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Ring of Honor Parts Ways With HDNet, Final Show Airs April 4th

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In a surprising turn of events, Ring of Honor’s TV deal with HDNet has expired and they will no longer be airing on the network after April 4th.

The promotion released the following statement late this evening:

“Ring of Honor completed its 2 year TV contract with HDNet. During this time “ROH on HDNet” fans witnessed many great matches, the introduction of the ROH Television Title, and the crowning of new tag champions, among other historical moments. HDNet will air new episodes of ROH until 4/4/11. Please continue to support ROH and watch these new shows on HDNet.

Negotiations are underway for HDNet to broadcast a live special in 2011, and we will bring you more information on that as it becomes available. Ring of Honor Wrestling would like to thank HDNet for the last two years, especially those behind the scenes that made it possible every single TV taping.

The final ROH on HDNet TV tapings are scheduled for January 21st & 22nd in Philadelphia, so come out and support ROH as we close out our weekly run on HDNet.

ROH on HDNet premiered in March 2009. The split is said to be amicable and, as the ROH statement alludes to, they are in talks for at least one live special on the network that would air sometime this year. They are also now free to pursue a new TV deal with another network.

Ex-WWE Star Mike Adamle Arrested For DUI, Tested For Drugs

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Mike Adamle (Simulated Mugshot)

Former Raw General Manager Mike Adamle, who is the sports director at NBC’s Chicago affiliate, was charged with driving under the influence early Monday after he was stopped by police in Evanston, Illinois. He later displayed “erratic behavior,” according to authorities.

The former Chicago Bear and Northwestern University All-American was arrested at 1 a.m. Monday in the area of Main Street and Judson Avenue, according to a police report.

Adamle was pulled over for allegedly disobeying a red-flashing traffic signal at Main and Sheridan, according to police. The officer who pulled him over believed Adamle to be under influence, so he conducted a field sobriety test, which he failed.

When the former ECW play-by-play announcer was taken to the police station, police Cmdr. Jay Parrott said he exhibited some “erratic behavior.” The Chicago Sun-Times adds that he was subsequently taken to a hospital for a drug screen. The results from the drug test are pending.

Police Chief Richard Eddington ordered that Adamle’s mug shot not be released.

In addition to DUI, he was also charged with disobeying a traffic control device and failing to notify the Security State’s office of an address change.

Adamle is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 14 in Skokie.

More details on the story are available here.

WWE No Longer Hiring Talent Over 30, Tryouts Announced

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— A number of older independent wrestlers were informed by World Wrestling Entertainment officials that they are solely seeking to hire talent under the age of 30, especially those that would enter the company’s developmental system.

While not an official edict, more than four wrestlers were told this in recent weeks when looking into potential work with the organization.

— WWE.com announced today that Florida Championship Wrestling, the official developmental territory of WWE, is holding a four-day talent evaluation clinic March 4-7 in Tampa, Florida. For more information on the camp, click here.

NXT season three contestant AJ Lee and Raw Superstar Darren Young are the most notable wrestlers to land contracts with WWE via FCW’s talent evaluation clinic. Both signed developmental contracts immediately following a tryout in May 2009.

source: PWInsider.com

RAW Rating Holds Up Well Against Very Stiff Competition

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Monday’s episode of WWE RAW scored a 3.05 rating, virtually idential to last week’s rating. The show did hours of 3.0 and 3.1.

RAW averaged 4.60 million viewers over the two-hour broadcast, with the first hour doing 4.55 million viewers and the second hour doing 4.65 million viewers. Overall, the show was up around 100,000 viewers from last week.

While a 3.05 rating does not sound like anything to celebrate, there was fear within WWE that the rating was going to dip below 3.0 due to the stiff competition that RAW faced from the BCS Championship college football game on ESPN, which was the most-watched show in cable history. The BCS game drew a 17.8 rating and averaged 27.3 million viewers.

(Source: PWTorch.com)

Mickie James Discusses Joining TNA, Being Single, Her Music

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Recap of Mickie James & Jeremy Borash on Monsters in the Morning
By John Canton of thejohnreport.net TheJohnReport.net and MickieJames.com.

