Comments that don't warrant a thread

[Cox]

From today's classic Observer on F4W.com:

 

In other IWCCW news, among others appearing at the TV tapes were Ivan & Scott Putski, Mondo Kleen and Joe Savoldi. They ran three shows this past week in the New York area, all headlined by Rick Rude vs. Honkytonk Man, ending with double count outs each night.

Wait, so those matches actually took place? I thought it was just one of those things that IWCCW hyped forever on their TV but never actually happened.

[Bix]

From today's classic Observer on F4W.com:

 

In other IWCCW news, among others appearing at the TV tapes were Ivan & Scott Putski, Mondo Kleen and Joe Savoldi. They ran three shows this past week in the New York area, all headlined by Rick Rude vs. Honkytonk Man, ending with double count outs each night.

Wait, so those matches actually took place? I thought it was just one of those things that IWCCW hyped forever on their TV but never actually happened.

 

I'm as shocked as you are and desperately want a tape of oneof these.

 

Meanwhile, this got posted elsewhere. It's a bounced check from Steve Corino to a belt maker:

 

[Guest secondcoming]

don't know if steve corino wants his home address posted on the internet

[Bix]

It was already out there in the ECW bankruptcy filing.

[Guest secondcoming]

It was already out there in the ECW bankruptcy filing.

oh...then sucks for him

[tigerpride]

I'm watching World Tour 96 on 24-7. What's the deal with the WWF going to Kuwait?

[sek69]

I think they were just trying to expand their horizons internationally, and ended up with the opposite when Vader went all David Shultz on a TV show host.

[tlk23]

sources: www.f4wonline.com, Wrestling Observer Newsletter

 

-- The latest issue of Fighting Spirit has an advertisement for DVD releases from the Women's Extreme Wrestling wrestling promotion based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The advertisement features two DVD covers -- one featuring a raven-haired woman I can't put a name to wearing handcuffs, the other featuring current TNA Knockout Velvet Sky. Under the guise of Talia Madison, Velvet Sky worked a few shows for Women's Extreme Wrestling wrestling promotion back in 2006. Sky shares the DVD cover with some nameless blonde women, who looks to be a porn star, and is wearing star-shaped pasties. The DVD is called "NUDE AND NASTY" with the tagline "NO MINORS - NO EXCEPTIONS! TOO HOT FOR T.V.!" While some of the women featured on the DVD appear nude one way or another, I don't believe Velvet Sky ever appeared nude for WEW, as she just wrestled on their shows. She probably just has the most name recognition and/or is the prettiest, so they decided to put her on the cover in their recent DVD release. You can see the DVD cover featuring Velvet Sky at this link. http://www.zavvi.co.uk/dvd-0+to+9.99-Sport...33c.r10.1/p.jsf

 

-- TNA papered a swing of house shows in the Carolinas last weekend, reports the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, more so than usual. TNA ran shows in Fayetteville, NC, Florence, SC, and Kenansville, NC, from 7-25 to 7-27. Going into the weekend, the advances were pretty poor for all three cities and it looked like the weekend was going to be the first money losing weekend since TNA started running regular three-city weekend house show loops. However, all three cities had strong late purchases. The show in Kenansville sold 400 tickets the day before the show. Overall, that show drew 1,250 fans altogether. Fayetteville drew 1,800 fans and Florence drew 2,000 fans.

 

-- IGN.com recently conducted an interview with TNA star Rhino. He talks about being friends with Kevin Nash (who interrupts the interview), video games, what steps TNA needs to take to be more successful, and more. On that, Rhino said, "I think going overseas more. This is the first video game they came out with and it took a while to make the whole gameplay work... if we could get 1-2 video games... the network loves us, so I'd like to see us go to Mondays from 8 to 10 to start the Monday Night war over again...that'd really benefit us. We're scheduling more live events, and if we could get that past 100 with 30 overseas, that'd be a good mixture." You can read the interview at this link. http://sports.ign.com/articles/895/895732p1.html

 

-- To confirm a bulletin ECW star John Morrison sent out yesterday on his MySpace saying that for the first time ever, a live edition of "The Dirt Sheet" would be taking place on this Tuesday's edition of ECW, WWE ran a commercial during A.M. Raw last night promoting it. However, "The Dirt Sheet" appears to just be the name of an interview segment they're doing, like "Carlito's Cabana" or Chris Jericho's "Highlight Reel." The commercial said ECW Champion Mark Henry and Matt Hardy would be appearing on "The Dirt Sheet," so it looks like it's just going to be a backdrop to promote their upcoming match at SummerSlam.

 

-- WWE.com has posted their latest "Circle of Champions" story, this time regarding Jeff Hardy. Hardy met an 11-year-old Make-A-Wish child by the name of Mitchell Hannigan before Tuesday's SmackDown/ECW taping in Hershey’s Giant Center. You can read the story at this link. http://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/cir...ffhardymitchell

 

-- SmackDown Divas Maria and Eve Torres were briefly shown getting tans in commercials promoting the second season of Sunset Tan, which premieres tonight at 10:30 p.m. on E!, so you may want to keep an idea on them popping up. I also heard that Candice Michelle appears on the show at some point. The show has at least other two wrestling connections. Tough Enough 4 champion Daniel Puder was briefly shown on an episode last season on a dinner date with one of the stars of the show, or a friend of one of the stars of the show. And in case you don't know, the better looking Olly Girl, Molly Shea, actually tried out for the Diva Search two years ago, the very sam search that discovered Raw Diva Layla El, SmackDown Diva Maryse Ouellet, the still-yet-to-debut Milena Roucka, and the long forgotten former ECW backstage announcer Rebecca DiPietro. Molly Shea was shown on television at the tryouts in California, but didn't make the cut for one reason or another. You can see a screencap of her on WWE television at this link. http://i36.tinypic.com/vrxbo4.jpg

 

-- The theme for WWE 24/7 programming during the month of September will be based around the career of Ric Flair. The theme is entitled "Forever Flair." The synopsis reads: "All September on WWE 24/7 Classics On Demand, it Forever Flair... WOOOOOO! Relive the illustrious career of the 16-time World Champion, the Nature Boy, Ric Flair. See all the championship conquests, his NWA/WCW run with the Four Horseman, the formation of Evolution in WWE and the unforgettable battles with Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, Terry Funk, Sting, Ronnie Garvin, Ricky Steamboat, Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan and many others." Flair will also be featured as a guest panelist on the roundtable talk show, The Legends of Wrestling. The first episode's topic will be "The Greatest Faction in Wrestling History." For more WWE 24/7 programming details, click here. http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwe247/nextmonth/

 

-- Former ECW star Kevin Thorn, who is still under contract to WWE, has opened a page on the WWE Fan Nation site. You can see his page at this link, although he hasn't posted anything yet. Thorn was taken off the road late last year and sent to train in Florida Championship Wrestling. However, he hasn't appeared on any FCW shows as of late. He was appearing on some of their shows as late as last May though. http://fans.wwe.com/kevinthorn

 

-- Last night's edition of Saturday Night's Main Event based around actress Jenny McCarthy raising awareness for Autism didn't do too well in the ratings to say the least. For starters, the show finished in last place in its time slot, getting beat out by America's Most Wanted on Fox, Wipeout on ABC, and a show by the name of Flashpoint on CBS at the same time slot. Well technically, Saturday's Night Main Event didn't finish in last place out of all the networks as the show likely beat out the offerings from The CW and MyNetworkTV, so perhaps WWE can take solace in that. Then again, those stations never offer original programming on Saturday nights, so maybe they're ratings on Saturdays don't count.

