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Lilian Garcia Talks About Her Mother’s Struggle With Breast Cancer

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SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia has posted a blog discussing her mother’s battle with breast cancer in 1989—she is alive today and cancer-free.

“It all started when my mother felt a lump in her breast. She had a previous scare the year before in her other breast, but it turned out to be a cyst that disappeared on its own. This time, she wasn’t so lucky. After further tests it was confirmed she had breast cancer and would need a mastectomy. Once they went in, they found that it spread to her lymph nodes, and she would need chemotherapy. This was one of the most humbling experiences to watch because as a result of the chemo, she was often sick and also lost all her hair. I couldn’t believe what she was going through, especially because my mother had always been the rock of our family. She had been the one to take care of my sister and me, along with my grandmother who lived with us; all while my dad was away and fighting in the Vietnam War. Now the tables were turned and she was the one fighting for her life,” Garcia wrote.

She continues, “As a result of her going through this, I learned a lot about breast cancer and especially the importance of knowing about my family history and risk, knowing what is normal for me, screening tests and talking to my doctor about what it all means for me. I have fibrocystic breasts, and my doctor recommends I also undergo periodic ultrasounds.”

Hardcore Holly On His Friendship With Chris Benoit, Matt Cappotelli Incident, Buff Bagwell In WWE

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[muscletees]Former WWE Superstar Bob “Hardcore” Holly appeared as a guest on The LAW this week promoting his recently released autobiography, The Hardcore Truth, and discussed such topics as his friendship with Chris Benoit, leaving Matt Cappotelli bloodied and bruised on Tough Enough, Buff Bagwell’s infamous brief stint with WWE, and more. Highlights from the interview, transcribed by Chris Maffei, are as follows.

His friendship with Chris Benoit: “For the people that didn’t know Chris, he was the kindest human being you would ever find on this planet. I don’t know what happened, I just honestly couldn’t tell you what happened. Chris was one of the kindest, politest people. I never saw the guy get mad, not one single time. He didn’t get upset about anything. When I was writing the book and reflecting back on him, it was kinda hard because then I started thinking about it again, and it’s almost like it’s hard to believe that he’s not here anymore. Me and him were pretty close; we confided a lot in each other. It was very tough, just thinking about it and talking about it. Back when it had happened, that’s something that you’ve got to push out of you mind right away, because you have to move forward. We’re on live TV every week; it’s a sad situation, it’s hard to heal from something when you don’t mourn over it. It’s something that you have to do, just put it out of your mind. Otherwise it’ll ruin you, it really will.”

Returning from injury after WCW was purchased by WWE: “When I came back, I was like “Wow, this isn’t good if I’m sitting around because of all these new guys coming in.” Your mind starts playing games on you, and it’s like “Okay, am I sitting out for a while now?” I’ve been sitting out for eight months, and I come back and we’ve got the whole WCW thing going on, all these guys coming in. It’s like, where do you fit in? You do worry about that. I worried about it, but then again, it was like “Okay, if they let me go, at least I have a trade to fall back on.” That was always in the back of my mind, that I had something to fall back on. Of course, that’s not what I wanted to have to fall back on, I wanted to move forward with my career instead of backwards. That weighed heavy on my mind when they had all these guys, and you’re seeing all these guys in the locker room, and I was like “Wow, I’m gonna get lost in the shuffle here.” I tried to come up with ideas and stuff like that, and a lot of times it just didn’t work.”

Buff Bagwell’s brief stint with WWE in 2001: “That guy, he blew it huge. He was on his own watch; he thought he was gonna do what he wanted to do, just like in WCW. The rules were completely different with WWE, and that’s why Vince runs such a tight ship. We have certain times he wants us there, and for a good reason. Buff would just show up whenever he wanted to. For example – one night, the show starts at 7, of course, and we’re supposed to be there at 6. He shows up right when the show is starting. He doesn’t change with boys, he’s gotta go find his own little locker room or something. He did generate a lot of heat, and he brought it all on himself. I always got along with Buff, I never had a problem with him, but I think he kinda blew it for himself because I think they had big plans for him. He just kinda threw it away, and he didn’t want to play the game; he didn’t want to follow the rules, and that’s something you have to do.”

