— Jim Ross doesn’t believe he will remain on WWE programming on a regular basis. However, tonight’s WWE Draft could change his assumptions
Ross wrote on Twitter, “I’d be shocked if I return to wk’ly tv in any form on a regular basis. Draft could change my assumptions. I do miss Mon nites w/ King.”
— WWE.com listed Beth Phoenix as a member of Raw over the weekend. The URL error was fixed today as her profile page denotes her as a member of SmackDown.
— Rosa Mendes replaced Kaitlyn during the final portion of SmackDown’s overseas tour last week.
— Jim Ross is advertised for appear at this Saturday’s Legends of the Ring 12 event, which takes place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Monroe, New Jersey. More information is available at www.legendsofthering.com.
— WWE’s upcoming Night of Champions pay-per-view event, which was previously listed on the events listing page of www.WWELiveTour.com, has been removed.
The buy number for last year’s show was down 36.7% from the previous year, from 267,000 buys to 169,000.
Meanwhile, WWE recently issued an online survey asking fans to give their thoughts on the following new pay-per-view titles: WWE Uprising; WWE Vengeance; WWE Champions; WWE Revolution.
— Jim Ross stated on Twitter that Steve Austin is working on a new action/adventure movie. According to Ross, Austin said the script is “great.”
— The FedExForum, the home arena of the Memphis Grizzlies, ran a video of Jerry Lawler cutting a promo prior to their NBA Playoff game against the San Antonio Spurs last night. He said the Grizzlies would pull the strap down on San Antonio, which concluded with his theme song being played. The Grizzlies went on to secure their first home playoff win in franchise history.
Solomonster shines a light on TNA’s shoddy business practices and takes them to task for the treatment of its talent, and one former Knockout in particular. But that’s not all, we’ll also talk the upcoming WWE Draft and the names that should swap brands, the R-Truth smoking controversy, Jeff Hardy’s legal woes, Abyss injured at the Impact tapings, Jay Lethal released by TNA, where is Desmond Wolfe, Kevin Nash blogs about Scott Hall and more. If you’re a TNA apologist, you may as well skip the first 35 minutes.
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s latest movie, Fast Five, is a huge hit in Australia. One out of three people in Australia who went to the movies on Thursday (the day of its premiere) went to see Fast Five, earning $2.4 million. It premieres this Friday in the United States.
— John Miller, who currently appears as a contestant on the Oxygen reality show Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too, stated during an interview with NewsandTribune.com that he will on hand for next week’s WWE television tapings, as well as Extreme Rules.
Miller, who has competed for Ohio Valley Wrestling, wrote the following on Twitter last week regarding his upcoming WWE tour: “11 more days till I go on a 4 day tour with WWE! I’m going to get a job and sign hopefully sign a contract, wish me luck everyone!!! Im booked for WWE Pay Per View in Tampa on May 1st. Then I will be in Miami,Fl May 2nd for Monday Night Raw then May 3rd Orlando for smackdown.”
— WWE developmental talent Seth Rollins was asked on Twitter to give his thoughts on WWE no longer referring to themselves as a professional wrestling organization. He replied:
“I think you have to understand the idea of it. I was skeptical at first too, but it’s all a marketing scheme. When push comes to shove WWE will always be professional wrestling, but they are branching out and doing so much more nowadays that the word “wrestling” really pigeonholes the brand…so eliminating the word expands the brand and creates many new avenues to go down.”
— Both SmackDown and Raw have returned from the recent tour overseas for this week’s television tapings in North Carolina. The Raw crew had a 14-hour flight yesterday from Qatar to Raleigh, North Carolina. John Cena, who did not tweet during the tour, wrote the following:
“CeNation. Tour was gr8. UK was madness as usual. Qatar was unreal. I mean spectacular. It is truly a paradise in the desert. Saw great things out of ziggler, morrison, evan, Sheamus, and D.B. this makes the draft 2 morrow that much more exciting . Thanks to all for the b day wishes especially the crowd in Qatar for singing me happy b day. Moment I will never forget.”
— WWE returns to the Festival Hall in Frankfurt, Germany on Saturday, November 12, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
Tough Enough contestant Christina Crawford hopes to one day win the WWE Divas Championship. But the person she would like to take the belt from is the same person who inspired her to be a Diva in the first place — her sister, Victoria — better known as Alicia Fox.
