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Shawn Michaels & Wife Rebecca Open A Family Fun Center

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
By: Lucy A. Couger
Written: August 12, 2010

Former WWE Superstar Shawn Michaels and wife Rebecca opens a Family Fun Center

Emerald Rainbow Family Fun Center – Texas’ Finest & Most Amazing Family Fun & Entertainment Center

“Emerald Rainbow Family Fun Center is a 20,000 ginormous square feet of fun and parties.” “We’re located on Hwy. 46 in Bulverde, just past HEB and Spring Branch Middle School.” “At Emerald Rainbow, your entire family will have a blast with our inflatable playground, bowling alley, batting cages, rock climbing wall, arcade games, miniature golf and more, so come on in and enjoy the fun!”

“If you haven’t had a chance to check out this kid heaven activity center you need to do so!” said Aubrey Dreyfuss, 26 and a mom of four, of Fort Worth, Texas. “It is worth your drive to come and check it out.” “They have everything you could ever want to play with.” “Bouncy houses (tons of them), huge train table, minature bowling alley, put put golf, indoor batting cages, toddler climbing area, rock climbing wall, video arcade, movie room, cafe, salon and spa and free wi-fi in case you want to catch up on some emails while the kids run around.”

Jen Flex, 27 and a mom of two, of San Antonio, Texas., added, “What I love about this place besides the amount of things for the kids to do is that they have lifeguards at all of the stations in case your child gets hurt or stuck or needs any kind of help.” “The people who own this are Christian and if you pay close attention to detail you will see they have a subtle yet beautiful way of sharing God’s word to your children while playing.” “They have a Noah’s Ark bouncy house, the wall mural is painted with all creatures God created and they play Christian music.” “This would be a great place to check out for a play date, birthday party or even just a day you plan to hang with the kiddos.” “You will be easily awed with how well thought out this place was made to ensure your children have a ball.”

The Emerald Rainbow Family Fun Center now in its 2nd year of operation, is a new concept in wholesome family entertainment. The 20,000 square foot indoor facility, designed to appeal to the entire family, features activities and areas for toddlers through adults. An inflatable playground, batting cages, a rock climbing wall, a performance theater, party rooms, movie rooms, a salon/spa, a coffee shop and a cafe are just some the many activities that await you.

For more information on Emerald Rainbow Family Fun Center, visit www.emerald-rainbow.com or visit them at:

Emerald Rainbow Family Fun Center
21155 Hwy. 46
Spring Branch, TX 78070
one mile west of US 281
Phone: (830) 980-8981
Fax: (830) 980-8982
[email protected]
Directions

Shawn Michaels Official Website: www.theshawnmichaels.com

Linda Comments On Vulgar Chants Directed Towards Daughter

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Influential Capitol Hill news operation Politico has a story on Linda McMahon entitled WWE just a ‘soap opera’. It is titled as such due to the Republican Senate candidate referring to World Wrestling Entertainment as a soap opera upon being asked on Nightline if she was “creeped out” by an instance in which her daughter Stephanie walked into the ring as the crowd chanted “slut.”

“You have to think about… the WWE as soap operas,” McMahon responded.

“It was acting and WWE is the longest-running weekly episodic program in television. Sure, there are story lines that are better than others,” she said, adding that voters in Connecticut “are not concerned about soap opera story lines.”

To read Politco.com’s story, click here.

WWE Spokesman Says Nightline Story Had Inaccuracies

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World Wrestling Entertainment spokesperson Robert Zimmerman contacted the Orlando Sentinel Tuesday to dispute elements of its story on Nightline profiling former WWE CEO Linda McMahon.

Zimmerman disputed a note on WWE lacking adequate steroid testing and Nightline referring to the lack of health care and pensions for former performers. Zimmerman said WWE does have an abuse and drug testing policy, which was reinstated in 2006.

He also noted that its Talent Wellness Program provides some medical services for performers under contract, but they are expected to pay for any non wrestling related health care services. Retired performers are not covered.