Matt Cappotelli incident on Tough Enough: “If that was the case, if I was a bully, as some people say I was, do you really think Vince would have kept me? Do you really think Vince would have kept me if that was the true case, that I took advantage of this guy and roughed him up just for the sake of doing it? No, I wouldn’t be there, trust me. Vince doesn’t put up with that kind of stuff. That’s what I tried to get people to understand; once they start thinking about it, it’s like “Oh, okay, that does make sense.” Also, you’ve gotta understand, it’s like Randy Orton. These guys tell me to do something, well these guys are the ones that sign my paychecks, so I’m gonna do what they ask me to do.

“It’s 50/50 about the Matt Cappotelli thing; a lot of people understand coming from my point of view, and then some people understand from his point of view. I think the people that are on his side about it don’t get the wrestling business. These are people that are not in the wrestling business that don’t get in the ring and wrestle. Matt gets on television and cries because he has a black eye and a bloody lip. I did not break any bones, I did not knock any teeth out of his mouth, I didn’t send him to the hospital. He was perfectly fine, except he got his feelings hurt and he had a black eye.”

The audio interview is available here. Catch The LAW every Sunday night at 11pm EST on TSN 1050 Toronto, The TEAM 1410 Vancouver and all shows at www.liveaudiowrestling.com and on iTunes.

“Mean” Gene Okerlund On How Much Longer He Plans To Work For WWE, Hardcore Holly Profiled By WWE

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[muscletees]- Legendary announcer “Mean” Gene Okerlund, who works for WWE on a limited capacity as the host of Vintage Collection and Classics On Demand programming, revealed in an interview with the St. Paul Pioneer Press, that he intends to work for the sports-entertainment organization for at least three more years.

“As long as I can travel,” said Okerlund, who is 70-years-old.

Okerlund also weighed in on fellow Minnesota native Brock Lesnar’s affiliation with WWE.

“Brock probably is one of the top three stars in the organization,” Okerlund said. “We’ve got a pay-per-view coming up, ‘No Rules,’ which is right down his alley.”

It is also noted in the article that Okerlund resides in Sarasota, Florida and spends summers near McGregor, Minnesota, on Big Sandy Lake.

– Hardcore Holly is this week’s addition to WWE.com’s Alumni section. WWE says of the six-time Hardcore Champion and three-time World Tag Team Champion: “From the larger-than-life personas of the early ’90s to the wild brawls of The Attitude Era, Bob Holly’s long WWE career was emblematic of the eras of which it spanned. But after 15 years spent evolving on sports-entertainment’s grandest stage, there’s no doubt that Holly was one thing: Hardcore.”

To view his profile, click here.

Justin Credible Issues Video Statement Addressing His Recent Arrest

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[muscletees]ECW original Justin Credible (P.J. Polaco) released an “Important Message” on Youtube today addressing his recent arrest on charges of third degree forgery and sixth degree larceny:

“This was something stemming from two years ago when my father was in Portugal on vacation and I cashed one of his checks that he told me I could cash. Then, went to check-cashing and he forgot he gave me the authority, then he cancelled it. So, it bounced on the check-cashing place. So, the warrant was out there. I had known about this for two years. I wanted to clear my name and I’m doing well and don’t want any legal s—, I turned myself into the police department on my own. No one was looking for me. Just to have my life straightened out, like I’m told to do in my AA program. So, I paid the cash-checking fee, which was a couple hundred dollars. I was in the police station for 20 minutes and all charges have been dropped.”

Credible, who is trying to get back into the wrestling business, says that he has been sober for six months as of this weekend.