“I would love love love to win that title one day,” Crawford told CentralFloridaFuture.com. “But it would be the best if I could take it from my sister.”
Ever since her sister joined WWE, Crawford wanted to follow in her footsteps. She said Tough Enough is a once in a lifetime opportunity that she can’t pass up.
“What started my dream of working with the WWE was when my sister got hired, but I was too young at the time to apply,” Crawford said. “My dream was to go to school and then I would try out for the WWE.”
She is excited that she may work with her one day.
“She is on the main roster and I haven’t gotten the chance to work with her yet,” Crawford said. “But we do hang out together and it’s great moral support.”
One of the most important things the trainers teach the contestants is how to avoid getting hurt. Even though wrestling is staged, the injuries are real.
“I am not worried about injuries because the training environment is always safe,” Crawford said. “The trainers are helping us learn to build and to protect our body.”
Tonight we’ve got new episodes of WWE RAW and Tough Enough – plus the latest performance from Chris Jericho on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars. Here’s what to expect tonight:
– Tough Enough will feature a special appearance from Hall of Famer Bret Hart. The USA Network is hyping a shocking surprise for tonight’s show – which has been titled, “The 110-pound Elephant in the Room.”
– Tonight’s WWE RAW takes place from the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina and will feature the 2011 WWE Draft.
The advertised dark match main event after tonight’s RAW will see John Cena and Randy Orton team up against WWE champion The Miz and Nexus leader CM Punk.
– Chris Jericho is still going strong on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars and will be dancing the Tango tonight with his partner Cheryl Burke. After getting his best score yet last week – Chris Jericho revealed over the weekend that his metal band FOZZY will be in the house tonight for his performance! Jericho tweeted on Sunday:
“GREAT rehearsal today with @cherylburke This tango is gonna rock…literally! Also found out that @fozzyrock will be on DWTS on Mon too!”
— Randy Ricci, a former production manager for TNA Wrestling, reports that a sexual harassment lawsuit has been filed against the organization.
While specifics of the case have yet to be disclosed, Ricci states that Terry Taylor, TNA’s Director of Talent Relations, was named in the suit.
Ricci added, “It should be noted as well that if Terry has done anything or not, with his past, it won’t turn out well for he or the company.”
— Magnus was asked on Twitter if former tag team partner Desmond Wolfe is retiring from the squared circle. He replied, “I hope not.”
Randy Ricci claimed in a blog post last Friday that Wolfe has been kept out of the ring in recent months because he has Hepatitis C. He said that Wolfe is being offered an office job, which would indicate that his wrestling career is over.
Dana Hall told Mike Mooneyham of The Post and Courier that he ex-husband, Scott Hall, now has little contact with their children—16-year-old daughter Cassidy and 19-year-old son Cody.
“He hasn’t seen Cassidy since August 2010,” Dana said. “I don’t think he has seen Cody in almost two years. They may have had one or two brief phone calls since then, but nothing that I know of.
Dana, who fears that her children have suffered irreparably from the dysfunction of the family, says her son won’t communicate with his father “until Scott gets in rehab and away from the enablers he is with.”
“He calls inconsistently and texts him, and Cody doesn’t respond… They hold it in. They hate to talk about it, but they accept that they don’t have a father or a normal life. The last time I talked to him face to face was when I took Cassidy to the hospital to tell him goodbye last August. It was a horrible scene. He had been doing crack cocaine for days and had used all the money in the account he wrote the child support check on and it had bounced.
“I have cut off his contact with me and the kids, and ignore his calls, texts and messages to me, which are 99 percent negative and nasty when he is drunk. At this point, he can have no contact with us unless I know his intentions. Actions speak louder than words.”
Nash stated last week in a blog post that Hall’s problems go beyond substance addiction. His issues, Nash says, are based on events that happened before his wrestling career, and Hall’s only coping mechanism is turning to drugs and alcohol.
“I can tell you Scott Hall has neither a drug or alcohol addiction … Scott’s problem is he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Drugs and alcohol aren’t the problem; to Scott they are the solution,” Nash wrote.
