— Former WWE talent Shannon Moore revealed on his Twitter account this morning that he’s headed to Orlando to meet with Hulk Hogan.
“Big change of plans,” Moore wrote. “Got a call from TNA. Looks like I’m heading to Orlando (to) meet with Hulk Hogan tomorrow.”
— It would appear that Abyss is excited for tomorrow night’s history making broadcast of iMPACT! as he tweeted the following this morning.
“Heading to airport for Orlando. I am so excited. We are going to make history tomorrow. Tune in at 8 pm EST. GO TNA!!!!! Lets make history,” he wrote. “I can feel it. TNA is going to do something special tomorrow night, and rock the wrestling world into 2010. Im ready as ever. Lets do it!!”
Multiple sources are reporting that Angelina Love is expected to be one of the new or returning stars on tomorrow night’s three-hour iMPACT! broadcast opposite WWE’s Monday Night Raw.
The former Knockouts Champion hinted to fans at a recent wrestling convention that she would be returning to TNA on Jan. 4. At a convention two weeks ago in Florida, Angelina told fans, “watch on the 4th,” when asked whether she was returning to TNA.
TNA parted ways with Love this past September due to issues with her working visa.
With just a few days until TNA’s big night going head-to-head against WWE RAW, both Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo are adding to the excitement by teasing that fans will be treated to a number of big surprises.
Vince Russo has launched a page on Facebook.com and wrote:
“Thanks for joining me here on my page. I look forward to interacting with you all. Gearing up for live show on Monday–been working around the clock. I hope you all tune in so we can give the other Vince a run for his money. There are many surprises on the show . . . MANY surprises!”
Meanwhile, Eric Bischoff posted the following on Twitter regarding Monday’s 3-hour live iMPACT:
“Wrestling fans love surprises…Monday Night Jan 4 shoulld be a fun night over at TNA”
With just a few days until TNA’s big night going head-to-head against WWE RAW, both Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo are adding to the excitement by teasing that fans will be treated to a number of big surprises.
Vince Russo has launched a page on Facebook.com and wrote:
“Thanks for joining me here on my page. I look forward to interacting with you all. Gearing up for live show on Monday–been working around the clock. I hope you all tune in so we can give the other Vince a run for his money. There are many surprises on the show . . . MANY surprises!”
Meanwhile, Eric Bischoff posted the following on Twitter regarding Monday’s 3-hour live iMPACT:
“Wrestling fans love surprises…Monday Night Jan 4 shoulld be a fun night over at TNA”
While there are a few pieces that still have to fall in place for this to happen, there is talk within WWE that Jeff Hardy will be brought back in time to wrestle C.M. Punk at WrestleMania 26.
At the time of his departure from WWE over the summer, the general feeling within WWE was that Hardy would be back in a few months. Just weeks after he left the company, police raided Hardy’s Cameron, North Carolina home and found a staggering quantity of prescription pills, among other substances. He was arrested and charged with multiple felonies. From the police report:
Jeffrey Nero Hardy was arrested on September 11, 2009 and charged with felony trafficking in opium, two counts of felony possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule III controlled substance, felony maintaining a dwelling to keep controlled substance, felony possession of cocaine, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
At this point, the biggest obstacle between Jeff Hardy and a WWE return are the charges he’s facing. He is due back in court on January 27th for a probable cause hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence for his case to proceed to a grand jury. The grand jury would then decide whether to prosecute Hardy for the various felonies she’s been charged with.
With Linda McMahon’s United States Senate campaign a strong factor in what happens in WWE (ie. WWE toning down their product to TV-PG, family-friendly programming), the feeling is that WWE would not want to bring him back until Hardy’s legal woes gets put to bed.
Shane McMahon is officially gone from WWE. He announced his resignation from the conpany back in October and stated he would be gone effective January 1, 2010.
Earlier this month December 17th, Shane cashed in 60,000 shares for $897,000 in gross proceeds. He also exercised his stock options to acquire 60,000 shares priced between $12.94 and $13.45 per share.
According to WWE’s latest SEC filings, Shane still owns 43,449 shares of WWE stock.
