bookings again.
Reality TV star Tila Tequila was contacted about hosting Raw the last week of May which would be 5/31 in Austin, TX. She grew up in the Houston area.
Raw in Miami on 6/7 will be a three-hour show. They are trying to secure Dwayne Johnson to guest host that night if his schedule permits. They have also at least attempted to book Tiger Woods.
Paul Heyman's latest blog at http://tinyurl.com/yhfoy7m discusses a recent meeting with Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar, and the events that led to Austin walking out of WWE in 2002.
John Morrison was optimistic about his future during a recent live chat on the Arizona Republic website. He said (in-character): "Who's champion now? Cena? Ugh. Boring. Yeah, I think my time is coming. I'm rounding the corner right now in the main event parking garage, where all the spots have been taken for a really long time. I think some of the cars in the main event parking lot are about to be ticketed and towed after Wrestlemania. There should be some spots available."
Chris Jericho in an interview with Brian Fritz clarified some comments he made regarding Rob Van Dam and his TNA debut. "I didn't take a shot at it. It just baffled me that they would have (him debut that way). Rob's one of the biggest stars from the last 10 years of wrestling, and to have him come in and only get five seconds of crowd reaction before they cut it off, I just felt it was lunacy. I'm not taking a shot at anything, I think Rob's great, I'm happy that TNA is on Monday night. I hope they become a huge success. It's just better for me, and better for the business, and better for the fans. But doing things like that, it doesn't help anybody. I don't understand why they do the things they do sometimes. I don't work there and it's not my responsibility or my decisions. But like I said, I wish them nothing but the best of luck because I would love to see them do something and pop on the radar huge."
WWE's Andrew Whitaker, who now runs Shane McMahon's old department, expressed an interest in signing Fuifui Moimoi, a New Zealand-Tongan pro rugby player in the Australian National Rugby League.
Batista is scheduled to begin filming Killing Karma for WWE Studios this coming week in New Orleans. He won't miss any television time.
Linda McMahon recently resigned her position on the Connecticut Board of Education as she continues her run for a U.S. Senate spot. She came under heavy media fire this week for her involvement in the WWE steroid trial of 1993 that was based on evidence from the case of Dr. George Zahorian--WWE's live event doctor of choice from 1987 to 1991--who was convicted of illegal steroid distribution in 1991. During the trial, federal prosecutors revealed that Linda wrote a memo to then-WWE Vice President Pat Patterson, suggesting that the company stop using Dr. Zahorian because of mounting attention from the government. Vince McMahon personally admitted to using steroids, and Hulk Hogan admitted to using steroids for over 13 years, but said McMahon never encouraged him to do so. Vince was acquitted of all charges, as the jury ruled the steroid use was an individual choice, not a company policy. The New London Day at http://tinyurl.com/y4xar67 published a detailed report on the case from 17 years ago which Linda's rivals have jumped all over saying the report proves she is unfit to run for office. When asked about her recollection of the trial, Linda is quoted as saying, "I don't pretend to remember to go back, to revisit all the aspects of that case... It has been tried, acquitted and done with, and WWE has evolved its total health and wellness policy over the years, and I'm sure will continue to evolve."
TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING
There have been several roster cuts since our last newsletter; Consequences Creed, The Nasty Boys, Chris Daniels, and referee Jamie Tucker were all confirmed gone from the company. Creed (Austin Watson), 23, was not a major shock as he's been left out of creative plans since the arrival of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. He signed here in 2007 and during the past year or so was paired with Jay Lethal as the tag team Lethal Consequences. He said he wasn't angry or bitter and understood why he was let go. He's already booked solid for the next few week's, including a tour next month with New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is currently working towards a PHD in educational psychology, and has also been pursuing acting of late. He recently did some work as an extra for an upcoming comedy starring Owen Wilson and Christina Applegate... The Nasty Boys had heat. A decision was made not to use them following an incident involving Brian Knobbs during an after show party. Jerry Saggs said he found out that he was fired when he read it online last week... Daniels, 39, is the most shocking departure as he's been a key player almost since the company's inception dating back to 2002 running weekly shows out of Nashville. Nobody is really talking about his release but he had been unhappy with certain things for some time. He has already started working with Ring of Honor and will be reprising his Curry Man gimmick at Chikara's King of Trios tournament on April 23.
