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RVD Reveals When HIs TNA Contract Expires & Whether He’d Return To WWE

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TNA star Rob Van Dam recently appeared on Joe McDonnell Uncensored and revealed that his TNA contract expires in March 2013.  Here’s what RVD said about his future & whether he’d return to WWE:

“I walked away from every wrestling company I’ve ever worked for, except for one. When I first started out, the first territory I did in the summer of ’91 was USWA. It was the Jarretts’. So when my contract runs out with TNA, who even knows if Jeff is one of the bosses anymore, it’s so confusing. But if he is and it’s their decision, if they say, ‘Thanks, we enjoyed it’ and we walk off, it’ll be like the only two times in my career (that’s happened). Every other time meaning WWE twice, ECW, WCW, All Japan, everywhere – I’ve always been like, ‘All right I’ve had enough.’ I felt like I knew when it was time to go. I never had any regrets.”

“Right now this could actually be my last gig, I don’t know. When my deal’s up (in March), I don’t even know what I want. People are asking, ‘Oh, are you going to WWE?’ I honestly don’t know what I want to happen. I’m more of go with the flow, let’s see what happens. Anyway, it’s possible that when it’s up that I could maybe not even sign another full-time deal, who knows. It’s possible, which would make this my last full-time gig.”

TNA Announces Several New Global Television Partnerships (Press Release)

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TNA sent out the following press release on Monday announcing several new global television partnerships:

TNA IMPACT WRESTLING announces a number of major new global television partnerships, including a deal that brings its top-rated TV show, “IMPACT WRESTLING” to the Middle East and North Africa for the very first time.

TNA’s “IMPACT WRESTLING” has begun broadcasting on the popular FX Middle East channel at 10:30pm every Tuesday (local time.) The show is now seen in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Mauritania and Somalia.

Beginning mid-October, Egyptian fans will also be able to watch “TNA Xplosion” and TNA’s “Greatest Matches” thanks to a new partnership between TNA and Dream TV. The channel will shortly be announcing broadcast times for both shows.

Starting in early 2013, Kuwait TV will also begin airing archive episodes of TNA “IMPACT WRESTLING” under the “CLASSIC IMPACT” brand.

TNA has also made a number of strides in Eastern Europe and is now airing on GSP TV in Romania with TNA’s “IMPACT WRESTLING” being broadcast every Monday at 8:00pm and “TNA Xplosion” airing each Wednesday at 8:00pm (local times). GSP TV will also broadcast TNA’s monthly pay-per-view events including “Bound For Glory,” “Lockdown” and “Slammiversary.”

TNA’s debut on Orange Sport in Poland earlier this year was also very successful, with high ratings and positive media coverage.

A number of TNA’s current international TV partners have recently signed contract extensions, including Thailand’s GMM Grammy Sport One, which will now broadcast “TNA Unfinished Business” and TNA’s “Greatest Matches” alongside TNA “IMPACT WRESTLING” every week.

“I’m thrilled that this year has seen us bring the very best in professional wrestling to more and more people around the world,” stated TNA President Dixie Carter. “The TNA IMPACT WRESTLING family is growing all the time, and I can’t wait to chat to all our new fans from every corner of the globe on Facebook and Twitter.”

JR Blog: Vince & Cena Returning Tonight, Young Talent Stepping Up, Filling In For JR On RAW

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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here’s what JR said in this entry:

Vince & Cena Returning Tonight: “RAW should be an unpredictable ride tonight w/ not only the return of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon who’s been noticeably absent from the Monday night flagship, WWE broadcast. I have no idea what to expect but Mr. McMahon will make a needed impact without question and the injured John Cena returns to with likely plenty to say.”

Young Talent Stepping Up: Several, younger talents are getting significant, playing time and I expect each of them to maximize their minutes on Raw. It’s essential.

Filling In For Jerry Lawler: “I’m very happy to be sitting in for Jerry Lawler until he returns in the next few weeks and really enjoy sitting along side Michael Cole. King is feeling MUCH better and is making a marvelous recovery.”

