In a new trailer for her YouShoot with Kayfabe Commentaries, WWE Hall of Famer Sunny reveals that she had affairs with Shawn Michaels and The British Bulldog while working for WWE years ago.
The DVD will be released October 9th. You can watch the preview below:
– As reported Thursday, the Divas roster page of WWE’s official NXT website, FCWWrestling.info, no longer lists Raquel Diaz, with her page deleted altogether. According to F4WOnline.com, she asked to be released from her developmental contract with WWE, which was granted.
Diaz, whose real name is Shaul Marie Guerrero, is the daughter of Vickie Guerrero and the late Eddie Guerrero. She joined developmental in October 2010, and has appeared a wrestler, valet and ring announcer. Her verbal ability was considered excellent, although her ring work was not nearly as advanced.
– WWE will hold a Raw event on Monday, December 3, 2012 in Greensboro, North Carolina at the Greensboro Coliseum. Tickets go on sale Saturday, October 20, 2012 via Ticketmaster.
– WWE will hold a Raw live event on Friday, November 30, 2012 in Asheville, North Carolina at US Cellular Center.
– Former WWE Superstar Rhino is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
– RingbellesOnline.com reports Thursday that Natalie Osman (a/k/a Buggy Nova), who signed a WWE developmental contract a few months ago, checked into a rehabilitation center to resolve a substance-related dependency matter. This would explain her profile being removed from the official NXT website last month and her absence from social media and NXT events in recent weeks. Her status with rehabilitation and WWE remains unclear.
Osman performed as Skyler Moon at NXT events in July and August.
– WWE Universe members will now have to wait until Friday to get their weekly fix of Michael McGillicutty, Alicia Fox and Jinder Mahal as WWE.com has moved WWE Superstars back a day effective immediately. Tomorrow’s broadcast will be highlighted by a match between Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston.
– SmackDown ring announcer and songstress Lilian Garcia will perform during halftime at Metlife Stadium this Sunday when the New York Jets battle the San Francisco 49ers.
WWE and ION Television have announced the upcoming taping schedule for WWE Main Event, premiering Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 8/7 PM CT. Each episode will be taped at the previous night’s SmackDown television taping, beginning with next Tuesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The following press release was issued Thursday:
ION TELEVISION GETS IN THE RING WITH THE DEBUT OF WWE MAIN EVENT PREMIERING WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 AT 8:00 PM EST/PST
NEW YORK, NY (September 27, 2012) – Fans of WWE are finally getting their midweek fix with the brand new installment WWE Main Event, a weekly, action-packed series premiering Wednesday, October 3 at 8:00 p.m. EST/PST on Ion Television. Featuring the WWE Superstars and Divas of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown, including John Cena®, WWE Champion CM Punk™, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus™, Alberto Del Rio®, The Miz®, Kofi Kingston®, Eve® and Alicia Fox®, it’s a must-see for longtime devotees and those looking for character-driven, high-octane entertainment.
The original series will showcase live events filmed across the country, as well as a stop in Europe. The taping schedule, which takes place one day prior to airing, is currently as follows:
October 2 – BOK Center, Tulsa, Okla.
October 9 – HP Pavilion, San Jose, Calif.
October 16 – FedExForum, Memphis, Tenn.
October 23 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, R.I.
October 30 – Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, N.C.
November 6 – LG Arena, Birmingham, England
November 13 – Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
November 20 – Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich.
– It’s been speculated for some time that WWE will offer Brock Lesnar a new contract when his current deal expires around WrestleMania 29 in April 2013. Following the news that SummerSlam 2012 (Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H) was the most-ordered SummerSlam since 2008, it’s virtually guaranteed that Lesnar will be offered another contract.
– As reported earlier this week, Ricardo Rodriguez wrestled a dark match at Tuesday’s Saturday Morning Slam tapings against Sin Cara as the masked luchador “El Lo Cal.” Rodriguez is expected to wrestle more in the coming months and company officials feel that he brings out the best in Sin Cara.