Orlando Jordan, Brian Kendrick, Chelsea (Alison Skipper) and Christy Hemme were all signed to multi-year contracts. Hemme's deal is reportedly worth over $150,000 per year over three years which is a big investment for a non-wrestler.
Jeff Jarrett, 42, and Karen Angle, 37, officially announced their engagement this past week. The couple got together around the time Karen finalized her divorce from Kurt Angle in October, 2008. We first heard about the relationship early last year but didn't feel it was newsworthy at the time. A few months later the relationship became public which caused drama in the locker room and resulted in Dixie Carter removing Jarrett from the writing team and sending him home. This will be the second marriage for both Jarrett and Angle. Jarrett's first wife Jill passed away in 2007 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Kurt Angle is scheduled to take some time off following the Lockdown pay-per-view to rest up and allow time for some nagging injuries to heel.
Impact moving from 9-11 to 8-10 on a permanent basis was confirmed by Dixie Carter. The company had claimed last Monday's 8-10 show was a one-time deal due to NCAA Basketball. The show averaged a 0.9 rating, an increase from the previous week's all-time low of 0.6.
A new show called TNA Reaction debuts on Monday at 7pm before Impact. It's a taped show with backstage interviews and promos. A Spike press release reads, "Fans will experience all the unseen drama as rivals speak openly about their plans to destroy their most hated foes." Bischoff described the show as, "a fresh, cutting edge format that really showcases TNA talent in a new way."
Tara suffered a broken hand in the first blood match on Impact two week's ago.
Kevin Nash suffered a concussion at the 3/23 tapings taking a swanton from Jeff Hardy.
Tommy Dreamer's WWE no compete just expired. He said he's been talking to people here about coming in.
The new Miss Teschmaker character is Brooke Adams, the former WWE Diva who was a dancer in the ECW Extreme Expose group. WWE fired her in 2007 because they felt she was a bad influence on some of the other Divas. She was described back then as a "wild child" who enjoyed the party scene a little too much.
Lance Storm at http://tinyurl.com/yf6wkuf wrote that he's given up watching Impact for good following Monday's show, specifically after the unprotected chair shot to Rob Terry. He wrote: "The wrestling Industry has suffered an incredible number of deaths due to drug use, steroid use, and suicide over the last several years, and in a post Benoit tragedy world seeing a wrestling company put no effort forth to protect it’s talent roster offends me to no end." Storm added: "When is this industry and the people in it going to wake up and learn from the death toll this business has experienced? Thankfully WWE is taking steps forward with their wellness policy and the banning of chair shots to the head, but TNA seems content to seek short term, shock value ratings and ignore the horrific long term writing on the wall. This may be a decision the company and the talent made willingly together, but it is one I am not willing to tolerate any longer. I have lost too many friends, and we should all know better by now."
Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman was at Universal Studios this week. He came to the Impact taping and took pictures with some of the crew backstage after the show. Apparently he wasn't too taken with Jeff Hardy. Shannon Moore wrote on his Twitter, "Me and Jeff just got shot down by Dog the Bounty hunter. Wow what a Jack Ass."