* VIDEO From BATISTA’s Saturday Night MMA Debut

HBK Overselling Highlighted On Latest WWE Download, Keibler Moves In With Clooney, TLC Ticket Sales

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– On this week’s “painful” edition of WWE Download, multiple clips of Shawn Michaels overselling Hulk Hogan’s offense during their match at the 2005 SummerSlam are shown. (Watch)

– WWE officials were surprised that tickets for the company’s debut event in Brooklyn, New York, WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, did not immediately sell out. Nonetheless, they were happy with first day sales.

– After The Sun reported last month that Stacy Keibler and A-list actor George Clooney had split up, Life & Style Weekly says the former WWE Diva has moved into his Los Angeles home.

“She’s 100 percent moved in,” an insider told the publication. “She spends her summers with him in Lake Como, Italy, and all her stuff is at his place in LA.”

(source: PWInsider.com)

Cody Rhodes Suffers Black Eye, SmackDown Holiday Tour Matches, JR-Lawler

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– Today’s wrestling birthdays include WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz (32) and former WWE star Paul Burchill (33).

– Sheamus vs. The Big Show and Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio are the top matches WWE is advertising for December’s SmackDown Holiday Tour.

– When asked by a fan if Jerry Lawler will on tonight’s RAW, Jim Ross replied, “No…it will be a few wks but he’s doing great.”

– Cody Rhodes suffered a black eye during his tag match with Damien Sandow against Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio at last night’s WWE SmackDown live event. Sandow Tweeted this about the injury:

https://twitter.com/thedamiensandow/status/255179503347855360

A.J. Comments On Vince At RAW, Ryback’s Push Continues, JTG’s Punishment

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– With WWE Chairman Vince McMahon appearing on tonight’s RAW to deliver a “State of WWE” Address, RAW General Manager tweeted this over the weekend:

– WWE Superstar JTG did a Q&A with fans on Twitter over weekend and says he was punished by WWE for ranting about being held back and WWE’s young talent not getting the opportunities they deserve. After his Twitter rant, JTG says WWE “punished” him by having him get squashed by Ryback the next week on RAW.

– Speaking of Ryback, his big push continues. Ryback wrestled his first Lumberjack Match at last night’s WWE SmackDown live event in Anaheim, California, defeating Jinder Mahal. At one point in the match, many of the heel lumberjacks attacked him, but he was able to throw them all off of him. After the match, Ryback hit his finisher on several of those heel lumberjacks.

WWE RAW Preview: Vince McMahon & John Cena Returns

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Tonight’s WWE RAW takes place from Sacramento, California.

After the disastrous 2.5 rating for last week’s show, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon will be on the show tonight to deliver a “State of WWE Address.” Vince McMahon will address ongoing WWE storylines and will likely make some big announcements.

Injured superstar John Cena will also return to RAW after undergoing elbow surgery just a few weeks ago. With WWE Champion CM Punk refusing to give Cena another title shot at Hell in a Cell, will Cena try to work his way into the main event of next weekend’s pay-per-view?

The WWE Tag Team Tournament will continue with a semi-final match expected to take place tonight.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross and former WWE champion JBL will be returning to the announcer’s booth to call the action with Michael Cole.

The advertised dark match main event for the live crowd is WWE Champion CM Punk vs. World Heavyweight champion Sheamus.

Cena On TV This Morning, WWE Star Turns Heel Over The Weekend, Abrose-Woods

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– Injured WWE superstar John Cena will appearing on this morning’s “Live with Kelly & Michael” talk show. Cena filmed his appearance on Friday in New York and will be at tonight’s WWE RAW from Sacramento, California.

– NXT wrestlers Dean Ambrose and Xavier Woods continued working weekend WWE live events.