 

Saturday Night's Main Event drew slightly more than half the total viewership of America's Most Wanted on Fox during the same timeslot. We don't have the exact rating, but the show drew 2.38 million viewers according to this article from TVByTheNumbers.com. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/08/03/niels...-bandwidth/4584 Believe it or not, the show got beat out by a recent edition of Elite XC on CBS. More than likely, the rating will come in at a 1.4 or 1.5 rating, by far the worst rating in the storied history of Saturday Night's Main Event. And they were in better time slot this time around too, not at midnight.

 

Saturday Night's Main Event featured Jeff Hardy vs. Edge, John Cena, Batista & Cryme Tyme vs. JBL, Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes & Kane, and The Great Khali vs. Jimmy Wang Yang. The TV preview advertised a slew of celebrities (and no wrestlers) including Jenny McCarthy, Toby Keith, Jewel, Piers Morgan, Carmen Electra, Billy Ray Cyrus, and the cast of Nashville Star. It would appear that the lure of celebrities didn't work too well in nabbing the non-wrestling fan. On the plus side, Saturday Night's Main Event was not the least watched show of the evening. The one-hour block of the critically-acclaimed show The Office that aired right before SNME at 8:00 p.m. only managed to draw 1.64 million viewers.

 

In the bad timing department, the Raw section on WWE.com has an article talking about the WWE Universe watching their programming in record numbers. Seeing how last night's edition of Saturday Night's Main Event likely drew its record worst rating in the show's history, technically, that statement is true.

 

-- Jim Ross has posted a new blog on the WWE Fan Nation site talking about a slew of topics including the recent fight between two Carolina Panthers football players, Ron Killings, the WWE developmental system, Mick Foley, Superstar Billy Graham, and more. You can read the blog at this link. http://fans.wwe.com/jimross/blog/2008/08/0...tlehot_prospect

 

Following his departure from the company earlier today, Ric Flair released the following statement:

 

"WWE and I parted on the best of terms. This gives me the chance to pursue new opportunities...corporate speaking engagements, product sponsorships, autograph shows for my loyal fans (who made me what I am today) and film and television roles. My agent and I are very excited about what the future holds!"

 

Wrestling promoters interesting in booking Flair should contact his agent, Elaine Gillespie. She also coordinates bookings for "Rowdy" Roddy Piper as well as SmackDown announcer Mick Foley. Here is her contact information and e-mail address for promoters interesting in booking the one and only Ric Flair.

 

ELAINE GILLESPIE

THE GILLESPIE AGENCY, INC.

Advertising/Media/Public Relations

Booking for Wrestling Legends Mick Foley, Roddy Piper and Ric Flair

3007 Millwood Avenue Columbia, SC 2920

803-779-2126 [email protected]

 

Her agent has also set up a page on Facebook.com for him, so that will be his "official website." His agent plans on posting his event schedule on the page. You can reach Flair's Facebook page at this link. You can also find the page by typing in "Ric Flair, The Nature Boy". http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ric-Flair-Th...Boy/27336722640

 

- Hulk Hogan was recently interviewed by entertainment news show Acess Hollywood and made an emotional confession about how he is dealing with his divorce with Linda. A video of the interview interview can be viewed at this link. http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&...from=im_default The confession is that Hulk wishes he was still with Linda. Hulk says it's been incredibly difficult dealing with the seperation, Hulk explains, "There wasn't an argument. It was 'I dont love you, I don't want to be with you, I don't want to see you anymore.'" Hulk says things have been made worse by Linda flaunting her new relationship with a 19 year old former classmate of Brooke and Nick's. Hulk denied allegations that the divorce is a ploy to protect his assets from civil litigation by the family of John Graziano. Hulk said the divorce should be a simple process of dividing up their assets but Linda has been going to the tabloids claiming the divorce will be a war and they're burning through money he saved up for his family.

 

- As if Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's wild hit-and-run meltdown from last month wasn't bad enough, things just took a turn for the worse. Holli Griggs, who was 16 weeks pregnant at the time Rampage allegedly sideswiped her Escalade on July 15th, recently suffered a miscarriage. Her fiance, Bill Krebs, tells the Daily Pilot that Holli, 38, was perfectly healthy before the incident, but after the wreck she lost a lot of fluid from her womb and eventually lost the baby. The couple have retained an attorney and are reportedly considering legal action against Jackson.

 

-- Mick Foley is said to be unhappy with his role as SmackDown! announcer and may be leaving WWE television shortly, reports prowrestling.net. Several sources indicate that Foley is fed up with getting yelled at in his headset by Vince McMahon and is disgruntled with the current arrangement.

 

-- PWInsider.com reports that Team 3D's TNA Wrestling contracts expire next month. There has been a lot of speculation in recent weeks as to whether the decorated tag team will remain with TNA or look elsewhere.

 

Paul Heyman Blog

Earthquakes fail to register

Aug. 4th, 2008

 

I AM writing this blog after getting home to New York from a trip to California. And in case you heard about the earthquake in Los Angeles, permit me to digress before we even get started! I was in the California earthquake this past Tuesday morning - and I missed the whole damn thing! I am so p***ed. I was in my rental car, and unless it's a "big one", you don't feel it in your vehicle. I've been in tornados, hurricanes, blizzards, hailstorms, winter in Minnesota and a plane landing on a frozen runway in Siberia. But I've never been in an earthquake before. Missed a few of them, never had the experience.

 

So, when I turned from Wilshire Boulevard on to El Camino Drive and noticed people running out of both sides of William Morris Plaza, all I could think of is: "Wow. they're tight on their lunch hour around here, aren't they?" It looked like a typical noon-time rush in New York City but LA is a little more mellow. As I got out of my car, people were rushing over saying "are you OK?" and I had no idea why. I kept thinking "do I look that bad?" I couldn't figure out why everyone was so concerned. Was I pale? Did I look jet-lagged? What was it?

 

It wasn't until I walked into the office that I found out there had been an earthquake. And here I was, right in the middle of it, and I missed the whole thing. Sometimes, even when you win, you lose! OK, sorry for the digression. Let's get back to what I really wanted to write about. WWE imposed its own earthquake on the wrestling landscape when it shook everything to its very foundation with the draft. And the aftershocks of the draft have been nothing short of a gross disappointment. When it was implemented and the changes started taking effect, there was a buzz surrounding WWE programming.

 

CM Punk defeats Edge for the World title? HHH is headed to Smackdown? Jericho is stepping into the lead heel position on Raw, while Rey Mysterio, Batista, and even Kofi Kingston promise to change the Raw landscape? Smackdown gets "The Game," Good Ol' JR, and Jeff Hardy. ECW gets a focus with Mark Henry as its dominant champion. Hey, things are looking mighty "new and fresh" on WWE television. And now, as Rob Van Dam would say, here comes the buzz kill. One month later, and the excitement is just not there in the programming. WWE killed the increase in interest with the manner in which they screwed up their own momentum. CM Punk is being treated as champion the same was Rey Mysterio was. He's painted as an unworthy champion. He's not "the man". He's just the title holder during a transitional period.

 

Now, there's nothing wrong with that but the idea was giving someone "new" the opportunity to sink or swim at a top level. That's interesting to watch. To its enormous credit, WWE has made global celebrities of John Cena, HHH, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Batista. Joining that top tier is Edge, Randy Orton, and either MVP or Ken Kennedy, if he can get out from underneath his latest lack of faith from those who make talent assessments. So watching, for example, Cryme Time step up and get the chance to run with Cena or DiBiase/Rhodes being the young punks who are taking over is exciting to the average fan. It brings in more fans, because you've squeezed the juice from the current crop, and need new berries for the cash vine.

