Video has surfaced online from Thursday’s WWE press conference in Mexico City announcing the signing of Sin Cara, formerly known as Mistico. Sin Cara is wearing his new WWE mask in the video:
WWE Has Major Plans For Sin Cara, IC Title’s Value
– Jim Ross tweeted he following about WWE’s new star, Sin Cara:
“Mistico is signed, sealed & delivered w/ WWE. Now known as Sin Cara. Helluva young hand. A new star looms on the horizon. Congrats Sin Cara. Every major media outlet in Mexico City present 4 Sin Cara media announcement. He’s doing 1 on 1’s now w/ them including espn deportes. It was great 2 rep WWE in Mexico City 4 Sin Cara signing anouncement. Appreciate the opportunity to step back on the field, so 2 speak.”
Ross later added: “WWE has high hopes for Sin Cara. He has many new masks. Major TV ‘rollout,’ He’s 27 & has (opportunity to be) main eventer. A flyer, offensive innovator.”
– Longtime wrestling fans understand the importance of promotions protecting their championship titles and how marketable a title feud can be. Unforunately, there have been many signs that indicate WWE does not see much value in the Intercontinental championship.
Intercontinental champion Kofi Kingston’s match against Alberto Del Rio at Elimination Chamber was a non-title match at – and that fact was ignored during the promotion and commentary during the match.
At one point, WWE was considering putting the Intercontinental title on Del Rio en route to his World Heavyweight title match against Edge at WrestleMania, but company officials did not feel that the champion vs. champion match was even worth doing.
Sheamus’ Losing Streak, Shaul Guerrero News, Axxess
– Chavo “Classic” Guerrero recently appeared on ThaOShow.com and was asked about his brother Eddie Guerrero’s daughter, Shaul Guerrero, debuting with WWE’s Florida Championship Wrestling. Chavo said he wished he could have trained Shaul.
In a somewhat surprising comment, he said he believes that if Eddie were still alive, Shaul would not be involved in the wrestling business. Chavo Sr. also said that Vickie Guerrero has really separated herself from the Guerrero family since Eddie passed away.
– King of the Ring winner Sheamus has lost his last 6 pay-per-view matches heading into his WrestleMania feud with United States Champion Daniel Bryan. So far this year, the former WWE champion has a win-loss record on television (and pay-per-views) of 1-8.
RAW producer Kevin Dunn is reportedly not fan of Sheamus, despite Triple H being a strong ally of his.
– The WrestleMania Axxess signings on Saturday night during the WWE Hall of Fame are usually dreaded by some of the WWE talents as they have to miss the start, or sometimes all of the ceremony. The wrestlers signing during the Hall this year are David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, The Usos, Primo, Chris Masters, Kaitlyn, Rosa Mendes, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Ezekiel Jackson and Wade Barrett.
(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
Video Highlights Of Sin Cara Wrestling In Mexico
By now you’ve heard the news that WWE has signed Mexican lucha libre star Mistico, now known as Sin Cara. (Pictures Of SIN CARA Unamsked)
In case you’ve never seen him wrestle, check out these Youtube video his best work:
Mistico News: New Mask, What “Sin Cara” Means & More
As reported yesterday, WWE held a press conference in Mexico City to announce the signing of lucha libre sensation Mistico, now known as Sin Cara.
When introduced at the press conference, Sin Cara came out wearing a Mistico-style mask, only to remove that and reveal his new WWE mask. Sin Cara reportedly means “Faceless.”
Sin Cara spoke at the press conference and said he doesn’t know whether he’ll be performing on RAW or SmackDown, but said he is ready to go whenever WWE needs him and is proud to have finally made it to the greatest wrestling promotion in the world.
Mistico’s signing with WWE is being covered my all the media in Mexico as it’s considered a big deal. Lucha Libre journalist Kris Zellner expects Cara to end up on the SmackDown brand with Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio.