WWE Saturday Morning Slam Officially Off The Air, Extreme Rules 2013 Pre-show Preview, More

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[muscletees]- Saturday Morning Slam, WWE’s children-aimed program on The CW, is officially off the air.

The CW released its schedule for this Saturday’s slate of “Vortexx” programming and Saturday Morning Slam is not listed. Instead, Dragon Ball Z Kai will air in the 10:30 a.m. time slot.

The changed had been expected as WWE ceased taping matches for the program last month. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported last week that executives of the network ordered a specific number of episodes, therefore explaining its abrupt hiatus. It is not publicly known whether the show will resume airing.

– WWE released the following video promoting this Sunday’s Extreme Rules Pre-show, which will feature a match between The Miz and Cody Rhodes. The synopsis reads, “If you’re looking for two Superstars hungry for the limelight in WWE right now, look no further than The Miz and Cody Rhodes.Both will get the chance to shine on the pay-per-view stage this Sunday when they square off in the Extreme Rules Pre-Show, streaming live at 7:30 ET/4:30 PT on WWE.com, the WWE App, YouTube and Facebook.”

– According to WrestlingFigs.com, WWE Hall of Famer George “The Animal” Steele will sign copies of his book “Animal” at Barnes & Noble Huron Village 3235 Washtenaw Ave. Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Saturday, July 15 at 7:00 p.m. Call 734-973-0846 for more information.

Photos Of Batista In The Movie “Riddick”

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Former WWE wrestler Batista is joining the cast for the next installment of the “Chronicles Of Riddick” series, titled, “Riddick”. Batista plays a bounty hunter trying to track down Vin Diesel’s Riddick character. Batista, who has gotten a lot of buzz regarding his new look in the film, which you can see below. Riddick hits theaters in the United States on September 6, 2013.

Impact Wrestling Preview: Bound For Glory Series Returns

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The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s Impact Wrestling:

– The Bound for Glory Series returns, and one former Gut Check winner will get the chance to fight for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

* Jay Bradley vs. Christian York

* Christopher Daniels vs. Hernandez

* X-Division Championship: Kenny King (c) vs. Chris Sabin vs. Petey Williams

* Joseph Park vs. D’Lo Brown

There will also be a contract signing between Sting and Bully Ray for their match at Slammiversary, with a major stipulation to be added to the contest.

* SPOILERS For Tonight’s IMPACT WRESTLING

*Spoilers* TNA Impact Wrestling Results For Tonight (5/16)

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The following are spoiler results for next week’s May 16th edition of TNA Impact Wrestling:

(1) Bound for Glory Qualifyer
Jay Bradley def. Christian York. Bradley is former WWE Superstar Ryan Braddock, and he won the match with a running lariat called the Boom Stick.

-Hulk Hogan called down Abyss to discuss his return, but was instead joined by Joseph Park. The Aces & Eights got involved, which set up a match between Park and D’Lo Brown later on.

(2) X-Division Championship
Kenny King def. Petey Williams & Chris Sabin

(3) Hernandez def. Christopher Daniels

(4) Joseph Park def. D’Lo Brown. They did the whole angle where Park bled in the match, hit the Black Hole Slam and picked up the win.

-Bully Ray and Sting came down, alone, for a contract signing. Sting asked the champion for a No Holds Barred match at Slammiversary for the title, and Bully agreed on one condition – should The Icon lose the match, he will never again compete for the World Title while under contract to TNA Wrestling. Sting agreed to the stipulation, and the two ended up brawling. Sting stood tall to end the taping.

Cody Rhodes Says He’d Shave His Mustache As Part Of A Match Stipulation

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Cody Rhodes spoke with Pitch.com. Here are some highlights from the interview.

Shaving his mustache as a match stipulation: “I know that you can’t shave anything – your head, your facial hair. You can’t do anything like that in sports entertainment unless it’s public. I’m pretty confident you’ll see the mustache on the line somewhere down the line. Extreme Rules would be a wonderful venue for it. I don’t know if the WWE Universe would be very stoked about a mustache being on the line when the title of the pay-per-view is Extreme Rules. But I guess I extremely want to keep it.”