– Yoshi Tatsu was working as a heel at weekend WWE live events. Tatsu teamed with Darren Young and Titus O’Neil to face Justin Gabriel and The Usos at Saturday night’s SmackDown live event in Anaheim, California. Following the match, Tatsu tweeted the following:

RVD Talks Weed & TNA Drug Testing, 30-Minute Bound For Glory Before The Bell Video

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– TNA star Rob Van Dam was recently interviewed by Joe McDonnel and spoke about drug testing in TNA, medicinal marijuana and more. To listen to the podcast, visit iTunes.

– TNA has posted a 30-minute “Before The Bell” special hyping Sunday’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view

Watch the biggest “Before The Bell” broadcast of the year, spotlighting the annual “Bound For Glory” epic event on Sunday, October 14 live on Pay-Per-View, online around the world at TNAOnDemand.com and airing at select movie theaters nationwide (visit TNAOnScreen.com for locations!). “Before The Bell” features exclusive interviews with your favorite IMPACT WRESTLING Superstars as they prepare for the historic night!</>

Dolph Ziggler Possibly Injured,, Jerry Lawler Update, Warrior Shows Up Late

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– Dolph Ziggler did not wrestle as advertised at Sunday night’s WWE live event from Anaheim, California. After Sheamus defeated Alberto Del Rio in the Land Man Standing main event, Ziggler came out and appeared as if he was going to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase. He immediately ate a Brogue kick before he could cash in – but that was all he did. There is some speculation that he could be battling an injury, but we should know more this week.

– The Ultimate Warrior showed up 3 hours late to an autograph signing at the Big Time Wrestling show in Portland, ME. Virgil was also there. Around 300-400 fans showed up.

– Jerry Lawler continues to recover from his heart attack less than a month ago and is said to be doing great. The King is “back to his old self” and is expected to make a full recovery.

* VIDEO From BATISTA’s Saturday Night MMA Debut

(Source: f4wonline.com)

The Rockers Reunited, Latest “Are You Serious” Video & More

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– WWE Diva Kaitlyn turned 26 years old on Sunday.

– Former WWE tag team The Rockers, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty, reunited on Saturday night at the Big Event Wrestling Convention in New York City. They signed autographs and took pictures with fans.

Recent Picture of The Rockers Reunited

– Here’s the latest Are You Serious video – and as usual, it’s dripping with #GarbageJuice.

“Road Dogg and Josh Mathews have a smorgasbord of awful video clips, including one from The Million Dollar Man. What is the WWE Hall of Famer doing at a public swimming pool? Find out in this edition of “Are You Serious?” on WWE on YouTube!”

Tout Getting Mainstream Attention, Linda Hogan Comments On Hulk’s Tape

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– Hulk Hogan’s ex-wife Linda commented on Hulk’s sex tape over the weekend. “I wasn’t really shocked about it,” Linda told RadarOnline.com. She also called it “a little twisted.”

Hulk Hogan will be making the media rounds this week to promote Bound For Glory, including a stop at the Howard Stern show. Do you think Howard will bring up the sex tape?

– The USA Today newspaper has an article up looking at the early success of the new social media platform, Tout. Tout now averages 13 million visitors monthly to its website and mobile apps, and traffic is growing 35% to 40% each month. WWE, ESPN, CBS, Bloomberg, CNBC, Shaquille O’Neal, Kelly Ripa and Mitt Romney are among the organizations and celebrities using the service.

“Video expression is the next evolution from text,” says WWE executive vice-president Stephanie McMahon. “TV producers are so engaged because you can put the Touts anywhere and really drive traffic to our channels.”

Batista Talks About Winning His First MMA Fight

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Former WWE Superstar Batista spoke to MMAJunkie.com on Saturday night following his MMA debut against Vince Lucero.

Video From Batista’s MMA Debut Fight

Here are some highlights of what Batista said about:

Training with Stephan Bonnar: “I don’t know if [working with me] energized him, but the day he got the call for Anderson Silva, he came to practice the next day, and he beat the living hell out of me. And I think it’s because he put his game face on. It was a different Stephan Bonnar.”