WWE has already setup a Facebook page for him at Facebook.com/WWESinCara and a Twitter account will be live very soon.
WWE will begin airing clips from the press conference on tonight’s SmackDown and Monday’s RAW.
TNA’s View Of Jeff Hardy’s Drug Case, ODB Returns, More
— The general attitude in TNA regarding Jeff Hardy’s legal situation is that it’s not a big deal and the TNA Champion will likely not face jail time. As reported earlier, Jeff Hardy’s court hearing on February 16 resulted in another continuance, with his next court date scheduled for March 21st.
— TNAknockout ODB returned on Thursday’s episode of iMPACT! to answer Women’s Knockout Champion Madison Rayne’s open challenge. ODB lost to Rayne. Eric Bischoff is said to be a big fan of the ODB character, which might have been a factor in her being brought back.
ODB was phased off television last year when the company began focusing on looks and showcasing “The Beautiful People.”
— TNA Knockout Traci Brooks is advertised for this Saturday’s AWE Superstars of Pro Wrestling event at Fluvanna County High School in Palmyra, Virginia. Visit awesomewrestlingentertainment.com for more information.
(Partial Source: pro wrestling torch)
Video Of TNA’s “Shocker Of The Year” – 3/3/11
TNA’s advertised “most shocking event of the year” was revealed at the end of Thursday’s iMPACT! – and it was vignette hyping “3/3/11” and the return of Sting.
The 3/3/11 video is clearly a knock on WWE’s 2/21/11 videos, which led to the Undertaker’s debut.
There had been a great deal of speculation that 2/21/11 meant Sting’s WWE debut, however WWE never mentioned Sting at all, so TNA celebrating that WWE failed to deliver on something they never promised doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. But hey, it’s TNA.
Here’s the video:
*SPOILERS* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Friday
Thanks to Andy Barkley for the following live report of Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings Sacramento, set to air this Friday on SyFy:
* Teddy Long opened the show and announces that Vickie Guerrero will compete in a match tonight with her job on the line.
* Rey Mysterio defeated Kane.
* Dusty Rhodes came out and called out Cody Rhodes. Dusty talked Cody into apologizing to Rey Mysterio. Dusty and Rey shook hands until Dusty turned on Rey. Cody beat Rey down and took his mask, smashing Rey into the mirror for his entrance.
* Dusty and Code are backstage. Dusty said he would do anything for Cody.
* Rosa Mendes beat Layla by DQ when Michelle McCool, who was on commentary, attacked Rosa. More tension between LayCool.
* Jack Swagger beat Kofi Kingston with the ankle lock.
* Vickie Guerrero is trying to recruit Chavo Guerrero for some help backstage but he’s not having any of it.
* Big Show beat Wade Barrett by countout. The Corre was banned from ringside. After the match, Show hit Wade and went for a chokeslam but Corre came out for the save. Show chased them off with a steel chair.
* Edge and Kelly Kelly beat Vickie Guerrero and Drew McIntyre when Kelly speared Vickie and Edge speared Drew. Teddy Long came down to celebrate with Edge and Kelly while Vickie throws a fit, even asking Booker T for help. Per the stipulation from Teddy at the show opener, it looks like Vickie has lost her job. After the match, Alberto Del Rio comes down and attacks Edge.
Jericho’s Announcement, Trish’s Acting Career, DiBiase Brothers
– Chris Jericho announced today in Los Angeles that he will be the host of the Revolver Golden God Awards, airing on VH1 Classics on April 20th.
Jericho’s band Fozzy will be performing that night and WWE Champion The Miz has been nominated for the “Most Metal Athlete” award.
– Many pepole believe that Trish Stratus is returning to WWE for Tough Enough as a way to get herself exposure on a hit show and advance her acting career.
– As noted earlier, Ted DiBiase and his brother Brett DiBiase will be appearing together prior to the FCW live event on March 16th in Punta Gorda, Florida. FCW announced yesterday that the brothers will also be teaming together the show.