* Picture of Ricardo Rodriguez Wrestling As “EL LO CAL”
(Partial source: F4Wonline.com)
– John Cena tweeted this update on Thursday regarding his recovery from elbow surgery:
Finishing another day of therapy. #nevergiveup making small gains everyday. #riseabovecancer
— John Cena (@JohnCena) September 27, 2012
– During an interview with OKGazette.com to promote Monday’s “Jim Ross Appreciation Night” when RAW is live from Oklahoma City, Jim Ross teased a few surprises on the show:
“There will be a few surprises here and there. I think at the end of the day, it will be a fun night. I think people will leave there glad that they came.”
– In the latest edition of WWE’s “Outside the Ring” Youtube series, Chris Jericho takes the WWE Universe on tour with his band Fozzy.
“Check out The Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla’s palace on wheels and watch the band rock out on stage in Chicago.”
Former WWE Diva and TNA Women’s Knockouts Champion Katarina Waters (a/k/a Katie Lea Burchill and Winter) joined Kayfabe Wrestling Radio this week to discuss her time in Ohio Valley Wrestling and learning the WWE style of wrestling, the incest angle with Paul Burchill, her WrestleMania experiences and more. Highlights from the interview are as follows:
If her early background in drama and theater helped her developing a character for wrestling: “Yeah, I would say it helped, especially the improvisational part helped, because there’s just so many times when you’re just thrown out there and given just a general note of what you’re supposed to be saying; you know, what your bullet points are and you’re supposed to create a whole conversation around it and make it interesting and varied and in turn with the character that you’re trying to portray. Especially the improvisation then helps; just that you have experience and that it’s not regular bunny-in-the-headlights ‘Oh God, what am I going to say next’, but that it’s something that you’re used to and feel more confident doing that. So, I’d say that especially helps. And then with the character building, I guess a lot of wresting is being able to portray a character that you sort of secretly want to be, a lot of the time; not always, obviously. But if you really get to pick and choose who you can be, you know, the evil “B” that you never get to be in real life; maybe you grew up being very nice and polite to everybody, at least you get to scream and shout and swear and be this horrible being. Yeah, it’s fun.”
On her days in OVW and learning the “WWE Style”: “Al Snow was in charge of us (OVW Divas), and I think that Al Snow is one of the people I’ve learned more from than anybody else. He’s such a great teacher and really the WWE style made a lot of sense, especially the way he was able to explain it because it’s all about the story; storytelling in the ring and the dramatics and the story between the two people that will keep you watching rather than just some moves, one next to the other. So, in that sense, I was really grateful to be able to learn that and understand that and I’m still grateful now when I go to do shows, that I have that knowledge, that I got in OVW; that I have that in the back of my mind that I can use. It was just a really great learning experience, especially because Al and Danny Davis were writing the TV show. So, you were able to go to Al with ideas for storylines and for your character and he would help you put together something that, if what you suggested didn’t work, he would explain why and what to change, but he would always take your ideas on board so that you could learn from your own creativity and be creative. It was a really awesome experience.”
Her character in WWE and the possible ‘incest’ angle with Paul Burchill: “I thought it was going to be a wonderful idea. I mean, I knew it could eventually end up disastrous but it could also be amazing. I mean, who is not interested in that? Any time the mainland TV show has run some kind of incest angle, it’s been the most talked about thing. I don’t know if you guys do that over here; in England, we’ve had a few of those going on. I thought it was alright to refer to the film ‘The Crow’ where you have Top Dollar, the bad guy, and his sister or half-sister have some kind of thing going on there between them. I just figured it would be something like that where it’s kind of implied by not right there; maybe a tease and maybe it would come out a bit more or maybe it was just an unspoken kind of thing. But wither way, I really felt it was something intriguing and that people would be fascinated by and would want to watch. I was all for it.
What the Wrestlemania experience was like for her, for both events she was at: “Well, the thing is for me, growing up Wrestlemania didn’t stand out amongst the other PPVs. To me, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, Wrestlemania, King of the Ring; I really didn’t understand, really, the difference. Like I didn’t see Wrestlemania as being the uber-supershow, because I wasn’t that plugged into it; I was just watching on TV, you know, in Germany. So for me, any PPV they had then, not right now where they have one every month, but back then when it was the 4 or 5 big ones, that was (PPVs) a big deal, in general. In hindsight obviously it’s ‘Wow, I was at Wrestlemania” so that’s awesome. But Wrestlemania didn’t stand out for me as a bigger PPV that the others. But that being said, it’s still something I can say “I was at TWO Wrestlemanias”; that’s pretty savvy.”