— Pro Wrestling Illustrated has named Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXVI “Match of the Decade” in its PWI Decade Awards. Runner-ups include Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 21, Hollywood Hogan vs. The Rock at WrestleMania X8, Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XIX, Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania XXV, and Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H vs. Chris Benoit at WrestleMania XX.
Here is what PWI wrote regarding the honor: “In addition to being one of the most dramatic and emotional bouts of the decade, it was also a symbolic changing of the guard and a fitting sendoff for Flair, arguably the top wrestler of the second half of the 20th century. Other matches during the 2000s may have been more physical or high-flying, but this match had the emotion and the incredible energy of nearly 75,000 fans hanging on every move.”
— For those of you who missed this past Tuesday’s episode of ECW, the WWE website has posted video of Tommy Dreamer’s emotional goodbye to ECW and the WWE Universe.
— Cleveland.com has posted a photo of Parma native Mike “The Miz” Mizanin with the caption reading: “Mizanin, 29, a graduate of Normandy High School, is the reigning WWE champion.” Click here to view the image.
On his official website, Jim Ross posted thoughts on longtime friend “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, who passed away this past week following a long bout with throat cancer. You can read his post at the following link.
He posted a second blog today. Here are some highlights from this entry:
Tommy Dreamer’s ECW sendoff: “The Tommy Dreamer send off on ECW was nicely done. It is good to see a guy who has dedicated so much of his life to the business and who has been a fan forever to be acknowledged as Tommy was Tuesday night. Kudos to WWE for facilitating the opportunity for “Big Beefy” to say adiós to his fans. Tommy would have made it in any generation including the territory days as his work ethic and toughness would have been welcomed attributes for any promoter. Congrats Tommy, you made all of us Old Schoolers proud.”
Ric Flair update: “Ric Flair called me during the Christmas Holidays and was in great spirits. “Naitch” really loved wrestling in Australia and I expect Ric to continue to wrestle for as long as he is able albeit not on a regular schedule nor should he. Ric Flair is “special” and his success outside the ring with his “Whoo” endorsements with various state lotteries is going great guns for him. Ric is also working in the Carolinas with Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, and Kroger’s Grocery stores.”
Steve Williams: “It looks as if the Memorial Celebration for Steve “Dr. Death” Williams will be held next Friday in Lakewood, Colorado at the Mile High Church. Details are still being formulated and should be finalized the first of the week and most likely on Monday. As soon as we have the info we will pass it along.
“The goal is to set up a college scholarship fund for Steve’s 16 year old son Wyndham in lieu of flowers, etc. More info to come.”
You can read this blog in its entirety at the following link.
Weeks after the untimely passing of Eddie “Umaga” Fatu, a batch of photos have been released showing the Samoan star looking happy and full of life.
The photos were taken during the Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin tour of Australia in late November. Sadly, Umaga was dead 2 weeks later on December 4th.
– A few people within TNA have been floating a story around that Vince Russo has no idea where things are headed and has not talked to Hulk Hogan or Eric Bischoff. This story is false, as Russo has had recent meetings with Hogan, Bischoff and Dixie Carter. Russo himself had been telling people he hadn’t met with anyone from Team Hogan and Hogan himself also was saying the same thing. This is all a complete work.
– TNA knockout ODB won an eight woman tournament on New Year’s Eve to become the number one contender for the Knockouts Championship. She will challenge Tara for the title on the Monday’s 3-hour live Impact.
– While Monday’s TNA iMPACT will be a live show, they will still tape TV on Tuesday night from Orlando. Those tapings will air on Thursday, January 14th.
– After his bio was removed from the TNA website earlier this week, we can confirm that Cody Deaner is in fact gone from the company. He is accepting bookings at [email protected].
– Ed “Brutus Beefcake” Leslie is working on an autobiography titled “Reborn on the Fourth of July.” Leslie survived a near-fatal parasailing accident on July 4th, 1990.
– A few people within TNA have been floating a story around that Vince Russo has no idea where things are headed and has not talked to Hulk Hogan or Eric Bischoff. This story is false, as Russo has had recent meetings with Hogan, Bischoff and Dixie Carter. Russo himself had been telling people he hadn’t met with anyone from Team Hogan and Hogan himself also was saying the same thing. This is all a complete work.