His performance: “I think Stephan Bonnar is going to be a little disappointed. He called me, and the two things he said was, ‘Keep your hands up and your chin down.’ And I did neither of those things. I think I was so nervous. … I was terrified walking out there.”

His MMA career so far: “My head coach, Josh Rafferty, said, ‘We’re all so proud of you, you went through a two-month camp, you never bitched, you never complained, you showed up for every practice, you never asked for a practice off, you never asked for a round off, and you gave everything you have.’ And that meant more to me than getting my hand raised tonight.”

Lucero taking the fight on short notice: “You’ve got to respect a guy for that,” Lucero said. “I had nothing to lose, and he had everything to lose, putting his name out there. How can you not respect that?”

What he hopes to get out of his career: “Nothing. I do it because I love it. I have no ulterior motives. I think it’s obvious after tonight that I won’t be a world champion.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Role For Monday’s Raw, Kelly Kelly Receives Award, Shane Helms Interviews Daivari

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– WWE has announced that movie star, author and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger will serve as Social Media Ambassador for tomorrow night’s episode of Raw. He will be promoting his autobiography, “Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story.”

The announcement comes after Schwarzenegger engaged in a war of words on Twitter with Dolph Ziggler.

– Former WWE performer Barbie Blank (a/k/a Kelly Kelly) was honored with an award today at the 2012 Action Icon Awards, which “honors the achievements of extraordinary Actresses and Stuntwomen for their work in film and television.” The former WWE Diva was given the “DARE2BDIFFERENT AWARD” for her appearances on WWE programming.

– Shane Helms interviews fellow former WWE Superstar Daivari on the Highway 2 Helms podcast available on iTunes.

WWE Names CM Punk’s Top 15 Greatest Moments

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In celebration of WWE’s first-ever CM Punk video release, CM Punk: The Best in the World, the official WWE website has published an article ranking the Straight Edge talent’s 15 greatest moments under the WWE banner.

* #15 Aug. 1, 2006: Defeats Justin Credible in his WWE debut

* #14 Sept. 1, 2007: Defeats John Morrison for ECW Championship in a “Last Chance” match

* #13 Jan. 3, 2011: Takes control of The Nexus

* #12 SummerSlam 2011: Defeats John Cena to unify the two WWE Championships

* #11 Retains the WWE Championship in the 2012 Elimination Chamber

* #10 March 12, 2010: Menaces Rey Mysterio on SmackDown

* #9 Jan. 19, 2009: Defeats William Regal for the Intercontinental Championship

* #8 Forms The Straight Edge Society

* #7 Survivor Series 2011: Defeats Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Title

* #6 June 30, 2008: Cashes in Money in the Bank on Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship

* #5 WrestleMania XXVIII: Retains the WWE Championship against Chris Jericho

* #4 WWE Over the Limit 2012: Defeats Daniel Bryan in a “dream match”

* #3 Wins Money in the Bank (and then wins it again)

* #2 June 27, 2011: The “Pipe Bomb”

* #1 Money in the Bank 2011: Wins the WWE Championship and leaves through the crowd as his contract expires

Details on all 15 moments are available here.

Matt Morgan Makes Surprise Appearances At TNA Shows, Update On Sarita, Taryn Terrell On HBO

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– Matt Morgan made surprise appearances at both TNA live events in Arkansas this weekend. After attempting to pick a fight with Rob Van Dam Friday night in Hot Springs despite being an attendee, Morgan tried to get involved at Saturday’s show in Fort Smith. Following this, he wrote, on Twitter: “Fort Smith AR. Statement? MADE! Biggest one? Still to come!”

Morgan was acknowledged on Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling as footage of a recent house show run-in was broadcast. Bruce Prichard then lectured D’Lo Brown on the incident and warned him to not let it happen again.

– Dark Angel (a/k/a Sarita in TNA Wrestling) has returned to Mexico following a near two-month excursion in Japan for all-women’s league STARDOM’s 5 STAR Grand Prix Tournament. Despite recent friction between the veteran wrestler and CMLL, she will return to the promotion this Tuesday for their show in Guadalajara.

