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News for Next Week’s Impact, Tara to Debut a New Boyfriend?

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– The following is set for next Thursday’s Championship Thursday episode of TNA Impact Wrestling:

* A decision will be made on the TNA Television Title. TNA made no mention of former TV Champion Devon

* Hulk Hogan will be going to the Aces & 8s clubhouse to confront them and rescue Joseph Park

* Tara will face consequences from Brooke Hogan after attacking Christy Hemme this week

– Speaking of Tara, TNA is teasing her new boyfriend, indicating that it may be a new wrestler to debut. Tara cut a heel promo on last night’s Impact and said that her new boyfriend that resides in Hollywood, California, has helped her see that she is the best Knockout.

Konnan Reveals More Details On Kurt Angle’s Claim That Vince McMahon Sent Him Flowers

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MLW Podcast
Hosts: Konnan and Court Bauer
Available for free at MLW.com,on iTunes

This week on MLW Radio, available right now on www.MLW.com, Konnan spoke with co-host Mister Saint Laurent as well as Court Bauer about a recent locker room incident with Kurt Angle while Kurt was wrestling for AAA at TripleMania. The incident was the result of an earlier MLW Radio podcast in the spring where Konnan had revealed that while he was in TNA, Kurt Angle had confided in him that Vince McMahon had tried to lure Kurt back to WWE by regularly sending him flowers. Kurt responded via Twitter vehemently denying the allegations. Fast forward to TripleMania in August, per Konnan:

“Remember when we were talking about Kurt Angle? I was like, hey, cool dude. I even marked out when I heard he was coming to TNA, but give me a break about the flowers thing. People sending him tweets telling him ‘Konnan said you got flowers from Vince’ and he said I was delusional.”

“Well he showed up in Mexico for a show, for Triplemania, about a month and a half ago and we hadn’t talked since [the flower controversy]. He came in and literally for like the first three hours he wouldn’t even speak a word to me. He wouldn’t even look at me when I was going over the match. Obviously I’m going to have to tell the guy that he did say [Vince sent him flowers]. Maybe he doesn’t remember it, but we have to squash it because I can’t work like this.”

“And then I don’t know what happened, but he just totally chilled out. Without me talking to him, all of a sudden he’s very serious, wouldn’t talk or look at me and then the next minute he was alright and like hugging me.”

More WWE DVD Screenings? Will RAW Stay Three Hours?

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– There has been talk of holding more WWE DVD documentary screenings in the future. As noted, the first one is planned for CM Punk’s DVD documentary on October 4th in Chicago at the Portage Theater. Apparently they are also considering doing a second screening for Punk, depending on the success of the first one.

– WWE officials are reportedly happy with RAW since going to three hours and there has been no official talk of scaling back to two hours. One of the reasons they won’t be going back anytime soon is because they get a bigger payment from the USA Network for the extra hour.

While WWE is pleased with the way things are going, they are aware that they need to get the third hour back up. WWE has been working on ways to get fans who may have tuned out, to tune back in for hour three. The feeling is that RAW at three hours is a work in progress.

Jesse Ventura & Howard Stern – 2016 Campaign?

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Jesse Ventura, who has been promoting his latest book, DemoCRIPS and ReBLOODlicans is teasing he will run for President in 2016.  On an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Ventura asked Howard if he would be interested in being his Vice President.

Ventura also noted out of all the United States President, only George Washington did not belong to a political party and he wants to start “a new party that is a grassroots movement.” He told Howard numerous times throughout the interview he was serious about running with Howard in 2016 if, people rise up and petition to get them on the ballot.

Ventura became the Governor of Minnesota in 1999 as an independent.

http://youtu.be/m2Dk-O8RkKA

Randy Orton Filming 12 Rounds, Linda & Vince Paying Off Bankruptcy Debts & More

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– Randy Orton spent Thursday doing stunt work for the WWE Studios film, “12 Rounds: Reloaded.” He tweeted:

– WWE Divas Natalya and Rosa Mendes have been feuding on Twitter this week to hype their series of matches at WWE live events.

– Linda McMahon upcoming debate against Chris Murphy will be televised in Connecticut on October 7th at 11am.