– TNA knockout ODB won an eight woman tournament on New Year’s Eve to become the number one contender for the Knockouts Championship. She will challenge Tara for the title on the Monday’s 3-hour live Impact.
– While Monday’s TNA iMPACT will be a live show, they will still tape TV on Tuesday night from Orlando. Those tapings will air on Thursday, January 14th.
– After his bio was removed from the TNA website earlier this week, we can confirm that Cody Deaner is in fact gone from the company. He is accepting bookings at [email protected].
– Ed “Brutus Beefcake” Leslie is working on an autobiography titled “Reborn on the Fourth of July.” Leslie survived a near-fatal parasailing accident on July 4th, 1990.
– To update the story of WWE Divas champion Melina suffering a torn ACL at Tuesday’s WWE RAW house show, she went with the WWE crew to the live event in Syracuse on Wednesday and was on crutches backstage. Melina is expected to undergo surgery and will drop the title to Maryse, who was was actually scheduled to win it soon anyways. Melina has been pulled off Raw house show lineups through February.
– CMT.com, the official website of the Country Music Television network, has an article up looking at the budding music career of Mickie James. Her debut country music album will be released in March with the first single coming in Feburary. While it may seem that a new careerin country music came out of nowhere, James told CMT that she’s written poetry and stories her whole life and played the violin in high school. James knows first hand that the entertainment industry can get ugly and will take the knowledge gained in pro wrestling all the way to Nashville. “As in any entertainment industry, you have to see the sheep in wolf’s clothing and you have to be able to differentiate who’s being real and who’s just hopping on board for all the wrong reasons. Lucky for me, I’m very blessed to have come across some really, really good people and gotten them on my team.”
– To update the story of WWE Divas champion Melina suffering a torn ACL at Tuesday’s WWE RAW house show, she went with the WWE crew to the live event in Syracuse on Wednesday and was on crutches backstage. Melina is expected to undergo surgery and will drop the title to Maryse, who was was actually scheduled to win it soon anyways. Melina has been pulled off Raw house show lineups through February.
– CMT.com, the official website of the Country Music Television network, has an article up looking at the budding music career of Mickie James. Her debut country music album will be released in March with the first single coming in Feburary. While it may seem that a new careerin country music came out of nowhere, James told CMT that she’s written poetry and stories her whole life and played the violin in high school. James knows first hand that the entertainment industry can get ugly and will take the knowledge gained in pro wrestling all the way to Nashville. “As in any entertainment industry, you have to see the sheep in wolf’s clothing and you have to be able to differentiate who’s being real and who’s just hopping on board for all the wrong reasons. Lucky for me, I’m very blessed to have come across some really, really good people and gotten them on my team.”
Eric Bischoff posted a new blog entry discussing this Monday’s 1/4 live Impact special. Bischoff acknowledged WWE bringing in Bret Hart and says the timing is no coincidence. Bischoff says WWE is “reacting to the competition”, but is happy for Bret, who “will be able to put a painful and personally traumatic part of his life behind him.”
Bischoff admits that it will be difficult at first fighting against a major international corporation:
“Clearly TNA is up against a Wall Street mega-corp bully with a billion dollar bank account and a Chairman that thinks only he should have any meaningful market share of the professional wrestling business (even though he’s embarrassed to admit he’s in the professional wrestling business). It will be an up-hill battle for TNA indeed.”
WWE is big, but he thinks the current product is crap and the time is right for TNA to strike.
“Based on the mind-numbingly stupid Raw I had the misfortune of dropping in on last week, perhaps the fact that TNA stepped up and is at least taking a swing at the bully was enough to make McMahon realize that he could not afford to take his audience for granted and continue to shove tripe down the throats of his Goliath “universe” while David was reaching for a stone.
“This Monday Night…win, lose, or draw I have to give credit to the folks at TNA and Spike. They could have taken the easy path and put their best foot forward un-opposed. That would make the most sense to many people. But by at least getting into the fight, TNA is most likely going to gain the awareness and respect of a completely different audience.”
With both WWE and TNA gearing up for a Monday night to remember, Bischoff says the real winner will be the wrestling fans.