TNA’s Mickie James and Jeremy Borash were on the Monsters in the Morning show in Orlando (XM 152).

– She talked about this being her first country album, Strangers & Angels. The hosts asked her how we can get more people into country music. She said there’s a misconception about the music and now it can be a little bit of southern rock with pop too, so people should be open to the crossover that’s there. The hosts talked about how that Country Strong movie did poorly at the theatres in its opening weekend because some people get turned off by country music.

– They asked about celebrities in TNA. Borash mentioned that Toby Keith shows up once in a while and Snoop Dogg has showed up. They talked about J-Woww from Jersey Shore showing up saying they got exposure on TMZ with it. Then the hosts talked about J-Woww’s features, but Jeremy quickly moved off topic.

– They asked Mickie how the other girls treated her. Mickie said they welcomed her with open arms. They all realize that the bigger names that people have, the better it is for the company in terms of exposure.

– Mickie said that there’s a mix in the company from TNA originals, to former WWE people and wrestlers from all over the world, which makes it a cool place to work in.

– Borash talked about how he and other TNA wrestlers like Jeff Hardy & Beer Money went to Japan last week and how it helps the exposure of the company.

– They plugged Impact tapings for the next two nights at Universal in Orlando starting at around 5:30pm with free entry as always. Borash mentioned the Hardy brothers being together at the tapings last night. Mickie mentions they don’t really know what they will do on the day of the taping until you get to the building.

– The hosts asked Mickie if she’s single. She said yes. Madison Rayne said on the show yesterday she doesn’t date wrestlers and Mickie mentioned that you’re around many wrestlers all the time, so sometimes stuff happens, but she’s been single for a couple of years because she’s so busy. Borash mentioned a lot of the guys on the roster have crushes on Mickie.

– Mickie plugs the TNA theme song “Hardcore Country.” She mentions the song “Don’t Apologize” from her Strangers & Angels CD being her favorite. Then she talks about “Are You With Me?” being her first single and “Hollywood Movie Moment” being another favorite on the album. Then they started playing “Are You With Me?” She mentioned Tim McGraw being a favorite artist. She mentioned the
songs will be on iTunes again soon. (I should also note the whole CD will be available again on mickiejames.com very soon.)

– The hosts plugged the Impact tapings one more time and mentioned their close association with the the TNA brand.

The segment lasted about 15 minutes.

TNA Star Inks New Contract, Desmond Wolfe Update, More

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— Jesse Neal has signed a new three-year contract with TNA Wrestling.

— Desmond Wolfe has been backstage at this week’s television tapings at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

— TNA Wrestling has posted a new episode of Pillow Talk with SoCal Val. Her special guest is Miss Tessmacher, who answers questions such as boxers or briefs, what she sleeps in at night, which celebrity she would like to be stranded on a deserted island with, her favorite sappy movie, and more.

source: PWInsider.com

Stevie Richards Announces He Has Quit TNA Wrestling

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Stevie Richards announced this afternoon on his Twitter account that he has quit TNA Wrestling. He wrote:

“Just left Universal Studios. Had a great talk with Terry Taylor and Vince Russo about making the decision to quit TNA Wrestling. Thanks to everyone there for the past 2 years.”

Richards last appeared on iMPACT! on Nov. 11, which saw him fall to AJ Styles in a Television Championship Match. He was taken out of the ring in a neck brace, after suffering a storyline injury.

With Richards’ departure from the organization, Tommy Dreamer is the last member remaining member from the EV2.0 faction.

Cena Fined For Bad Language, Bad Sign For RAW Rating & More

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— John Cena issued an apology on Twitter for using the word “ass” on RAW, claiming he was fined for the non-PG language. Cena wrote on Twitter.com/JohnCena:

“Lots of posts about my language last night on Raw. I do apologize. It was out of line and I was indeed fined. If I have offended anyone it was not my intention.”

“I was very frustrated about being hurt and not able to compete. I lost my cool. I am sorry. Next time I will use something more creative like ‘whoop yer crap locker’ or ‘whoop yer dump box.'”