Monday’s RAW Draws Best Rating Since 2009 (Details)
Monday’s episode of WWE RAW drew a 3.9 cable rating with 5,860,000 viewers – making it the highest rated RAW in a year and a half.
The first hour drew a 3.85 (5.89 million viewers) and the second hour did a 3.85 (5.82 million viewers). T
This was the highest rated RAW since the September 7th, 2009 episode.
In terms of viewers, this week’s show has the most average viewers since the post-SummerSlam RAW on August 24th, 2009.
Monday’s RAW was the top ranked show of all cable TV for the night in total viewers and in male demographics.
Overall, it looks like The Rock’s return the week before, the fallout of Elimination Chamber and the big reveal of 2/21/11 were enough to spike viewership interest.
Jerry Lawler Thinks Jim Ross Will Return To WWE Television
During an interview with Fighting Spirit Magazine, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler said that his longtime friend Jim Ross will indeed return to WWE television in the near future.
“JR and I had some tremendous chemistry,” Lawler said, “But I don’t think you’ve seen the last of that. I think JR will be back on the air in some capacity. He’s too good not to utilise.
A lot of people don’t realise what the situation is with him. He had a couple — I guess three now — real serious bouts of Bell’s Palsy, which is very similar in effects to a stroke. They don’t really know, but they think the attacks are brought on by stress. Nobody takes their job more seriously than good old JR.”
“The reason Vince has kept him off TV all this time is because he’s concerned with his health. He’s worried that if he puts him back out there regularly, he’ll have another Bell’s Palsy attack.”
Lawler also spoke about never wrestling at WrestleMania despite 17 years with the company – and why he may finally get his chance to wrestle on the biggest stage of them all.
“I’ve been with WWE for 17 years and that’s something I’ve never achieved,” he said. “I remember in 2007, when Vince came to me and said they were going to induct me into the Hall of Fame, I said that I didn’t want to. He said: ‘What do you mean, you don’t want to?’ I replied: ‘Most people feel like your career is over when you go into the Hall of Fame, like in baseball or football or something. Also, I’ve never done that much here, Vince. I’ve never won a title, I’ve never even wrestled on a WrestleMania.’ He said: ‘What? You’ve never wrestled on a Wrestlemania in all the years you’ve been here? That’s a tragedy. We’ve got to fix that next year. “That was his mindset then, but things get put on the backburner. First 2008 came and I didn’t get a match, then 2009 came and I didn’t get a match, then 2010.
“But I must say that there’s never really been a point in time in those years when I’ve been involved as much as I have been as of late. So if there ever was a time for it to happen, I think this would be the most advantageous. “And would I love to have a WrestleMania match? Oh boy, yes. Other than getting inducted into the Hall of Fame, that would maybe be the highlight of my career to finally get to perform there.”
Lashley Talks About Returning to Wrestling, Batista & Lesnar
Former WWE & TNA wrestler Bobby Lashley discussed former wrestlers Brock Lesnar and Batista, as well as a potential return to pro wrestling, in an interview with ProMMANow.com this week. The following are excerpts from the wrestling portion of the discussion. The full interview can be read at ProMMANow.com.
PRO MMA NOW: You along with guys like Brock Lesnar and Batista have made the jump to MMA from professional wresting. Do you ever talk to those guys any?
BOBBY LASHLEY: I haven’t talked to Brock. You know I’ve never really talked to Brock. When I went to WWE he was already out so our paths have never crossed so I’ve never even met him or even talked to him. Then as far as Dave Batista, we were pretty good friends when we were in the WWE but when we came out of the WWE, when he went into his fight deal, I think that his target was kind of set on that big fight and that big fight was supposed to be against me. So I think our relationship kind of went two different directions and I think the reason why he was wanting to do that was because he was wanting to use me as his big match and I think that’s what Strikeforce is really hoping for if they have that match with me against Dave. I haven’t really talked to him since I’ve been out of the WWE or since he’s been out of the WWE.