 

Watching Punk only get to bide his time as champion? Not exciting. Oh yeah, Rey's on Raw, too. Thought I'd remind you of that, because WWE sure hasn't made a big deal about it, have they? Hey, what about the straw that stirs the Smackdown drink, Edge? Blah. In my opinion, Edge is WWE's best performer (as discussed in a prior blog) and the storyline reason for Undertaker's return makes sense, but the breakup of Edge and Vickie has taken away an act that people truly enjoyed to hate. Edge and Vickie Guerrero were magic together, every bit as compelling and contemptible as the Edge/Lita pairing. Much different in so many ways, but equally as riveting, thanks in major part to the remarkable heel performances by both Edge and Vickie. These two clicked. It worked. They got "over."

 

They were despised, reviled, thought of with vengeful wishes of bloody revenge. And people loved feeling that way for the heels who would surely suffer their ultimate "wrestlefate." Splitting Edge and Vickie has taken a big buzz away. While The Undertaker v Edge in a Hell in a Cell Match at Summer Slam is a huge attraction, and will probably be one of the greatest HIAC matches ever, the excitement surrounding wrestling is nowhere near the level it was a month or so ago. So, what's the upshot?

 

Well, the TV shows have been marginal at best. I'm sure Vince has a grand plan with Mike Adamle, but to the general audience he just plain sucks as a participant on WWE programming. Sometimes, bad is just bad. The Jericho performances have been stellar and Jericho v HBK will do serious business because the heat is being set just right. Plus, Cade is there to absorb some of Shawn's initial fire, to keep even more heat on Jericho. With the exception of HBK v Jericho, WWE's television offerings could and should be a lot better.

 

Adamle, as discussed, sucks. HHH settled into Smackdown way too quickly. His first two months should have been as the outsider making his way onto a show he must now dominate as champion, and the feeling out process with EVERYONE, both babyface and heel. The announcers even feel held back and not inspired by the action, which is not their fault, since presumably someone is yelling at them through their headsets to perform a certain way.

 

The "new talent" should be getting a continued focus on their roll and not just their role. I predict that if SummerSlam as an event lives up to even half its potential, WWE could find itself with the opportunity to really capitalize on some momentum again. It's a stacked card, with a lot of payoffs and storyline-twists that could boost WWE going forward. If not, screw it. Maybe it's time to just watch TNA. Ahem. OK, so things aren't nearly THAT bad.

 

Paul Heyman Blog

Lesnar will learn from his failure

Aug. 4th, 2008

 

MY old friend Brock Lesnar will step into the Octagon next Saturday night and I for one am really looking forward to the spectacle.

Brock is a driven competitor and he has been "on himself" every moment since Frank Mir snatched his right leg on February 2 in Las Vegas. In listening to Brock's comments, it's obvious to me that the very dangerous Heath Herring is going to face a determined animal on August 9. "I really rushed that fight and made a foolish mistake," Lesnar admitted this week.

 

“I had Frank Mir in a dominant position and I stood up and fed him a foolish amateur mistake." But like any great pugilist, Brock learns from his failures. He vowed to be "a more controlled fighter and a little more relaxed in there. It has to do with putting more time in the gym, trying to polish every aspect of the fight game and trying to better myself every day". Taking this NCAA heavyweight champion wrestler with a legitimate mean streak in him, and continuing his education about the science of modern day cage fighting, could breed an already-explosive but now more knowledgeable fighter. UFC might really be looking at The Next Big Thing, as the WWE once billed Brock.

 

Getting past UFC champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is another story, of course. Nogueira is on top of his game, at the peak of his skills. Even those who sing Fedor Emelianenko's praises admit Nogueira has matured into one of the best the MMA fight game has ever seen. But that doesn't deter Brock, it only makes him more desirous of fighting the champion. And that, trust me, only makes him far more dangerous.

 

Brock is motivated by the thought of being a lot better today than he was yesterday. He's inspired to be better tomorrow than he is today. And he's obsessed to show such progress, that two days from now, tomorrow's improvement will pale by comparison. “I had a few more months to train," Brock told everyone matter-of-factly on the media call. “If the Brock Lesnar now was to fight the Brock Lesnar then, I would beat him." Memo to the Herring Camp: Bring your A-Game. No one likes to lose but Brock hates it more than others. Every day, Brock is improving. And that's a scary thought.

[Loss]

I'm reading the latest WON, and it's very amusing how Dave Meltzer keeps overstating Freddie Prinze Jr.'s stardom, saying Bob Mould is NOWHERE NEAR the mainstream star Prinze is, and that he was once a huge star who starred in the wildly successful She's All That. Funny stuff.

[tigerpride]

In Meltzer's defence, I've never heard of Bob Mould, and I think most people know who Freddie Prinze is.

[Loss]

True, but it's not like he's Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise.

[jdw]

Copy & Paste. I'm wondering if we can get Dave's Shill Of Doom with that? I mean... copying Paul's entire blog entry rather than linking to it? :/

 

 

John

[tlk23]

sources: www.pwtorch.com, PWInsider.com

 

-- TNA drew a solid 1.1 cable rating for last week's edition of Impact. An average of 1.6 million viewers tuned in during the show. At least in total number of viewers, the figure is up from the previous two weeks. The Knockouts were given the main event slot, a match pitting Velvet Sky & Angelina Love against Taylor Wilde & Gail Kim, and they delivered with a show-high 1.18 quarter hour rating. The match did one of the best numbers for an Impact main event, perhaps even ever. And unlike most Impact main events, they didn't lose viewers for a change. The only quarter hour that came close to the Knockouts main event was Q4, which drew a 1.16 rating a Booker T-Samoa Joe in-ring segment, as well as the A.J. Styles promo that followed it and a backstage segment featuring "The Beautiful People" with Shark Boy and Curry Man.

 

-- Consequences Creed is said to be in line for a big push in the coming months.

 

-- Midway Games has plans to do a big media event this weekend promoting the upcoming TNA "iMPACT!" video game.

 

-- The Associated Press reports that World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. declared on Monday a regular quarterly dividend of 36 cents per share on its Class A shares of common stock. The company expects to pay the dividend Sept. 25 to stockholders on Sept. 15. WWE owner Vince McMahon's family has waived 12 cents per share of the dividends. Class A and Class B shares owned by the family will instead receive dividends of 24 cents per share.

 

-- WWE released its second quarter financial numbers this morning and reported a net income of $7 million or 10 cents per share. This figure is below the 12 cents per share that Wall Street analysts predicted yesterday, which sent WWE stock down over 7% on Tuesday morning.

 

In a press release that accompanied the information, Linda McMahon stated, “The Company made important progress in terms of its fundamental operating objectives. We achieved a significant increase in revenue from our international operations, continued the strong growth of our live event, licensing and home video sales, and maintained improved trends in our pay-per-view business."

 

The second quarter financial report can be viewed online at WWE's corporate website at this link. http://corporate.wwe.com/documents/PressRe...toKateFINAL.pdf

 

The following is compiled from several live reports sent in from fans who were at WWE Raw last night from Knoxville, TN.

 

-- Arena was pretty full, as only the upper side opposite the entrance is tarped.

 

-- Cryme Tyme def. Sal Rinauro and some local guy in a squash dark match.

 

-- D'Lo Brown def. another local guy in a dark match.

 

-- Plenty of Ric Flair Woooo's throughout the night.

 

-- Kiss Cam was done by Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and they ended up showing a bunch of guy/guy and girl/girl combos.

 

-- Pops were pretty big for the faces. Mickie James, Batista, CM Punk, Kane,John Cena all got major pops. People seemed really disappointed that HBK wasn't there.

 

-- After Raw went off the air, Cena and Batista showed off a little more, then Bats went back. Cena stayed out and got on the mic, saying that there are certain places he goes where he knows people know where they live. Then he sang 'Rocky Top' along with the crowd to end the show.

