Ringside Championship Wrestling (RCW) presented an hour of free wrestling for the fans at the Augusta, AR "Augusta Days Festival" earlier today. The results were as follows...
- Ron Rage defeated "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton, who was accompanied to ringside by "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony.
- "Girl Candy" Christian Jacobs defeated "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony by disqualification when Bobby Eaton interfered, attacking Jacobs from behind after he had applied the sharpshooter to Anthony. After the match, Eaton and Anthony double teamed Jacobs, until Ron Rage made the save.
- Midnight Gold (Eaton and Anthony) defeated Christian Jacobs and Ron Rage due to outside interference from Jon Michael Worthington.
RassleNotes: There were approximately 125 to 150 fans watching the free action ... "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony debuted his "Golden Circle" interview segment with his first guest being Jon Michael Worthington, who discussed his upcoming match with Christian Jacobs to crown the first ever RCW Heavyweight Champion ... Funny spot saw Eaton and Anthony agree to a tag match with Rage and Jacobs, but they demanded five minutes to freshen up for it. When they finally came back out to work, Rage and Jacobs returned the favor and asked for five minutes of their own. They ended up sitting at ringside in lawn chairs, even having female fans come up to massage their backs.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
RRO on Tour at NBW TONIGHT!!!
RasslinRiotOnline's Brian Tramel will be in attendance tonight at New Blood Wrestling's fourth annual "Spring Breakout" in Newbern, TN.
The show begins at 7 p.m. at the Newbern Entertainment Center (1020 W. Main St. in Newbern). Doors open at 6 p.m.
TNA Wrestling Superstar "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal will face "VH-1 Reality TV Star" Matt Riviera plus Jimi Jamison, former lead singer for Survivor will perform such hits as "Eye of the Tiger."
In addition, see all of your favorite NBW Superstars in action!
For additional ticket information, call (731) 571-4951, (731)345-0126 or visit www.newbloodwrestling.net
And if you go to the show, be sure to say hello to BT!
The show begins at 7 p.m. at the Newbern Entertainment Center (1020 W. Main St. in Newbern). Doors open at 6 p.m.
TNA Wrestling Superstar "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal will face "VH-1 Reality TV Star" Matt Riviera plus Jimi Jamison, former lead singer for Survivor will perform such hits as "Eye of the Tiger."
In addition, see all of your favorite NBW Superstars in action!
For additional ticket information, call (731) 571-4951, (731)345-0126 or visit www.newbloodwrestling.net
And if you go to the show, be sure to say hello to BT!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Make sure to check out Southern States Wrestling!
WEBSITE
southernstateswrestling.net
twitter.com/kingofkingsport
MYSPACE
myspace.com/southernstateswrestling
Face Book
Just search Southern States Wrestling
YOUTUBE
youtube.com/kingofkingsport
Watch SSW Power Half Hour Every Sunday at 1 PM on Tri Cities CW 4
SSW Power Half Hour returns in a BIG way this Sunday at 1pm on Tri Cities CW 4. You will see a new interview and classic footage sent to us by Jerry The King Lawler about his return to Kingsport. 16 Time World Champion "Nature Boy" Ric Flair will be on plus Beau James,Misty James, McHone's Army, Jeff Tankersly and Eddie Golden. Tell your family and friends and tune in.
RCW Double Shot Saturday, May 29, 2010
Don't miss a full Saturday of great Ringside Championship Wrestling events . . . ABSOLUTELY FREE tomorrow!!!
The first show takes place at 2 p.m. as part of the Augusta Days Fair in Augusta, AR. See "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton take on Ron Rage in a rematch from their recent Forrest City showdown, plus "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony vs. "Girl Candy" Christian Jacobs. This show will also feature the RCW debut of Golden Boy's interview segment - "The Golden Circle" featuring guest Jon Michael Worthington.
Then, RCW superstars will head north to Jonesboro, AR for a late afternoon/early evening of wrestling at Car Today, located on Stadium Blvd. See "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton vs. "Girl Candy" Christian Jacobs; "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony vs. Ron Rage; plus Chris O'Neal has just been confirmed to appear! Also, former WWE/ECW and current DCW Superstar Rodney Mack will be interviewed in the "Golden Circle." Plus: Three other matches featuring local favorites Idol Bane, Deadly Dale, Cody Only, Shane Draven, Kid Dynamite, and The Falcon (with his manager Uncle Slam). At 4 p.m. meet WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler and then from 5 to 7 p.m. see great wrestling action!
The first show takes place at 2 p.m. as part of the Augusta Days Fair in Augusta, AR. See "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton take on Ron Rage in a rematch from their recent Forrest City showdown, plus "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony vs. "Girl Candy" Christian Jacobs. This show will also feature the RCW debut of Golden Boy's interview segment - "The Golden Circle" featuring guest Jon Michael Worthington.
Then, RCW superstars will head north to Jonesboro, AR for a late afternoon/early evening of wrestling at Car Today, located on Stadium Blvd. See "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton vs. "Girl Candy" Christian Jacobs; "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony vs. Ron Rage; plus Chris O'Neal has just been confirmed to appear! Also, former WWE/ECW and current DCW Superstar Rodney Mack will be interviewed in the "Golden Circle." Plus: Three other matches featuring local favorites Idol Bane, Deadly Dale, Cody Only, Shane Draven, Kid Dynamite, and The Falcon (with his manager Uncle Slam). At 4 p.m. meet WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler and then from 5 to 7 p.m. see great wrestling action!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Results from the last ever EWE show in Ripley
The show started an hour late. There was a noticeable sense of irritability as the late starting. The comissioner Dylan came out, ordering Dustin Baker to the ring. Now as of the agreement Dustin had to wear a dress and stand at the door. So Dustin came out to the ring in his dress. The dress was rather flattering! After some humiliation there was a bit of a surpise in store. Derrick King, Chris O'Neal, Stan Lee, and Cody Melton came to the ring. It was one of the biggest pops I'd ever heard out of that crowd. You could hardly hear Derrick when he spoke into the mic the crowd was screaming so loud. Once the crowd did die down a bit so he could speak he spoke about the reasons why he was no longer at EWE as was the rest of the crew with him. All in all he, put the blame on Mr. JC White, and the crowd agreed. It was no secret that EWE was going down hill and there seemed to be little hope in site as star after star slowly left the show. Stan decided he needed to say a few words which were pretty much was summed up with a 'fuck you Mr. JC and kiss my ass' and then pulled down his pants and mooned the whole crowd. That I can tell you was a HUGE surprise. After that the show got underway.
The first match was(no idea what his first name is) Steele vs Biscuit. Now.. I'm pretty sure if anyone has seen seen Steele, he's a BIG dude. And if anyone has seen Biscuit, knows that boy needs to eat. To give Biscuit some credit it put up one heck of a fight but he was eventually pinned by Steele.