This is almost certainly a storyline and Cena actually being fined is highly unlikely.

Cena’s gotten a lot of criticism for his childish insults (such as using the word “poopie”) – so please John, let’s stay away from “crap locker” and “dump box.”

— When the rating is announced for last night’s episode of WWE RAW, it likely will not be pretty. Monday’s BCS National Championship game on ESPN (between the Oregon Ducks and the Auburn Tigers) drew a staggering 16.1 overnight cable rating, according to TVByTheNumbers.com. If that number holds up, it would make that game the most-watched show in the history of cable television. The record is currently held by an NFL Monday Night Football game on ESPN between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings (10/5/09). That game did a 15.3 rating with almost 22 million viewers.

– WWE is now selling the new Nexus “Uprising” shirt that CM Punk and Nexus wore on RAW.

– Tyson Kidd’s bodyguard Jackson Andrews didn’t appear with him on RAW, the second week in a row that Kidd went to the ring alone. Andrews was with Kidd at this past weekend’s RAW live events, but it looks like WWE is unsure of whether to keep the two together.

JR Blog: HBK In The Hall Of Fame, Punk As Nexus Leader, Lawler

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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:

Shwan Michaels Joining WWE’s Hall of Fame:

“HBK is SO deserving and is arguably the greatest in ring performer of all time and let me tell you folks that statement covers a lot of ground.”

“HBK was a ‘natural’ for the wrestling biz. He was a life long fan. He was a very good athlete. He had a natural swagger and loads of confidence, some critics would likely say too much confidence, once he stepped inside the ring. HBK knew that he was going to be great because he was willing to put in the work and study to get there.”

“Congratulations Shawn. You are special in so many ways. The man you have grown to become is admirable. I am so proud of you for a multitude of reasons but nothing as much as you becoming the wonderful husband and father that you are.”

Jerry Lawler’s Recent Push On RAW:

“Outside of John Cena, Orton, and John Morrison, perhaps, Jerry Lawler is on as nice a protagonist roll as any one on Raw. Good for Jerry and perhaps this will necessitate the King finally getting his long awaited, highly desired wrestling match at WM27.”

CM Punk As The Leader Of Nexus:

“CM Punk is ultra talented and in the span of a couple of episodes he has given me reasons to reinvest in Nexus again as I am curious as to how the Punk leading Nexus business plays out over time. More importantly, I’m curious as to what young athletes will ‘breakout of the group in time as individual stars.”

As always, visit JRsBarBQ.com to check out JR’s great line of BBQ products!

Cena Wrestles After RAW, WWE Stars Congratulate HBK & More

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– After Monday’s WWE RAW went off the air, John Cena made his return and looked to be in pretty good shape. Cena teamed with Randy Orton to beat The Miz and CM Punk. Michael Cole was the special ref. Cena didn’t take a lot of bumps but did hit all his signature spots. Towards the end of the match, Cole got knocked out and another referee came down to replace him. The ending of the match was said to be very exciting, Orton and Cena hit their finishers for the win.

– Several people in WWE have commented on Shawn Michaels being the first name announced for the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011.

Joey Styles: “Shawn Michaels is the best all around wrestler I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. Calling his matches was always fun. Congrats Shawn.”

Jim Ross: “When I had dinner w/ hbk in okc few wks ago, shawn mentioned the wwe hof & how much it meant 2 him. Congrats Shawn & welcome 2 the club.”

Howard Finkle: “Congrats of your forthcoming induction into the WWE Hall of Fame! Welcome to the club, my friend!”

Beth Phoenix: “HBK! HBK! HBK”

Jeff Hardy Talks About His Legal Situation, Matt Talks TNA

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– TMZ.com caught up with Jeff Hardy this week, who spoke about his upcoming court date on drug charges in North Carolina. Hardy told TMZ he would “make the best of it, bro.” Hardy said the situation was “frustrating” and added, “It’s been a long while … but it should get to an end soon.”

You can see a brief video of Hardy’s comments to TMZ at this link.