People staring at Daniel Bryan: “Man, from when he showed up clean-cut, all-American guy to this now, it’s ridiculous. I was on a plane with him a few days ago, and people are always staring at him. In this case, they’re just looking at how this man with this legitimate cavemanlike beard is sitting up in first class. I want to know his story.”

Being afraid of Morgan Freeman: “That was such a bizarre thing. I did an interview in London, and that’s where the challenge was laid out. A young man asked me who was a celebrity that I’d like mixing it up with, and I tried to give him an answer other than an action star. Now look what I’ve gotten myself into. Now I’m going to see Morgan Freeman somewhere down the line, and he’s going to end up cold-cocking me in the face, and I’m going to feel horrible.”

Austin Aries “Severely” Fined For His Conduct On Impact Last Week

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TMZ.com reports that TNA star Austin Aries has been hit was a “severe” fine as a result of his actions last week on Impact Wrestling.

After TNA announcer Christy Hemme botched her duties and announced Aries & Bobby Roode as Christopher Daniels & Kazarian, Aries got in her face, cornered her in the ring, stood on the ropes and “shoved his man bits” (TMZ’s words) into her face. The incident was unscripted and led to at least one journalist contacting Spike TV and asking what actions they would be taking against Aries.

Hemme tweeted afterwards that Aries’ conduct was “unacceptable.” Aries has since apologized to Hemme privately and a source told TMZ that she was satisfied with his apology.

* VIDEO Of The Incident: See What AUSTIN ARIES Did To CHRISTY HEMME

First Trailer For “Riddick” Featuring Batista

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The first trailer has been released for the upcoming film, “Riddick,” which stars Vin Diesel and features former WWE Superstar Dave Bautista playing the character Diaz. The movie is scheduled to be released in theaters this September.

Highlights From Today’s TNA Press Conference From Las Vegas

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Here are some highlights from TNA’s press conference they had earlier today in Las Vegas, which was held to promote the June 29th Impact Wrestling tapings from the city:

– TNA will tape two Impact episodes of Impact Wrestling from Las Vegas on Saturday, June 29. The first episode will feature a special Fourth of July patriotic theme.

– Vegas native Kenny King was there and says Dixie Carter told him she booked the Vegas show for him.

– Hogan talked about some of his favorite matches of all time, and said that his match against Sting at WCW Starcade ’97 was at the top of his list. He also joked that he’d like to forget his Halloween Havoc ’98 match against Ultimate Warrior.

– Hogan said it was Dixie Carter’s idea to bring Brooke Hogan into TNA.

Overall, it was a well-received event and everybody there seemed excited that TNA is coming to Vegas this summer. You can view photos from the press conference here.

*SPOILERS* For Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING On Spike TV

Jim Ross Blog: Hog Hunting With Shawn Michaels, Extreme Rules

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[jrshop]WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. In this update, Jim Ross talked about hunting at Shawn Michaels’ Texas farm earlier this week, Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, Extreme Rules and shares memories of his dear friend, the late “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, who would have celebrated a birthday earlier this week.

JR says he had an amazing time hunting hogs on Shawn Michael’s farm earlier this week. The hunt will be televised later this year on HBK’s MacMillan River Adventures hunting show.

“To show you how fortunate that I was, with my first shot at a live animal I scored the hit that we were looking for and the arrow hit the 300 pound hog right behind the shoulder which is actually where I was aiming. The arrow went through the animal and it and its cohorts ran for the brush and for cover. I did not think that I had hit the animal but we found the bloody arrow which traveled through the hog.”

 

“The search by foot began through cactus and mesquite trees until we finally found the animal who had expired. These hogs are of the Russian Boar species and are destructive and non productive on Texas, among other state’s, ranches. The animals are given to the Texas Food Bank for processing and the meat is then provided to needy families. None of the meat goes to waste and if a land owner doesn’t manage these herds of feral hogs the state will come in and do it for the landowners.”