“Wrestling fans are not only going to have a choice this Monday night, they will most likely see a higher quality product all the way around. And for that they should thank TNA.”
Eric Bischoff posted a new blog entry discussing this Monday’s 1/4 live Impact special. Bischoff acknowledged WWE bringing in Bret Hart and says the timing is no coincidence. Bischoff says WWE is “reacting to the competition”, but is happy for Bret, who “will be able to put a painful and personally traumatic part of his life behind him.”
Bischoff admits that it will be difficult at first fighting against a major international corporation:
“Clearly TNA is up against a Wall Street mega-corp bully with a billion dollar bank account and a Chairman that thinks only he should have any meaningful market share of the professional wrestling business (even though he’s embarrassed to admit he’s in the professional wrestling business). It will be an up-hill battle for TNA indeed.”
WWE is big, but he thinks the current product is crap and the time is right for TNA to strike.
“Based on the mind-numbingly stupid Raw I had the misfortune of dropping in on last week, perhaps the fact that TNA stepped up and is at least taking a swing at the bully was enough to make McMahon realize that he could not afford to take his audience for granted and continue to shove tripe down the throats of his Goliath “universe” while David was reaching for a stone.
“This Monday Night…win, lose, or draw I have to give credit to the folks at TNA and Spike. They could have taken the easy path and put their best foot forward un-opposed. That would make the most sense to many people. But by at least getting into the fight, TNA is most likely going to gain the awareness and respect of a completely different audience.”
With both WWE and TNA gearing up for a Monday night to remember, Bischoff says the real winner will be the wrestling fans.
“Wrestling fans are not only going to have a choice this Monday night, they will most likely see a higher quality product all the way around. And for that they should thank TNA.”
According to multiple reports, WWE Divas champion Melina appeared to suffer a knee injury at Tuesday night’s WWE Raw house show in Manchester, New Hampshire.
During a Divas tag match, Melina slipped on the mat and was immediately grabbing her knee. The match was ended abruptly, with Melina getting pinned quickly and helped out of the ring. She did not take any further bumps in the match after going down.
Sources within WWE fear that Melina suffered a torn ACL, according to a report at PWInsider.com. She was examined backstage and is seeing a specialist this week to diagnose the extent of the situation.
An update on the injury is expected soon.
Here are some photos of Melina’s injury, sent in by reader David O’Neil:
– The 12/28 edition of WWE Raw drew a 3.6 rating, up from last week’s disappointing 3.2. The show did hours of 3.49 and 3.73.
– There is a report going around that Cryme Tyme member Shad Gaspard and his girlfriend Siliana Chanel will having a child sometime in March before WrestleMania.
– As noted earlier, reports are that marijuana use is down on WWE’s SmackDown brand while up on the RAW side. One source notes that this is incorrect and both sides are about even when it comes to marijuana use these days. There are several superstars on both rosters that are being held back due to their fondness of the illicit green plant.
We are sad to report that “Dr. Death” Steve Williams lost his battle with cancer last night, passing away at the age of 49.
He had been battling throat cancer for a number of years, first apparently beating it in 2005. It came back this year and his health had worsened in recent months.
Williams held numerous titles in North America and Japan throughout his lengthy career in the wrestling industry. He also achieved All-American status as a collegiate football player at the University of Oklahoma.
Williams, a close friend of Jim Ross, wrestled for WWE, WCW, UWF, All Japan among other organizations around the world. After the death of longtime rival and friend Mitsuharu Misawa this past June, Williams made the decision to retire from the ring after twenty-seven years of service. His final match was held on October 25, 2009 in Tokyo.
Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Steve Williams.
We are sad to report that “Dr. Death” Steve Williams lost his battle with cancer last night, passing away at the age of 49.
He had been battling throat cancer for a number of years, first apparently beating it in 2005. It came back this year and his health had worsened in recent months.
Williams held numerous titles in North America and Japan throughout his lengthy career in the wrestling industry. He also achieved All-American status as a collegiate football player at the University of Oklahoma.