The second match was Steele against JR. Right as Biscuit is leaving the ring JR comes rushing out. Another huge pop from the crowd. It was a pretty quick match with JR managing to get the pin on Steele.
During the intermission Mr. JC White and his wife show up. They'd been missing from the action during the first part of the show, and decide that they are not going to let any of the people out to smoke during the intermission and if they leave they won't be able to get back inside. After some heated discussion they allowed the good people of Ripley to get in and out as they saw fit.
After JR and Steel's match Dustin Baker comes out explains that he is refusing to wear a dress and be humiliated by a child. Dylan comes out and explains that if he won't wear a dress, he was going to make him sit in the ring while the audience throws pies at him. Infuriated Dustin Baker leaves the ring and the next match starts.
Bishop and Motley come out and are going against Ike and Brian Steele. Brian and Ike come out and talk a little bit.. or more like a lot to the point Motley takes the mic and tells them it's time for them to start wrestling. The match starts of pretty slow at first. Motley starting out for the Juggernauts and Ike starting out for Rhythm and Blues. Bishop and Motley dominate the match after Brian Steel is tagged in. Keeping him well away from from his tag partner. The Juggernauts used a series of strategies to wear Brian down and keep the Ref from seeing any illegal stuff going on. Ike comes in and really gets some momentum going but in the end the Juggernauts wind up getting the pin.
The next match was Tatt2 escorted to the ring by Danielle vs Rude. Now if you've been following EWE at all, you'd know that for some reason Rude has just been all over Tatt2 and trying to beat the holy snot out of him for a little over a month now, if not longer. The match starts out with Tatt2 coming off the ropes, through the ropes this match was quick! If you blinked during this match you missed something and probably some awsome move at that. During the match however Rude finally revealed why he was so angry at Tatt2 and that reason was.... because he hugged his daughter. Rude did not want Tatt2 touching his daughter in ANY way apparently. Tatt2 did come out victorious in this match.
After the match there was an intermission of sorts. Dustin Baker came out to the ring and was made to get in the middle of it. They sold plates of whip cream at concessions and the fans lined up to smear it all over Dustin Bakers head. A lot of the fans lined up to do it 2 or 3 times, really getting some revenge in. Once it was all over with, a furious and probably very humiliated Dustin Baker starts ranting about how he isn't going to let a little kid tell him what to do. Well Alan Steele and Flash Flannigan come out to the ring. There was going to be a tag match between Alan Steel and Dustin Baker vs Flash Flannigan and the comissioner Dylan.
Now after the pie throwing contest there was another big surprise for the crowd. A bikini contest!
The contest was between Russia and Danielle. Who these girls are i have no idea. But they were both beautiful and the winner of the contest by loudest cheers from the crowd... Danielle.
The next match brought the roof off of the EWE building. Too Sexy Brian Christopher comes out to more screaming then Derrick and Tatt2 could ever imagine. The crowd went NUTS! Brian came out and talked about possibly trying to keep the wrestling going in Ripley. Said that Derrick King and the rest of his crew were 40 milers. Which means they don't travel outside of a 40 mile radius to wrestle. He asked Mr. JC if he would allow wrestling in the building if he got some legitimate contracts and such and Mr. JC said he would. An Even BIGGER pop from the crowd. I'm surprised these people had voices after all this. Brian would be met by Reggie. Brian and Reggie had a pretty quick yet fierce match with Brian Christopher getting the win over Reggie. The match was just some plain good old fashioned Memphis Wrestling right there, the good stuff.
The next match was V-Man and Officer Hutchenson vs CJ and Jon Michael aka Picture Perfect. CJ and Jon came out sporting some pretty interesting face paint. It was interesting... flattering.. ehh depends on who you talk to. The match started off pretty good. There was some great momentum from both sides. It wasn't a very long match with CJ getting the win via tap out using the Sharp Shooter.
JR then decides he wants to use his little ticket thing and take on CJ. In a hot minute CJ had JR locked up in a SharpShooter as well and JR tapped out.
The main event was Alan Steele and Dustin Baker vs Flash Flannigan and Dylan. This match was rather interesting. Flash stayed in the match throughout most of it, concidering Dylan was well 9 and didn't have a license to wrestle. Alan and Flannigan go for a test of strength and out of no where, Dylan crawls between Flash's legs and punches Alan in the stomach. This was then again tried to be repeated but with Dustin crawling through Alan's legs, which just wound up getting stomped on by Flash, hits Alan between the legs with his head and has the crowd laughing so hard their nearly in tears. Flash is worn down pretty hard in the match between Alan Steel and some help from Dustin Baker. However in a bit of last ditch momentum Flash grabs Dylan throws him at Alan who catches him, falls and winds up being pinned by Flash and Dylan.
Well it's the end of the show and Dustin is standing in the middle of the ring and he tells everyone 'thank you' for coming to the show so faithfully. All the guys from the back come out and get in the ring. Tatt2 takes the mic and thanks everyone for their support but that unfortunately Mayhem was the last night that there was going to be wrestling in Ripley, TN. He tried to explain everything the best he could without pointing fingers at anyone in particular, but the crowd wanted to know, what the reason was for shutting down EWE after being there in Ripley for 4 years. The reason EWE shut down was due to money issues. EWE was just not pulling in enough people to pay for the building, utilities and pay the wrestlers as well.
Now a question everyone asked was "If Mr. JC owns half of Ripley and made it seem like he had all this money, why couldn't he help put a little money into it, since he wanted to run the place anyways, instead of just being the landlord.?" That's a great question however one that probably will never be answered.
****Note from Gene****
Not sure who to credit this to as the email only had email address I didn't recognize and no name....but thanks for the report to the person who sent it.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
ASWF presents PAYBACK this Saturday Night at 7pm!!
ASWF Wrestling presents PayBack 2010
Live at the world famous Valiant Arena in Tuckerman, AR this Saturday Night May 29th.
Tickets are only $6.00. Bell time is 7pm.
Featuring Jerry The King Lawler, Grandmaster Sexay Brian Christopher, New Nature Boy Kevin White, WWE Developmental Diva Su Yung, Austin Lane, Nikki Lane, CM2, Reggie Montgomery, Chris Stryker, Big Money Frank Martin, Mike Anthony, Seth Sabor, Demon X, American Degenerates, and many more.
For more info, http://www.aswfwrestling.com
RCW Late Nite Wrestling 05.22.2010 Part 3
It is part 3 of the May 22, 2010 edition of RCW Late Nite Wrestling!
RCW Late Nite Wrestling 05.22.2010 Part 2
Check out Part 2 of RCW Late Nite Wrestling from May 22, 2010 featuring a look at Midnight Gold!
RCW Late Nite Wrestling 05.22.2010 Part 1
See the first part of the May 22, 2010 edition of RCW Late Nite Wrestling featuring a look at Midnight Gold!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Cheap Heat- 5/24/2010: What about the Eddie Gilbert book?
So....I've been running the site for a week now and I guess so far so good. No MAJOR complaints to speak of from anyone so I guess I haven't managed to kill it off yet....so that's certainly a good thing.