“Please don’t judge Scott on what you just saw. He would give any of you a kidney … He’s my brother (and) we will get through this.”
Dana, however, believes Scott, is running out of options.
“Pretty much, we are done, his brothers are done, his mother is worried sick, feels helpless … We try to live life as if he is already dead, until he does something really bad, and then it is kind of hard to ignore.”
Hall’s son Cody accompanied Nash to the hospital for a brief visit on Thursday. Dana updated her Twitter page today with news that Scott is out of the hospital, but has not entered a treatment program.
Randy Ricci, a former production manager for TNA Wrestling, claimed in a blog post on Friday that the reason Desmond Wolfe has not been wrestling in recent months is because he has Hepatitis C—a viral disease that leads to inflammation of the liver.
Ricci adds that the former ROH World Champion will be offered an office job.
Wolfe last wrestled for the organization in August. He and Magnus were scheduled to receive a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship against The Motor City Machine Guns at No Surrender, but were pulled from the event at the last minute, with TNA citing a “personal issue” as the reason. It was later reported that Wolfe was pulled from the event due to an undisclosed medical situation that would sideline him indefinitely.
Hulk Hogan is the only TNA Wrestling employee to publicly address Wolfe’s status with the organization. When asked recently on Twitter about Wolfe returning to television, Hogan responded, “Desmond’s situation is beyond TNA’s control, the ball is completely in his court.”
— It was reported earlier that Ric Flair underwent rotator cuff surgery on his shoulder last Thursday after being written off television at TNA Lockdown. Jim Ross clarified the WWE Hall of Famer’s health status by stating that he did not undergo surgery. JR tweeted over the weekend:
“While @ the gym yesterday got a text from ‘Naitch’ who was checking on my ‘wrestling’ status. BTW Ric has a horrid shoulder but no surgery.”
Taz, who stated on Thursday’s episode of TNA iMPACT! that Flair underwent surgery earlier that day, wrote on Twitter,
“For those whom have asked, Mike & I were either given BAD info on RF Shoulder issue or RF status changed from Tues (TV), to this weekend.”
— Mick Foley is scheduled to return to television imminently.
— TNA Knockout Tara has been announced for AdventureCon, Tennessee’s Largest Pop Culture Collectors Show. The annual event takes place June 10-12 at the Knoxville Expo Center in Knoxville.
— Just two days before WWE’s annual Draft, Beth Phoenix is listed under the Raw Superstars folder on WWE.com.
Her profile page’s original URL source, www.wwe.com/superstars/smackdown/bethphoenix, now redirects to www.wwe.com/superstars/raw/bethphoenix. However, “The Glamazon” is still listed as a member of the SmackDown roster.
It is possible that it is a glitch as her page, as well as Rosa Mendes’, were briefly unavailable this morning.
— An image of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shaking John Cena’s hand a few weeks ago on Raw is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. The cover can be seen at www.pwi-online.com.
— WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas celebrates his 57th birthday today.
— The title for WWE’s upcoming DVD release on Rey Mysterio is Rey Mysterio: The Life of a Masked Man. It is scheduled for release on July 12. The synopsis is as follows:
“For the first time ever, Rey Mysterio sits down and reviews his historic career, reflecting on his greatest matches and moments. This all-new interview features exclusive and candid comments from the Ultimate Underdog on his Sports Entertainment path through ECW, WCW, and WWE; his rivalries with Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, CM Punk; his thoughts on battling men almost twice his size, and his emotional Cruiserweight, Intercontinental, and World Championship runs.”
— Big Show appears on Supah Ninjas tonight at 8:30 p.m. on Nickelodeon.
— WWE has a live event scheduled for Stockton, California on Sunday, August 7.
— Ezekiel Jackson celebrated his 33rd birthday yesterday.
— Big Show and Kane grabbed championship glory together for the second time in their careers, triumphing over Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel on SmackDown to capture the WWE Tag Team Championships.
The match concluded with Big Show chokeslamming Slater to the canvas for the victory.
— John Cena celebrates his birthday today as he turns 34 years old. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, his opponent at WrestleMania XXVIII, wished him a happy birthday on Twitter.
He wrote, “Happy Birthday @JohnCena – I’m 5 yrs older than you which means I will always be your daddy bitch!”