– Speaking of Linda, she and Vince will pay off debts from their 1970’s bankruptcy (with interest) after her political opponent Chris Murphy used it against her in attack ads. A statement from McMahon’s campaign reads:

“Over the past two days, Vince and I have begun attempts to locate and reach out to all individuals on the creditor list. It is our intention to reimburse all private individual creditors that can be located. We feel it is the right thing to do to pay them in full, including an adjustment for inflation at four times the initial amount as shown on the list of creditors.”

* Recent Pictures of the McMAHON FAMILY Together At A Campaign Event

Wade Barrett Calls The Corre A Huge Mistake, WWE’s New NXT Announcer

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– A new WWE announcer made his debut at Thursday night’s WWE NXT tapings. His name is Tony Luftman and he can be found on Twitter @TonyLuftman.

Luftman previously worked as the lead announcer for St. John’s TV network at St. John’s University. He has also worked with the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers and Memphis Grizzlies.

– In response to an article at WWE.com about whether Wade Barrett would ever reform Nexus, Wade Barrett tweeted this about his Nexus spin-off group, The Corre:

“I certainly wouldn’t reform The Corre, Mr. Journalist. In fact, ‘The Corre’ is my greatest regret in almost 9 years of wrestling at every level. I’d burn the history books if I could. “The Corre are equals” they cried. Kiss my English backside, you clowns. #BarrettBarrage”

WWE SmackDown Preview: Edge Returns, Sheamus & Orton vs. Del Rio & Ziggler

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The following is scheduled for tonight’s WWE SmackDown show:

– WWE Hall of Famer Edge returns.

– World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler.

– WWE Tag Team champions Kane & Daniel Bryan vs. Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes.

– Damien Sandow vs. Kane.

– Layla vs. Natayla.

– Cody Rhodes vs. Daniel Bryan.

– Brodus Clay vs. Heath Slater.

– WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. Santino Marella.

* SPOILERS For Tonight’s WWE SmackDown

WWE Personalities Tweet About Thursday Night’s NXT Tapings

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Here are highlights of what several WWE personalities said about Thursday night’s WWE NXT tapings from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida:

Vickie Guerrero: “Full Sail was an amazing opportunity last night! Production, crew, and talent worked hard and the end result was impressive #nxt”

Matt Striker: “Just got done w NXT all I can say is wow. It’s always good to see guys that I came up with on the Indies finally getting a chance.”

Tyson Kidd: “NXT as usual was pure electricity-in the ring and in the crowd. Love competing here every time. Now on to Sarnia and London Ontario”

NXT Champion Seth Rollins: “Punta Gordians!! @NXTWrestling is in the house tonight. @BookerT5x is coming along for the ride. Don’t miss out!”

Jim Ross: “Good nite 4 many @ #WWE NXT. Bray Wyatt, Big E Langston, Bo Dallas among others. Sheamus vs Cesaro=Enhanced Slobber-Knocker. Thx @JohnCena!”

John Cena: “#NXT was pretty damn impressive. @fullsail is an outstanding campus, the show is OVERloaded with talent.”

* NXT SPOILERS From Thursday Night: Detailed Results From The Show

JBL Talks About Returning To RAW & Working With Michael Cole

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Former WWE superstar JBL spoke with the Miami Herald this week. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

Working with Michael Cole on RAW: “I really enjoyed doing commentary and doing it with Michael Cole. I think he is one of the best play-by-play guys that I certainly have ever seen. I was tongue tied. I was rusty and made a ton of mistakes, but it was a lot of fun to be back. It was really enjoyable. I have always enjoyed the art of the heel commentator. It’s just a lot of fun to be out there.”

Filling in for Jerry Lawler: “To get the blessing from Jerry was great. I’m not there to take Jerry’s spot. I’m there to fill in for Jerry’s seat. I hadn’t talked to Jerry, so I was glad he was aware of that. Jerry and I share a birthday (Nov. 29), but not the same year. He was born in the 1800s sometime, like 1891 or something. He’s about 140 now I think. So we have this same birthday and have always had this unique bond. I was really sad to see what happened to him, but I’m glad he is doing so well. It was a nice gesture for him to reach out before the show and give his blessing. Though I understand why he had a heart attack now, working with Michael Cole. Anyone could have a heart attack working with Cole.”

His Plans After Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro: “I haven’t had many plans beyond that. They called me asking if I could fill in for Jerry, and I was very happy to do that. My program starts up in Bermuda when I get back, which is working with some great young men deemed at risk by society. I have a pretty busy fall, so I have no idea. They are trying to figure out right now if Jerry is okay and what they are going to do. Booker [T.] has been moved to general manager of SmackDown. I have no idea. I’m not privy to their conversations. I don’t know any more of the future than I’m climbing a mountain with hopes that I live and can come back to work on the program with our kids in Bermuda.”