Ok, so people are frequently asking me about the status of the Eddie Gilbert book I've been working on the past year and I've been waiting until a I made decision before I posted anything but I believe I've decided. This book started out as something I wanted to do in honor of a wrestler that I was a big fan of and have the utmost respect for. In talking with J.D. McKay and reading a lot of the false things that float around on the internet about him I thought it would be good to talk to people who knew him best and write a fitting book telling his story. I contacted and interviewed many people for the book including Eddie's parents Tommy and Peggy Gilbert, Lance Russell, Missy Hyatt, Jerry Jarrett, Joel Watts, Downtown Bruno, Ken Wayne, Darla Taylor, Bob Barnett, Tony Myers, James Beard, Tommy Rich, Bobby Eaton, and the list goes on and on. I have a lot of great material and a big portion of the book done.
However, one person I wanted to talk to throughout this process was Doug Gilbert. I finally was able to get in touch with Doug and he informed me that he is the executor of Eddie's estate and for me to do a book about Eddie he would need me to let his attorney draw up a contract and he would want final say so over everything that went into the book. I thought about it for a long time and I just don't feel this is really what I had in mind going into it. I never had any intention of putting many negative things in the book and we probably wouldn't have many issues about things that are in there but at the same time I'm sure there would some things that some of the people said that Doug may take issue with and by most accounts the statements are true. Plus I'm sure there would be a lot of conflict about money and things of that nature and that was never what this was about......according to Doug there are many people who are wanting to do this project so I think it would be best if I left it to one of them to do it another time.
I did however spend MANY, MANY HOURS compiling the material I do have and I don't plan on just letting it sit on my external hard drive. I'm thinking I may post it as a series of columns here on RRO in the near future.....or perhaps not....perhaps I'll just talk with the owner of Eddie Gilbert.com and find a way to work it into that site....or both....I haven't decided. Wherever I post it I think fans, friends and family of Eddie Gilbert will find it entertaining and informative and respectful of his memory and the mark he made on the pro wrestling business that is still seen to this day.
From The Desk of Brian Tramel - Remembering Tank March 29, 1980 - May 15, 2009
----I know I said I was not going to post anything else, but after looking at the calender today, I noticed it has been over one year since my friend Tank died. I was sad to think I let that day pass without mentioning it. Sometimes life gets in the way of remembering things that are important to you. Tank was a good friend and I do still miss his Yahoo IMs.
----For those that did not know Tank or the ones that are new to the site - CLICK HERE - for my bio on my good friend and brother - Timmy "Tank" Robertson.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Congrats to Su Young!
RRO would just like to add our congrats to Su Young......as the story was broke yesterday on WrestlingNewsCenter.com. Su has signed a developement deal with the WWE and will be reporting to the WWE training training camp in Florida after working for Jerry Lawler's new show in July. Su has been a stand out lady wrestler in the Mid South for quite some time now working all over the southeast in recent months. Su Young was trained and brought into the business by Kevin White and got her first major exposure on Corey Maclin's Memphis Wrestling as Kevin's valet before later getting more in-ring time on local independent shows. All of the staff here would like to wish Su the best of luck in the future with the WWE.
Read Mark James' review of the new Memphis Wrestling show
Here's a link to Memphis Wrestling History's Mark James' review of "Jerry Lawler's Memphis Wrestling that was taped Thursday night in Memphis.
I also received an email yesterday from someone involved with the show who took exception to yesterday's notes that the lighting and production was "horrible" and questioned my "journalistic integrity"... I do want to once again point out that I was not there and was not presenting this as end all statement of fact, merely the notes of a few people who passed them along.
The person did acknowledge that their were some production glitches but felt the lighting and audio were great and were unfairly criticized. I'm not gonna post the email mention the person by name because I haven't heard back from them yet but I have asked them to please send me their in depth review and thoughts on the show and I will post those here if I receive.
If you went to the show and have a differing view of the show than what's been presented here feel free to send it along to me at genejackson95@gmail.com or post it in the RRO Forums.
GENE
The Thompson Perspective 05.23.2010 By Brian Thompson
This edition of "The Thompson Perspective" is coming to you from the road as I am in Elnora, Indiana. While I enjoy a trip away from time to time, unfortunately I am here for tomorrow's funeral services for my wife Nichole's father who passed away last week. I certainly want to thank those who have either sent messages via Facebook, text message, e-mail or by phone sending their condolensces. It is certainly appreciated.
On a "happier" note, I want to discuss the debut of "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton and myself for Mid-Southern Championship Wrestling (MCW) in Osceola, AR. After 10 years in the wrestling business, you would think that at one time or another I would've worked there. Well, I finally made my debut there as did Bobby Friday night and what a nice experience it was.
This was also my first trip into the city of Osceola and it looks like they are doing some things right. Last week it was announced that 300 new, well-paying jobs are coming to the area through a new wind turbine plant, so that city is sitting on some good times coming up.
I enjoyed meeting Big Daddy Lafonce and being his manager for a six-man tag with LaFonce, Eaton and Frankie Tucker against V-Man, Bishop and Officer Hudson. Let's just say that things weren't settled last week and that its going to get a little more interesting this Friday night when we meet again. Manager Rashard Devon was not there this week but I hear he will make it Friday night. You just might see two of the Mid-South's top managers "duke it out" if he gets to close! Wouldn't that be worth the price of admission (have you seen those things I call "punches" LOL)
I know this wasn't a mind-boggling column, but I just needed to write. It is nice to be positive and treated with respect like we were in Osceola. We saw several faces we hadn't seen in awhile which is always nice. There is a reason that MCW has been around for the better part of 15 years. They keep entertaining their fans. I'm just glad to have finally got to work there and look forward to being back!
Until next time, take care all!
(Brian Thompson has been in the wrestling business for 10 years in various capacities. He currently operates Ringside Championship Wrestling with partners Steve Cherry and Bobby Eaton. He may be reached by e-mail at bptbookings@yahoo.com)
Thanks to the crew at MCW for giving Bobby and I respectful treatment and an escape from recent realities. We look forward to coming back this Friday night!
On a "happier" note, I want to discuss the debut of "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton and myself for Mid-Southern Championship Wrestling (MCW) in Osceola, AR. After 10 years in the wrestling business, you would think that at one time or another I would've worked there. Well, I finally made my debut there as did Bobby Friday night and what a nice experience it was.
This was also my first trip into the city of Osceola and it looks like they are doing some things right. Last week it was announced that 300 new, well-paying jobs are coming to the area through a new wind turbine plant, so that city is sitting on some good times coming up.