PRO MMA NOW: You’ve said in the past that while a fight between you and Batista might be a good fight for the fans, it wasn’t really a good fight for your career. Do you still feel that way, and are you open to a fight with him at some point in the future?
BOBBY LASHLEY: I’m open to a fight with almost anyone and Dave has been training. I’ve heard that he’s been training pretty hard and if that fight were presented I would definitely take it. Of course it is a fight for a lot of wrestling fans because a lot of wrestling fans out there want to see that fight. There are millions upon millions of wrestling fans, but I’m not going to decline that fight. If that fight were ever brought to me I would definitely sign in a second and fight him. That’s the way the fight business is. You have to fight so whoever is brought to you that is who you are going to be fighting.
PRO MMA NOW: Do you ever see yourself at any point going back to professional wrestling?
BOBBY LASHLEY: Man, I love professional wrestling. Some people get out of professional wrestling and they’re real bitter for several different reasons. I don’t know, maybe it’s the travel, maybe it’s the people that you encounter when you are in the wrestling business, but for me I loved wrestling when I was in there. It was very time consuming and it was hard at the time when you were just thrust into an organization and there are a lot of really shady people in wrestling. I mean I dealt with them on a daily basis. But that’s not going to stop the fact that I love the sport. If I had an opportunity to go back to wrestling I would definitely consider it. I still do some wrestling. I go to Japan every couple months and I work with an organization out there with Inoki’s organization IGF (Inoki Genome Federation). So I still get that taste of wrestling going out there and working out with those guys. At the same time, there are usually a handful of fighters there. Like last time Josh Barnett was there so I was able to work out a little bit there and do some MMA training and then have the show. I’m completely open to professional wrestling anytime.
Jersey Shore’s Angelina Signs With TNA (Press Release)
SpikeTV issued the following press release on Thursday:
ANGELINA FROM THE “JERSEY SHORE” TO GET IN THE WRESTLING RING AND ISSUE A SPECIAL CHALLENGE
Angelina To Guest Star In Two Episodes Of Spike TV’s “TNA iMPACT!” In March
New York, NY, February 24, 2011 — Angelina Pivarnivck, a former cast member of MTV’s megahit series “The Jersey Shore,” is taking her talents into the wrestling ring. Angelina will appear on two upcoming “TNA iMPACT” episodes on SPIKE TV, Thursday, March 3 at 9:00pm ET/PT and Thursday, March 10 at 9:00pm ET/PT.
In the episode, Angelina will meet and partner with the wrestling duo “The Shore,” comprised of Cookie and Robbie E, and make her professional wrestling debut in the TNA ring. Angelina and “The Shore” share a mutual hatred of “Jersey Shore” star, J-WOWW, whom she will challenge publicly to meet her in the ring for a full-on brawl.
Last October, J-WOWW made an appearance on TNA where she pounded the trash-talking Cookie (who bares a striking resemblance to Snooki).
This special TNA “iMPACT!” event tapes Thursday, February 24 at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC. ‘TNA iMPACT” airs on Spike TV Thursdays at 9:00pm ET/PT.
Major *SPOILER* For Tonight’s TNA iMPACT! Surprise
TNA has been teasing the “most shocking moment of the year” will take place on tonight’s iMPACT! ..
A TNA source has informed us that Steve “Sting” Borden is backstage at today’s iMPACT! taping in Fayetteville, North Carolin.
However, it is not known what his role at the event will be.
It was reported earlier today that Borden had re-signed with the organization. His prior contract expired in December.
Borden last appeared for TNA Wrestling in October.
New York Jets Player Bart Scott Signs With TNA Wrestling
FOXSports.com is reporting that New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott, who got national attention during the NFL playoffs for cutting a pro wrestling style promo after a game, has signed a deal with TNA to appear at tonight’s iMPACT! tapings from Fayetteville, North Carolina.