* Picture of JOHN CENA’s New PINK Ring Gear

Damien Sandow Talks About Cleansing WWE Of Ignoramuses

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Damien Sandow spoke to GoLocalWorcester.com this week to promote Sunday’s WWE RAW live event from the New England’s DCU Center.

“It’s been a great achievement to make it to the WWE, but the real achievement is me cleansing the company of ignoramuses,” Sandow said. “It will be great because I am familiar with the Worcester area, and several members of the Sandow group are still in North Oxford and will be at the show.”

Sandow wrestles Brodus Clay this weekend, whom he called his “arch-enemy, but also the enemy of taste and decency.”

“Hopefully the crowd will be more receptive to my message than other audiences,” Sandow said. “The WWE fans have gone through, what I call, a conditioning of ignorance. The other superstars have set such a bad example for such a long time, that of course I will be met with resistance in my crusade to enlighten people.”

* Picture of HULK HOGAN Choking SHAQ Backstage At Thursday’s IMPACT

Bound For Glory Tag Title Match Set, Impact Post Show Video, Hardy-James

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– TNA’s Tag Team Champions Daniels & Kazarian will defend the gold in a three-way tag match at Bound For Glory against A.J. Styles & Kurt Angle and Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez.

– TNA stars Jeff Hardy and Mickie James are scheduled for an autograph appearance on Friday afternoon from 12-2pm in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at the Joel Coliseum Annex. They will be promoting tonight’s TNA live event from Winston-Salem.

– This week’s TNA Impact Wrestling post-show is now online –

Christopher Daniels Hosts for the entire first part of the show and he seems to have pretty good luck as he managed to get interviews with both Christy Hemme and Tara. JB finishes off the broadcast with Mike Tenay and your tweets.

* News on JEFF HARDY & BATISTA Returning to WWE Before WRESTLEMANIA

WWE Awards $10k Scholarship To Full Sail University Student

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World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. : WWE® Awards $10,000 Scholarship to Full Sail University Student During NXT® Taping

WWE (NYSE: WWE) today awarded a $10,000 scholarship to Geraldo Gutierrez, a Full Sail student, as part of their ongoing partnership. The partnership provides students at the University with the opportunity to gain real-world experience producing WWE NXT® series which showcases WWE’s brightest young talent as they battle to become the elite WWE Superstars of tomorrow.

The scholarship will be applied toward Gutierrez’s studies in the Recording Arts, Bachelor of Science Degree Program. WWE Executive Vice President, Talent and Live Events, Paul Levesque awarded the scholarship on behalf of WWE in a ceremony held to kick-off the latest taping of the WWE NXT series at Full Sail Live.

WWE selected Gutierrez to receive this scholarship for exhibiting exceptional professionalism, creative talent and maintaining good academic standing, while shadowing professional WWE staff and crew during the production of NXT at the University.

“This is a great moment for our students and the University,” said Garry Jones, President of Full Sail University. “This scholarship is a testament to WWE’s commitment to and its belief in the importance of education in the entertainment and media industry.”

“It is a tremendous honor to have been selected for this scholarship,” said Gutierrez. “I am so grateful for this incredible opportunity.”

“Education is a key pillar of WWE’s corporate social responsibility platform,” said WWE Executive Vice President, Talent and Live Events, Paul Levesque. “We are proud to award the first of many scholarships to Full Sail students and thrilled to be able to continue enhancing the University’s classroom learning with this unique hands-on experience.”

In May 2012, WWE and Full Sail University announced a collaborative partnership that moved the live tapings of the WWE NXT series to the University’s state-of-the-art performance venue. Full Sail University students, staff, faculty and the general public have been invited to attend the live tapings on the campus, with proceeds benefiting the scholarship fund.

In addition to the scholarship announcement, the event featured a salute to all the Full Sail students who have participated in the production of WWE NXT live events this year. The evening’s taping included a special appearance by 10-time WWE Champion John Cena®.