To read the story, click here.

Hogan Contract Update, Bischoff To Discuss Twitter Confusion

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— Jeff Wilen of The Daytona Beach News-Journal interviewed Eric Bischoff in his latest JAWBreaker column. Among the topics discussed include the latest going-ons in TNA Wrestling, the big names working together, the tag-team division, Bound for Glory in Daytona Beach, Tommy Dreamer playing a bigger role in the organization, Linda McMahon running for a Senate seat, Paul Heyman and Rob Van Dam.

Bischoff claimed during the interview that he pitched the EV2 storyline back in February and suggested that Dixie Carter reach out to Paul Heyman.

“The whole EV2 story line was something I pitched in February of this year,” said Bischoff. “It wasn’t a Tommy Dreamer idea. Tommy’s a great guy and has great experience. I called Paul and suggested to Dixie (Carter) and Vince Russo that we should reach out to Paul and see if he was interested in coming in. I don’t think it will happen with Paul. He is looking for something different. I don’t think Dreamer will be involved in creative. We have a solid team, with great chemistry. We’ve had great success the last couple weeks and months.”

When asked if he and Hulk Hogan plan on sticking around for a while, Bischoff replied, “We have a couple of years left on our contracts.

To read the interview, click here.

— According to SLAM! Wrestling, Eric Bischoff will discuss today’s confusion concerning a Twitter account believed to be that of Hulk Hogan’s tomorrow in an interview with the website.

— Ocean Center director Bob Poor hopes Bound for Glory draws 5,000 fans to the arena, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal. WWE recently held a live event at the building and drew less than 4,000 paid.

Chris Jericho Offers Insight Into Chris Benoit In Upcoming Book

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Among the topics discussed in Chris Jericho’s upcoming autobiography, Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Steps, is that of Chris Benoit. He offers insight into the man he previously considered a friend.

Regarding Benoit’s peculiar sense of humor, the rough draft states: “Not a giggle, not a chuckle, not a tee-hee…never went ‘Ha.’ But when somebody threw up or fell down the stairs, he would laugh out loud for hours on end.”

On being his friend, Jericho said while they were close, it wasn’t easy.

The rough draft states: “I considered Chris to be one of my closest companions, but it wasn’t always easy to be his friend. You had to take the good with the bad when it came to his friendship.”

Upon learning of the Benoit family death, Jericho notes: “My gut feeling was Chris had killed them.”

The book also features discussion of his arrival to WWE, the highs and lows, his relationship with Vince McMahon, the creation of Fozzy, and more. The book is set for release on February 16, 2011.

For more details on the book, click here.

Mickie James Discusses WWE Release, Piggy James Angle, More

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Former WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James weighed in on a number of topics in an interview with The Baltimore Sun including her recent departure from World Wrestling Entertainment, the Piggy James storyline, her music career, and more.

James says she hasn’t watched wrestling on television since being released in April, noting it’s much too difficult.

“I didn’t watch wrestling. I still haven’t seen a wrestling show and it’s been three months,” James said. “The only show I’ve watched was right after I was released and they were chanting, ‘We want Mickie, we want Mickie.’ And I started bawling. It just really broke me, so I didn’t know what I wanted to do. So, I started doing some dates. It’s definitely a different feel. Once you’ve wrestled in front of 90,000 people, where do you go from there?”

Regarding her release, she feels the company wanted to go in a different direction with the women’s division. She also says she didn’t understand their decision at the time, but now recognizes the writing on the wall.

“I just think it was the different direction of the Divas. No one can give 100 percent all the time and they can surely try. Looking back, if I take myself from the picture, there was writing on the wall and if I wasn’t so indulged in the business, I would have seen it,” James said. “I never would have shut that chapter on my own. I never would have cut that string on my own, so maybe they had to shut that door on me for to fully focus on my music, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise.”

On the topic of the Piggy James storyline, she noted being more upset with its conclusion than the angle itself. She also remains unsure whether company officials were poking fun at her weight.