— Jeff’s brother Matt is speaking out on Twitter about his first few days in TNA. Matt wrote on @MattHardyBrand:

“The last 2 days of work at TNA have been AWESOME! Fun, stress-free, & how work should be-I am very grateful toward TNA for the opportunity.”

When asked whether we’d see a Hardy Boyz reunion in TNA, Matt responded:

“All I can say is don’t miss TNA Impact on Thursday at 9 pm to find out ;-)”

*SPOILER* TNA Against All Odds Main Evnet

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* Warning: The following contains a SPOILER for Thursday’s TNA iMPACT!:

At Tuesday’s TNA iMPACT! tapings (set to air this Thursday on Spike TV), it was announced that the main event of the upcoming Against All Odds pay-per-view will see Mr. Anderson defend his new TNA World championship against former champion Jeff Hardy.

TNA Against All Odds takes place Sunday, February 13, 2011 from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

VIDEO: Shawn Michaels Returns To WWE On RAW

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On RAW, it was announced that the one and only Shawn Michaels will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April as part of the Class of 2011.  Michaels returned for an in-ring segment with SmackDown star Alberto Del Rio .. If you didn’t catch it on Monday – here’s a clip of what went down, courtesy of WWE’s YouTube channel:

ROH on HDNet Features a “Strong” Main Event With Cabana

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Here are the quick results from last night’s ROH on HDNet:

-“The Prodigy” Mike Bennett (w/”Brutal” Bob Evans) def. Nick Dinsmore in his debut match by pinfall with a spinebuster.

-Jim Cornette interviewed ROH Tag Team champions The Kings of Wrestling, Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli, in the ring. Kenny King and Rhett Titus (“The All Night Express”) are introduced by Cornette mid-way through and are announced as the new #1 contenders to Hero & Claudio’s tag belts.

-Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole def. Mike Posey and Corey Hollins by pinfall after hitting Hollins with a double lungblower (backcracker).

-ROH World Champion Roderick Strong (w/Truth Martini) def. Colt Cabana by pinfall with a Sick Kick in a non-title match.

Next week, Chris Hero will battle “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels to determine the #1 contender for the ROH TV Title. Also, Daizee Haze faces MsChif.

Next Week’s RAW Main Event: John Cena vs. CM Punk

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The main event of next week’s episode of RAW from Little Rock, Arkansas will see John Cena return to action against the new leader of Nexus, CM Punk.

Based on Cena wrestling next week, he could be healthy and past his injury, or WWE could have an angle planned that would allow an injured Cena to participate in a match with limited physical requirements.

Cena vs. Punk is a huge match to give away on RAW, another indication that we won’t get a full match between the two RAW headliners.

Sean Waltman Comments On HBK’s HOF Induction

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After it was announced that Shawn Michaels will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 2nd, longtime friend Sean “X-Pac” Waltman wrote the following on Twitter.com/TheRealXPac:

“I have no words right now to describe how happy I am for Shawn,” Waltman wrote.

“No one deserves it more. I will be there to see him inducted if I have to f—ing hitchhike to get there… I would love for the Wolfpac to be in attendance that night. I’m trying to think of the last time The Kliq were all together. 2002?”

HBK Comments On HOF Induction, Two More “Big Ones” TBA

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— Shawn Michaels was announced tonight on Raw by Jerry “The King” Lawler as the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2011. He took to Twitter to comment on the honor, writing: “Surprise! Surprise! Seriously, thanks to all of u for making my career such a joy. I will carry those moments w/me all my life. Thx 4 sharing it w/me.”

The term “HBK HBK HBK” topped Twitter’s worldwide trend list shortly after the announcement. “Shawn Michaels” and “Sweet Chin Music” also trended.

F4WOnline.com reports that tonight’s WWE Hall of Fame inductee announcement is one of “three big ones” that have been finalized.

New Trailer Released For Triple H Film, Double Date Announced

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— WWE has released a new trailer previewing The Chaperone via Facebook.com.

As reported earlier, the film is slated for a brief theatrical run beginning on Feb. 18. The film will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on Mar. 8.