Who truly came up with her Winter gimmick in TNA; herself or Vince Russo?: “I think that’s a difficult question to answer because he basically came up with the thing, the story and that, and he would tell you pretty much what to say and then you also have to, as an actress or a performer, change around little pieces and you have to make your own, but I’d have to say Vince essentially came up with it and I changed it out; you know how you have those coloring books, Vince was the one who gave me the coloring book, and hopefully, maybe, I put the right colors into it.”
In this 50-minute interview, Waters also discusses if she was more comfortable growing up German or British, who made the decision for her to be promoted to the main WWE roster, social media’s place in wrestling, the infamous ‘future endeavored’ speech from WWE, being an action figure, WWE’s marketing of women’s wrestling, leaving TNA Wrestling, her future and more. The interview is available at WildTalkRadio.com.
WWE Diva Kelly Kelly did a photo shoot on Wednesday for Let It Fly Energy shots. Others celebrities involved in the shoot were rapper/producer Timbaland, MMA fighters Gray Maynard and Ryan Bader and American Idol alum Erica Van Pelt.
Check out these pictures of Kelly Kelly from the shoot:
[nggallery id=62]
– In In preparation for the upcoming “Jim Ross Appreciation Night” edition of WWE RAW, JR will be doing a lot of media appearances in the Oklahoma City market. JR was on Fox 25 this morning and appeared at Hudiburg Toyota this afternoon.
– As of this week, the WWE Network project is still alive, with Vince McMahon thinking about offering the Network in Europe. The latest idea is offering the Network as a paid “premium” channel like HBO and Showtime.
– Reality TV star Honey Boo Boo is crossing over into the world of professional wrestling. Honey Boo Boo (and her family) will be appearing for Global Championship Wrestling show this Saturday night (9/29) in Pell City, Alabama.
The appearance is already getting local media attention and it’s expected that cameras will be there to record footage for her hit show.
* Picture of WWE’s NEW Masked Luchador Character (Ricardo Rodriguez!)
(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)
– Several readers have sent in word that with WWE’s new deal with the Hulu Plus subscription service, WWE has pulled its programming that was previously viewable for free on the standard (free) Hulu service.
– WWE NXT Superstar Bray Wyatt has changed his Twitter handle to @WWEBrayWyatt.
– WWE recently released NXT commentator Chris Russo (no relation to Vince Russo).
– William Regal’s former tag team partner, UK wrestling legend Robbie Brookeside, will be joining him in Tampa, Florida this week to evaluate talent at WWE developmental. Regal tweeted:
Very much looking forward to the weekend in Tampa.Get to check out some talented prospects for NXT and get to hang out with my best friend
— William Regal (@RealKingRegal) September 27, 2012
and former Tag Partner Robbie Brookeside who is in town on some talent scouting business.The Golden Boys ride again.Gawd help us.
— William Regal (@RealKingRegal) September 27, 2012
I wished @coltcabana was in Tampa so we could do a AOW podcast with The Golden Boys.That would be proper fun.
— William Regal (@RealKingRegal) September 27, 2012
– The Divas roster page of WWE’s official NXT website, FCWWrestling.info, no longer lists Raquel Diaz. Her page was deleted altogether, which could indicate that she has been released from her WWE developmental contract.
Diaz, whose real name is Shaul Marie Guerrero, is the daughter of Vickie Guerrero and the late Eddie Guerrero. She joined developmental in October 2010, and has appeared a wrestler, valet and ring announcer. In the spring, she debuted an “Ultra Diva” character whose mission was to “exfoliate ugliness.”