“I don’t know where it came from. Were they ribbing me or just poking fun? I sat back and prayed about it. There’s still not one female that can go out there and get a reaction I can,” James said. “And maybe they were trying to pull the fanbase away from me, but I got the championship, then they took it away. After six months of embarrassment and ridicule, that’s the payoff? I had to swallow my pride.”

James also discusses her music career and notes plans for a second album and road tour. To view the video interview, click here.

Hogan Undergoing Surgery, ROH Star Wrestles Bollywood Actor

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— Hulk Hogan is scheduled to undergo another surgical procedure on his back tomorrow. (partial source: PWInsider.com)

— Ring of Honor wrestler Roderick Strong worked a dark match at last night’s iMPACT taping in Orlando, defeating Jalil Patel. Patel is an Indian film actor, model and singer who has appeared in numerous Bollywood films, advertisements and music videos. For more information on Patel, click here.

— Shannon Moore has launched a YouTube channel. The channel notably features videos of Moore and Jeff Hardy paying a visit a wounded soldier, as well as Moore and Jesse Neal fine-tuning their mohawks backstage at a TNA show.

*Spoilers* On Possible SummerSlam Matches, Superstars Preview

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— Sky TV noted in an e-mail promoting Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view that Lay-Cool would be wrestling Tiffany and Kelly Kelly in a tag match at the event. It was also said that a Six-Pack Challenge for the Intercontinental Title involving Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, Christian, Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes and Matt Hardy was on tap for the show. However, it appears there has been a change of plans in regards to the Six-Pack Challenge as it was announced at last night’s SmackDown television taping in San Jose that Ziggler would solely be defending his belt against Kingston. Meanwhile, the Lay-Cool vs. Tiffany and Kelly Kelly was reportedly not announced at the taping.

— Matches scheduled to take place on tomorrow night’s episode of WWE Superstars are as follows:

* Goldust & Yoshi Tatsu vs. Jimmy & Jey Uso
* Chavo Guerrero vs. Chris Masters
* Michelle McCool vs. Kelly Kelly

— The July 30 edition of Friday Night SmackDown scored a 1.6 rating with 2.76 million viewers. The episode featured Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger in a No Disqualification Match.

source: PWInsider.com

Health Update On Ricky Steamboat, SummerSlam Sells Out, More

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— Regarding Ricky Steamboat’s health, he is expected to make a full physical recovery but will never wrestle again. The WWE Hall of Famer has been able to work out on an elliptical machine, but is prohibited from lifting anything heavier than five pounds.

— Tickets to Sunday’s SummerSlam at the Staples Center in Los Angeles are sold out.

— Saturday’s Raw live event in San Diego, CA drew 5,500 paying $215,000. Sunday’s show in San Bernardino, CA drew 2,000 people for $65,000.

— Beginning with a SmackDown live event on Dec. 4, WWE will hold all Las Vegas shows at the Orleans Arena Thomas, as opposed to the Thomas & Mack Center. The Orleans Arena is approximately half the size of the Thomas & Mack Center as the multi-purpose arena holds 9,500.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Rumor Killer: Hogan & Bischoff Not Leaving TNA

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Earlier today, reports surfaced that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were leaving TNA Wrestling.

A Twitter account that claimed to be Hulk Hogan (and was verified & linked to on Eric Bischoff’s Twitter page) announced that he and Eric Bischoff were parting ways with TNA Wrestling. The person claiming to be Hulk Hogan eventually admitted that he was a fake – but had ‘worked’ Eric Bischoff, Dixie Carter, Bubba The Love Sponge.

The fake Hogan wrote:

“I know you’ve heard the rumors brothers and they are true. Eric and I are leaving TNA on a mutual basis. I just got out of meetings now.” TNA has a new leadership coming in. Make sure you Hulkamaniacs still support them. TNA needs the power of Hulkamania to live on brothers.”

“Thank you Dixie and Bob Carter for the wonderful and positive experiences in TNA. Nothing but the best to you guys. Brothers, this isn’t the last of me though. You’ll be able to see me at “Hulk Hogan & Friends” events on tour soon.”