For Extreme Rules, JR predicts that the Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar steel cage match will close the show. “The physicality in this contest will be prominent and I expect a no frills, in your face, main event.”  He also speculated that Pau Heyman could play a hand in the result of this contest. As for the overall show, he said:

“I’m thinking that WWE’s Extreme Rules will be somewhat of a “sleeper” PPV and that it will exceed the expectations of many who seemingly have gotten more into the card the past couple of weeks after recovering from their WrestleMania 29 hangovers … Extreme Rules is certainly not a one dimensional PPV and I’m anxious to watch it.”

The Rock Tweets New ‘Fast 6’ Promo Picture, WWE Inbox Goes Extreme (Video)

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– The Rock tweeted the following promo picture for the new “Fast & Furious 6” movie:

– Here’s the latest edition of WWE Inbox, with Inbox going “Extreme” –

In honor of the Extreme Rules PPV, WWE Inbox goes Extreme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=e4OFbuWqdcA

Jake Roberts Announces He’ll “Definitely” Be In The 2014 WWE Royal Rumble

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[wweshop]FOX Sports South has posted a new article looking at DDP’s work helping Jake “The Snake” Roberts resurrect his health and career.

“’This is it. If you don’t get it done, you’re going to die,’” Roberts told himself before moving into DDP’s Accountability crib. “I mean, when you want to die, you can shut yourself down to that point. There’s no doubt in my mind I could do that to myself to die. Give up.”

The big news from the interview was Jake Roberts announcing he’ll be in the 2014 Royal Rumble:

“I’m announcing that right now. I’ll be in the Royal Rumble next year, count on it… I worked too hard in this business to go out that way. So I guess we’re going to have to take a victory lap. I’m definitely coming back.”

DDP, one of Jake’s strongest supporters, says Jake is constantly surprised at his progress.

“Every day, this guy is getting stronger and stronger,” Page said. “He’s like, ‘How is that happening?’

* SCOTT HALL Down 30+ Pounds Since Working With DDP (PHOTO)

TNA Press Conference In Vegas Today, Storm Undergoing MRI & More

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– James Storm is undergoing an MRI today to determine the extent of his groin injury.

– TNA is holding a press conference today in Las Vegas at 1PM (EST) / 10AM (CT) to promote the June 29th Impact Wrestling tapings from the city. Hulk Hogan, Jeremy Borash, Bob Ryder and others in attendance. TNA’s website will have coverage of the event.

– TNA is not holding any live events this weekend.

*SPOILERS* For Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING On Spike TV

Rumored Match For SummerSlam, RVD Returning to The Ring, World Heavyweight Title Picture

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[wweshop]- Rob Van Dam will return to the ring on June 21st against Tommy Dreamer with Family Wrestling Entertainment’s show in Corona, New York at the ELMCOR Center. RVD is a free agent after leaving TNA earlier this year.

The FWE show will also feature John Morrison vs. Carlito, a 30-Man Rumble, Paul London vs. Akio (Jimmy Wang Yang), Petey Williams vs. Brian Kendrick and more.

– The winner of the Jack Swagger vs. Alberto Del Rio #1 Contender’s match at Extreme Rules will be getting his title shot against Dolph Ziggler on an upcoming RAW or SmackDown – not a PPV. WWE already has plans in place for the next few pay-per-views and the company plans to get back on track once Ziggler is healthy to wrestle again.

– There is talk of Big E Langston wrestling Mark Henry in a “Battle of the Strongmen” at SummerSlam.

* PAUL HEYMAN Scouting A Third Person To Manage?! Who Could It Be [>]

(Partial Source: F4Wonline.com)

Evan Bourne’s WWE Return, New Tag Team Discussed, Austin/Nash & More

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[wweshop]- After recently returning to the ring at an NXT live event, WWE officials have decided that Evan Bourne is not yet ready to be wrestling full-time. When he does return – there’s been talk of pairing him with Sin Cara as a new tag team.