Pictures of Raquel Diaz’s Ultra Diva Character
– The Sandman, who appeared on WWE’s version of ECW, is the latest addition to the company website’s Alumni section. WWE says of the hardcore wrestler, “The cane-swinging, beer-bashing brawler known as The Sandman was involved in some of the most brutal matches and rivalries in ECW history, and was the only competitor to hold the ECW Championship on five occasions.”
– KFDI.com is giving away ringside tickets to this Sunday’s Raw live event at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas, as well as backstage passes for a pre-show meet and greet. Click here for more information.
– With Matt Morgan back under contract with TNA and making unadvertised run-in appearances at TNA live events, there are still no plans for him to be brought back to television in the immediate future.
– The 9/20 TNA live event from Salem, Virginia drew 450 fans. The following night’s day from Winston Salem, North Carolina drew 650 fans.
– TNA’s new UK reality show is said to be the pet project of Jeremy Borash, with JB missing live events over the weekend to work on the project.
– Ticket sales are looking strong for next month’s TNA Bound For Glory pay-per-view, which takes place on Sunday, October 14th from Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The venue will be set up for around 3,800 fans.
(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– Here are some recent WWE attendance figures, courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
September 21st:
* RAW from State College, PA drew 4,500 fans for $142,000
September 22nd:
* RAW from White Plains, NY drew a 4,200 fans (sellout) for $220,000
* SmackDown from Sarnia, Ontario drew 2,000 fans for $70,000
September 23rd:
* RAW from Worcester, MA drew 5,000 fans for $110,000
* SmackDown from London, Ontario drew 3,000 fans for $110,000
– Wade Barrett spoke to WWE.com this week about his new finishing more, an elbow smash to the face that he’s dubbed, “The Souvenir.” Barrett revealed that he used to use the move on opponents back when he was a bare-knuckle fighter:
“It’s a variation of a knockout blow. In bare-knuckle fighting, you’re always looking to disable your opponent as quickly as possible. I have gone back to my roots as a fighter and it was something I wanted to bring into my arsenal.”
“Wasteland and the Winds of Change are still there in my arsenal. I just think people are more intimidated by the prospect of getting an elbow smashed into their temple than the prospect of a slam.”
– WWE Hall of Famer Edge will be undergoing another neck surgery on November 8th and is expected to have a 4-month recovery period. He made the announcement on this week’s Matthew Aaron Radio Show.
To listen to the full interview, including Edge talking about his bad neck forcing him into retirement and his recurring role on the SyFy series Haven, visit Blogtalkradio.com.
– Speaking of Edge, he tweeted the following message this week about his girlfriend Beth Phoenix’s match with Natalya that will air on Friday’s SmackDown show:
So I hear @TheBethPhoenix and @NatbyNature had a great match last night #shouldabeenappv #imagineiftheyhad15mins
— Adam Copeland (@RatedRCope) September 26, 2012
– This week’s NXT Superstar of the week is Leo Kruger, while Summer Rae is the NXT Diva of the Week.
– WWE.com has a feature up looking at NXT published photos of NXT star Bo Dallas, son of WWE producer Mike “IRS” Rotunda. Dallas is seen as one of the top young developmental stars at NXT.
– WWE taped a match between Daniel Bryan and Tyson Kidd for this weekend’s Saturday Morning Slam show. The match received rave reviews from fans, who noted that it was a very entertaining comedy match that will appeal to the young audience of the show.
– THQ sent in this video from SummerSlam weekend, where Jim Ross hosted a panel of Superstars, Divas and Mike Tyson to hype the upcoming WWE ’13 video game.
“As if SummerSlam wasn’t enough of a WWE summer treat, the latest THQ news release will give you even more reason to drool like a hungry fan. WWE Games organized an unbelievable crew of talent to make up quite possibly the greatest WWE panel ever. And we’re ready to reveal the whole shebang, one part at a time.”
“WWE Champion CM Punk, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mike Tyson, Dolph Ziggler, AJ Lee, Brodus Clay & The Funkadactyls, Cameron and Naomi, and special moderator Jim Ross. Join the panel as they visit “Attitude Era” memories, compare talent between WWE’s various eras and so much more.”
– Beth Phoenix will be finishing up with WWE over the next few weeks. The former Divas champion is said to be leaving on good terms, but she’s been unhappy with how she and the rest of the Divas are booked on television.