View Here: Bart Scott’s Post-Game Wrestling Promo That Went Viral
Scott’s NFL contract will likely prohibit him from engaging any physical activity, but Scott will be working with Hulk Hogan on camera in TNA.
Following Scott’s post-game wrestling promo that got him so much attention, Hulk Hogan told the New York Daily News that Scott could absolutely have a career in pro wrestling once his football days are over.
“I knew when Bart looked down the barrel of the camera he believed in himself and in what he was saying,” Hogan said. “That makes him a real dangerous man. When his career’s over and he wants to make some real money, tell him to give me a call and we’ll break him in the right way.”
Tune in next Thursday night, March 3rd to see Bart Scott on iMPACT!
More Names Announced For WWE All Stars (Full Roster)
Video game website IGN.com has revealed the remaining characters who will be a part of the upcoming WWE All Stars video game. Here’s the complete roster:
Legends
Jimmy Snuka
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
Shawn Michaels
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin
The Rock
Ultimate Warrior
Mr. Perfect
Andre the Giant
Bret Hart
Eddie Guerrero
Hulk Hogan
Jake The Snake
Macho Man
Roddy Piper
Sgt. Slaughter
Superstars
Big Show
CM Punk
Drew McIntyre
John Cena
John Morrison
Sheamus
The Miz
The Undertaker
Edge
Jack Swagger
Kane
Kofi Kingston
Randy Orton
Rey Mysterio
Triple H
Downloadable Characters
Big Bossman
Chris Jericho
Jerry “The King” Lawler
Michael Hayes
Mark Henry
R-Truth
The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
Dusty Rhodes
Cody Rhodes
Hawk
Animal
Non-Playable Talent
Howard Finkel
Paul Bearer
Announcers
Jim Ross
Jerry Lawler
Hulk Hogan Rips The Rock For His Return Promo
During an interview with Peter Rosenberg, Hulk Hogan criticized WWE’s handling of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s return to WWE last week on Raw.
“They’ve spent so much time building John Cena up. There’s a way to really build somebody up, but all of a sudden within three or four seconds, he had the whole arena screaming that Cena sucks,” Hogan said.
“Sometimes I don’t understand the philosophy. John Cena is going to be there all the time. Even though The Rock said he’s back, he’s only back for one day. He’s not going to be there wrestling every single day like John Cena is, really holding it down and really keeping it real. All that stuff is scripted. They had Stephanie McMahon and the writers telling The Rock exactly what to say. I just didn’t understand why they would want to destroy Cena so quickly.”
Hogan also talked about the eight (!!!) back surgeries he’s undergone over the past year. Though he wears a brace, he’s now pain free. He noted that he will be on hand for tonight’s iMPACT! taping in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
You can check out the interview at Rosenberg’s official website, RosenbergRadio.com.
Triple H Recruiting Talent, Undertaker Not Touring, MVP
– As Triple H continues to assume more duties behind the scenes in WWE, one area he’s been focusing on lately is recruiting new talent. Many people are interested to see what type of wrestlers Triple H sees as having future potential and whether his vision of what a superstar should be differs from Vince McMahon’s. Triple H is in favor of slowly developing talents and not calling them up to the main roster until they are fully ready.
– The Undertaker made his return to WWE on Monday’s RAW and will be working a WrestleMania program with Triple H, but the he will not be working a full-time schedule in the coming months. Shortly after WrestleMania 27, WWE will be headed back overseas for another European tour and the Dead Man is not currently scheduled to appear, despite being one of WWE’s top draws.
– MVP will be taking part in New Japan’s upcoming tournament and will face Karl Anderson in the first round on March 6th in Tokyo. If MVP wins, he will face the winner of Togi Makabe vs. Satoshi Kojima on March 19th.