 

-- DailySlam.com recently conducted an interview with Sandra Toffoloni, the sister of the late Nancy "Woman" Benoit. Toffoloni has founded an organization dedicated to researching the effects of steroid abuse on the brain and the body called "The Nancy and Daniel Benoit Foundation," which is located at NDBFoundation.Org. She spoke out on the foundation, as well as her sister. She also puts a rumor to rest regarding Daniel. She said: "My nephew Daniel was not sick. He did not have Fragile X, or any other disease or deformity. He was shy, like his Dad, that is all. he was not injected with HGH or steroids or any such thing. This is what's true, we have his medical records as proof and have already made a press statement the general media has chosen to ignore." You can read the interview at this link. http://www.daily-slam.com/2008/08/exclusiv...ndra-toffoloni/

 

-- Irv Muchnick sent in the following yesterday: I recently filed a complaint with the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission to compel the Stamford Police Department to release the video of its interrogation last summer of Matthew T. Greenberg - a hapless University of Connecticut student whose Internet mischief has landed him the sobriquet of "the Benoit Wikipedia [link: www.wikipedia.org/] hacker." Pull up a chair while I explain.

 

For the complete column today at SLAM! Wrestling on canoe.ca, Canada's leading interactive news site, go to this link. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/GuestC...04/6348491.html

 

-- Former WWE star Mark Jindrak (now known as Marco Corleone), Shocker (former TNA wrestler), El Terrible and El Hijo del Texano were all suspended for one year by the Tijuana commission because they did spots in a match where all pulled down the trunks of the other, which the commission doesn't allow, reports the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. As a result, the wrestlers will be unable to compete in wrestling events taking place in Tijuana, Mexico for one full year.

 

Davari Interview

 

- Shawn joins the show talking about his debut in TNA in June with the World X Cup tournament. He said he wasn't sure he would have been signed after his debut but it worked out. Shawn gives us his opinion on trained wrestlers being managers in the business. He sees it as an advantage and enhances the match. He talks about coming into TNA as a wrestler not as a manager like he did in the WWE. He feels his TNA run will be a way to reintroduce him to the fans. Shawn talks about what guys in the WWE were fans of TNA and other independents. It's more of being a wrestling fan than anything else. He said some guys in WWE don't even watch their own show. Shawn talks about UFC and why he's not really a fan. Shawn expresses that he's not a really a fan of any other sports. Shawn talks about who he would like to work with in TNA. He rolls off a list of TNA main eventers. He adds Booker T saying that maybe this will happen soon. He runs down the list and gives reasons as to why he would like to wrestle these guys. Shawn worked with Kurt Angle in WWE and Kurt helped get Shawn into TNA and he would love to do something with him. Shawn started in Minnesota and he talks about the insurgence of guys from the area working in the WWE and TNA. Kennedy, Punk, Bam Neely and others. He talks about the indy circuits and how you see the best and worst of what's out there. Shawn talks about the differences in the TNA locker versus the WWE. A very fun interview! Check it out at www.feelthepain.net.

 

-- The Miami Herald has a full-length article on "The Beautiful People," Angelina Love and Velvet Sky. The duo spoke out on a number topics including the women's division of TNA, the high ratings the women's segments have been getting, TNA making history with the women's division, egos in wrestling, who they're TNA characters are based on, how they landed jobs in TNA in the first place, and more. On what sets the TNA women's division apart from other forms of women's wrestling, Velvet Sky said, "The women's division in TNA definitely sets us apart from any other form of women's wrestling because we offer something called variety. None of us looks exactly the same. There's blonde hair, dark hair, red hair, no hair. It sets us apart because we all look different. We all dress different. We all wrestle different, and we don't offer fluff-n-nutter that you see elsewhere. We're hard hitting." Here is what they said on the women getting the main event spot on last week's Impact. "You would never see that, the women be the main event, but the ratings speak for themselves. The guys in TNA work their butts off. There's no doubt about it, but in the history of wrestling, nobody has ever looked at the women," Love said. Sky jumped in to say, "Just because it's such a male dominated business." Love finished her statement saying, "Nobody has ever looked at the women as actual `competition' for the men. It's just always been like, "Oh, the girls' match." Sky added, "Until now. The ratings speak for themselves." They're asked if women's wrestling can be compared to the men's. They say it already has. "It already has. Before the Knockouts division, I would say, 'No,' because look what the prime focus of the competition of women's wrestling was. It was bra and panties matches. It was lingerie. Swimming pools, Jell-O matches, pillow fights. That will not compare to any form of men's wrestling," Sky said. "Now with the Knockouts, we're getting the highest-rated segments on the show. We wrestle, and people want to see us. They're demanding to see us. They're actually tuning in to see us." You can read the article in its entirety at this link. http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/wrestlin...ory/628429.html

 

-- Former WWE tag team The Gymini were backstage at an Impact taping last, reports PWInsider.com.

 

-- The TNA website has posted some new trailers of the TNA "iMPACT!" video game from Midway, which is set to be released in September. You can see the new trailers at this link. http://www.tnawrestling.com/content/view/160/84/

 

- As reported earlier today, World Wrestling Entertainment released their second quarter financial results. The entire report can be viewed at WWE's Corporate website - click here for that. Part of today's financial news was the PPV buyrates for Backlash, Judgment Day, One Night Stand, and Night of Champions. Some good news for WWE - all four events sold more in 2008 than 2007. Here's the breakdown: http://corporate.wwe.com/documents/PressRe...toKateFINAL.pdf

 

- WWE Backlash: 200,000 buys (194,000 buys in 2007).

- WWE Judgment Day: 252,000 buys (242,000 buys in 2007).

- WWE One Night Stand: 194,000 buys (186,000 buys in 2007).

- WWE Night of Champions: 273,000 buys (243,000 buys in 2007).

 

-- Shark Boy injured his knee at a TNA house show last Saturday night in Laredo, Texas. It was looked at over the weekend and he is expected to be fine for next week's Impact tapings.

 

The criminal investigation stemming from the beating Mike Levy took at the IWA Mid-South "Queen of the Death Match" event in Sellersburg, Indiana in late June has concluded. No criminal charges were filed and the Indiana State Police have dropped their investigation regarding the incident.

 

Levy, an apparent indy wrestler based out of North Carolina, took a huge beating following his match with Mickie Knuckles at the show. The beating appeared to be in retaliation for Knuckles getting a big bump on her head during their match as she was scheduled to get a huge push from TNA at their TV tapings the very next week. Although, Knuckles likely caused the knot on her head herself, as she became incensed at one point during the match and gave Levy a repeated number of violent headbutts. Follwowing his match Knuckles, two IWA-MS wrestlers by the name of Devon Moore & Tank hit the ring and began beating Levy. They also taunted him on how to sell. Levy took some pretty bad shots from them, including two dangerous double stomps off the top ropes onto his head and into a barbed-wire ladder (including one from a none too agile 400-pounder), some unprotected chairshots, and more. Ian Rotten, his young son, and two or three others also got involved, giving Levy some more stiff shots.

 

Sellersburg Chief of Police Russ Whelan said, "They all say — even the young man who was in the wrestling match — that it’s part of the show. I don't know if I agree with that. I've got mixed feelings."

 

IWA Mid-South owner Ian Rotten blamed the police investigation on rival competitors trying to stir trouble, calling it "petty, local politics." Rotten believes competitors sent the video to police trying to get his company in trouble. Rotten said he has put on more than 500 wrestling shows and has never had a problem anywhere else.