There is a feeling that more Divas might be leaving WWE soon, as Beth Phoenix is not the only person who is unhappy.
– The Ultimate Warrior is featured as today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
– Matches taped for today’s WWE Superstars are:
* Ted DiBiase vs. Michael McGillicutty
* Heath Slater vs. Yoshi Tatsu
* Layla vs. Eve Torres
* Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler
– The official theme song for WWE’s new Main Event TV show is “Diamond Eyes” by the band Shinedown. The show premieres next Wednesday night on the Ion Network.
(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)
WWE’s corporate website has updated its key business indicators – including this year’s SummerSlam buyrate.
Summerslam 2012, which featured the blockbuster “Perfect Storm,” main event of Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H, drew an estimated 350,000 buys (264,000 North American, 86,000 international).
This is up from last year’s 311,000 (180,000 North American, 131,000 international).
Here are the buyrates for the past few SummerSlams:
2012: 350,000 (Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H)
2011: 311,000 (CM Punk vs. John Cena)
2010; 350,000 (Team Cena vs. Team Nexus)
2009: 369,000 (CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy TLC, Orton vs. Cena)
TNA recently instituted a new policy where it’s contracted talent are no longer allowed to wrestle on independent shows that are released on DVD or broadcasted via iPPV or television. Previously, TNA talent was allowed to work indy shows, even if those shows were released on DVD, as long as it was the indy promotion selling the DVDs directly and not a third party (such as Amazon.com or Best Buy).
Since many of TNA wrestlers make a portion of their income from working indy shows (and many indy promotions depend on TNA stars to sell tickets & DVDs), this is likely to have a big impact on the industry.
Chavo Guerrero recently had to cancel a scheduled appearance for Quebec’s North Shore Pro Wrestling due to the new policy:
“I will not be appearing @NSPW on Oct 6 due to them not honoring their contract. They decided last min that they wanted to tape & sell DVD’s Of me & that was never discussed. That is of course illegal to film & distribute w/out permission. I’m sorry to ppl who have already paid But that is completely on @NSPW plz don’t blame me. I’m still willing to hold up my end of the deal. Plz take your complaints to @NSPW”
NSPW responded via Twitter:
“Due to TNA deciding that their talent cant appear on indy feds’ dvd, we hav no choice but to cancel Chavo Guerrero’s appearance on Oct. 6th. Mr. Guerrero’s claim that we decided last minute to tape and sell dvds is incorrect has we have done dvds of all of our shows. It is just not possible to cover the cost without dvds of the event. Never in the past has this been an issue with any guests. NSPW finds the situation and the decision made by TNA to prevent talent from appearing on dvds to be unfortunate. NSPW doesn’t hold anything against Mr Guerrero and wishes him nothing but the best with TNA Wrestling. A suitable replacement for our Main Event will be announced tonight!”
The following is TNA’s official preview for tonight’s live episode of Impact Wrestling on Spike TV:
NEW TV CHAMPION TO BE CROWNED ON CHAMPIONSHIP THURSDAY!
“Championship Thursday” returns to Impact Wrestling on Spike TV this Thursday with an added wrinkle; there is no defending champion. Negotiations between TNA’s current TV Champion Devon and TNA have been ongoing over the last month and have reached an impasse. As of today, The TNA TV Championship last held by Devon is vacated. TNA hopes that Devon returns to the active roster in the future. A new TV champion will be crowned LIVE on Impact!
Usually, in the “Championship Thursday” format, four challengers meet with IMPACT WRESTLING GM Hulk Hogan and plead their case as to why they deserve the shot at the champion. This month, one of the four men is guaranteed to be the new TV Champion! The challengers selected to compete in this “Championship Thursday” are Samoa Joe, Garett Bischoff, Magnus and Mr. Anderson. Hulk will hear these men’s arguments why they should be the one to get the title shot and then Hogan will make the hard decision of which two will face off. Tune into Spike TV at 8pt/7ct this Thursday night to see a new champion crowned.