I enjoyed meeting Big Daddy Lafonce and being his manager for a six-man tag with LaFonce, Eaton and Frankie Tucker against V-Man, Bishop and Officer Hudson. Let's just say that things weren't settled last week and that its going to get a little more interesting this Friday night when we meet again. Manager Rashard Devon was not there this week but I hear he will make it Friday night. You just might see two of the Mid-South's top managers "duke it out" if he gets to close! Wouldn't that be worth the price of admission (have you seen those things I call "punches" LOL)
I know this wasn't a mind-boggling column, but I just needed to write. It is nice to be positive and treated with respect like we were in Osceola. We saw several faces we hadn't seen in awhile which is always nice. There is a reason that MCW has been around for the better part of 15 years. They keep entertaining their fans. I'm just glad to have finally got to work there and look forward to being back!
Until next time, take care all!
(Brian Thompson has been in the wrestling business for 10 years in various capacities. He currently operates Ringside Championship Wrestling with partners Steve Cherry and Bobby Eaton. He may be reached by e-mail at bptbookings@yahoo.com)
Thanks to the crew at MCW for giving Bobby and I respectful treatment and an escape from recent realities. We look forward to coming back this Friday night!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Early feedback on "Jerry Lawler's Memphis Wrestling" tv taping
HERE ARE A FEW RANDOM NOTES I'VE BEEN TOLD ABOUT THURSDAY NIGHT'S TV TAPING IN MEMPHIS.
Audio and lighting was horrible.
Announcing was Hollywood Jimmy, Brandon Baxter and Bert Prentice.
Prentice/Baxter did the most.
Max Steele vs Matt Boyce, Eric Wayne/Kid Nikels vs Melton/Lee [3 matches - best matches], Max Steele with Valet, Su Yung/Kevin White, Jerry Lawler/Brian Lawler worked as a team against Steele/White, Tommy Mercer, An angle with Koko Ware/Derrick King, Brian Lawler walked into the ladies bathroom.
They are reinstating the Southern Title.
Guy Coffee/Buddy Wayne announced as commishs.
They taped three shows.
They start airing on June 5 at 11: 00 AM.
It took about 4 hours to tape three hours.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
From The Desk of Brian Tramel
----I would first like to thank Gene Jackson again for his help!! Thanks to all my friends also that have supported the hiatus and called to confirm that it was "ok" that I took a month off. This will be my last post until sometime during the first week of June. I will be posting the Arena Report from NBW's "Spring Breakout." If you are a fan, I suggest you come out and see a great show!! All mail - results, columns and stories go to Gene Jackson - genejackson95@gmail.com!!
Coach's Corner "First 120 Days of 2010" by Brian Tramel
----MVP Performer – This has nothing to do with impact or drawing power – just what worker performs the best night after night. I have a long list of guys here and that is a good thing. This category is cluttered this year and it makes me proud that guys are trying to learn their craft. Pokerface, Christian Jacobs, Derrick King, Eric Wayne, Austin Lane, Greg Anthony, Stan Lee, Jon Michael Worthington, Seth Knight and Alan Steele I will have to go with Pokerface, Alan Steele and Eric Wayne as my favorites to watch this year with all the others VERY close behind.
----Tag Team – “Midnight Gold” [Greg Anthony/Bobby Eaton] have probably been featured in more angles, matches and such this year than last year. Since they seem to be a favorite, then I would put them as one of the top three. “Asylum” [Psycho/Pappy] should always been mentioned here and really deserve to win it once. “LSD” [Cody Only/Idol Bane/Deadly Dale] are probably my favorite team to watch right now. They are just totally different than anything else in the area. “Premiere Brutality” [Kid Nikels/Eric Wayne] should also been considered in the top class here.
----MVP Tag Team – Hardest working team?? “Gold” won this award last year primarily due to the fact that they were consider a “mvp” team in the sense of helping draw a crowd. I would give this to the three teams that are the hardest working. Four teams come to mind – “Devils Reject/East Coast Bad Boys”, Kid/Wayne, “High Stakes” [Chris O’Neal/Stan Lee] [if they tag all year they will be hard to beat] and Dell Tucker/Rockin Randy.
----Promotion – Another hard one to pick this year. Hub City Wrestling [aka Memphis Wrestling stars on some shows] and CWA have had the best crowds. RCW and NEW are my two favorite promotions and would get a nod. NBW is also fun and draws good crowds at big shows. I would go with RCW, NBW and NEW if I had to pick three promotions.
----Other awards….
*Most Improved: Justin Smart, Jeremy Moore and Pappy
*Most Underrated: Chris Rocker [probably the most underrated worker in the area that has good matches week after week. Also in the “Alan Steele” mode of not winning an award yet from RRO.]
*Rookie: Dan Matthews, Kevin Charles and Blaine Devine [even though he got a nomination last year, he probably fits more here]. Dan Matthews – hands down!!
*Best Booker: Crowds it would have to be Rodney Grimes. Creativity – Brian Thompson.
*Best Announcer: Brian Thompson, John Steele and Terrance Ward
*Best Manager: Rashard Devon, Athena Eclipse and Hollywood Jimmy
*Arena Report Match of the Year: Derrick King vs Christian Jacobs 2.27.10 Ripley, TN [****], Stan Lee vs Greg Anthony Trumann, AR 4.02.10 [***3/4], Tasha Simone/”Asylum” [Psycho/Pappy] vs Worm/Suicide/Adrian Banks 3.20.10 [***3/4] and Austin Lane vs Mike Antony 4.03.10 Tuckerman, AR
*TV Match of the Year: Seth Knight vs Christian Jacobs [RCW], Seth Knight vs Justin Smart [RCW] and Seth Knight vs Rodney Mack [RCW]. Knight is a real good TV wrestler. Others: Kid Nikels vs Alan Steele [NEW] [Kid takes a chair] and Bishop vs Carnage Antwone [IWA].
*Best Wrestling Web Site: Wrestling News Center – Tia and D-Rock are two of my favorite wrestling peeps!!
*Columnist: Pokerface, TGB and Eric Wayne
*Best Ref: Downtown Bruno, Chuck Poe and Tom Simon
*Best Gimmick: “LSD”, “Asylum” and Matt Riviera
*Horizon Award: Matt Riviera, Christian Jacobs, Pokerface, Seth Knight
*Spot Moondog Brawler of the Year: Bishop, Pappy, Deadly Dale
Closing…
----It is funny that after four years, you still have guys like Austin Lane, Derrick King, Rashard Devon,Greg Anthony, Stan Lee, Hollywood Jimmy and the “Asylum” are all placing in the same categories. I think the top categories - Wrestler & Tag Team [cover shots] – are just totally wide open this year and if voted on right now – it would be a major toss up! I will be back in September with “240 Days of 2010.” Since this is also one of those controversial articles of the site, I would appreciate feedback by going to the new RRO Forum boards [CLICK HERE] and letting me know how you thought about the picks??
Mama Says It Bees That Way Sometimes "ASWF" by Downtown Bruno Lauer
I just want to dedicate this short column to the ASWF and the folks that run that fine promotion in Tuckerman, AR. I made my ASWF debut this past Saturday night. I appreciate the great treatment that I was given by any and all of the ASWF personnel - David Walls, Ricky Rowland and Terrance Ward in particular.