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Chris Klucsaritis, who wrestled in WWE and WCW as Chris Kanyon and Mortis, was found in grave condition on the evening of 4/2 at his apartment in Sunnyside, NY. Reportedly, Klucsaritis was found by his brother, concerned about him not answering his phone. EMT's were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead in his apartment. The medical examiner's office is investigating to determine the exact cause of death although the police are treating the case as an apparent suicide, having found an empty bottle of the drug Seroquel (for schizophrenia) and a note where Klucsaritis apologized to his family for taking his own life. He was 40 years old and was known to suffer from bipolar disorder and depression. Klucsaritis graduated from the University at Buffalo in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in physical therapy. He worked for three years as a full time physical therapist before deciding to become a pro wrestler in 1995. He got his first big break with WCW after training with Bobby Eagle in New York City and the late Fabulous Moolah (Lillian Ellison) in South Carolina. He worked the bulk of his career with WCW right up until the company was sold to WWE in 2001. He made his WWE debut a few months after the sale as part of the invasion storyline and shortly thereafter was awarded the U.S. title. In the storyline he would refer to himself as "The Alliance MVP" and frequently posed the rhetorical question "Who betta than Kanyon?". He was later sidelined for the remainder of the Invasion storyline after he tore his ACL during a dark match with Randy Orton. After surgery he was sent to developmental--Ohio Valley Wrestling in Louisville, KY at the time--but suffered another injury set back when he hurt his shoulder during a match with Lance Cade. In July, 2002 following surgery on his injured shoulder he was hostipalized as a result of an allergy to the medication with which he was being treated. He recovered and was discharged from hospital having lost 32 pounds. For the remainder of his WWE run he was rarely used aside from dark matches or wacky skits. He was released from his contract in February, 2004. He worked once for TNA at the 2005 Turning Point pay-per-view but was never brought back. On the indies he worked when he could get booked billing himself as an openly gay wrestler having come out in 2006. He made several attempts to return to WWE in the past couple of years--even after he put his name on a failed lawsuit attempt with Scott "Raven" Levy and Mike Sanders against WWE for misclassifying wrestlers as independent contracts. Someone who spoke to Klucsaritis recently said that he had been talking about opening a wrestling school in his local community and had started writing a book.
The legendary Gene Kiniski, 81, who is battling cancer, has taken a turn for the worse. The cancer has spread to his brain and he is no longer eating.
Journeyman wrestler Tom Burton passed away on 3/29 at the age of 46. Candace Rummel (aka Candi Divine), Burton's partner of 17 years, said that he suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He had been on oxygen for several years, was in poor health battling sleep apnea and was overweight at 430 pounds. A native of Minneapolis, Burton worked most notably in Tennessee and Texas during the late 80s as part of a tag team with Tony Anthony as the Dirty White Boys. He was also a regular in Japan for the UWFI promotion during the early-mid 90s and did occasional jobs on WWF and WCW television. Last year Rummel sued Burton on the TV show Divorce Court, accusing him of running over her cat with his car, and killing it, which he denied.
Ken Layton, 45, who worked indies in Alabama as Kenny Valentine, was killed on 3/26 when he crashed his tractor-trailer truck head-on into a church bus. The accident happened on Interstate 65 near Munfordville, KY and was described as one of the worst traffic accidents in the history of the state of Kentucky. The accident claimed 11 lives including three young children. The church bus was en route to a wedding in Iowa.
Kentucky indie wrestler Glen "Ice Pick" Bussell died last weekend at age 22 in Scott County as a result of a car accident.
Bob Ziolkowski, who worked as Baby Haystacks for Powerhouse Pro Wrestling in Wisconsin, passed away this week from heart failure at the age of 34.
Jack Tunney's nephew Eric Tunney, 45, was found dead in his apartment last weekend. He was a stand-up comedian in Ontario. Friends say he had battled severe depression since the break up of his marriage. The official cause of death is unknown pending an autopsy although it's expected to be ruled a suicide.
Chris Whitehead, 30, and Danielle Whitehead, 27, who work indies in Tennessee as Thorn and Kandy were arrested on 3/29 in South Carolina after a meth lab was found in their home. Three children, aged 9, 4 and 1, who shared a small room in the house, were placed in emergency protective custody. Danielle Whitehead had been pulled over by cops for speeding in a Ford SUV. A search of the vehicle revealed Sudafed and batteries, which are key items in making methamphetamine. Narcotics agents then searched the house and found a meth lab in the bathroom. The couple were charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, exposing children to methamphetamine and possession of marijuana.