ALSO ON THURSDAY’S BROADCAST:
-Last week on Impact, the Aces and 8s invited Hulk Hogan to come and meet with them face to face on their own turf, in their clubhouse. Hogan agreed to their demands before they brutally attacked Joseph Park. What will happen this Thursday on Impact? Will Hogan still enter enemy territory with Aces and 8s? Plus, we hope to find out the latest on Joseph Park’s physical condition.
-Will “TNA Gut Check” prospect Evan Markopolous earn a contract and a spot on the TNA roster? The newcomer faces the judging trio of Bruce Prichard, Al Snow, and Taz on this broadcast.
-TNA World Champion Austin Aries and Jeff Hardy will both appear on Thursday’s telecast. Less than 3 weeks ago from their TNA World Title Match at Bound For Glory, what will happen next in this developing rivalry between the champ and the BFG Series winner?
All this and much more on Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING on SpikeTV LIVE at 8/7c, including the latest news of the “Bound For Glory” Pay-Per-View event.
Former WWE superstar JBL was recently interviewed by HollywoodLife.com and spoke about his Seven Summits Bermuda Challenge. Here are some highlights of what the self proclaimed Wrestling God said about:
Does The Danger Scare Him? “[No]. It might be stupidity or naïveté but I really don’t have a fear of dying on these mountains or even getting hurt. I am going with great guides who have done these mountains many times, a lot of people do get hurt and die on these mountains especially when you get to the harder mountains but it is not a false bravado, I just don’t really think, I just don’t think its going to happen! It obviously could, hopefully my wife would be upset, it would be a shame if she doesn’t [Laughter} but I am focused on climbing the mountain. Its like going into a wrestling match, are you really worried about getting hurt? Its not like the danger isn’t there, its all about doing what you can do, and that is where my focus is on.”
Wrestling One More Match: “I have zero and no desire for one more match. I mean you never say never, but I have no desire at all for one more match. WWE has never brought up one more match, so I don’t err see it happening. You never know, but I have no desire to have one! There certainly isn’t one in the cards, its something that I don’t care to do.”
Is He A Hall Of Fame Candidate? “I would be tremendously honored if the Hall of Fame knocked on my door, that would be the biggest career highlight a person could ever have to even have my name mentioned as a possibility is quite an honor considering the great superstars that are in there. That is a lifetime achievement that is phenomenal. That is completely out of my control, I hope someday somebody puts my name up and I hope I am not laughed out of the room. But I can’t control that, it would be a tremendous honor. Its not something I am expecting. There are plenty of great performers that should go ahead of me in the Hall as very well they should be.”
– Nicole Garcia, formerly known as Nikki of The Bella Twins, is none too pleased with The Funkadactyls, Cameron and Naomi. The former WWE Divas Champion’s source of contention stems from her belief that the dance troupe is mimicking her and sister Brianna (a/k/a/ Brie Bella).
On Raw Monday, Cameron and Naomi appeared in matching silver attire reminiscent of the former WWE Divas. A fan showed Nicole an image of their outfit from the show via Twitter, to which she retorted, “Unbelievable!! They’re trying to remake us haha.”
She continued with the copy-cat accusations: “1st they steal our entrance, now our outfits, next is the booty shake & then they’ll b calling themselves twins!”
– Kenny Bolin, who has appeared for Ohio Valley Wrestling for more than a decade and managed a number of wrestlers who found great success in WWE (John Cena, Bobby Lashley, The Miz and Mark Henry, among others) said on Facebook that tonight’s television taping in Louisville, Kentucky, may be his final wrestling show. He has been battling health problems in recent years and is taking an indefinite leave of absence.
Bolin hopes to return in the future, but noted, “I just have too many things going on in my life right now that I have to deal with and need my attention first.” He also said that he is leaving Louisville for the time being to deal with family issues. He hopes to appear on Saturday night shows and return to television in three to six months, but nothing is guaranteed.
– Jim Powers, who appeared for the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling, is presently hospitalized after acquiring an infection following hip surgery last month.