They had a ceremony before the event honoring all the 2009 ASWF award winners, such as rookie of the year, match of the year and so on. I was happy to pass out the certificates while the incomparable T-Bone Ward announced the winners. I was humbled, shocked and pleasantly surprised when T-Bone and Austin Lane handed me a certificate and induced me into the Mid-South Hall of Fame, which was quite an honor.
I was also glad to see my good friend Reggie Montgomery, who I hadn't seen since our old Bert Prentice Ozark Mountain Wrestling. It is always good to be around great guys like Mike Anthony and Austin Lane. I refereed both of their matches. I also got to meet a lot of new guys and seeing some guys who I have not seen in years was great too.
Thanks again to David, Ricky and the whole ASWF crew - looking forward to seeing everybody next time my schedule allows it.....
----“Downtown” Bruno Lauer is a legend in Memphis Wrestling. Two time winner of RRO's Referee of the Year 2008 and 2009. He appears bi-weekly with his non controversial column. Lauer had his biography published last year “Wrestling with The Truth” and can be purchased at www.crowbarpress.com. Lauer is also currently employed by the WWE.
They had a ceremony before the event honoring all the 2009 ASWF award winners, such as rookie of the year, match of the year and so on. I was happy to pass out the certificates while the incomparable T-Bone Ward announced the winners. I was humbled, shocked and pleasantly surprised when T-Bone and Austin Lane handed me a certificate and induced me into the Mid-South Hall of Fame, which was quite an honor.
I was also glad to see my good friend Reggie Montgomery, who I hadn't seen since our old Bert Prentice Ozark Mountain Wrestling. It is always good to be around great guys like Mike Anthony and Austin Lane. I refereed both of their matches. I also got to meet a lot of new guys and seeing some guys who I have not seen in years was great too.
Thanks again to David, Ricky and the whole ASWF crew - looking forward to seeing everybody next time my schedule allows it.....
----“Downtown” Bruno Lauer is a legend in Memphis Wrestling. Two time winner of RRO's Referee of the Year 2008 and 2009. He appears bi-weekly with his non controversial column. Lauer had his biography published last year “Wrestling with The Truth” and can be purchased at www.crowbarpress.com. Lauer is also currently employed by the WWE.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
(WGN) May 18: How TNA is going to cut costs, Hogan heart scare, Raw TV notes, Mysterio contract status, Bryan Danielson plans, Pope update, Dixie tapes shoot interview, and more...
WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT
5/17 Raw TV results from Toronto: Edge over Christian; The Undertaker over Edge via DQ; Ted DiBiase over Yoshi Tatsu; Bret Hart over The Miz to capture the US title; Maryse, Michelle McCool, Layla over Eve Torres & The Bella Twins; Jack Swagger vs. Randy Orton was a no contest; Evan Bourne & Gail Kim over Zack Ryder & Alicia Fox; and John Cena vs. Sheamus was a no contest. Primo worked a dark match as a babyface over Dos Caras Jr. Carlito wasn't even used.
The Smackdown/NXT tapings take place tonight in Ottawa.
***
Raw last night did a 3.4 rating and 4.9 million viewers. That's about the YTD average so not a great number considering the show was commercial free which usually helps with the number.
Raw in Canada on The Score last night was edited to include commercial breaks while other international markets, including the UK, aired the show live without breaks. The WWE studio usually handles all the editing based on various requirements from its TV partners which is a tall task when you consider the number of markets they cater to worldwide.
The narrator featured in all the WWEShop infomercials was Ed Koskey from the creative team. Local worker Cherry Bomb (Laura Dennis, 23) who was in for a tryout was the female repulsed by Goldust in the dating skit. Her finisher is called the Cherry Popper so don't expect them to use that one if she gets hired.
Not quite sure yet where they are going with Bret Hart winning the U.S. title. One idea talked about in creative meetings last week was that Bryan Danielson would take Bret's place and beat Miz for the belt very quickly, but apparently Vince preferred another idea that airs tonight on NXT involving Michael Cole.
Mike Jones did in fact return last night as Virgil aligned with Ted Jr. as his hired lackey. He's 47 years old now and has spent recent years working on-and-off in the Pittsburgh area as math teacher as well as various convention appearances at weekends. He was last seen on national television with WCW during the mid-late 90s. Dusty Rhodes, who was booking when he came in, gave him the name Vincent, which was a knock on Vince McMahon, as the name Virgil during his WWF run was knock on Rhodes, who's real name is Virgil Runnels.
Rey Mysterio either just did or is about to sign a new contract. He's also told people recently that his knee has improved and probably wouldn't require surgery after all. Curiously though, he's not advertised as appearing at any house shows now until mid-July, according to the WWE website.
WWE COO Donna Goldsmith participated this week in the J.P. Morgan Global Media, Technology, and Media Conference in Boston. She talked about the company going PG and how this move has helped them open doors with new advertisers. She mentioned TNA as a show that features a lot of blood and guts and how they don't anything like that. She talked about Vince wanting to do a cartoon series and suggested they may to talking to Nickelodeon about that. She also said they are thinking about bringing back Tough Enough as a reality series, even though they have NXT which she described as, "scripted reality".
Linda McMahon's chances of becoming a U.S. Senator was just given a huge boost after a report yesterday in the New York Times revealed that her Democrat rival and Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal lied about being a Vietnam war veteran. Its believed that Linda's people researched dirt on Blumenthal for months and that's one of the items they unearthed. Shawn McCoy, one of Linda's staffers, told Politico: "As we have researched Dick Blumenthal's record, we've discovered some very troubling disparities between what he's said and the facts. This is a serious blow to his credibility."
Layla becoming Women's champion this past week makes her the first ever Brit to hold the belt. She grew up in London and after college started working as a dancer on cruise liners--from there she got a job with the Miami Heat Dancers and then entered the Diva Search to where she is today.
Drew McIntyre vs. Kofi Kingston for the IC title was officially added to Over the Limit as was Eve vs. Maryse for the Diva's title.
John Cena has been talking about recording another rap album. Earlier this month he cut a track with rapper Bumpy Knuckles for the upcoming WWE Studios film Legendary.
The tentative title for the Randy Orton DVD due out later this year is Randy Orton: The Viper Uncoiled.
TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING
Regarding cuts, well... they're coming. Right now the company is trying to rid themselves of as much overhead as possible. This likely means eliminating those that have guaranteed money and renewing them on a pay as you go basis. Its also rumored that some top guys are taking less than their contract stipulates right now to help balance the budget sheet.
Sting was announced as No. 1 contender for the heavyweight title at the Impact tapings last night which airs Thursday. Eric Bischoff cut a promo without really explaining how Sting had topped the rankings other than Dixie Carter, Hogan and himself determine everything based on win/loss records and fan votes. I mean really, this makes completely zero sense. Sting wasn't close to winning the fan polls placing joint 4th out of 15 guys, plus he's lost his last two matches to RVD and AJ Styles, and actually hasn't won a match since last September, so never mind the fact he's running around taking people out with a baseball bat. Can somebody please explain the logic behind this deal?