— Chris Jericho appears on this Monday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
As we’ve been reporting here on the site, the recent surprise retirement of Edge has left the SmackDown brand in dire need of a top baby face. This is one of the main factors that led Vince McMahon to move this year’s WWE Draft from June to this Monday night’s episode of RAW.
WWE officials have discussed moving Alberto Del Rio to Raw during next Monday’s WWE Draft as he is currently penciled to headline SummerSlam against John Cena. It has also been broached for Del Rio move to the brand as World Heavyweight Champion, with The Miz, as WWE Champion, heading to SmackDown.
With that being said, the identities of who gets moved are constantly changing.
The entire mid-card, with Cody Rhodes, The Nexus, The Corre, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre and R-Truth specifically cited, are also strong candidates to change brands during the Draft.
COMMENT BELOW: We want to know who YOU think should switch brands at Monday’s Draft! If you are not already a member of SEScoops.com, REGISTER NOWand comment below!
North Carolina’s ThePilot.com has some new information regarding Jeff Hardy’s drug case getting postponed again on Wednesday.
Hardy’s lawyer Jim Van Camp asked Judge James Web for another continuance so District Administrator Becky Carlson can evaluate Jeff Hardy to determine if he has a drug addiction and whether his defense team should push for rehab instead of jail for Hardy.
“I’ve just started to work with Mr. Hardy within the past month,” Carlson told the Judge. “I have to have time to formulate my plan, do a background assessment and put a treatment plan in place.”
When Judge Webb asked Becky Carlson how much in-patient treatment she recommends based on her professional experience, she said “Twenty-eight days,” but stressed more time was needed for an accurate assessment.
Carlson hopes to have her evaluation completed by early June, in time for Hardy’s next court appearance on June 27th.
Van Camp stressed to the court that Jeff Hardy has not yet been classified as a drug addict needing treatment.
— The Raw crew concludes their near two-week long international tour today and tomorrow in Qatar. The shows, however, will be without the “Sexy, Smart and Powerful” WWE Divas as they are prohibited from wearing clothing that doesn’t cover their legs or shoulders in public. Qatar is an Islamic country with strict dress laws.
Eve Torres and The Bella Twins, among others, have already flown back to the United States.
— Michael Cole had his Extreme Rules tag team partner, Jack Swagger, join him as a woman, who looked vaguely like the Queen of England, enter the ring and knight him on this week’s episode of Raw. The entire segment was cut from the encore telecast on Sky Sports in the UK, as well as most references to it.
This was not the only segment cut from the replay as R-Truth smoking a cigarette was also edited out.
— Donald Moore (a/k/a Dr. Cable Jones), who was released from his developmental contract with WWE in November, is considering resuming his wrestling career on the independent scene after undergoing major shoulder surgery. (Thanks to Don Tintle)
— Hulk Hogan addressed Desmond Wolfe’s status with TNA Wrestling last week on Twitter, writing, “Desmond’s situation is beyond TNA’s control, the ball is completely in his court.” However, the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter indicates otherwise.
Wolfe was scheduled to reform his partnership with Magnus late last year, but Douglas Williams was given the spot instead. Company officials have had plans for the former ROH World Champion to return, including this week, but they have yet to materialize.
Wolfe is currently appearing for various community theaters in Central Florida and working on writing projects.
— Melanie Cruise of Shimmer Women Athletes participated in a tryout match prior to Wednesday’s TNA iMPACT! taping in Orlando, Florida. The six foot tall wrestler lost to TNA Knockout Tag Team Champion Sarita.
— Mick Foley appears at Center Island Sports, 101 Union Avenue, Ronkonkoma, New York on Saturday, June 4 beginning at 7:00 p.m. This will followed by the Fight The World Wrestling event “Have A Nice Day” at 8:00 p.m., which will also feature Foley. Visit www.ftwprowrestling.com for more information.
— Sangriento, a masked wrestler hailing from Tijuana, Mexico, made his TNA Wrestling debut on this week’s episode of TNA Xplosion as he competed in a Three-Way Match against Chris Sabin and Jay Lethal. The masked luchador pinned Lethal after hitting the former X Division Champion with a springboard cutter.