 

A few weeks ago, Rotten told the CBS affiliate out of Louisville, Kentucky that the beating was scripted and while it was quite stiff, Levy knew it was coming. Rotten said Levy came back to watch the rest of the show later in the evening. He said Levy is scheduled to wrestle again at a show in Illinois in October.

 

Following the incident, Ian Rotten posted a message on the IWA Mid-South message board in response to the removal of a thread about the Mike Levy incident. He wrote: "If you got s*** you would like to talk about of the Mike Levy deal, then talk about it here. I don't want a separate thread started for just that stuff that people are saying happened, but did not happen just like was already on the thread. If you want the real story, buy the DVD. The kid got an ass whipping for what I, and many others, feel was all the right reasons. He did not go to the hospital. As a matter of fact, he came back after getting cleaned up to watch the rest of the show. He was told he would be brought back and was grateful for that so I guess he could not be too bad off. I promise, (his) face does not look anywhere near as bad as Mickie's does these morning. The kid was not beat up as people are putting it. If he was beat up by the wrestlers who were out there, he be lying in a hospital bed right now. End of story!"

 

On another note, the police chief warned the bowling alley against hosting any more wrestling shows because they were not properly zoned for the IWA-MS event. The venue wasn't cleared for the last show, but they are currently attempting to get the proper zoning permits for future shows. Another IWA-MS event is scheduled at the bowling alley on August 30 and 31. Rotten said the bowling alley is working on getting clearance in time for the shows. They held an event there on Saturday, July 26.

 

You can read The Evening News & Tribune's story on the situation at this link. http://www.newsandtribune.com/clarkcounty/..._218114856.html

 

You can see a video of the Mike Levy incident (this is the same video/URL that was sent to police) at this link. http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...ideoid=38440519

 

- As we reported here earlier this week, Mick Foley has been unhappy with his role as color commentator on SmackDown! and is considering leaving WWE when his contract expires in the coming weeks. There has been talk of holding him off television this week to sell the angle he did with Edge at the end of last week's Smackdown, but it should be noted that the Edge angle was not specifically written as a way to get Foley off television. The main factor contributing to Foley's unhappiness is Vince McMahon yelling into his headset during SmackDown! broadcast. McMahon regularly feeds lines to and communicates (note: yells at) WWE announcers while they are working and Foley is said to be at the end of his rope. There was an incident that took place several months back while Mick Foley was calling SmackDown! with Michael Cole. Foley felt that Vince got so out of line with his yelling that he called Vince later that night to discuss the situation. Although sources indicate that Vince has toned i down while producing Foley since then, Mick is still bothered by the way he and other announcers have been produced. Foley is expected to appear at SummerSlam in some capacity, but that show is being seen as a possible end-date for Foley if he chooses not to sign a new deal the company.

 

-- As noted earlier, on Sunday, July 6, 2008, Mickie Knuckles broke her femur in her right leg after a botched attempt to dive off a platform onto opponent Sara Del Rey during the main event at an IWA Mid-South show in Joliet, Illinois. The rest of the event was canceled following her injury. Mickie underwent surgery the very next day, although the operation took longer than expected due to the "muscle mass" in her leg according to doctors. Doctors successfully placed a titanium rod in the leg to hold the bones in place while it heals. Knuckles is expected to miss six months of in-ring action, but she said she hopes to be back in three. Anyway, the IWA-MS family is trying to raise money to pay for Knuckles' very expensive hospital bills following the operation as apparently, she doesn't have any insurance. IWA-MS plans on holding a show on Sunday afternoon, August 17th at the very same rec center in which she broke her femur, the Hartman Rec Center in Joliet, Illinois. According to a person who attended an IWA-MS show this past Saturday, they need to raise $27,000 to pay off her hospital bills. For more information on the Mickie Knuckles Benefit Show, click here. http://iwamidsouth.proboards19.com/index.c...amp;thread=4891

 

-- TNA Knockout Shelly "Salinas" Martinez has been cast in a Fox Reality Channel show premiering this fall called America's Sex Symbol. Traci Bingham will also be appearing on the show. Martinez has posted some photos from the filming of the show on her MySpace page, which you can see at this link. Martinez was a contestant on another Fox Reality Channel show last year, The Search for the Next Elvira, which premiered on October 13, 2007. She was eliminated on the second show. http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...logID=419952239

 

-- To promote the release of the "Best Of The Bloodiest Brawls: Scars And Stitches" DVD, AJ Styles and Rhino will be signing autographs this Saturday from noon to 2:00 p.m. at a Best Buy in Philadelphia. For more information on their appearance, click here. http://www.tnawrestling.com/content/view/964/84/

 

-- SLAM! Wrestling has a lengthy story on former WWE Diva Terri Runnels. She talks about her career in wrestling, her family, what she's been up to since departing from WWE in 2004, Brian Pillman, and more. You can read the story at this link. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2008/07/20/6213881.html

 

-- The Post and Courier has a story on the the man who trained Triple H, WWE Hall of Famer Killer Kowalski. You can read the story at this link. http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/aug/03...my_mat_villain/

 

-- TMZ.com posted a photo & story yesterday on former WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson vacationing in Hawaii with his apparent new girlfriend, a woman by the name of Lauren Hashian. To see TMZ's take on the situation, click here. On June 1, 2007, Johnson and Garcia announced that they would be splitting up after 10 years of marriage (and after 17 years together as a couple). They indicated that their parting was amicable and that they would spend the rest of their lives together as best friends. http://www.tmz.com/2008/08/04/the-rock-of-love/

 

Eric Bischoff Blog

"When To Say When"

 

NFL training camps are opening up around the country and the sports world is electric with speculation as to where/if Brett Favre should return for another year of pro-football.

I’ll go on the record from the get-go and say “hell yeah”!

 

I am not a Green Bay Packer fan, but watching Brett Favre’s brand of football is an amazing thing to experience. His passion, energy, raw talent and precision make Brett one of the most exciting athletes to ever play the game in my opinion. The fact that he is doing it at such a high level as he is closing in on his 40th birthday makes it even more amazing.

 

But as much as I enjoy watching Brett play, I have to say that I am disappointed that he fumbled his retirement on the one yard line.

 

Brett Favre’s retirement last March was one of those rare occasions in sports when a truly legendary athlete went out with dignity, grace, and having had raised the bar of excellence and professionalism in his sport so high, that future superstars will have difficulty seeing the bar, let alone clearing it. It was one of those moments that even if one wasn’t a fan of Brett Favre (or even a football fan in general), you knew you were witness to something special.

 

But then something very familiar happed. My guess is that Brett’s ego checked in.

 

By this I mean that I think Brett Favre woke up one day following his retirement and began to wonder what lies ahead. Can you imagine what it must be like for someone who has lived the vast majority of their life preparing for or recovering from the next/last football season? When one spends the amount of time necessary to be the best of the best for three plus decades, and all of a sudden your calendar is clear of anything related to preparing to step on to a football field? It’s not hard to imagine why ones “sense of self”, or ego, senses danger and begins to react.

 

I think it’s a pretty safe bet that Brett’s motivations had nothing to do with money. In my opinion it was about being a competitor, Brett believing that he has one more Super Bowl ring left in him.

 

And yes, ego.

 

But I cant help to wonder about Ric Flair’s motivation to leave WWE. In some ways, Ric Flair is in a simalar position to Brett Favre. In May I wrote in my blog “Finally” about how happy I was for Ric, that he could retire on a grand stage like Wrestlemania with the love, support, and respect from the people around him. To have the opportunity to retire in a way that put a proud period at the end of the last sentence of a great book that was Ric’s career is rare and should be appreciated.

 

If Ric asked for his release from WWE in order to pursue a career as a public/corporate speaker, I wish him the best. Ric is great in front of a crowd, and if charm and charisma were publicly traded commodities on the New York Stock Exchange, Ric would be a walking Fortune 500 company.