Hogan had a recent heart scare, according to TMZ. He was reportedly undergoing tests for a future back surgery during which doctors thought they may have found an abnormality. He was then sent to a specialist cardiovascular center for further testing. The doctors there ran more tests and eventually determined that there wasn't a problem after all.
Hogan was a guest on the Wendy Williams show this past Friday. He briefly plugged TNA but Williams jumped in and mistakenly said Impact airs on Monday nights on Spike. Doh. He talked about how he now uses hair extensions because after his divorce Linda wasn't around to dye his hair. "When I was married back in the day Linda would do my hair - I never paid attention. When she filed for divorce and I was on my own and the roots grew out, I went to my local drug store and bought the hair (dye) and put in on. I didn't know you weren't supposed to put it on the scalp. I kind of rubbed it through (my hair) and then the phone rang. It (the dye) was on for an hour... (Then) I'm in the shower and it (my hair) all goes down there (the drain)."
The Pope is said to be targeting June/July for a return to the ring following his shoulder injury.
Sean Waltman was hanging out backstage yesterday at the tapings with Scott Hall. They shot a video blog together from Hall's locker room which is posted at http://tinyurl.com/2d3tgfq. Hall says Waltman is off television and working on other gigs right now.
The Mr. Anderson promo at Sacrifice was something Anderson himself came up with. Apparently they have a new t-shirt in the works which says "Mr. Anderson" on the front, and "I'm an asshole" on the back. The "hole" part is a picture of a hole in the ground. The live crowd reaction was interesting and there is now talk of capitalizing on that and turning him babyface.
Some of the crew threw a birthday bash for Earl Hebner after the tapings last night. Hebner just turned 60.
There is some talk about the company producing its own series of shoot interviews to sell on its website. I actually mentioned this to a promoter today and they thought it was a great idea but noted the company's main issue is that they still don't know how to market themselves. They no longer wholesale any merchandise to resellers, so the only way you can buy TNA stuff is at live events or through the website. The promoter also remarked how terrible it was that a place like Springfield, IL (which is a good town for indy shows) would only draw a few hundred paid with both Jeff Hardy and RVD on the card this past weekend. "Its almost like the TNA brand attached to these wrestlers makes it uncool because I'd like to think I could draw 1,000 plus at anything Jeff Hardy was a part of right now."
Speaking of shoot interviews, Dixie Carter taped one with Kayfabe Commentaries on Friday night at the legends convention in New Jersey. The interview took place in a room before 75-100 fans and workers. She was well received and didn't dodge any questions. The two biggest pops came when Jim Cornette's face popped up on a screen as a video submission question, and later when a fan asked, "How much would you sell TNA to Vince for?"... and she replied, "How much will he sell to ME?"
Brian Elliott has a story on Rob Van Dam at http://tinyurl.com/2v2rzqu.
Beer Money was also announced for AAA's Triplemania on 6/6. Hernandez, Abyss and Christopher Daniels are booked on the show too.
There is a trailer for Kurt Angle's next DVD release, River of Darkness at http://tinyurl.com/38ffeyg which stars Kurt as a small town Sheriff hunting down two zombies, played by Kevin Nash and Sid Eudy. They are billed as "WWE wrestling stars" in the trailer even though none of them have worked there for years.
The company has hired a PR agency in the UK to help them with media exposure over there. They are sending one major star and a Knockout soon for a promotional tour.
TNA debuts in Brooklyn, NY on 7/2 at the MCU Park baseball stadium and in Asbury Park, NJ on 7/3.
There is a house show booked at the La Porte, IN County Fair on 7/24 with Mr. Anderson, Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, Eric Young, The Pope, Samoa Joe, Desmond Wolfe, Beer Money, and The Beautiful People all advertised as appearing.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Rich Tate reports that Gary Brumbaugh, real life brother of Sputnik Monroe, who was in the business as Jet Monroe in the 1960s, passed away back on 5/12.
Celebrity Boxing promoter Damon Feldman was hospitalized and put under psychiatric evaluation this past weekend after he threatened to take his own life. Police were dispatched to Feldman's home in Broomall, PA after receiving calls from several people who said Feldman had emailed them a suicide note on Saturday. Feldman, 40, was said to be devastated that the State Attorney recently charged him with fixing fights and staging them without a license. Feldman's wife, Rachael, told the Philly Daily News today that she had spoken with her husband and that he was feeling better but would remain hospitalized for a few more days. Feldman, who has booked pro wrestlers on his shows in the past, faces a preliminary hearing 5/26. He's charged with six counts of staging competitions without holding a promoter's license and six counts of rigging fights. He insists he's done nothing wrong claiming his events are just like WWE.
Mickie James‘ debut country album Strangers & Angels went on sale today on iTunes. The album hasn't cracked the Top 50 U.S. chart but is doing very well in the UK currently listed at No. 9.
Christopher Daniels will be throwing out the first pitch at Clear Channel Stadium on Thursday, home of the Houston Astros, in Lancaster CA. He is signing autographs from 6:20pm-6:45pm, prior to the JetHawks taking on the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.
April Hunter is competing in the NPC Junior Nationals USA in Chicago on 6/18. She recently placed within the top 3 of her class at the NPC Kentucky Muscle. More info at www.aprilhunter.com.
Former WWE wrestler Steve Lewington has entered the Arnold Classic Best Body Contest at www.muscleandbodymag.com/arnold.php. He looks the least juiced out of all the guys listed.
The Armpit, an awesome pro wrestling/MMA parody website has just relaunched at www.armpitwrestling.com. Highly recommended.
The Heyman Hustle at http://tinyurl.com/389kjxd posted some promotional stills for Trish Stratus' upcoming movie Ball Enforcers. The film stars Trish within a team of down on their luck bounty hunters who run into trouble when they are confronted with a moral dilemma--a local mob boss who wants the team to exchange a bail jumper for a million dollars. The film was shot in and around Toronto.
Jimmy Hart announced the Legends of Rock and Wrestling Musical Tour with Honkytonk Man, Koko B. Ware and Hillbilly Jim. Tour dates and updates will be announced soon at www.honkytonkman.net.
Percy Pringle (the former Paul Bearer) did an interview with Ring The Bell radio at www.RingTheBellRadio.com. Among many subjects he discussed how he and Undertaker still remain great friends. "I had a 15 year career before coming to the WWF. About 1987 we had a big red headed kid coming through Dallas named Mark Calloway. He wanted to be a wrestler so we gave him a try. He was training with Buzz Sawyer at the time, if you call what Buzz did training. He more or less took Mark’s money. But one night we put him in the ring under a mask, called him Texas Red. Bruiser Brody asked me to go to the ring with him as his manager. So I managed The Undertaker in his very first match in Dallas and that was 3 or 4 years before his debut as The Undertaker in the WWF. So we certainly have a history that goes back a long long time and we still remain dear friends…he’s one of the best friends I’ve got in the world."