While she was away, CMLL falsely advertising her for multiple shows in an effort to hurt her reputation. Organization officials were reportedly displeased with the wrestling standout for taking it upon herself to work a two-month tour for the Japanese promotion when their official women’s wrestling partner in the country is REINA. It was also claimed that Dark Angel arranged her own deal with the Japanese promotion, thus shutting out CMLL of financial compensation.

– Taryn Terrell noted on Twitter that she will appear on tonight’s episode of Treme on HBO. The program airs at 10:00 p.m.

Video: Batista Wins His MMA Debut Fight

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Former WWE superstar Dave Bautista was victorious in his MMA debut against Vince Lucero, a 40 fight MMA veteran who took the fight on a weeks notice. Bautista won via TKO in the first round after four minutes.

The fight started rough for the former WWE superstar as he ate a bunch of punches immediately after the bell rang, but he was able to clinch up and survive. After settling in a bit, Bautista scored a takedown where he easily achieved mount and back mount, which is where he forced the stoppage as he rained down unanswered punches.

After the fight, Bautista admitted that he was nervous once he stepped into the cage saying,

“The nerves got the best of me early and he hits like a f*cking horse.”

When asked if we would see him compete again, Bautista stated,

“I definitely want to fight again. I’m better than what I showed tonight.”

Full Results from CES MMA: Real Pain Main Card

* Dave Bautista def. Vince Lucero via TKO in the first-round
* Chandler Holderness def. Todd Chattelle via TKO in the first-round
* David Loiseau def. Chris McNally via TKO in the first-round
* John Howard def. Brett Chism via TKO in the second-round
* Mike Campbell def. Gemiyale Adkins via unanimous decision
* Calvin Kattar def. Saul Almeida via unanimous decision
* Luis Felix def. Marc Stevens via unanimous decision

Here’s a clip of the fight – watch it while you can before it gets pulled:

Sound Off 240: Raw Ratings Collapse and McMahon Returns

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DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 240)

*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 23 minutes

Solomonster celebrates his birthday with a brand new Sound Off, featuring talk about booking CM Punk vs. Steve Austin, the premiere of WWE Main Event, Raw ratings collapse and PANIC setting in, an unexpected live call-in by Noah Mark, rumors of Punk vs. Foley at TLC and why it shouldn’t happen, another choice for a potential Punk opponent before Rock, Impact bores with more silliness from Aces and Eights and is CM Punk disrespectful to his fans or is it the other way around?

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to [email protected].

Wanna subscribe to the Sound Off via iTunes? CLICK HERE!

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Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Dolph Ziggler Vs Arnold Schwarzenegger, New Foley DVD

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Friday, WWE Money-In-The-Bank winner Dolph Ziggler, posted on Twitter he would grab the new book “Total Recall” from International Movie Star, Body Builder and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. So he could “study his workouts for the media & movies he will be offered” Arnold was listening, hear what he had to say.

– WWE will release a new DVD for Mick Foley on April 16th, 2013. Foley revealedthat he was able to ask for many Superstars, past and present, to appear on the DVD. Foley commented:

“Just wrapped up two days of interviews for my DVD. Lots of cool extras, rare matches. Maybe some added commentary with me and @JoeyStyles?”

Where is Hornswoggle? John Cena & Vince McMahon At Raw, Tag Team Match

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– John Cena will indeed be live at Monday’s RAW from Sacramento, California. Cena has announced a Monday morning appearance on syndicated talk show “Live with Kelly & Michael.” Cena posted a Tout video that indicated his interview for Kelly & Michael was pre-taped this weekend. No word yet if that’s the case but if not, he will have to fly from New York to California on Monday.

F4Wonline.com reports that Cena originally was going to miss RAW this week but that changed when the low RAW rating came out last week. As noted, Vince McMahon’s return is another direct response to the low rating.