— It was announced tonight on Raw that Derrick Bateman and his NXT Pro, Daniel Bryan, will be going on a double date with The Bella Twins on tomorrow night’s episode of NXT.

— The bodyguard of Tyson Kidd, Jackson Andrews, did not accompany his associate for his match on tonight’s Raw. It is the second consecutive week in which Andrews was MIA for Kidd’s televised match. Andrews, however, accompanied Kidd for his matches against David Hart Smith at live events over the weekend.

Shawn Michaels Leads WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011

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— On Monday’s RAW, Shawn Michaels was announced as the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011. No announcement was made regarding who would induct Michaels. This year’s ceremony will take place at the Phillips Arena from Atlanta, Georgia on April 2nd during WrestleMania 27 weekend. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10:00 A.M. EST via Ticketmaster.

Related News:

— An 8-Man Tag Team Match was taped tonight in Nashville, Tennessee for this Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars pitting Yoshi Tatsu, David Hart Smith, Primo and Darren Young against Zack Ryder, William Regal and The Usos. Also taped was a match between Gail Kim and Alicia Fox.

— John Cena is featured on the cover of the latest issue of WWE Kids Magazine.

*SPOILERS* TNA iMPACT! Tapings Results For Thursday

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Thanks to Eric for the following spoilers from tonight’s TNA iMPACT tapings in Orlando, airing this Thursday night on iMPACT:

* Beer Money defeated The Motor City Machine Guns with the belts on the line.

* Mr. Anderson came out and talks about making it to be World Heavyweight Champion in TNA. He says he debuted at Genesis last year and won the belt this year. Matt Morgan comes out and they talk about their match last night. Morgan says 2011 will be his year.

* Eric Bischoff comes out and says this is his, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan’s TNA. Bischoff calls Anderson a fraud. Jeff Hardy will get his rematch at Against All Odds. Hardy appears on the big screen and says Anderson was lucky last night. Rob Van Dam appeared and attacked Hardy in the back. Anderson runs to the back but Fortune beat both Anderson and RVD down.

* The Pope comes out and talks about Samoa Joe. Pope says he has footage of Joe and his wife, then shows footage of pigs having sex. Joe comes out and Pope flees. Joe calls Pope a bitch, a fraud and a phony. Joe promises to kill Pope at some point.

* Flair and Bischoff beat down Beer Money backstage. They blame it on RVD and Anderson.

* Jeff Jarrett comes out with his MMA team. Jarrett is here to celebrate the career of a retired MMA fighter tonight and talks about his match last night with Kurt Angle. Jarrett introduces Angle’s ex, Karen Jarrett. However, Kurt comes out. Jarrett’s team goes after him but he drops them all. Karen comes out and distracts Kurt. Jarrett runs away and joins her. Karen is pissed at Kurt.

* Angelina Love and Winter defended the Knockouts Tag Titles against Madison Rayne and Tara. Madison tried to use her glove but Mickie James came out and stopped her, chasing her to the back.

* Anderson comes back out and re-shoots his promo from earlier. Anderson is wearing his ring gear this time as he had on street clothes earlier. Anderson mentions that WWE wouldn’t let him be himself.

* Matt Morgan defeated Abyss in a non-title match. Flair tried getting involved but Morgan stopped him. Rob Terry, Flair and Abyss beat Morgan down after the match.

* The reunited Hardy Boyz defeated Rob Van Dam and Ken Anderson after Beer Money interfered. Fortune destroyed Anderson and RVD.

Undertaker Surgery Update, SmackDown Rating, HOF

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— To update The Undertaker’s health situation, the dead man began physical therapy following recent rotator cuff surgery. He was backstage at the TLC pay-per-view last month and was said to be in good spirits and good physical shape.

WWE and The Undertaker remains optimistic about his chances of working WrestleMania 27, although him being healthy by then is a “best case” scenario. As has been discussed before, the possibility exists of the Undertaker working in a tag match if he’s not able to wrestle singles.

— Last week’s episode of WWE Smackdown on SyFy drew a 1.95 cable rating and averaged 2,845,000 viewers for the 2-hour broadcast.. That is the show’s best rating since moving to Syfy.