Eric Bischoff has posted on his Twitter page that the Hulk Hogan Twitter page saying that he and Bischoff were leaving TNA is a fake.He wrote:  “The Hogan twitter site that I posted is a fake one. Hulk IS getting a Twitter page up, but the most recent post is a fake. I will post the REAL page info as soon as we get it. Sorry for the confusion. The Hulk Hogan twitter posts are fake. Hulk IS in the process of setting up a page, but has not as yet. The rumors of us leaving TNA are bogus. ”

The funny thing is – Bischoff himself is the one who announced “Hulk Hogan joins Twitter” on his own Twitter page, with a link to the fake Hogan’s page.

Dixie Carter wrote: “Recent twitter of Hulk Hogan leaving TNA is bogus. To what extreme people will go.”

The guy who is running the fake Hulk Hogan Twitter is now claiming to be a disgruntled TNA employee upset with the Hogan-Bischoff regime, writing:

“I am not Hulk Hogan, but I am a TNA wrestler who got Eric, BTLS, Jarrett, and Dixie to think I was Hogan.. I rallied everyone in to get my true message out in anonymous fashion, b/c any other way on any media platform there would be consequences. ”

“@EBischoff GOT WORKED BROTHERS! He publishes information before even verifying its accuracy. How can someone like this even try to run TNA?!” and “That piece of s*** @BTLSRadio GOT WORKED TOO!”

On the basis of Eric Bischoff’s original announcement that Hulk Hogan’s Twitter account was “realhulkhogan” – SEScoops ran with the story that Hogan & Bischoff were leaving TNA. We apologize for the confusion – this has been a wild story to watch develop to say the least!

Batista Talks About His MMA Debut (VIDEO)

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Former WWE superstar Dave Batista was interviewed this week by Fight Magazine and spoke about his transition from pro wrestling to Mixed Martial Arts. Batista discusses:

– What led him to pursue an MMA career

– What he wants to accomplish in MMA

– Not liking the direction of the pro wrestling industry

– What his biggest asset will be in the cage

– Whether he’s spoken to Brock Lesnar or Bobby Lashley about the transition to MMA

Here’s the video:

Linda Comments On Her Wrestling Past After Big Win

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Linda McMahon is the Republican nominee for the vacant United States Senate seat in Connecticut. Following her big win on Tuesday night to secure that nomination, Linda McMahon spoke to CNN.com about whether her Democratic opponent will use her wrestling past against her.

“As my opponents talked more and more about the WWE and issues that may have been relative to programming content …instead of focusing on the issues, I talked about tissues and continued to gain momentum,” McMahon told CNN Wednesday morning.

“If my opponents want to talk about soap opera content instead of focusing on issues, I will win again in November,” she added.

Democrats have already drawn attention to WWE’s controversial programming and the countless wrestler deaths in recent years. Linda says it’s more important to focus on what WWE is doing today to protect its workers.

“The men and women that perform at WWE really are the primary assets of the WWE. And we want to protect them at all costs,” she said. “Doctors that travel with them…trainers that travel with them. We have a very comprehensive drug testing program. Let’s look at where WWE is today.”

NXT Star Eliminated, Recap of Orton On George Lopez

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– WWE brought its NXT contestant total to five this week, officially eliminating Lucky Cannon from the show.

While Cannon’s elimination was reasonably expected, the NXT Poll was not entirely in line with predictions–Alex Riley, considered a frontrunner to at least make it to the final elimination, dropped to number five in the poll, falling behind even Husky Harris.

The poll results were as follows:

1) Kaval
2) Michael McGillicutty
3) Percy Watson
4) Husky Harris
5) Alex Riley
6) Lucky Cannon

Two wrestlers will be eliminated next week.

– Randy Orton appeared on TBS’ Lopez Tonight on Tuesday and gave a very candid interview. Orton showed photos of him as a baby being held by Andre The Giant. Orton also talked about how his daughter is a fan of Big Show, Sheamus and John Cena before him and how she calls Cena “The Naked Baby.”