Sangriento was brainstormed by Spike TV officials as they wanted TNA to introduce a character that would counteract Sin Cara of WWE. TNA considered various independent wrestlers for the role but decided on Amazing Red.
— Ric Flair underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair a torn rotator cuff. No word yet on how long he will be sidelined.
The WWE Hall of Famer suffered the injury in late January, during a match against Douglas Williams in Manchester, England. He delayed the surgery until his storyline was finalized at TNA Lockdown.
— Jeff Jarrett will be a special guest for the Nashville Sounds baseball game at their opener in Nashville, Tennessee tomorrow night at Greer Stadium. He will be in attendance as a guest speaker to promote the importance of reading before the game as well as signing autographs for fans with Sounds Mascot Ozzie.
TNA Wrestling announces special outdoor “Basebrawl” events coming to Marion, Illinois (June 10), Memphis, Tennessee June 11) Buffalo, New York (June 18), Brooklyn, New York (July 1)
The superstars of Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling’s “TNA iMPACT” on Spike (Thursday at 8pm CT) are invading Memphis! “TNA Wrestling’s BaseBrawl” presented by Direct Auto Insurance will hit AutoZone Park on Saturday, June 11 starting at 7:30pm for an unforgettable night of action. Hit a Grand Slam this summer with “TNA Wrestling’s BaseBrawl!” This event will feature a rare appearance from the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, “The Icon” Sting. Sting will be returning to Memphis where his career began over twenty years ago. After the show, stick around for the special fireworks brought to you by TNA Wrestling and the Redbirds!
Appearing live in person at AutoZone Park will be: Sting, Kurt Angle, Jeff Jarrett, Matt Morgan, Scott Steiner, Matt Hardy and many more!
Fans that purchase a $50 ticket will receive a special meet and greet with TNA Superstars at 5:30pm! (Redeemable with ticket the night of the show)
Additionally, TNA Wrestling is offering a once in a lifetime opportunity, “TNA BaseBrawl VIP Icon Xperience”, which includes:
* Field Level Seating – $50 ticket including a special meet and greet with TNA Superstars at 5:30pm
* Special Edition Sting Louisville Slugger BaseBrawl Baseball bat (valued at $150)
* Post-Show Private VIP Meet and Greet with “The Icon” Sting to receive the bat and get it signed!
* Official TNA BaseBrawl event t-shirt (valued at $25)
* Official 2011 TNA Program (valued at $20)
Only 60 of these exclusive packages will be available and the price is only $199. Visit http://www.ShopTNA.com for more details.
TICKETS: Tickets are available through ShopTNA.com. You can purchase your TNA BaseBrawl VIP Icon Xperience tickets here. With each TNA ticket purchased, fans receive a free field box ticket to a Memphis Redbirds game the week of July 17-21, 2011. The TNA ticket must be presented in person at the AutoZone Park Box Office for redemption. ($13 value, subject to availability; details at http://www.memphisredbirds.com)
FRIDAY, JUNE 10: MARION, IL
Marion, IL will host a “TNA Wrestling’s BaseBrawl” event on Friday, June 10 at Rent One Park at 7:30 pm. Tickets go on sale Saturday, April 30 at www.southernillinoisminers.com or charge by phone (618) 998-8499. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the Rent One Park box office. (For more information: www.tnawrestling.com) With each TNA ticket purchased, fans receive a free ticket to a select upcoming Miners game. ($8 value; details at www.southernillinoisminers.com). Fans that purchase a $50 ticket will receive a special meet and greet with TNA Superstars at 5:30 pm!* (Redeemable with ticket the night of the show; offer only applies to $50 tickets.)
Appearing live and in person will be:
-Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle
-“TNA Founder” Jeff Jarrett
-TNA Superstar Eric Young
-TNA Superstar Matt Hardy
-“The Blueprint” Matt Morgan
-TNA Superstar Bully Ray
and more!
“TNA Wrestling’s BaseBrawl” is a family-oriented wrestling event complete with your favorite TNA Superstars, fireworks and all the hot summer action you can handle! After the show, stick around for a special fireworks display brought to you by TNA Wrestling and the Miners!