– As we reported earlier in the week, MVP’s original tag team partner for his New Japan debut was arrested prior to their match for stealing a taxi. MVP wrote the following on Twitter about NOSAWA and his troubles:
“Best wishes to my man @NOSAWARONGAI187 ! He’s a good guy that allowed alcohol to influence him to make a bad decision. Ganbatte kudasai!”
(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
Cena’s Tag Title History, Miss USA, Evan Bourne’s Return
– On Monday’s episode of WWE RAW, John Cena catpured the WWE tag titles and had a very brief title run with WrestleMania 27 opponent The Miz. It’s interesting to note that out of the four times that John Cena has held the WWE Tag Team Titles, every one of his title reigns has been with a partner that he’s feuding with at the time. with someone he was feuding with at that time.
Cena won the belts with Shawn Michaels in 2007, Batista in 2008, David Otunga in 2010 and The Miz this past Monday night.
Even more interesting is that each of Cena’s tag title reigns was shorter than the previous – two months with HBK, one week with Batista, one day with David Otunga and 12 minutes with The Miz.
– The upcoming season of WWE Tough Enough is being viewed as a chance to give a major push to Miss USA Rima Fakih. WWE sees the beauty queen as having tremendous potential as a WWE diva and the plan is to bring her up to the main roster as a babyface as soon as Tough Enough concludes, regardless of whether she wins the competition or not. Fakih is a big wrestling fan and has a legitimate interest in being a WWE Diva.
– While Evan Bourne is reportedly scheduled to return to the ring before the end of February, he might not be ready for action until late March or early April. Bourne is currently advertised to return at the March 14th RAW in St. Louis and RAW live events the following weekend, but it’s still depending on whether he’s healthy by then.
(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The Rock’s Next Appearance, Rock Talks Triple H – Taker
– There’s no word yet on when The Rock will make his next WWE television appearance, but company officials want to keep his presence special and do not want to overexpose him. That said, he will be on RAW at least one more time before WrestleMania to further his feud with John Cena and The Miz and give a final boost to the WrestleMania build.
– Following Monday’s RAW, The Rock tweeted the following about the Undertaker and Triple H’s confrontation:
“loved seeing both Undertaker and Triple H return..what incredible crowd reactions for both..very happy for them – epic match!”
– People close to The Rock believe that his return to WWE means a lot to him. After being away for 7 years, Rock genuinely missed being in front of a live crowd and is excited to be a part of WrestleMania. The Rock’s mother was quoted last week saying:
“I was so proud of him. It was emotional to me, as his music hit and he appeared. It was flashbacks through the past, through three generations in the business we’ve loved throughout. By the time he hit that ring and took that mic and I saw the goose bumps on his arms, I knew he was in it. The connection between him and the fans was incredible. Like he had never left.”
* MAJOR Update On WM27 Plans: Money In The Bank, Lawler-Cole, NEXUS
(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
WM27 News: MITB, Triple H-Taker, Cole-Lawler, HBK
We’ve got a major update on what WWE’s got planned for WrestleMania 27, which is now just over 5 weeks away:
Money In The Bank: There’s still no decisive word on whether WWE will be holding a Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania. While the company’s new Money In The Bank pay-per-view that was introduced last year seems to be a reason not to hold the match at WrestleMania, the match is still seen as an effective way of including lots of mid-cart talent (guys like Kofi Kingston, John Morrison, Drew McIntyre and Christian) on the WrestleMania card.
If WWE does not have Money in the Bank at WrestleMania, expect to see another multi-man match (such as a 10-man tag match) on the card.
WM27 Ticket Sales: WWE has already sold over 50,000 tickets for the Georgia Dome and company officials are confident they’ll sell the remainder of seats in time for the show.
Undertaker & Triple H: Triple H and The Undertaker have been given creative freedom with their WrestleMania program, with WWE’s writing team having very little input.
Original plans called for the Undertaker to face Wade Barrett and Triple H to wrestle Sheamus, but Triple H and the Undertaker decided that a “dream match” between the two of them would be most marketable scenario.