UK promotion 1PW is bringing in TNA's Desmond Wolfe, Douglas Williams, and Beer Money along with the former Val Venis and Kevin Thorn for shows this weekend in Liverpool. More info at www.oneprowrestling.com. For what its worth, Thorn was backstage yesterday at the TNA tapings.
Canadian Wrestling Elite runs this Saturday in Dauphin, MB at the Rotary Arena with the former Billy Gunn, Shawn Daivari, Danny Duggan, Bushwhacker Luke, Jimmy Jacobs and many more.
WFX runs in Winnipeg, Manitoba on 5/28 with Charlie Haas vs. Kip James; plus Christopher Daniels, Eugene, Bushwhacker Luke, Larry Zbyszko & Hardcore Holly. More info at www.wfxwrestling.com.
Dallas Page is hosting a radio show tonight 9-10pm ET at www.blogtalkradio.com/yrgradio discussing all things Yoga.
Former WWE developmental Diva Bobbi Billard did a Playboy shoot this week for the June-July special edition issue.
Today's Knockout of the Day is Christy Hemme at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
5/17 Raw TV results from Toronto: Edge over Christian; The Undertaker over Edge via DQ; Ted DiBiase over Yoshi Tatsu; Bret Hart over The Miz to capture the US title; Maryse, Michelle McCool, Layla over Eve Torres & The Bella Twins; Jack Swagger vs. Randy Orton was a no contest; Evan Bourne & Gail Kim over Zack Ryder & Alicia Fox; and John Cena vs. Sheamus was a no contest. Primo worked a dark match as a babyface over Dos Caras Jr. Carlito wasn't even used.
The Smackdown/NXT tapings take place tonight in Ottawa.
***
Raw last night did a 3.4 rating and 4.9 million viewers. That's about the YTD average so not a great number considering the show was commercial free which usually helps with the number.
Raw in Canada on The Score last night was edited to include commercial breaks while other international markets, including the UK, aired the show live without breaks. The WWE studio usually handles all the editing based on various requirements from its TV partners which is a tall task when you consider the number of markets they cater to worldwide.
The narrator featured in all the WWEShop infomercials was Ed Koskey from the creative team. Local worker Cherry Bomb (Laura Dennis, 23) who was in for a tryout was the female repulsed by Goldust in the dating skit. Her finisher is called the Cherry Popper so don't expect them to use that one if she gets hired.
Not quite sure yet where they are going with Bret Hart winning the U.S. title. One idea talked about in creative meetings last week was that Bryan Danielson would take Bret's place and beat Miz for the belt very quickly, but apparently Vince preferred another idea that airs tonight on NXT involving Michael Cole.
Mike Jones did in fact return last night as Virgil aligned with Ted Jr. as his hired lackey. He's 47 years old now and has spent recent years working on-and-off in the Pittsburgh area as math teacher as well as various convention appearances at weekends. He was last seen on national television with WCW during the mid-late 90s. Dusty Rhodes, who was booking when he came in, gave him the name Vincent, which was a knock on Vince McMahon, as the name Virgil during his WWF run was knock on Rhodes, who's real name is Virgil Runnels.
Rey Mysterio either just did or is about to sign a new contract. He's also told people recently that his knee has improved and probably wouldn't require surgery after all. Curiously though, he's not advertised as appearing at any house shows now until mid-July, according to the WWE website.
WWE COO Donna Goldsmith participated this week in the J.P. Morgan Global Media, Technology, and Media Conference in Boston. She talked about the company going PG and how this move has helped them open doors with new advertisers. She mentioned TNA as a show that features a lot of blood and guts and how they don't anything like that. She talked about Vince wanting to do a cartoon series and suggested they may to talking to Nickelodeon about that. She also said they are thinking about bringing back Tough Enough as a reality series, even though they have NXT which she described as, "scripted reality".
Linda McMahon's chances of becoming a U.S. Senator was just given a huge boost after a report yesterday in the New York Times revealed that her Democrat rival and Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal lied about being a Vietnam war veteran. Its believed that Linda's people researched dirt on Blumenthal for months and that's one of the items they unearthed. Shawn McCoy, one of Linda's staffers, told Politico: "As we have researched Dick Blumenthal's record, we've discovered some very troubling disparities between what he's said and the facts. This is a serious blow to his credibility."
Layla becoming Women's champion this past week makes her the first ever Brit to hold the belt. She grew up in London and after college started working as a dancer on cruise liners--from there she got a job with the Miami Heat Dancers and then entered the Diva Search to where she is today.
Drew McIntyre vs. Kofi Kingston for the IC title was officially added to Over the Limit as was Eve vs. Maryse for the Diva's title.
John Cena has been talking about recording another rap album. Earlier this month he cut a track with rapper Bumpy Knuckles for the upcoming WWE Studios film Legendary.
The tentative title for the Randy Orton DVD due out later this year is Randy Orton: The Viper Uncoiled.
TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING
Regarding cuts, well... they're coming. Right now the company is trying to rid themselves of as much overhead as possible. This likely means eliminating those that have guaranteed money and renewing them on a pay as you go basis. Its also rumored that some top guys are taking less than their contract stipulates right now to help balance the budget sheet.
Sting was announced as No. 1 contender for the heavyweight title at the Impact tapings last night which airs Thursday. Eric Bischoff cut a promo without really explaining how Sting had topped the rankings other than Dixie Carter, Hogan and himself determine everything based on win/loss records and fan votes. I mean really, this makes completely zero sense. Sting wasn't close to winning the fan polls placing joint 4th out of 15 guys, plus he's lost his last two matches to RVD and AJ Styles, and actually hasn't won a match since last September, so never mind the fact he's running around taking people out with a baseball bat. Can somebody please explain the logic behind this deal?
Hogan had a recent heart scare, according to TMZ. He was reportedly undergoing tests for a future back surgery during which doctors thought they may have found an abnormality. He was then sent to a specialist cardiovascular center for further testing. The doctors there ran more tests and eventually determined that there wasn't a problem after all.
Hogan was a guest on the Wendy Williams show this past Friday. He briefly plugged TNA but Williams jumped in and mistakenly said Impact airs on Monday nights on Spike. Doh. He talked about how he now uses hair extensions because after his divorce Linda wasn't around to dye his hair. "When I was married back in the day Linda would do my hair - I never paid attention. When she filed for divorce and I was on my own and the roots grew out, I went to my local drug store and bought the hair (dye) and put in on. I didn't know you weren't supposed to put it on the scalp. I kind of rubbed it through (my hair) and then the phone rang. It (the dye) was on for an hour... (Then) I'm in the shower and it (my hair) all goes down there (the drain)."
The Pope is said to be targeting June/July for a return to the ring following his shoulder injury.