*Times
Meet and Greet 5:30PM (Only applies to $50 tickets)
Doors open 6:30PM
Showtime 7:30PM
SATURDAY, JUNE 18: BUFFALO, NY
Buffalo, NY will host a “TNA Wrestling’s BaseBrawl” event on Saturday, June 18 at Coca-Cola Field at 7:30 pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 22 at www.bisons.com or charge by phone 888-223-6000. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the Coca-Cola Field box office. (For more information: www.tnawrestling.com) With each TNA ticket purchased, fans receive a free ticket to a select upcoming Bisons game. Fans that purchase a $50 ticket will receive a special meet and greet with TNA Superstars at 5:30 pm!* (Redeemable with ticket the night of the show; offer only applies to $50 tickets.)
Appearing live and in person will be:
-This event will feature a rare appearance from TNA Superstar, “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan. Hogan will be returning to Buffalo for this once in a lifetime event.
-Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle
-“The Phenomenal” AJ Styles
-“The Monster” Abyss
-TNA Superstar Eric Young
-TNA Tag Team Beer Money, Inc.
and more!
“TNA Wrestling’s BaseBrawl” is a family-oriented wrestling event complete with your favorite TNA Superstars, fireworks and all the hot summer action you can handle! After the show, stick around for a special fireworks display brought to you by TNA Wrestling and the Bisons!
*Times
Meet and Greet 5:30PM (Only applies to $50 tickets)
Doors open 6:30PM
Showtime 7:30PM
SATURDAY, JULY 1: BROOKLYN, NY
Brooklyn, NY will host a “TNA Wrestling’s BaseBrawl” event on Saturday, July 1 at MCU Park at 7:00 pm. Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 7 at www.brooklyncyclones.com or charge by phone 718-507-TIXX. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the MCU Park box office and Citi Field box office. With each TNA ticket purchased, fans receive a free ticket to a select upcoming Cyclones game. ($8 value; details at www.brooklyncyclones.com). Fans that purchase a $90 ticket will receive a special meet and greet with TNA Superstars at 5:00 pm!* (Redeemable with ticket the night of the show; offer only applies to $90 tickets, ticket price also includes all-you-can eat BBQ buffet.)
Appearing live and in person will be:
-This event will feature a rare appearance from TNA Superstar, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. Flair will be coming to Brooklyn for this once in a lifetime event.
-Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle
-“The Founder” Jeff Jarrett
-“The Whole Show” Rob Van Dam
-TNA Knockout Mickie James
-TNA Superstar Matt Hardy
and more!
“TNA Wrestling’s BaseBrawl” is a family oriented wrestling event complete with your favorite TNA superstars, fireworks and all the hot summer action you can handle! After the show, stick around for a special fireworks display brought to you by TNA Wrestling and the Cyclones!
*Times
Meet and Greet 5:00PM (Only applies to $71 tickets)
Doors open 6:00PM
Showtime 7:00PM
Q: A few years back, there was a story about R-Truth and John Cena being in an altercation at an airport while Truth was still with TNA. Around the same time, Truth went on YouTube and had some harsh words for Cena in a rap song. They’ve claimed to be friends since Truth returned to WWE or at least did some backstage stuff during the Cena/Nexus storyline on Raw. Was there ever any real heat between the two? – Michael A.
A: The video you mention where Truth raps on Cena is still up on YouTube and is actually hosted by TNAWrestling. Supposedly, the two men ran into one another at an airport in Charlotte, NC back in 2006 after the video was posted. Whatever words may have been exchanged, I don’t believe there was any legit heat between them. Certainly, since Truth came back to WWE, both guys are cordial with each other and, by all accounts, are friends. With Truth seemingly going heel now, if he ends up staying on Raw with Cena, it may be a good time to start a program with the two of them. Besides, Cena needs something fresh to kill time before his battle with The Rock. Truth is charismatic enough on the mic where I think it could be very entertaining.