* News on JEFF HARDY & BATISTA Returning to WWE Before WRESTLEMANIA

*SPOILERS* 3 Episodes of NXT w/ Post-Surgery John Cena

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Here are the results fro the WWE NXT Taping – at Full Sail University, in Orlando Florida – September 20, 2012 

Pre-Show Dark Match

– Damien Sandow vs Brandon Traven
Sandow won with the straight jacket neckbreaker.

Episode 1
Video from earlier today:

Heath Slater petitioned Dusty Rhodes for an NXT title shot. Vickie Guerrero was with Slater. Dusty said that if Slater can beat Rollins tonight, he would get a title shot.

Match 1:

– Brodus Clay w/ Cameron and Naomi vs Camacho
Brodus Clay won with a running splash.

On stage, Byron Saxton interviewed Richie Steamboat. Richie was not medically cleared to compete. Kassius Ohno interrupted them, saying he was finished with Steamboat and would now focus on winning the NXT title. He then gave Steamboat a white towel and said it was time for him to throw it in and give up.

Match 2:

– Kassius Ohno vs Trent Barreta
Barreta won with the running knee. Ohno was distracted when Steamboat came down and threw the towel in his face, allowing Barreta to hit the maneuver.

Match 3:

– Layla and Alicia Fox vs Paige and Audrey Marie
Layla won with a reversal into a crucifix pin on Marie.

Briley Pierce interviewed Seth Rollins about the upcoming match. Rollins ragged on Vicki and said Slater’s 15 minutes of fame is up.

Match 4:
– Bronson vs Lincoln Broderick
Bronson won with a figure four. This was a quick squash.

Antonio Cesaro came to the ring to cut a promo. He asked the crowd to rise for the national anthem. He tried to get the Swiss anthem played but was cut off by Tyson Kidd. Kidd challenged Cesaro for the US Championship and ended the exchange by slapping him.

Backstage, Vickie was checking out Slater before his match.

Match 5:

– Heath Slater w/ Vickie Guerrero vs Seth Rollins
Rollins won with a standing Shiranui.

Episode 2

Match 1:
– The Usos vs Michael McGillicutty & Johnny Curtis
The Usos won when Jimmy hit a Samoan Drop on Curtis and Jay followed up with a Superfly Splash. After the match, Ascension’s theme hit and they stared down the Usos from the rafters.

Match 2:

– Xaiver Woods vs Leo Kruger
Kruger won with the Kruger End.

On stage, Bryon Saxton interviewed Big E Langston about the five count. Langston cut a promo where he continuously use the number five. Vickie Guerrero came out and tried to recruit him into her stable. Instead of joining her, he threw powder in her face which caused her to storm off.

Jinder Mahal came to the ring and cut a promo about going after the title. He said it is his right to get a rematch for the title. Justin Gabriel cut him off and said that there already are many guys waiting in line ahead of Mahal for a title shot. Drew McIntyre did the same and then Bo Dallas did as well. Dusty Rhodes came to the stage and announced a fatal four way elimination match for the number one contendership would happen next week.

Match 3:
– CJ Parker vs Roman Reigns
Reigns won with a backdrop into an uranagi.

Match 4:
– United States Championship Match: US Champion Antonio Cesaro vs Tyson Kidd

Cesaro won with the neutralizer.

Episode 3

Match 1:
– Kassius Ohno vs Trent Barreta

Ohno won with the rolling elbow.

After the match Ohno tried to attack Barreta, but he missed the elbow and fell out of the ring instead.

Match 2:
– Big E Langston vs Memo Montenegro

Langston won with The Big Ending. The ref only counted 3.

After the match, Langston did his usual post match repetition of hitting The Big Ending and doing a five count. Vickie Guerrero appeared on screen and said that she put a $5,000 bounty out for Langston because of what he did last week. An unknown wrestler ran down to attack Langston, but got hit with The Big Ending and a five count instead.

Match 3:
– Luke Harper w/ Bray Wyatt vs Jason Jordan

Harper won with the Big Bossman Slam.

Before the match Wyatt and Jordan went back and forth on the mic. Wyatt introduced Harper as “the first son of the Wyatt Family”.

Harper is former indy star Brodie Lee.

On stage, Byron Saxton interviewed Roman Reigns. Reigns dismissed Saxton and cut a brief promo about how he is the man and everybody wants to be him.

Match 4:
– Justin Gabriel vs Drew McIntyre vs Jinder Mahal vs Bo Dallas

Mahal won by eliminating Dallas with the Camel Clutch. Previously, Dallas had eliminated both McIntyre and Gabriel with spears.