– Hornswoggle revealed on Twitter that he has been off the road for a few weeks after having his gallbladder removed.

– Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs. Titus O’Neil and Darren Young in a tag team tournament match will take place on this Monday’s RAW from Sacramento. The other semi-finals match will likely take place on next Friday’s SmackDown – Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow vs. Zack Ryder and Santino Marella.

 

Knockout Signs New Contract With TNA Wrestling, Watch “Before The Bell: Bound For Glory”

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– Tara, who has received a renewed push in TNA Wrestling in recent weeks, revealed during an interview Friday with PWTorch Livecast that she recently signed a one-year contract with the organization.

“I just recently signed another year, so I’m pretty happy. I hope everyone knows the passion – I love what I do. I hope people see that love,” she said.

The veteran grappler explained that she only signs contracts on a year-to-year basis due to her physical state. This, however, has led to brief departures from the organization.

“I signed for a year and they wanted to a three-year (contract), but I said, ‘I just do year-to-year. I have to listen to my body, and I don’t want to be locked into anything,'” she said. “Then, my contract expired (in 2010) and it was just negotiations. It was not that I wanted to leave, but it was the paperwork. I don’t like that part of the business at all. Then, the next year (2011), it expired again and we had to go through it again.”

Tara also commented on challenging Miss Tessmacher for the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship at Bound For Glory, the state of the Knockouts division and recalled a conversation she had that prompted her to part ways with WWE in 2009. The 17-minute interview is available here.

– TNA Wrestling has released its Before The Bell broadcast previewing Bound For Glory on Sunday, October 14. Before The Bell features exclusive interviews with Bobby Roode, James Storm, Jeff Hardy, Austin Aries and more as they prepare for the annual pay-per-view event. (Watch)

Hornswoggle Undergoes Gallbladder Surgery, Zack Ryder “Apologizes” On YouTube Show, Saturday’s Birthdays

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– Hornswoggle revealed on Twitter that he has been off the road due to gallbladder surgery.

“Who needs a gall bladder anyway? As much as I miss home at times when on the road, these 4 weeks home have gotten me anxious! #brutal”

– On this week’s episode of Z! True Long Island Story, Zack Ryder “apologizes” to WWE for grabbing the brass ring when he was only supposed to reach for it. He also campaigns for a match against Dolph Ziggler at WrestleMania and a “USA Guy” vignette airs. (Watch)

– In today’s birthdays, former WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino turns 77 years while Barry Darsow (a/k/a Demolition Smash, Repo Man) turns 53 and Afa Jr. (a/k/a Manu) turns 28.

– Shane McMahon is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

Santino Marella Determines International Correspondent For “Foreign Exchange”, Stephanie McMahon Touts Tout

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– After weeks of watching Johnny Curtis and Yoshi Tatsu battle it out to become the first Foreign Exchange international correspondent, Santino Marella makes his decision on this week’s webisode. (Watch)

USA Today has published an article on Tout, an online social networking service and microblogging service WWE has invested in. Traffic to the website has exponentially grown in recent months, and is now being used by various non-WWE celebrities such as Shaquille O’Neal, Kelly Ripa, Jeff Probst and United States Presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Stephanie McMahon, who serves as a member of the company’s Board of Directors, touted the application.

“Video expression is the next evolution from text,” said McMahon. “TV producers are so engaged because you can put the Touts anywhere and really drive traffic to our channels.”

Former Longtime WWE Photographer Goes Off On Linda McMahon

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Tom Buchanan, the man responsible for taking many of WWE’s most famous photos  as the company’s chief photographer from 1987 to 2001, posted a long on Facebook status update on Friday slamming Linda McMahon’s political aspirations.

Though Buchanan considers the former WWE CEO a pleasant woman, he feels she is highly unqualified for a seat in the United States Senate from Connecticut:

“She has failed at just about every enterprise outside of the wrestling industry; she has hoarded vast profits for her own family while shutting out her workers; she has slashed the company workforce even while rolling in profits; and, in spite of a lifetime of opportunity she has failed to gain any direct relevant government experience that will translate to success in the United States Senate.”