 

But if Ric is being driven by his “sense of self”, and is contemplating a return to the ring as a result, I fear,that the special moment that was Ric’s retirement and in many repects his legacy, will be diluted forever in the process.

 

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

-- Irv Muchnick sent in the following yesterday: I recently filed a complaint with the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission to compel the Stamford Police Department to release the video of its interrogation last summer of Matthew T. Greenberg - a hapless University of Connecticut student whose Internet mischief has landed him the sobriquet of "the Benoit Wikipedia [link: www.wikipedia.org/] hacker." Pull up a chair while I explain.

oh jeez

[Bix]

Matthew T. Greenberg - a hapless University of Connecticut student whose Internet mischief has landed him the sobriquet of "the Benoit Wikipedia hacker." Pull up a chair while I explain.

Only in Irv's mind.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22the+Beno...lient=firefox-a

 

Looks like he's the only person ever to use that name!

[rovert]

Totally random question but did ECW's Kimona and Jimmy Hart shack up together.

[tlk23]

Lance Storm Blog

Q and A

August 4th, 2008

 

Q. Wow. Is it just me or did ECW become watchable again once Adamle left the announce team?

 

A: I seldom catch ECW, it has a horrible time slot here in Canada, but I would imagine the program was improved greatly since Mike is no longer at the desk.

 

Q: I have notice you on the Rock's dvd, do you get any royalties for ur brief appearance?

 

A: WWE is very good with Royalties and I get a piece of every DVD I appear on.

 

Q: What are your thoughts now that your good friend and favorite play-by-play man, Mike Adamle, is the GM of Raw?

 

A: I missed the episode of RAW when he was named GM but I think it is an absurd idea. Mike Adamle’s character has been that of a guy with no wrestling background or current knowledge of the sport. He has been pushed as and made fun of for being inept and completely clueless when it comes to the sport of pro-wrestling. So how in the HELL do we get to the point where Shane and Stephanie McMahon decide he should be in charge and running RAW? This is completely ridiculous, and makes me far less inclined to watch RAW.

 

Q: I was wondering your opinion on Tracy Smothers, I've heard several people say he is one of the legit tough guys of the wrestling industry, just wondering if there is any truth to this?

 

A: Tracy is certainly a tough guy. He is like an old pick up truck, after the first dent the rest don’t matter. I think in a fight you’d have to kill him to get him to stop fighting.

 

Q: You mentioned in one of your Q&As that it would be unlikely for Robert Roode to get a title run. Why would that be?

 

A: Do you watch Impact? There are a ton of guys they push more than him, and there are a lot of politics in getting that title run and I don’t seem him having the pull to get it done.

 

Q: What kind of guy is Scott Steiner? In his interviews he's oftentimes outspoken about other wrestlers (i.e. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, etc.)...How do you think he might do against guys like those? Is there any truth to what he says about them also?

 

A: I always liked Scotty and thought he was a good guy. He certainly does speak his mind. Scott is pretty straightforward so I believe there is a lot of truth in what he says based on his personal experiences. Everyone relates to people differently and has different experiences. I’ve heard guys bury one person and then heard someone else praise that same person. Not everyone sees eye to eye. When you ask how “he might do against these guys?” Do you mean in a real fight? In a real fight Scotty would be the last guy standing even if the others were working together. Scotty is a scary man if he wants to be, which is likely why he is comfortable speaking his mind.

 

Q: What do you think of TNA lately (i.e. new talent, Abyss' new look, the segments, matches, etc., etc.)?

 

A: Lately I’ve been hating the show and skipping it frequently.

 

Q: I have a question about the way you kick/stomp. You stomp your opponent the way Davey Boy Smith used to do it, like you hop off your one leg and kick with the other. I always assumed you got this from your instructor, but then I realized Jericho doesn't kick that way, so why do you? Is it just a style choice, or did it just come natural?

 

A: I picked it up from Johnny Smith, here in Calgary, whom I worked with a lot more than Jericho did. I was struggling with kicks until I adapted Johnny’s style, which I was comfortable with. Johnny may have got it from Davey.

 

Q: I read that Marc Mero took issue with some of your comments last year. Has anyone else in the business ever approached you or contact you because you wrote something about them that they didn’t like and/or agree with?

 

A: I’ve received a few responses to things I wrote. Marc Mero and Lance Hoyt, to their credit, were man enough to contact me directly about things I wrote, that they did not like. Hoyt and I actually ended up getting along quite well, and have traded email since. Others have emailed me with compliments for things I wrote.

 

Q: What is the Undertaker like backstage?

 

A: Undertaker is the consummate pro, be it backstage, in the ring, or away from the building.

 

Q: I have noticed that the majority of wrestlers wear their own merchandise (t-shirts or hats etc) to the ring. Is there a strict "in ring" dress code? Could a performer wear a Metallica t-shirt (for example) out to the ring if they wanted to?

 

A: There are issues with outside promotion on clothing, so guys tend to wear WWE merchandise or clothing without prominent logos or advertisements.

 

Q: You have mentioned food / catering ? If so is it any good (ha)?

 

A: It depends on the town and catering company. Some places it is awesome, while others you are stuck eating dry chicken breast.

 

Q: Do they have work out equipment readily available?

 

A: No we have to go to a regular gym to work out.

 

Q: I was wondering if you have met Paul London, and what your opinion is of him both personally and his work. Do you think they should have kept he and Brian Kendrick together?

 

A: I’ve met Paul but do not know him well. I loved London and Kendrick as a team, so I would have been happy if they kept them together and did something with them.

 

Q: I know you must be sick of "how come so-and-so never got pushed" questions, but I unfortunately, have one of my own. Jerry Lynn. Everything he did looked amazing, he told great stories in the ring, and I've heard from you as well as other workers that he worked really safe. Even at his size, it seems like he could still have gotten a leg up just by being able to adapt his style, since he could do high-flying, mat wrestling, chain wrestling, etc.

 

A: My best explanation for this is that Jerry was an Academy Award winning supporting actor and everyone was too busy looking for the leading man to notice. Because of his size and not being that Rock level most electrifying man in sports entertainment, I think he was dismissed as contender for leading man, and no one in power realized how big of an asset the guy really was.

 

Q: Since you and Shawn Michaels both used the super kick how would you rate your kick to his?

 

A: I’d have to take his to fairly judge. I think both look good and I know mine is extremely light, so it would depend how light or stiff his is.

 

Q: I was wondering how do guys that speak different languages communicate with each other in the ring. For example, guys from Japan and Mexico coming to the States and wrestling, but they don't speak English and the other guy doesn't speak their language.

 

A: Clothesline, and Drop Kick are pretty universal, it’s not like we are having deep conversations out there.

 

Q: Out of all WWF/WWE performers since 1985, do you rate yourself as the greatest WWE Superstar never to have performed at WrestleMania?

 

A: Interesting idea. I’d have to check through rosters over the years, there may be someone else who got over looked, but there is certainly the possibility that I am the most talented guy in WWE history to never have a WrestleMania match.

 

Q: Did you ever wrestle against the team of Jimmy Golden and Robert Fuller? If so, what are your thoughts?

 

A: I don’t think I ever even met these guys before, and I definitely didn’t get to work with them.

 

Q: Who was a better combo for the Heavenly Bodies-Stan Lane and Tom Pritchard or Jimmy Del Ray and Tom Pritchard? Why?

 

A: I didn’t see any of the SMW stuff with Stan Lane but I would imagine the combo with Del Rey was better because he worked a lot harder that Lane did back then.

 

Q: In your opinion, why hasn't Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat been conducted into the WWE Hall of Fame?