After the match, Rollins stopped Mahal from beating up Dallas and the two of them briefly brawled.

Match 5:
– Ascension vs Yoshi Tatsu and Percy Watson

Ascension won with Total Elimination on Tatsu.

Dark Match Main Event
John Cena, in a sling, came out and spoke about how excited he had been about coming to NXT and that during the drive over tonight he was extremely disappointed that he couldn’t compete. He promised that he would be back when he is healthy to compete again and that the turn out tonight really moved him. Antonio Cesaro came to the ring and ragged on Cena for being unable to face him. Cena brought out Sheamus as a surprise replacement.

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs US Champion Antonio Cesaro

Sheamus won with the Brogue Kick.

They had a nice long match, instead of a short squash you might expect. Afterwards, Sheamus went around ringside and signed autographs for anyone who wanted one.

 News / Notes

– The next taping is October 11th.

– Tonight was the first full sell out for a Full Sail NXT taping. The staff had to set up an overflow area in the entrance lobby for everyone who couldn’t get a seat. They put up a large screen and placed rows of folding chairs in front of it.

– A friend of mine went to get some food during the show and ran into Richie Steamboat, who was talking with some fans there. The storyline reason Steamboat wasn’t wrestling tonight is that he got hurt during the previous episode’s six man tag match. However, he told fans that he wasn’t wrestling tonight because he recently suffered a concussion.

– Brad Maddox worked as a referee for the diva’s match.

– After the Slater-Rollins match, Vickie was visably displeased with Slater. This was likely just a one time thing done as a way to have her manage someone on the show without Ziggler being at there.

– They introduced a new commentator tonight. Unfortunately I only caught his first name, Tony. He joined Regal and Saxton. They alternated between different combinations of the three throughout the night, with JR joining for each episode’s main event.

– Matt Striker was the ring announcer for the first and third episode. Summer Rae replaced him for the second episode.

– Before the show began, Striker showed a QR code on screen and said there would be bonus content streamed throughout the night for smartphone users who scanned it.

Matt Hardy Comments On Jeff-WWE Rumors, More On WWE & All Japan

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– As reported earlier, WWE is doing business with All Japan Pro Wrestling. During WWE’s recent live events tour of Japan, All Japan’s Kaz Hayashi and another company official had dinner with WWE’s John Laurinaitis to discuss AJPW becoming a Japanese developmental territory for WWE.

It’s believed the meeting went well and WWE will be working with the promotion to scout Japanese talent.

– Matt Hardy has responded to online reports that his brother Jeff is interested in returning to WWE for a big payday to pay off his legal fees:

* News on JEFF HARDY & BATISTA Returning to WWE Before WRESTLEMANIA

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

Movie Poster & Release Date For “Pain & Gain” Starring The Rock

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Paramount Pictures has released the first movie poster for Michael Bay’s bodybuilder comedy “Pain & Gain,” which stars “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson. The poster features a tub of protein powder with the movie title covering a biceps muscle.

The official synopsis from IMDB.com reads:

Pain and Gain centres on two bodybuilders, portrayed by Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter, Ted) and Dwayne Johnson (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, G.I. Joe: Retaliation), who try to make a fast buck through kidnapping and extortion, only to find themselves in way over their heads. The script has been written by Captain America: The First Avenger scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and sees Wahlberg and Johnson joined in the cast by Ed Harris (Man on a Ledge), Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker), Tony Shalhoub (Monk), Ken Jeong (The Hangover).

Here’s the official movie poster (click to enlarge):

goodbye

Pain & Gain will be released on April 26, 2013 and will be The Rock’s third movie release of 2013.

* Hilarious Pictures of THE ROCK & Mark Wahlberg Filming PAIN & GAIN

Hulk Hogan Teases Shaq Will Be On Impact, Alex Riley Undergoes Multiple Surgeries

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– WWE superstar Alex Riley revealed on Twitter that he underwent multiple surgeries this week:

https://twitter.com/alexrileywwe/status/248857374146842624

https://twitter.com/alexrileywwe/status/248857543206649856

https://twitter.com/alexrileywwe/status/248862156198670336

– Following up on our earlier report about NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal being backstage at the site of tonight’s TNA Impact Wrestling, Hulk Hogan tweeted this afternoon:

View Here:: Picture of Hulk Hogan Choking Out Shaq (From Today)