Here is his post in its entirety:

(Caution: Extended POLITICAL POSTING about Connecticut…please do not read any further if politics, and the future direction of our nation offends you.)

It’s time for me to weigh-in on the Connecticut Senate Race in which Linda McMahon is challenging Representative Chris Murphy. If you are a Connecticut voter I hope you will hear me out, and if you find my comments interesting I hope you will share them with your friends and neighbors. I live in Vermont now, but for about 14 years I worked for Linda McMahon at WWF/WWE (1987-2001). She has done well as the CEO of a professional wrestling company, and Linda is nice enough in person, but based on my direct and personal experience I think she would be a terrible selection as a United States Senator. Please let me explain why.

First, we need serious people in the U.S. Senate who have legislative experience and an ability to work quietly to craft compromise legislation. Linda has no such experience. She has worked exclusively as a chief executive at her own company where she is accustomed to telling subordinates what to do, and always getting her way. Compromise is simply not part of Linda’s experience set, and she has made no effort to gain that needed skill and experience. She could have served as a state senator for a few years, or even served as an elected city or county level official, but she doesn’t seem to have an interest in the nitty-gritty skills required of a successful legislator.

Second, we need quiet Senators who have a demonstrated ability to work with others, and not seek personal glory. The United States Senate already has an abundance of famous rich people stoking their egos and unable to get along, or to even try to reach consensus. Linda McMahon is a self-styled celebrity executive worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and that is exactly what we don’t need any more of in Washington.

Third, Linda McMahon has twice sought to purchase the Senate seat by using her extraordinary wealth to buy name recognition and organizational support. In her 2010 campaign she spent a reported $50 million, and she’s spending lavishly again now. In every state there are outstanding legislators who have distinguished themselves over many years, but these experienced and successful legislators have been dissuaded from running for national office by the need to raise vast sums of money to compete with millionaire wannabes. Linda’s approach is troubling because she is using money in place of experience, but also because it intimidates good citizens with relevant experience, driving them away from politics and inflicting long term harm on the democratic process itself.

Forth, Linda McMahon has shown very little business success beyond the wrestling world, and in the wrestling world her success is as much a credit to the creative enterprise of her husband as it is to her own business dealings. Linda’s flagship company, WWF/WWE, has excelled in recent years, but most of her business interests beyond wrestling have failed miserably. WWF/WWE tried to move into professional football by launching the XFL, but even with the buy-in of NBC Television that effort fell flat. She tried to develop a franchise around professional bodybuilding with a company called World Body Building Federation (WBF), but after two years and many millions of dollars, the effort was shuttered as a failure. Part of the bodybuilding project was a TV show called Bodystars and a nutritional supplement called ICOPRO, but both of those side efforts quickly collapsed in an embarrassing pile of financial rubble. Linda also made an effort to break into the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) with two cars and a professional support team, but that lasted just a couple of years before the company slammed head-first into a marketing and financial crash-and-burn. Linda tried to redevelop a hotel complex in Las Vegas as a WWF themed attraction, but there too the company was in over its head, and when the project bogged down Linda shrugged and silently walked away from the expensive fiasco. And Linda took a very hands on approach to creating a restaurant franchise with a splashy flagship in Times Square, but it was an abysmal failure wrought with poor management and embezzlement, and it imploded with a balance sheet dripping brilliant red ink. Linda has even tried to muscle the company into Hollywood movies, but hasn’t had much success in that venue beyond the occasional film driven by wrestling talent and promoted on the existing wrestling programs. In short, Linda McMahon has shown financial success with the core wrestling product, but just about every time she has stepped outside of the wrestling business she has failed miserably. That’s a bad record to bring to the management of the United States of America.