The former Young Stallions member underwent hip replacement surgery on August 3. After undergoing a second surgery three weeks later, he acquired a staph infection. The 54-year-old is currently in a rehabilitation facility receiving antibiotics through an IV. He is expected to remain in the facility for at least two more weeks and will then undergo hip surgery again.
– Chris Jericho and his band Fozzy appears at retail outlet Sound Check Hollywood (located 8872 West Sunset Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 90069) on Thursday beginning at 7:00 p.m. for an autograph signing. Additional details are available at SoundCheckHollywood.com.
– WWE Hall of Famer Edge appears on TheMatthewAaronShow.com tonight at 9:00 p.m. for a live interview.
– NWA Dawg will hold a free show this Saturday in Vineland, New Jersey at Perfection Auto Car Dealership. Tony Mamaluke is scheduled to appear.
(source: F4WOnline.com)
– The Wrestling Observer reports that one of the reasons ‘some women’ have quit TNA Wrestling in the past year stems from the belief that Bruce Prichard, Senior Vice President of Programming and Talent Relations, is not in favor of women’s wrestling. This would also explain why the Knockouts division is not as given as much prominence as in the past, with only a few talents being highlighted.
Angelina Love and Velvet Sky reportedly left the promotion on their own accord and the roles of Mickie James, Rosita, Sarita and Winter were greatly curtailed after Prichard came into power last October.
TNA Wrestling announced Wednesday that the Television Championship last held by Devon has been vacated after negotiations between both parties reached an impasse.
A new Television Champion will be crowned on tomorrow night’s “Championship Thursday” edition of Impact Wrestling. The challengers selected to compete are Samoa Joe, Garett Bischoff, Magnus, and Mr. Anderson. The four grapplers will plead their case on why they should receive a shot at the Television Title to Impact Wrestling General Manager Hulk Hogan, who will then set up a match on Impact.
TNA’s official announcement is as follows:
NEW TV CHAMPION TO BE CROWNED ON CHAMPIONSHIP THURSDAY!
Championship Thursday” returns to Impact Wrestling on Spike TV this Thursday with an added wrinkle; there is no defending champion. Negotiations between TNA’s current TV Champion Devon and TNA have been ongoing over the last month and have reached an impasse. As of today, The TNA TV Championship last held by Devon is vacated. TNA hopes that Devon returns to the active roster in the future. A new TV champion will be crowned LIVE on Impact!
Usually, in the “Championship Thursday” format, four challengers meet with Impact Wrestling GM Hulk Hogan and plead their case as to why they deserve the shot at the champion. This month, one of the four men is guaranteed to be the new TV Champion! The challengers selected to compete in this “Championship Thursday” are Samoa Joe, Garett Bischoff, Magnus, and Mr. Anderson. Hulk will hear these men’s arguments why they should be the one to get the title shot and then Hogan will make the hard decision of which two will face off. Tune into Spike TV at 8pt/7ct this Thursday night to see a new champion crowned.
– Beth Phoenix says her match against Natalya on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown will be the first time they ever met in a singles match.
“This Friday on SmackDown @NatbyNature and I square off for the first time one on one in our respective 10+ year careers in Buffalo. #magic,” she wrote Wednesday on Twitter after noting earlier that the event may have been the highlight of her career.
– Grow Socially has published an article on the online success story of Zack Ryder. “Long Island Iced Z” says his struggle to find a place in WWE led to him venturing online.
“I didn’t feel like a Superstar, you know?”, Ryder said, “I didn’t have an action figure, I wasn’t on TV, I didn’t have a promotional [photo]. I was just sick of pitching ideas and nothing getting done. But I did realize I had to do something about it.”
In February 2011, Ryder began using various social networking websites in order to establish a niche fan following which helped attain an elevated status within WWE.
With Ryder’s successful online endeavors, he has been credited with WWE embracing social media after long dismissing it. As late as early 2010, Vince McMahon had WWE voice Michael Cole publicly label social media outlets such as Twitter as something “nerds” use. Ryder attributes WWE’s enthusiastic audience to the company’s rousing success across social media, especially on Twitter.
“You’re able to communicate with someone you regularly watch on TV, and it’s just this crazy environment that WWE has really been able to capitalize on,” he says.