– Steve Austin has published part 2 of his podcast with Kevin Nash at podcastone.com.

– A new JBL & Michael Cole radio show has been added to LayfieldReport.com, with discussion about the Benghazi & IRS scandals, OJ Simpson and much more.

(Partial Source: F4wonline.com)

Undertaker & Jake Roberts In The WWE HOF? Christian’s Return & More

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[wweshop]- With the late Paul Bearer considered to be a lock for next year’s WWE Hall of Fame class, there is already speculation that The Undertaker will be inducted along with him. Going back several years, the plan has always been for them to be inducted together. According to f4wonline.com, Jake “The Snake” Roberts is also a potential inductee for next year.

– The latest on Christian’s return is that he’ll be back soon after Extreme Rules. He’s been medically cleared to wrestle for months now, but his return has been delayed due to the creative team not having anything for him.

* PAUL HEYMAN Scouting A Third Person To Manage?! Who Could It Be [>]

(Partial source: F4Wonline.com)

Triple H Tops ESPN’s WWE Power Rankings, Former NXT Star Speaks Out

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[wweshop]- Triple H topped this week’s ESPN.com WWE Power Rankings, stating, “New era, same old attitude. Triple H added a much-needed jolt to the arena thanks to his promo and beatdown on Brock Lesnar inside the steel cage.” Here’s the full Top 10:

1. Triple H
2. The Shield
3. Daniel Bryan
4. Dolph Ziggler
5. John Cena
6. Ryback
7. Sheamus
8. Randy Orton
9. Kofi Kingston
10. Chris Jericho.

– Former NFL player and WWE developmental wrestler Brandon “TAC” Carter recently spoke to LubbockOnline.com about what pushed him out of wrestling:

“I went down there and got a few concussions and ended up getting pneumonia. I ended up in the hospital in December. I woke up and nobody was there. Then I realized I didn’t have any friends or family there, so I came back here to Lubbock to be with family.”

Carter currently works as a personal trainer in Lubbock, Texas.

* PAUL HEYMAN Scouting A Third Person To Manage?! Who Could It Be [>]

Update On Sami Callihan To WWE, The Ascension Reforming In NXT

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[wweshop]- As we’ve reported, top independent wrestler Sami Callihan has been undergoing WWE medical tests and is expected to sign with the company soon. Callihan has been pulled from this month’s Big Japan Pro Wrestling’s Strong Style Tournament, another sign that his days on the indy scene are winding down.

– WWE NXT star Judas Devlin is apparently the new second member of The Ascension with Conor O’Brian. The two teamed up at a NXT live event last week to defeat Alexander Rusev and Aiden English. O’Brian and Devlin used the same double team finisher that O’Brian and Kenneth Cameron used to use before Cameron was released from WWE.

Former Ascension member Kenneth Cameron was released last year after he was arrested late on Thanksgiving Eve on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and disorderly intoxication. He had been arrested previously for DUI.

* VIEW HERE: Kenneth Cameron’s MUGSHOT Picture

Hall & Nash Speaking Tour, WWE App Sees Record Activity During RAW

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– Kevin Nash and Scott Hall are currently planning to do an Outsiders speaking tour. Nash tweeted the following this week about the project:

– Today’s wrestling birthdays include WWE Hall of Famer Ron Simmons (55) and Hall of Famer Kevin von Erich (56).

– WWE reportedly had record-setting activity on the WWE mobile app during Monday’s RAW when fans were encouraged to vote on Big E Langston’s opponent.

* PAUL HEYMAN Scouting A Third Person To Manage?! Who Could It Be [>]

WWE & Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment Extend Home Video Licensing Partnership

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[wweshop]WWE & Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment Extend Home Video Licensing Partnership

STAMFORD, Conn. and NEW YORK May 14, 2013 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) and Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment (GVE), a leading distributor of entertainment and lifestyle media, today announced a multi-year extension for home video distribution of WWE programming.