R-Truth also appeared on Lopez Tonight last night and took part in WWE Karaoke Week. Truth performed the song Kryptonite by the band Three Doors Down. David Otunga will be appearing tomorrow night and The Miz will be on Thursday night.

Linda McMahon Wins Senate Primary Election In Connecticut

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Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon won the Republican US Senate Primary in Connecticut on Tuesday night, taking almost 50% of the vote. She will now have to face Democrat Richard Blumenthal in November with the winner getting a US Senate seat for that state.

Linda released the following statement after her victory last night:

“Tonight, I am honored to have earned the support of Republicans around Connecticut. Since I entered this race eleven months ago, we have crisscrossed this great state and attended over 660 meetings and events, where I have had the opportunity to hear from voters and better understand their issues and concerns. And unlike someone else in this race, I didn’t need to fly to Vancouver to do it. I understand that people are hurting because I see it all around this state. And I know what that feels like because I’ve been there before.

“This election is about jobs. The American Dream is threatened, but Washington continues its reckless spending, massive debt, and tax increases. Washington is suffocating small businesses and killing jobs. This is not only threatening our well-being, but also the well-being of our children and grandchildren. It’s time for something different.

“I’m honored to have earned my Party’s nomination, and I am determined to lead our Party to victory in November.”

Congratulations to Linda and good luck to her in November!

*Spoiler* Another Title Match Added To SummerSlam

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SUMMERSLAM LIVE COVERAGE THIS SUNDAY
BE HERE Sunday – Nonstop Detailed Updates During The Whole show!

At Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings, it was announced that new Intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler will defend against Kofi Kingston.

With that match set, the following is the updated line-up for WWE’s SummerSlam 2010, taking place this Sunday, August 15.

Elimination Tag Team Match
Team WWE (John Cena, Bret Hart, R-Truth, John Morrison & ???) vs. The Nexus (Wade Barrett, Skip Sheffield, Michael Tarver, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Darren Young and David Otunga)

WWE Championship Match
Sheamus (c) vs. Randy Orton

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Kane (c) vs. Rey Mysterio

WWE Divas Championship Match
Alicia Fox (c) vs. Melina

WWE Intercontinental Title Match:
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Kofi Kingston

3-on-1 Handicap Match
Big Show vs. The Straight Edge Society (CM Punk, Luke Gallows and Joey Mercury)

RAW Rating, Orton’s Popularity, WWE Stars On Lopez Tonight

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Source: PWInsider.com

– This week’s episode of WWE RAW, the “go home” show before Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, did a 3.3 cable rating and averaged 4.6 million viewers.  The show did hours of 3.23 and 3.45.

– Randy Orton has been one of the top three trending topics on Twitter for the last four weeks. Orton is the only wrestling-related term that’s been trending.

– Dolph Ziggler kicked off “WWE Superstar Karaoke Week” last night on George Lopez’s TBS show as a promotion for SummerSlam. Zigler sand Right Said Fred’s song “I’m Too Sexy.” Randy Orton and R-Truth appear on the show tonight.

*Spoiler* Major Angle Involving RVD’s TNA World Title

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* Warning: The following contains big *SPOILERS* for Thursday’s TNA iMPACT!:

Following news that TNA Champion Rob Van Dam is expected to take time off in the near future,  we can confirm that RVD has been written out of television and TNA is vacating the World Championship

TNA did a big injury angle with Van Dam at Monday’s iMPACT! tapings (airing this Thursday night) that concluded with him being taken out of the building via ambulance, which will set up the need for a new champion being crowned.

Related News: *Spoilers* For TNA’s “Whole F’N Show” Special On Thursday

At the start of Tuesday’s tapings, Eric Bischoff came out and announced that RVD has been hospitalized with likely head and spinal trauma, 115 stitches and possibly punctured organs. After meeting with Van Dam’s doctors and Dixie Carter, the championship committee has decided to vacate the championship.