Q: With the recent news about “major changes” coming to TNA, could this possibly mean that Paul Heyman is on his way to save the company or is this just another letdown like we’ve seen time and time again? – Kenon Wilson
A: How many times have we heard that “major changes” are coming to TNA? It is true that they are moving forward with something of a rebranding campaign, pushing the “Impact” name harder and giving at least some thought to changing the name of the promotion (I can’t see this happening). If they want Heyman, they can probably still get him, but they would have to acquiesce to all of the previous demands he had made, which included a stake in the company and the ability to hire and fire people as he sees fit. These were things that Dixie Carter was unwilling to give him. If it’s true that Janice Carter (not this Janice), Dixie’s mom, is taking a more active role in TNA, then perhaps she would be more open to that as a possibility. At the end of the day, Heyman has other projects he is involved with, including a Brock Lesnar autobiography due out later this spring. If he ever was brought in, I think he would be a huge asset, but no one man is going to be able to “save” TNA. It would just as important to the health of the company to get rid of certain people than it would be to bring in others.
Q: A while back when Kurt Angle wrestled Samoa Joe, early in the match Kurt’s bell got rung and, reportedly, Joe called the rest of the match. Is it predetermined who calls the match in the ring? Do they alternate who makes the calls or what? – Rob F.
A: I’m not a worker, so I don’t know for sure. Generally speaking, there’s usually a ring general in there who calls the basic flow of the match. If someone’s bell gets rung and the match continues, the other person would have to step up and take over one would think. The referee can also play a vital role in this situation as he can relay instructions to each competitor from the back.
Q: Do you think we’ll ever see Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara feud, or better yet, partner up and be a tag team? – Coty K.
A: I sure hope so. With the upcoming draft, I’d move Cara over to Smackdown anyway and that would allow for them to eventually be paired off, preferably as partners first and later as opponents. Rey certainly knows how to work the lucha style and I think they would have great chemistry together. Besides, what else is left for Rey to do once he wraps up his feud with Cody Rhodes?
Q: When The Rock first showed up before WrestleMania 27 and said “Cena started talking trash about the Rock,” what did he mean? I read online that Cena ripped him in an interview after Rock had left and I was wondering if that was it. I also read that at the 2008 Hall Of Fame ceremony when The Rock was inducting his father and grandfather, Cena turned up with a black eye, and people said it was Rock who gave him it because of the things he said in the interview. Do you know if I’m on the right track and if the whole black eye thing is true? – Adam Meads
A: This is why WWE dropped the ball by not doing a better job of explaining the back story to the Rock/Cena feud. Yes, Rock was referring specifically to a U.K. Sun audio interview from January of 2008 where Cena basically said that Rock only “did this” (wrestled) to “do something else” (make movies). Cena also used some very non-PG language to get his point across. Keep in mind that Cena did this on more than one occasion and was likely urged to do so by Vince McMahon. Rock was not said to have been angry at the time, but rather, more surprised by the comments than anything else. As for the Hall of Fame ceremony, Rock did not give Cena a black eye. There was no backstage altercation. It reminds me of Hulk Hogan showing up to WrestleMania 9 with a black eye, which he credited to a jet ski accident. Of course, that didn’t stop people from saying that it actually came from a Randy Savage punch as the two supposedly had heat at the time. Whatever the real reason, the Savage story sounds only slightly more believable than Rock cold-cocking Cena.
Q: How come people like Viscera, Cherry and Husky Harris are taken off TV or fired because of their weight, but fat flabby Brodus Clay gets a contract on the spot? – Ryan B.
A: Were Viscera, Cherry (wait, what?) or Husky Harris ever a bodyguard for Snoop Dogg? No? Well, there’s your answer.
Q: So there’s a video on YouTube that shows Vince Russo “shooting” on Bill Goldberg after the WCW New Blood Rising PPV. It has Tank Abbott in it and Russo is calling Bill a chicken shit and starts screaming at production to show what looks like a legit fight. I was wondering if it was at all legit, and what’s the story behind it? – Mike Cornblatt
A: Ahh, the classic Russo worked-shoot. Don’t take anything you see with Russo on TV very seriously. I do believe he went into business for himself with the Bash at the Beach 2000 shoot on Hulk Hogan, but aside from that, all of these angles with him swearing up a storm and “shooting” on someone are about as real as Velvet Sky’s chest.
Q: Did Jamie Noble really retire due to the attack from Sheamus or did they just have Sheamus to attack him to write him off because he wanted to retire? – Rory “RoRo” Bennett
A: WWE wanted Noble to work as a backstage agent. As such, he had planned on retiring from the ring. They merely used the attack by Sheamus as an effective way to get him over as a monster heel.