Rena Lesnar, 42, the former Sable, who is married to Brock Lesnar, is expecting the couple's second child in July. They are expecting another boy. Their first child, Turk, was born last June.
Bobby Lashley and Kristal Marshall have publicly announced their split. The former couple had a son together in 2008.
Awesome Kong starts with Ring of Honor on 5/8 in New York City under her pre-TNA ring name of Amazing Kong.
Dallas Page and Roddy Piper just shot a direct-to-DVD sci-fi movie called Pizza Man. Page plays a character called The Big Cheese.
Scott Steiner is heading to work for WWC in Puerto Rico. He recently taped a confrontation with Ray Gonzalez at Abdullah the Butcher’s House of Ribs in Atlanta.
Today's Diva of the Day is Maryse at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
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Photo of the Week from Big Dave!!
RasslerResults: ASWF Tuckerman, AR 4.03.10
1st--Mike Anthony vs. Sancho Libre--Mike Anthony dominated the Mexico City native for most of the match, but shockingly Sancho showed heart and hit a big boot and leg drop for a 1 count. Sanchos heart did nothing more than make The Machine angry. Anthony drove Sancho's head into the mat and picked up a 3 count.
The Enforcer came out and told the crowd that he has been wrestling for years and knows he may be coming to the end of the road. He wanted to thank the fans for their continued support, but was interrupted by Dante Cain who said that Enforcer was washed up and he needed to retire and give room for the young guys like him. Dante strapped the ASWF Original and set up for a strap match next week.
2nd--Mike Anthony vs. Seth Sabor (#1 contender for X-Division Champion)--Back and forth match between the two young superstars. Anthony showed his brutal streak once again with a superplex from the top rope and hooked the leg for a pin. But out of nowhere Sabor hooked Anthony's leg for a double pin. The match was ruled a no contest by the refree leaving Christopher Lee with no opponent for next week. Lee being the champion he is said he would defend his title against both men next week.
3rd--"Hot Rod" John Ellison vs. Lee Michaels--Lee Michaels defeated Hot Rod after Hot Rod wouldn't relinquish the texas cloverleaf submission. Commishioner Rowland made a rematch for the Anniversary Show with the no dq stipulation. Hot Rod accepted and vowed to end Lee Michaels streak next week.
CM2 came to the ring to bash X-Kaliber for not having a partner at the Anniversary show. X-Kaliber came to the ring to take the tag team on 1 on 2 again. Morgan Williams made his ASWF return and joined his brother against CM2. Wild Bill and Demon X hit the ring and jumped the newly reformed American Degenerates. Austin Lane made the save with a chair. The Blue Angel came to the ring and told Austin if he wasn't a coward he would take on the tag champions 2 on 1 and the American Degenerates should take on a real tag team CCR.
4th--Johnny Hawk vs. Christopher Lee--Mike Anthony came to the ring and gave an assist to Johnny Hawk through the whole match. Any time Lee would come back Anthony and Hawk would stop his momentum. The 2 on 1 odds would be too much for the X-Division Champion and Hawk would get the 1-2-3.
5th--Crazed Country Rebels vs. The American Degenerates--Back and forth match between the two tag teams. Wild Bill and Demon X were clicking well against the Degenerates who haven't tagged in almost a year. At the end of the match Mr. Muscle hit a super kick on Demon X and got the win. X-Kaliber and Morgan Williams have built momentum for the tag team championship match next week.
6th--CM2 vs. Austin Lane--Austin Lane - Austin charged into the ring and looked like he was gonna dominate, but it was only a matter of time until the numbers game caught up with him. After that it was ALL CM2! CM2 really took it to Austin. Everytime it seemed like Austin would catch a break, the other member of CM2 would come back and take him down again. In the end it was a double team that took out the Champ down for the count.
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