– Former WCW World Television Champion Arn Anderson is now considered a lock to be inducted individually into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class WrestleMania weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. WWE officials previously contemplated inducting him into the Hall as part of a group with the Four Horsemen, but the idea is now considered dead.

Triple H Movie Details: Website Launched, Release Date

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World Wrestling Entertainment has been issuing copyright claims to YouTube regarding the trailer for WWE Studios’ upcoming Triple H themed movie The Chaperone in an effort to have it vanquished from the video sharing website. Company officials were reportedly upset over the version that hit the web, feeling that it is of poor quality. WWE, however, launched a website featuring the very same trailer as well as a promotional photo for the film. The website is www.TheChaperone.com.au.

The Chaperone is slated for a short theatrical release starting the weekend of February 18th. The film will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 8th. This is the same strategy WWE went with for Big Show’s “Knucklehead” movie, with a limited release prior to the DVD release.

RAW Preview, New WWE TV Deal & Lots Of FCW News

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– Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takes place from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. No matches have been announced for the show, but we can expect more on CM Punk assuming the role of Nexus leader and more build towards the Royal Rumble on January 30th.

The dark match main event that’s being advertised has John Cena and Randy Orton teaming up against The Miz and CM Punk with Michael Cole as referee. With Cena’s health still not 100% and reports that he will be taking it easy until then, his involvement tonight is up in the air.

– Former Nexus member Michael Tarver is ready to return to action full-time now after recovering from a groin injury that kept him off television for several months. He has been working at Florida Championship Wrestling.

– WWE developmental talent Wes Brisco recently underwent knee surgery with Dr. James Andrews in Alabama. Brisco, son of WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco, was scheduled to be called up to the main roster before getting injured.

– Former WWE NXT Rookie and FCW Divas Champion AJ Lee is now working as a full heel in WWE developmental.

– WWE has extended its ten year relationship with Sky Deutschland in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for another three years, taking the partnership through the end of 2013. The new distribution agreement, starting in January 2011, sees Sky Deutschland broadcasting the full length versions of WWE’s flagship show “RAW” for the first time, as well as WWE’s 13 annual pay-per-views.

The deal also brings NXT and highlight shows, “Experience” and “AfterBurn”, to Sky Deutschland’s more than 2.5 million homes across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. For the first time ever WWE’s weekly programs will air in HD on Sky Sports.

For more on the new TV deal, visit WWE’s corporate website at Corporate.WWE.com.

AJ Styles Injured & Will Be Out Of Action For 6-8 Weeks

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TNA star AJ Styles was forced to pull out of his match against Douglas Williams at Sunday’s Genesis pay-per-view due to injury and has provided an update on his health status. Styles wrote on Twitter.com/AJStylesOrg:

“I tore (my) hip flexor and hip labrum. I’ll be back wrestling real soon.”

Styles followed up with a timeframe of how long he’ll be out and says he will miss the company’s upcoming UK tour:

“I’ll be out 6 to 8 weeks hopefully and it if it doesn’t get better I’ll will have to have surgery.

Styles was replaced by Abyss on the pay-per-view. He came down to the ring during the Abyss vs. Williams match, hitting Williams with the TV Title belt. He appeared to be in a lot of pain during his brief appearance.

Anderson Considered Lock For HOF, “Chaperone” Site Launched

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— Former WCW World Television Champion Arn Anderson is now considered a lock to be inducted individually into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class WrestleMania weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. WWE officials previously contemplated inducting him into the Hall as part of a group with the Four Horsemen, but the idea is now considered dead.

— World Wrestling Entertainment has been issuing copyright claims to YouTube regarding the trailer for WWE Studios’ upcoming Triple H themed movie The Chaperone in an effort to have it vanquished from the video sharing website. Company officials were reportedly miffed over the version that hit the web, feeling that it is of poor quality. WWE, however, launched a website featuring the very same trailer as well as a promotional photo for the film. The website is www.TheChaperone.com.au.

— Marcus “Buff” Bagwell turns 41 years old today while former WWE Tag Team Champion Brian Christopher turns 39.

source: Pro Wrestling Torch