Sean Waltman was hanging out backstage yesterday at the tapings with Scott Hall. They shot a video blog together from Hall's locker room which is posted at http://tinyurl.com/2d3tgfq. Hall says Waltman is off television and working on other gigs right now.
The Mr. Anderson promo at Sacrifice was something Anderson himself came up with. Apparently they have a new t-shirt in the works which says "Mr. Anderson" on the front, and "I'm an asshole" on the back. The "hole" part is a picture of a hole in the ground. The live crowd reaction was interesting and there is now talk of capitalizing on that and turning him babyface.
Some of the crew threw a birthday bash for Earl Hebner after the tapings last night. Hebner just turned 60.
There is some talk about the company producing its own series of shoot interviews to sell on its website. I actually mentioned this to a promoter today and they thought it was a great idea but noted the company's main issue is that they still don't know how to market themselves. They no longer wholesale any merchandise to resellers, so the only way you can buy TNA stuff is at live events or through the website. The promoter also remarked how terrible it was that a place like Springfield, IL (which is a good town for indy shows) would only draw a few hundred paid with both Jeff Hardy and RVD on the card this past weekend. "Its almost like the TNA brand attached to these wrestlers makes it uncool because I'd like to think I could draw 1,000 plus at anything Jeff Hardy was a part of right now."
Speaking of shoot interviews, Dixie Carter taped one with Kayfabe Commentaries on Friday night at the legends convention in New Jersey. The interview took place in a room before 75-100 fans and workers. She was well received and didn't dodge any questions. The two biggest pops came when Jim Cornette's face popped up on a screen as a video submission question, and later when a fan asked, "How much would you sell TNA to Vince for?"... and she replied, "How much will he sell to ME?"
Brian Elliott has a story on Rob Van Dam at http://tinyurl.com/2v2rzqu.
Beer Money was also announced for AAA's Triplemania on 6/6. Hernandez, Abyss and Christopher Daniels are booked on the show too.
There is a trailer for Kurt Angle's next DVD release, River of Darkness at http://tinyurl.com/38ffeyg which stars Kurt as a small town Sheriff hunting down two zombies, played by Kevin Nash and Sid Eudy. They are billed as "WWE wrestling stars" in the trailer even though none of them have worked there for years.
The company has hired a PR agency in the UK to help them with media exposure over there. They are sending one major star and a Knockout soon for a promotional tour.
TNA debuts in Brooklyn, NY on 7/2 at the MCU Park baseball stadium and in Asbury Park, NJ on 7/3.
There is a house show booked at the La Porte, IN County Fair on 7/24 with Mr. Anderson, Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, Eric Young, The Pope, Samoa Joe, Desmond Wolfe, Beer Money, and The Beautiful People all advertised as appearing.
OTHER WRESTLING NEWS
Rich Tate reports that Gary Brumbaugh, real life brother of Sputnik Monroe, who was in the business as Jet Monroe in the 1960s, passed away back on 5/12.
Celebrity Boxing promoter Damon Feldman was hospitalized and put under psychiatric evaluation this past weekend after he threatened to take his own life. Police were dispatched to Feldman's home in Broomall, PA after receiving calls from several people who said Feldman had emailed them a suicide note on Saturday. Feldman, 40, was said to be devastated that the State Attorney recently charged him with fixing fights and staging them without a license. Feldman's wife, Rachael, told the Philly Daily News today that she had spoken with her husband and that he was feeling better but would remain hospitalized for a few more days. Feldman, who has booked pro wrestlers on his shows in the past, faces a preliminary hearing 5/26. He's charged with six counts of staging competitions without holding a promoter's license and six counts of rigging fights. He insists he's done nothing wrong claiming his events are just like WWE.
Mickie James‘ debut country album Strangers & Angels went on sale today on iTunes. The album hasn't cracked the Top 50 U.S. chart but is doing very well in the UK currently listed at No. 9.
Christopher Daniels will be throwing out the first pitch at Clear Channel Stadium on Thursday, home of the Houston Astros, in Lancaster CA. He is signing autographs from 6:20pm-6:45pm, prior to the JetHawks taking on the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.
April Hunter is competing in the NPC Junior Nationals USA in Chicago on 6/18. She recently placed within the top 3 of her class at the NPC Kentucky Muscle. More info at www.aprilhunter.com.
Former WWE wrestler Steve Lewington has entered the Arnold Classic Best Body Contest at www.muscleandbodymag.com/arnold.php. He looks the least juiced out of all the guys listed.
The Armpit, an awesome pro wrestling/MMA parody website has just relaunched at www.armpitwrestling.com. Highly recommended.
The Heyman Hustle at http://tinyurl.com/389kjxd posted some promotional stills for Trish Stratus' upcoming movie Ball Enforcers. The film stars Trish within a team of down on their luck bounty hunters who run into trouble when they are confronted with a moral dilemma--a local mob boss who wants the team to exchange a bail jumper for a million dollars. The film was shot in and around Toronto.
Jimmy Hart announced the Legends of Rock and Wrestling Musical Tour with Honkytonk Man, Koko B. Ware and Hillbilly Jim. Tour dates and updates will be announced soon at www.honkytonkman.net.
Percy Pringle (the former Paul Bearer) did an interview with Ring The Bell radio at www.RingTheBellRadio.com. Among many subjects he discussed how he and Undertaker still remain great friends. "I had a 15 year career before coming to the WWF. About 1987 we had a big red headed kid coming through Dallas named Mark Calloway. He wanted to be a wrestler so we gave him a try. He was training with Buzz Sawyer at the time, if you call what Buzz did training. He more or less took Mark’s money. But one night we put him in the ring under a mask, called him Texas Red. Bruiser Brody asked me to go to the ring with him as his manager. So I managed The Undertaker in his very first match in Dallas and that was 3 or 4 years before his debut as The Undertaker in the WWF. So we certainly have a history that goes back a long long time and we still remain dear friends…he’s one of the best friends I’ve got in the world."
UK promotion 1PW is bringing in TNA's Desmond Wolfe, Douglas Williams, and Beer Money along with the former Val Venis and Kevin Thorn for shows this weekend in Liverpool. More info at www.oneprowrestling.com. For what its worth, Thorn was backstage yesterday at the TNA tapings.
Canadian Wrestling Elite runs this Saturday in Dauphin, MB at the Rotary Arena with the former Billy Gunn, Shawn Daivari, Danny Duggan, Bushwhacker Luke, Jimmy Jacobs and many more.
WFX runs in Winnipeg, Manitoba on 5/28 with Charlie Haas vs. Kip James; plus Christopher Daniels, Eugene, Bushwhacker Luke, Larry Zbyszko & Hardcore Holly. More info at www.wfxwrestling.com.
Dallas Page is hosting a radio show tonight 9-10pm ET at www.blogtalkradio.com/yrgradio discussing all things Yoga.
Former WWE developmental Diva Bobbi Billard did a Playboy shoot this week for the June-July special edition issue.
Today's Knockout of the Day is Christy Hemme at http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)