Williams, a close friend of Jim Ross, wrestled for WWE, WCW, UWF, All Japan among other organizations around the world. After the death of longtime rival and friend Mitsuharu Misawa this past June, Williams made the decision to retire from the ring after twenty-seven years of service. His final match was held on October 25, 2009 in Tokyo.
Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Steve Williams.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his thoughts on Bret Hart hosting Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. Here’s what Ross said about the Hit Man’s return:
Bret Hart Hype on Monday’s RAW: The Bret Hart content on Monday Night Raw really added to the overall viewing experience of the program. I watched the show from start to finish and I felt like it was one of the better Raw broadcasts WWE has presented in several weeks. To say that I did not feel compelled to be sitting there at ringside with so many new developments on tap would not be truthful.
What a great video package on Bret Monday night and it was timely as many younger fans likely were not as familiar with the WWE Hall of Famer since his last appearance on WWE TV was in November of 1997 excluding his HOF, TV exposure.
The King Returns: Ironically, Bret will return to WWE TV from Dayton, Ohio the site of the 1993 King of the Ring that I had the opportunity to broadcast. Bret won the tourney which was my 2nd WWE PPV after debuting at WM9 in Las Vegas.
Other Top Legends Returning: With Bret Hart returning to Raw as the G.M. next week, some fans are curious as to what that does to the chance of a return in the same role for either Dwayne Johnson or Steve Austin. I don’t have an answer to that question but I do feel that both men will eventually return to Raw in either the guest G.M. capacity or another role that provides them a “one off’ opportunity to entertain their fans and to promote what it is that they are involved….likely their films.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his thoughts on Bret Hart hosting Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. Here’s what Ross said about the Hit Man’s return:
Bret Hart Hype on Monday’s RAW: The Bret Hart content on Monday Night Raw really added to the overall viewing experience of the program. I watched the show from start to finish and I felt like it was one of the better Raw broadcasts WWE has presented in several weeks. To say that I did not feel compelled to be sitting there at ringside with so many new developments on tap would not be truthful.
What a great video package on Bret Monday night and it was timely as many younger fans likely were not as familiar with the WWE Hall of Famer since his last appearance on WWE TV was in November of 1997 excluding his HOF, TV exposure.
The King Returns: Ironically, Bret will return to WWE TV from Dayton, Ohio the site of the 1993 King of the Ring that I had the opportunity to broadcast. Bret won the tourney which was my 2nd WWE PPV after debuting at WM9 in Las Vegas.
Other Top Legends Returning: With Bret Hart returning to Raw as the G.M. next week, some fans are curious as to what that does to the chance of a return in the same role for either Dwayne Johnson or Steve Austin. I don’t have an answer to that question but I do feel that both men will eventually return to Raw in either the guest G.M. capacity or another role that provides them a “one off’ opportunity to entertain their fans and to promote what it is that they are involved….likely their films.
TNA Wrestling has announced it will hold an online press conference on January 4 immediately following Monday’s live 3-hour iMPACT! special.
A TNA press release states:
“This isn’t a typical press conference because TNA will be answering questions from both fans and wrestling media. Get your questions ready and hop on twitter or send them via email!”
TNA Wrestling has announced it will hold an online press conference on January 4 immediately following Monday’s live 3-hour iMPACT! special.
A TNA press release states:
“This isn’t a typical press conference because TNA will be answering questions from both fans and wrestling media. Get your questions ready and hop on twitter or send them via email!”
WWE Raw superstar Ted DiBiase spoke to Eric Cohen of About.com this week to promote the release of his new WWE Studios DVD, The Marine 2. During the interview, DiBiase told a story from his childhood when he brought his father’s Million Dollar title info school one day for show and tell.
“One time in fourth grade we had show and tell,” DiBiase recalled. “I stole my dad’s briefcase and I took it to show and tell. Everybody else is walking in with their backpacks and sack lunches pulling out these dolls and stuff. I’ve got this briefcase and everybody was like what is that.
“I was just saying it was a briefcase. When it came my turn, I put the briefcase up on the table, punched in the code, opened the briefcase, and there it is in all of its glory, the Million Dollar Belt. So I stole the Million Dollar Belt and took it to show and tell. So yeah, I was the most popular kid in class for a time after that.”
To read a full interview with DiBiase, visit About.com.