Q: I have a few old WrestleManias on VHS tape from back in the day. Tonight, I sat down to watch newer copies that a friend gave me on DVD and noticed something very strange. Some of the wrestler’s theme music had changed, very obviously digitally added later, and it also sounds like Howard Finkel’s ring announcements have been re-done too. Most notably the first thing I caught was WrestleMania 6, Andre/Haku vs. Demolition. Demolition’s classic Rick Derringer theme was removed and [replaced with] some cheap instrumental knock off. I can’t imagine they’d lose the rights to use a song that was performed exclusively for them. [It also] seems like Koko B. Ware and Dusty Rhodes’ music have been swapped out too. It’s certainly not a royalties thing now as Rhodes is currently USING that theme, isn’t he? – Steve
A: Actually, it’s specifically a royalties issue. Jimmy Hart may well still have ownership over some of that old music as he played an instrumental role in that area many years ago (both in WWF and WCW). Whatever they don’t own, they’re unlikely to use as part of a DVD release or on their Classics on Demand channel, each of which is a product or service that they profit from. Allowing Dusty Rhodes to use his “Common Man” theme on TV every now and then is fine. It’s very much like Sandman being able to use his Metallica theme at the first One Night Stand PPV during the initial live airing of that show, which was then edited off of the subsequent DVD release. It’s the same deal with Undertaker’s old Limp Bizkit entrance.
Q: What are your thoughts on all the backstage heat on Trish Stratus and people saying she wanted the spotlight on her and also rumors that she slept with Vince? – Tyler Johnson
A: That’s funny, I wasn’t aware that Trish Stratus had any backstage heat. Just because John Morrison is an immature buffoon and a handful of divas were jealous of Trish getting a Mania payoff, that doesn’t mean she had backstage heat. As for Trish sleeping with Vince, why of course she did! Don’t you remember 10 years ago? I mean, he was making out with her right in front of his comatose wife. He probably sat his wife in the corner and jackhammered Trish in front of her, too!
Keep those questions coming to [email protected] and remember to include your name!
— Miss Tessmacher cut an interview on last night’s episode of TNA iMPACT! and noted the differences in TNA Wrestling during the time she was away. The former WWE Diva says she has been training during that time and that she wants “that championship.” She closed by telling the ‘bitches’ in TNA that Miss Tessmacher is back.
— Eric Bischoff posted a message concerning Scott Hall on his Facebook account yesterday: “Just read Kevin Nash’s latest update on Scott Hall. I agree with Kevin 100% on the real issues at the core of Scott’s problems. God bless Kevin as well as Scott’s family and friends. I hope they find a way to reach Scott before its too late. Scott really is a good man underneath all the scar tissue and pain.”
— Jay Lethal, who was released earlier this week by TNA Wrestling, is accepting independent bookings via [email protected].
— Jeff and Karen Jarrett will be “honorary crew members” for the Joe Denette Motorsports racing team at the Nashville Super Speedway tonight at the Bully Hill Vineyards 200.
– There are already plans for a sixth Fast and Furious movie, which will likely see The Rock return to the franchise. Fast Five premiers in theaters next weekend.
– Former WWE announcer and current ESPN news correspondent Jonathan Coachman has contacted The Rock and said that he may be at RAW next Monday (5/2) from Miami.
– In an interesting bit of trivia … the WWE Championship ladder match at at Extreme Rules between Christian and Alberto Del Rio is believed to be only the second time in company history where a match guarantees that someone will become World Champion for the first time. In the rare cases when there’s a vacated title on the line, at least one of the contenders has been WWE champion before. The only other WWE match when two superstars battled for a vacant WWE championship was on March 27th, 1988 – when Randy Savage defeated Ted DiBiase in the title tournament finals at WrestleMania 4.
– Jim Ross’ BBQ sauce business seems to be doing well since WWE’s shop website started carrying the products as Ross noted on Twitter this week that their online business is up almost 200% from last year. WWE’s shop website takes domestic and international orders from fans and then places the order with JR. JR noted that they just received their biggest order ever from WWE’s shop website.