The new agreement will continue to give GVE distribution rights to release 12 WWE pay-per-view events each year, including WrestleMania® and SummerSlam®, as well as a robust catalog of collectible titles throughout the U.S. on physical and digital platforms.

“WWE has been a true partner for us in every sense of the word,” said Bill Sondheim, President of Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment. “Their dedicated fan base continues to power our promotions year after year, and this deal helps to energize our retail partners and further fuel our growth. We are excited to continue building exciting cross-promotional and merchandising opportunities with our physical and on-line retailers and key WWE partners.”

“GVE has helped us offer a vast array of programming to our passionate fan base across multiple formats,” said Casey Collins, Executive Vice President of Consumer Products, WWE. “We are pleased to extend the partnership and continue to offer WWE enthusiasts a wide array of home entertainment programming.”

Dixie Carter Issues Stern Message Regarding Austin Aries’ ‘Inappropriate Behavior’ On Impact

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TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter addressed Austin Aries’ lewd behavior towards ring announcer Christy Hemme on last week’s episode of Impact Wrestling with a stern statement via Twitter this afternoon.

“TNA has ZERO tolerance for inappropriate behavior,” she wrote. “The incident with Austin Aries was taken very seriously and handled immediately.”

David Schwarz, Senior Vice President of Communications for Spike TV, stated this week to Mark Madden of Wrestlezone.com that action would be taken against Aries for his public form of sexual harassment towards the veteran Knockout.

“We have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment,” said Schwarz. “We discussed [the incident] with our partner. [Aries is] being disciplined. I’m trying to get more information on what action is being taken. Dixie Carter took this very personally. He will be disciplined. Again, we have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment.

“I’m not sure specifically how [the discipline] will be handled. To what extent, I don’t know. This is certainly something we don’t condone and don’t tolerate. Such behavior is not welcome.”

In response to whether Aries’ discipline should be made public since Hemme was harassed on national television, Schwarz responded, “I think that a statement of some sort will be coming. That’s being worked out. But immediate action will be taken.”

On the show, Hemme mistakenly introduced Aries and tag team partner Bobby Roode as their opponents for the evening, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian. This led Aries to corner Hemme in the ring as he intimidated her into correctly introducing him before climbing onto a mid-level turnbuckle and shoving his groin near her face.

Following the event, Hemme voiced her displeasure with Aries’ actions via Twitter, deeming it “unacceptable.” Late Saturday night, Aries appeared to address the incident though the social networking outlet, writing, “Pretty nuts, some of the junk people get the balls to say over the net, knowing they couldn’t to your face…Eh, anyway, time to sack out.”

Raw Bounces Back From Year-Low Viewership, Seven Surprising Hardcore Combatants

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[wweshop]- Monday’s Raw bounced back from year-low viewership the week before as the program averaged 4.05 million viewers.

Raw averaged 3.79 million viewers, 4.1 million viewers in the second and 4.25 million viewers in the third.

Last week’s show garnered a 2.9 cable rating and averaged 3.917 million viewers. Two weeks ago, the program drew 4.285 million viewers.

– The official WWE website has published an article recalling seven matches featuring competitors that are not known as hardcore brawlers. This list includes Ric Flair challenging ECW Champion Big Show in an Extreme Rules Match in July 2006, Bret Hart battling Terry Funk in a Hardcore Match in World Championship Wrestling, Trish Stratus defending the WWE Women’s Championship against Victoria in a Hardcore Match at Survivor Series 2002, Rey Mysterio clashing with Psicosis in a Mexican Death Match in Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1995, Kofi Kingston squaring off against Shelton Benjamin in an Extreme Rules Match, Crash Holly defending the WWF Hardcore Championship against Dean Malenko, and Eric Bischoff battling Terry Funk for the WCW Hardcore Championship.

– This week’s WWE en Espanol is now, which promotes Extreme Rules.

(source: tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)

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