Shaquille O’Neal Backstage At Impact Wrestling, Sonjay Dutt On TNA Today, Jeff Hardy

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– Sonjay Dutt is the featured guest on the latest edition of TNA Today with Jeremy Borash. The twelve-year veteran talks about how he worked over the years to obtain a college degree while developing his career in professional wrestling, family, an injury that consistently holds him back, the X Division and more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8LHMT9wLW0

– On Raw Monday, WWE used a pink middle rope to raise breast cancer awareness. Regarding this, Jeff Hardy tweeted,

– Retired basketball player Shaquille O’Neal is backstage at the site of tonight’s Impact Wrestling show in Orlando, Florida. TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter tweeted a photo of Hulk Hogan playfully choking “Shaq,” and noting, “Things are crazy backstage at Impact already! Hangin’ with @HulkHogan & @Shaq.”

Laurinaitis Recovering From Major Surgery, Former WWE Exec Against Linda, Brodus Clay Ribbed

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– Lowell Weicker, a former member of the WWE Board of Directors, recently announced that is supporting Linda McMahon’s opponent in the ongoing United States Senate race in Connecticut, Chris Murphy. Weicker was a three-term senator and later the governor of Connecticut. Weicker is a former Republican that is now an Independent.

– John Laurinaitis recently underwent major surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and will be out of action for several months. Laurinaitis had been doing run-ins during John Cena’s main event matches at live events but was taken off the shows after complaining about bad shoulder pains.

– Backstage at WWE’s recent RAW from Montreal, Brodus Clay was reportedly upset that he did so poorly in the RAW Active poll to determine who would wrestle CM Punk that night. WWE veteran Booker T reportedly saw how upset Clay was an started ribbing him about it.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Will John Cena Be At This Monday’s Raw?, WWE Profiles Big Boss Man, The Bella Twins In New York City

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– Though no longer scheduled for this weekend’s Raw live events after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow Tuesday, John Cena will be on hand for Monday’s Raw in Albany, New York at Times Union Center.

He tweeted Thursday morning, “Rehab, Day 2. Much less grouchy today. I apologize to @wwe and I also PROMISE to be at #raw THIS MONDAY IN ALBANY. just hate being hurt,” Cena wrote. “Ill be at #NXT today. I am very excited to study those I will soon be competing against. See u guys mon on #RAW.”

Big Show will replace Cena at this weekend’s Raw live events as CM Punk’s opponent in WWE Championship bouts.

– Big Boss Man is the latest addition to the official WWE website’s Alumni section. WWE says of the deceased wrestler, “From Cobb County, Ga.’s corrections department to the WWE Universe, The Big Boss Man, along with his trusty nightstick, made sure that law and order was always upheld in the squared circle.”

– Nicole and Brianna, formerly known as The Bella Twins, have been announced to appear at the New York Comic Con taking place Oct. 11-15 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center located on 655 West 34th Street, New York, New York 10001. SmackDown General Manager Booker T, Velvet Sky and Angelina Love are also advertised to appear.

TNA “Impact Wrestling” To Remain Live On Thursday Nights For The Rest Of 2012

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TNA Wrestling announced Thursday that Impact Wrestling will remain live through the end of 2012. The following press release was issued:

TNA “IMPACT WRESTLING” TO REMAIN LIVE ON THURSDAY NIGHTS THROUGH THE END OF 2012

New York, NY – September X, 2012 – – Spike TV’s highly-rated weekly series “IMPACT WRESTLING” will continue to run LIVE in its current 8:00pm timeslot through the end of 2012, it was jointly announced today by Dixie Carter, President, TNA Entertainment, and Kevin Kay, President, Spike TV.

The move to broadcasting LIVE has been a ratings boon and has provided a significant rise in the show’s social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Spike TV began airing “Impact Wrestling” LIVE, instead of its traditional taped format, on May 31 from Universal Studios on Thursday nights. As a result the change, Spike’s 8-10pm timeslot has grown +33% in households, +47% in Men-18-49, and +35% in viewers.

Details for “IMPACT WRESTLING” production plans for 2013 will be announced at a later date.

Christian Recovering From Surgery, WWE Working With All Japan, Backstage In Montreal

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– As you can imagine, the environment backstage at WWE’s recent RAW from Montreal was very emotional when Jerry Lawler suffered his heart attack on the air. Triple H and Rey Mysterio in particular were very emotional about the situation. Vince McMahon was running the show from the Gorilla position, so Triple H was the one getting all the first-hand information about how grave Lawler’s situation was for a while.