 

A: I believe the problem was a legal one. From what I understand his ex-wife held the rights to the “Ricky Steamboat” name and they couldn’t use it. I think that issue has been resolved and I expect him to get in before too long. He very much deserves it. You know you have a bad divorce lawyer when you don’t even get custody of your name.

 

Q: Did you ever wrestle Curt Hennig? If so, what are your thoughts on him as a worker?

 

A: I only got to tag with him for the live Heat match before WrestleMania 18 in Toronto. Curt was great.

 

Q: Would you consider going to Japan and wrestling under a mask as "Wasabi Man" only to return to the US as Lance Storm in TNA, then lose a loser-leaves-TNA match and then wrestle there as "Wasabi Man?" Now THAT would be money!

 

A: It would be as much money as Curry Man, although not nearly as entertaining.

 

Q: Was Bam Bam Bigelow the best "big man" you ever wrestled? If not, who?

 

A: He absolutely was.

 

Q: Did you ever wrestle Vader? Thoughts on him.

 

A: I never did no. He was a very good big man, although I heard one who took liberties with smaller guys. Not sure if that is the case, but I’ve certainly heard that often.

 

Q: Did you ever have a singles match with Jerry Lynn? Memories from it if you did?

 

A: Are you serious? I’ve had countless single matches with Jerry Lynn. He was likely my favourite guy to work. Every match with Jerry was a pleasure.

 

Q: Konnan once said he has never worked with anyone who had not used steroids or who had problems with other drugs. I find this hard to believe, seeing as him and CM Punk worked in TNA at the same time. Do you think what he said is true?

 

A: I’ve worked with Konnan so his statement is definitely not true. That being said I have no doubt Konnan believed that statement to be true when he made it. Most guys in the business have at least tried steroids and many also have had or still have drug issues, so in a general sense his statement is fairly accurate. There are a few exceptions and I am definitely one.

 

Q: I don't believe we ever got your thoughts on CM Punk's title win on Raw, so I was just wondering what they were? Personally I am never surprised in wrestling, but this move took me off guard.

 

A: Yah the Punk win surprised me. I liked that it shook up the show but I would have preferred it if they had gotten behind him more and portrayed him as a little more deserving.

 

Q: What is your best singles match in your whole career?

 

A: I don’t think you can pick just one, but the ROH match I had with Bryan Danielson would be up for strong consideration.

 

Q: Did you ever get to wrestle Rick Steiner? If not what was he like in person?

 

A: I didn’t have much interaction with Rick Steiner. I think he was off a fair bit during my run in WCW. I worked with him once on a house show in Johnson City, TN. It was a three way for the US/Canadian Title between Rick Steiner, Hugh Morris, and Myself. I don’t remember anything about the match other than as we went over the match one last time, backstage before going through the curtain Rick looked at me for a long time and then asked, in a very quite serious voice, “What’s your name again?” I still to this day pop at the thought. I guess Rick wasn’t following the product too closely back then.

 

Q: Since the Benoit tragedy, have you used him as an example for his wrestling skills in your Academy or in interviews you give? Do you think that those who keep using and mentioning him as a role model lose credibility?

 

A: I think there is a huge difference between using someone as an example or reference and making him a role model. What he did has nothing to do with how he wrestled. I don’t need to know if Michael Jordan is a good person to want to play basketball like him. If I demonstrate to someone how Chris Benoit threw an elbow, it is in no way endorsing what he did to his family.

 

Q: Have you read any of those controversial books mentioned in "Pain and Passion"? Like "Under the Mat" or "Broken Harts"? If so, what do you think about those?

 

A: I tried to read “Under the Mat” but gave up because it was a complete load of crap. “Broken Harts” I avoided because I was told it was very heavy and quite sad.

 

Q: I just read an online commentary by Ted Dibiase where he basically ran down the training and staff at OVW. He stated that he did not allow Ted Dibiase Jr., to train there because none of the trainers were ever main event guys. I was curious to your opinion on his comments.

 

A: His is not an uncommon view but I think it is a very miss placed opinion. I would rather be trained by say Brad Armstrong (who never main evented) than The Ultimate Warrior (who almost always main evented). Being a Main Eventer or having drawn money in no way qualifies you to train someone nor does not being featured in Main Events exclude you from being qualified to do so. You have to look at the individual’s skills and ability to train.

 

Lance Storm

[Bix]

Q: Since you and Shawn Michaels both used the super kick how would you rate your kick to his?

 

A: I’d have to take his to fairly judge. I think both look good and I know mine is extremely light, so it would depend how light or stiff his is.

...

 

If just for Lance's.

[tigerpride]

I would say Lawler is the best WWE Superstar to never work a Mania

[Loss]

Scott Keith on finisher theft in early 00s WWF main events:

 

In my very humble opinion, the practice came from Japan because guys cared enough to watch tapes and learn new stuff at that point, and it died out because the management style changed with Johnny Ace’s takeover and WWE-trained newcomers basically just do what they’re told without desire to branch out and expand their horizons. And I’m actually quite a fan of finisher theft — it adds heat to the finish by making it a personal thing. Finishers are (or at least, used to be) a very personal thing for the guys, which is why you’d get Rick Rude’s Rude Awakening changing from a DDT in the NWA to a neckbreaker when he jumped to the WWF so as not to step on Jake Roberts’ toes. So if Steve Austin is suddenly busting out a Rock Bottom, fans are gonna be like “Oh man, it’s on now!” and it’s easy heat. Kurt Angle took it a step further, actually lifting entire chunks of moveset from guys as he evolved, which I always thought was pretty neat until he went insane.

What?

[tlk23]

source: Wrestling Observer, PWInsider

 

-- This week's edition of WWE Raw drew a 3.4 cable rating off hours of 3.32 and 3.54. This is down from last week's 3.6. (Source: Neilson Media Research)

 

-- Devin Cutting sent in word that WWE has announced the following matches will take place this Saturday afternoon at "SummerFest" - a free live event being held at Venice Beach in California:

 

Chavo Guerrero vs. Funaki

Tommy Dreamer & Stevie Richards vs. The Miz & John Morrison

Carlito & Maryse vs. Jimmy Wang Yang & Eve

 

- Former Diva Torrie Wilson is said to be charging $7,000 to show up to independent wrestling shows.

 

- According to the Vancouver Sun, former WWE star Steve Austin has signed on to star in a new unnamed action movie being produced by Insight Productions. No word on the proposed reality show that was discussed a few months back.

 

-- Umaga apparently got hurt sometime within the last week. We don't know the exact injury at the moment. He missed Tuesday's SmackDown taping as a result.

 

-- Tuesday's edition of ECW scored a 1.5 cable rating, rounded up from a 1.45 rating.

 

-- Larry Zbyszko, Steve Corino & The Patriot will be appearing at the Wrestling Superstars Live event in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 12th, 2008. Go to http://www.wrestlingsuperstarslive.com for info about WSL & http://prowrestlingevents.webs.com for info about upcoming shows.

 

-- Super Crazy's profile on WWE.com is now listed in the SmackDown section. Although, his profile is still listed in the ECW roster section, but it may be an oversight. Super Crazy appears on tonight's edition of SmackDown. http://www.wwe.com/superstars/smackdown/supercrazy/

 

-- As reported earlier, former WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was recently spotted on a beach with a bikini-clad woman by the name of Lauren Hashian. She is the daughter of original Boston drummer Sib Hashian. According to BostonHerald.com, she is 24 years old and was a finalist on the UPN reality show, R U the Girl back in 2005. She is a budding singer who met Johnson when he was in Boston shooting The Game Plan two years ago. According to the website, the two were regulars at an Italian restaurant called Davio's during the shooting of the Disney flick two years ago (Johnson was still married at the time as he didn't announced a separation from his wife of 10 ten years, Dany, until June 2007; the film was shot in Boston in the fall of 2006). Hashian brought Johnson to her Lynnfield, MA residence for dinner to meet the parents. Hashian has since moved to Los Angeles to further her music career. Click here to read an article from BostonHerald.com. http://www.bostonherald.com/track/inside_t...position=active

 

-- Within the offices of TNA, there has been talk of breaking up LAX. Homicide and Hernandez are both against the move, and have been fighting it. TNA President Dixie Carter is a big fan of LAX, thus explaining why they're champs at the moment, as well as their renewed push. No word yet on why they want to split them up.