Fifth, WWE has faced near-bankruptcy on several occasions and only made it through the periods of collapse by blind luck, and with the hard work and sacrifice of its staff. It might be alright for an executive to risk the bankruptcy of a business, but we need Senators who won’t risk the bankruptcy of the nation. Linda has shown time and again that she is willing to risk it all, and too often that risk has ended in failure and ruin.

Sixth, when Linda ran for the Senate in 2010 she proudly boasted to her corporate shareholders of slashing the company workforce, while at the same time the company was swimming in profit and the McMahon family was extracting dividends worth tens of millions of dollars. Her long standing loyalty to wealthy shareholders above hard workers is deeply disturbing, and not the kind of leadership that will serve the interests of most Americans.

Seventh, when WWF/WWE shifted from private ownership to a public company valued at more than a billion dollars, Linda granted free stock to family friends, but provided her long time employees with worthless ‘offering price’ options that granted no value whatsoever for their years of hard work. It was those workers who struggled through one downturn after another, and who helped the company claw its way from near bankruptcy to a billion dollars in value, but Linda kept the profits for her own family and gave the workers no piece of the enormous value they had created. Linda has consistently enriched herself at the expense of the workers, and has consistently failed to pass along meaningful value to the line-workers who create that wealth. We need United States Senators who recognize the contributions of workers, and who understand the importance of rewarding work over wealth. Linda is demonstrably not that person.

I could keep going with paragraph after paragraph critiquing Linda McMahon’s lack of appropriate experience, lack of a relevant skill set, and lack of meaningful support for the workers who have made her very, very rich. But I won’t.

Look, Linda McMahon is a pleasant person and I enjoyed working with her, but her business experience is limited; she has failed at just about every enterprise outside of the wrestling industry; she has hoarded vast profits for her own family while shutting out her workers; she has slashed the company workforce even while rolling in profits; and, in spite of a lifetime of opportunity she has failed to gain any direct relevant government experience that will translate to success in the United States Senate.

When voters go to the polls in Connecticut they need to play the role of a Human Resources Hiring Manager. From that perspective Linda McMahon is a fine person and she certainly has a nice professional presentation, but her resume is completely lacking in the relevant job skills, and her experience is heavy on failure and light on success. She has had ample opportunity to gain the requisite experience but hasn’t made any effort to do so, and clearly doesn’t deserve to waltz into the United States Senate simply because she is a passable actress with a nice smile and a fat checkbook.

Official Preview For Final “Impact Wrestling” Before BFG

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TNA Wrestling has released has the official preview for next Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling, the final episode before Bound For Glory. No matches have been announced, only teases of confrontations between Team Hogan and The Aces & 8s, Bobby Roode and “Cowboy” James Storm, and TNA World Heavyweight Championship Austin Aries and Jeff Hardy.

IMPACT Preview: The Final Countdown To Bound For Glory | Thursday 8/7c on SpikeTV

Preview Thursday’s huge TNA IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV LIVE at 8/7! If you can’t watch it on Thursday night, make sure to set your DVR to record it!

– IMPACT will feature the final countdown to Sunday’s “Bound For Glory” epic event! Team Hogan is set to battle The Aces & 8s, as Sting will join forces with Bully Ray – but does the gang have one more trick up their sleeves before Sunday night? Find out Thursday night on SpikeTV!

– “Bound For Glory” will also feature the culmination of the year-long war between former partners Bobby Roode and “Cowboy” James Storm, with MMA superstar and TNA newcomer King Mo serving as Special Enforcer! With Storm and Roode both scheduled for Thursday’s broadcast, will all hell break loose again before the Pay-Per-View?

– Also appearing on Thursday’s IMPACT on SpikeTV will be World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries and his challenger in the “Bound For Glory” main event – “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy! The countdown to the biggest main event in Bound For Glory history begins on IMPACT WRESTLING!

All this and much more on Thursday’s LIVE broadcast, plus “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, TV Champion Samoa Joe, Chavo Guerrero, Knockouts Champion Miss Tessmacher and many more of your favorite superstars!

(source: ImpactWrestling.com)