HBK’s Involement: Shawn Michaels is still expected to be introduced into the Undertaker vs. Triple H storyline, possibly as a referee or ringside enforcer. The idea behind HBK’s involvement would be that Triple H is going to try to end Undertaker’s stream as payback for ending his best friend’s career.
Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler: Vince McMahon is loving this current storyline and has been feeding Michael Cole much of his on-air insults towards Lawler. It’s said that Vince is using Jerry Lawler’s feud with comedian Andy Kaufman and his inspiration for this angle.
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus: WWE officials are building towards a feud between Sheamus and United States Champion Daniel Bryan. They are expected to have a match for the title at WrestleMania 27.
Announcing Team: With WWE announcers Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole involved in a heated feud that will likely culminate at WrestleMania, it seems unlikely that the two of them will work side by side calling the show. There’s been talk that Jim Ross will be brought in to call the show, which would certainly give the show a “big time” feel.
(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for the information used in this report)
Jericho’s Huge News Coming Today, Best Seller Update
– Chris Jericho noted on Twitter that he will be making his big announcement at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles today around 12:30pm local time. Check back later for more on that.
– Chris Jericho’s new book Undisputed has moved up to the #13 spot on the NY Times bestseller list this week. Jericho wrote on Twitter:
“Undisputed moved all the way up to number 13 on the NY Times bestseller list this week! Thanks to all who drank the literary Kool-Aid…”
We’ll take partial credit for that accomplishment!
– Jericho taped an episode of The George Lopez Show on TBS last night, that will air tonight, Thursday. Jericho joins the barbershop quartet for a performance.
– Chris Jericho will be on The Bud & Manchild radio show in Syracuse this morning at 11am and then part of a press conference for The Golden God Awards at Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. Jericho then will be appearing at the ESPN Zone at LA River from 6-7:30pm.
WWE Unhappy With Tough Enough Casting, Matt Cross
– WWE was said to be unhappy with the first batch of Tough Enough contestants that were chosen by Shed Media and the USA Network.
Specifically, WWE reportedly did not like how so many well-known independent wrestlers were selected.
The people who were in charge of casting were replaced by a guy who has previously worked closely with WWE producer Kevin Dunn.
– As noted yesterday, indy star Matt Cross is reportedly a contestant on the new WWE Tough Enough.
Former WWE star Val Venis wrote the following on Twitter yesterday, congratulating him:
“Congrats to Matt Cross on being part of the cast of tough enough. The M-Dogg is amazing and should be a fav to win the whole damn show!”
(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
Concern Over Angle’s Health, Tonight’s Big Tapings & More
– There is concern in TNA over Kurt Angle’s condition after he was pulled from singles main events against Jeff Jarrett at last weekend’s TNA live events. Instead of Angle having to carry a full main event singles match, they had him team with Beer Money to face Jeff Jarrett and Ink Inc. Beer Money carried most of the match, with Angle basically taking part in the match’s finish.
– Tonight is a big night for TNA – the company will tape the March 3rd episode of iMPACT from Fayetteville, North Carolina. This will be only the second iMPACT! ever taped outside of Orlando.
Advertised for tonight are the return of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair vs. AJ Styles, Karen and Jeff Jarrett renewing their wedding vows.
– Former TNA Knockout Chelsea is now working on a show called The College Experiment, airing Thursday nights on FUEL TV.
TNA iMPACT! Preview For Tonight: Shocker Of The Year
– The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s episode of TNA iMPACT! on Spike TV:
- Kurt Angle vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Mr. Anderson
- Eric Young & Orlando Jordan vs. Gunner & Murphy
- Crimson vs. Magnus
- Rob Terry vs. Scott Steiner in a posedown
- Madison Rayne’s open challenge
TNA is also teasing the “most shocking moment of the year” at the end of tonight’s broadcast.
Based on what we’ve heard, there’s a strong chance the shocking moment will be … the return of Sting.