 

-- Chickfight.tv reported last week that Melissa Anderson (also known as as Raisha Saeed in TNA) suffered a serious leg injury last Thursday during a routine workout at her local gym. Anderson posted the following blog on her MySpace page regarding her injury:

 

Subject: Feeling Better!

 

Body: Hi friends! I just wanted to say Thank You for all the get well messages. I was able to get plenty of rest over the weekend and my leg injury seems not to be as serious as we first thought it was. It's a big relief and I should be back to my old self in no time! I'm finally moving around and was even able to attend and watch the next set of ChickFight tapings. I can't tell you how happy I was to finally meet Holly Hearse in person! She's awesome and is perfect for ChickFight TV! The tapings went really well and I hope to co-host the show with her some time in the future.

 

That's it for now. Thank you for all your support. It means a lot to me. Especially when I was down and out.

 

Take Care and keep checking for more updates on www.ChickFight. TV for the latest news about the show!

 

Cheerleader Melissa

 

-- Regarding Taylor Wilde's first TNA Knockouts title defense at the Victory Road pay-per-view last month, there was some surprise backstage at the total lack of crowd reaction to her. The feeling was that the crowd in attendance were more occasional and not regular TV viewers of Impact, since her title win that aired three nights earlier got over pretty big in Orlando. TNA made the decision to put Wilde over Kong clean a second time with the idea that they had just created a new star.

 

-- IGN.com recently conducted a rare interview with TNA star Abyss, and he doesn't stay in character. He primarily talks about video games -- TNA's upcoming game as well as games from the past. In wrestling video games, he usually picked the larger wrestlers. "Abyss wasn't available, so I don't know. I usually picked the big boys, so maybe Earthquake, Slaughter, Dibiase, those guys. I usually liked to match teams that I didn't see in real-life, so Warrior and Dibiase maybe, someone like that," Abyss said. He also gave his thoughts on seeing himself in the upcoming TNA video game. "Yeah man, it's unbelieveable. I can't believe the technology, and when I saw it on a HD screen, it's amazing that it's video and not reality. The graphics and detail is what amazes me the most. It's top-notch and the highest quality around. It's such a big accomplishment to have a game second to none in the world. It really feels good for the whole company," Abyss said. {Abyss Interview}

 

-- There were some complaints backstage stemming from last week's Prince Justice League (apparent new faction featuring Super Eric, Curry Man and Shark Boy) segments. Some people complained over the company airing a few too many segments on them last week on Impact.

 

-- TNA experimented with putting the women in the main event spot on last week's Impact, and from all accounts it has to be considered a success. The Angelina Love & Velvet Sky vs. Gail Kim & Taylor Wilde match scored a 1.18 quarter, the high point of the show. Traditionally, TNA does not keep its audience through the conclusion of the show. Additionally, the segment gained 118,000 viewers. Here are other ratings notes from the 7/31 show. The Christian & Rhino vs. Beer Money (Robert Roode & James Storm) match for a title shot lost 118,000 viewers. A match featuring Johnny Devine didn't lose viewers for a change. The Johnny Devine & Rock & Rave Infection vs. Shark Boy & Curry Man & Jay Lethal match gained 44,000 viewers. The strongest gain of the show featured Lethal asking Val to marry him again, a Prince Justice League segment, and a Joe & Nash promo, gaining 222,000 viewers. The Booker and Joe in the cage segment, a vignette featuring former WWE star Daivari, and an AJ Styles promo lost 59,000 viewers. The Consequences Creed vs. Petey Williams match lost 148,000 viewers. A Matt Morgan squash match, post-match brawl with Tomko and more Justice League gained 118,000 viewers. The show drew a 1.08 cable rating with 1.6 million viewers. It was the most actual viewers for Impact since February. Impact did a big 1.36 rating among male teenagers, followed by a 1.05 in Males 35-49, the best number in that demo in a long time. The show drew a 0.96 in males 50 and up. The show only drew a 0.60 in the target Males 18-34 demo.

 

-- Lance Cade may be out of action. He broke his nose during a match at last Saturday's Raw brand house show in Evansville, Indiana. He wasn't on Raw this week, likely as a result of the injury.

 

-- Michael Hayes will be taking Freddie Prinze, Jr. under his wing. Prinze, Jr. is slated to work under him on SmackDown. Prinze, Jr.'s hiring was not really a major topic of discussion backstage compared to other mainstream stories involving the company in the past.

 

-- Here are the top units shipped figures for the company's DVD releases so far this year: Wrestlemania 24 (305,000), Triple H (233,000), "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (221,000), The Rock (160,000) and The Hardys (140,000).

 

-- WWE is looking to get as much out of The Great Khali while they still can. The belief is that he won't be with the company for the long haul due to his ailing knees, as they continue to give him problems. Khali was said to not be too aggressive in rehab during his last round of knee surgeries. Nowadays, Khali struggles to get around and people are questioning his long term future in the business.

 

-- SmackDown star Shelton Benjamin is getting pressure to step up his game during his latest push. A number of people believe Benjamin is a great athlete, but that he could be a better in-ring performer if he applied himself more and got motivated.

 

-- WWE.com has a story on Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder capturing the WWE Tag Team Championship at The Great American Bash. In case you don't know, they made history by becoming the youngest champions to hold tag titles in the history of WWE. Hawkins said, "What we've accomplished is pretty spectacular. I want people out there who are over the age of 23 to stop and reflect on what they were doing at our age, because what have you accomplished? I know Zack Ryder and I are 23 years old and we’re already WWE Tag Team Champions."

 

Amidst online reports of Mick Foley possibly departing from World Wrestling Entertainment, the Long Island Press contacted him to ask him about it. Foley responded to their phone messages with the following statement:

 

"I can't say much until after my contract expires, which is September 1st. But at this point, there is a good chance, through mutual agreement, that I will not be renewing the contract," Foley said while leaving a phone message Thursday evening. "Creatively, the announcing job wasn't working out too well."

 

You can read the article at this link. http://www.longislandpress.com/main.asp?Se...amp;TM=40935.82

 

- Brock Lesnar is getting a lot of media play in the Twin Cities for this weekend's UFC fight against Heath Herring. "I think I'm still marketable as a fighter, but nobody wants to get behind a guy that's losing," he told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "I like the pressure. Any athlete to perform at his peak level, is going to have to feel some pressure." Lesnar also discussed his strategy to the fight. "My inexperience showed in that last fight and will show a lot less in this fight," he said. "I've got 15 minutes to win a fight and not one minute. I think you'll see me come into this fight a lot more calm, collected and a little more precise and not so reckless." A source of ours in Minnesota tells us that tere's a lot of buzz in the Twin Cities for the UFC debut on Saturday night. The atmosphere at Target Center is said to be very rowdy and should make for a nice homecoming for Lesnar.

[tlk23]

I can't wait until his DVD comes out:

 

 

Got this from another forum, but still it's gold.

[Tim Evans]

 

Never seen this before but it's awesome. What a defense.

[jdw]

The Brain is great in it.

 

 

John