– Christian is off television because he is recovering from recent shoulder surgery. No word on how long he’ll be out of action.

– WWE and All Japan Pro Wrestling have reached some sort of business partnership. All Japan has been in bad financial shape and was seeking investors to support the company’s operations.

* News on JEFF HARDY & BATISTA Returning to WWE Before WRESTLEMANIA

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Who Is Behind Aces & Eights, TNA Star Released, TNA Live Event Tonight

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– TNA recently released Mark Haskins, who was signed earlier this year after impressing management during a European tour. He was scheduled to be part of Destination X, but they decided against using him and he was almost never used by the company.

– TNA is running a live event tonight from Salem, VA. Since tonight is also Impact, the show from Salem will be very light on talent, with Mr. Anderson, Chavo Guerrero, Eric Young, Mickie James and Gail Kim billed as the top names appearing.

– With TNA’s Aces & Eights storyline building to a climax in the coming weeks, there is a strong chance that Jeff Jarrett will be revealed as the group’s leader. Jarrett has a built-in storyline as to why he’d be against TNA management, since Dixie Carter removed him from power, Sting fired him and Hulk Hogan has taken over as the General Manger of Impact.

Jarrett originally took time off from TNA to focus on Ring Ka King and TNA’s planned project for the Speed Channel, but since neither of those are going anywhere at this time, the door is open for Jarrett’s return.

* News on JEFF HARDY & BATISTA Returning to WWE Before WRESTLEMANIA

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Jose Canseco To TNA? Sting’s HOF Induction, TNA’s Fake Twitter Followers

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– The 2012 TNA Hall of Fame ceremony featuring Sting’s induction will take place on Saturday night, October 13th (the night before Bound For Glory) from a TNA fan convention in Phoenix. Lex Luger will be appearing at the event and is rumored to be inducting Sting.

– A recent audit of TNA’s Twitter account found that out of their 189,000 twitter followers, only 27,639 are legitimate. The rest were likely purchased from a marketing company and are not actual followers.

– Former Major League Baseball star Jose Canseco tweeted Dixie Carter this past week:

“Still waiting for Bruce Prichard’s phone call. I’m ready.”

* News On JEFF HARDY & BATISTA Returning To WWE Before WRESTLEMANIA

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Rumored Card For TNA Bound For Glory: Hogan Wrestling?

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As of this week, the only matches that are officially scheduled for TNA Bound For Glory are:

* TNA Champion Austin Aries vs. Jeff Hardy
* Bobby Roode vs. James Storm
* TNA Knockouts Champion Miss Tessmacher vs. Tara

With their extensive history, there has been some talk of adding a stipulation to Bobby Roode vs. James Storm. Based on what we’re seeing on television in recent weeks, it also looks like we’ll see:

* TNA Tag Champions Christopher Daniels & Kazarian vs. AJ Styles & Kurt Angle vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Hernandez.

* Samoa Joe vs. Magnus

* “Team Sting” vs. Aces and 8s

Hulk Hogan was rumored to be teaming with Sting for the Aces & Eights match, but Hogan’s back is in such bad shape it’s unknown whether he can even work a big tag match and get a few spots in.

* Backstage News On A Top Top WWE Star Considering Jumping To TNA

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Jeff Hardy’s Main Event Push In TNA, Bound For Glory Movie Theater Info

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– Bound for Glory will be airing in 113 theaters across the United States on Sunday, October 14th. The pre-show will air live at 7:30pm (EST) prior to the PPV.

– There are a few reasons why Jeff Hardy won this year’s Bound For Glory Series and got the main event spot against Austin Aries at TNA’s biggest show of the year. Aside from the fact that Hardy’s contract is expiring in February and TNA wants to keep him happy, Hardy’s drawing power is considered the main factor.

TNA expects Hardy to drive pay-per-view and movie theater sales for the show – and many more mainstream fans are willing to throw down money for Jeff Hardy (over James Storm, who was also in the running for the main event spot). TNA is also hopeful that merchandise, live event ticket sales and television ratings will go up with the company building a major program around Jeff Hardy.

* BATISTA Returning To Pro Wrestling: But Will It Be TNA or WWE?

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)