A tournament will be held – starting at tonight’s iMPACT! tapings (airing next week) – with a new TNA Champion being crowned at Bound For Glory.

Khali Off SummerSlam, Big Day For Linda, Tonight’s Tapings

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– Linda McMahon is set for a big win today at the Connecticut Republican primary. Polls show Linda with a huge lead at 50%. Rob Simmons is at 28% while Peter Schiff is at 15%.

– Another NXT Rookie will be eliminated on tonight’s SyFy show from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. WWE will tape the go-home episode of Friday Night SmackDown as well. No matches have been announced but Kane vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger is being advertised locally.

– As seen on last night’s RAW, Nexus attacked The Great Khali. It appears Khali is now off the SummerSlam card. WWE did an angle last night on RAW that may lead to The Miz taking Khali’s place. WWE then wrote the following on Twitter a few hours ago:

“WWE Doctors have determined that Great Khali suffered patella and ligament damage. He is unlikely to compete at SummerSlam.”

RAW Guest Hosts Announced For Next Week & More

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WWE has announced that the stars of the new movie “Going the Distance: – Justin Long, Charlie Day & Jason Sudeikis – will be hosting next week’s episode of Monday Night RAW.

In Going the Distance, which hits theaters Aug. 27, Long plays Garrett, a newly-single New Yorker who hits it off with Erin (Drew Barrymore), a young woman from San Francisco. Neither thinks this apparent summer fling will last, but when Erin heads home to California and Garrett is forced to stay in Manhattan for his job, they soon learn that their feelings for one another are deeper than they imagined. Although his best friends Box (Sudeikis) and Dan (Day) give him grief for investing in a long-distance romance, Garrett is determined to make it work – even if it requires a full-time relationship with his cell phone. Can Long, Day & Sudeikis maintain some semblance of order on Raw 24 hours after SummerSlam? Tune in to find out.

WWE has also removed celebrities Penn and Teller from the upcoming RAW host listing. The duo was scheduled to host the September 20th episode of RAW but apparently that’s changes.

The only hosts listed after the cast of Going The Distance is Bobb’e J. Thompson on October 18th and Toby Keith on October 25th.

What You Didn’t See On Monday’s RAW

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Here’s a recap of what you didn’t see at Monday’s WWE RAW:

Dark Match:

Vladimir Kozlov beat Primo

Superstars Matches:

Yoshi Tatsu and Goldust wrestled The Uso Twins

After RAW Went Off The Air:

Nexus ran back to the ring to brawl with Team RAW. The RAW stars cleared the ring except for Justin Gabriel. They all took turns beating Gabriel up before Edge speared him, John Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment and Bret Hart applied the Sharpshooter. The RAW stars then posed for the fans and went around ringside.

Tyler Black To WWE Update, NXT Season 3 Details & More

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– As we reported here over the weekend, reigning Ring of Honor World Champion Tyler Black has reportedly agreed to a developmental deal with WWE. There is talk that Black will go to Florida Championship Wrestling and then be one of the featured talents on NXT Season 3.

– Speaking of NXT Season 3, WWE is already looking for contestants. One plan is for the show to feature four male wrestlers and four women wrestlers from developmental. There’s still no word yet on where NXT Season 3 will air once SmackDown comes to SyFy in the fall. (Source: f4wonline)

– WWE Monday Night Raw on November 1st, 2010 will be held at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island, New York. Tickets go on sale August 21st, 2010. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

Guest Hosts Announced For Raw, Superstars Match Taped, More

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— As announced during Raw, actor Justin Long will serve as guest host on next week’s show. The official WWE website notes that Long’s Going the Distance co-stars, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis, will host Raw alongside him.

— A match for Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars was taped before tonight’s Raw broadcast. The match featured Goldust and Yoshi Tatsu vs. Jimmy and Jey Uso. An apparent dark match took place as well, between Vladimir Kozlov and Primo.

— WWE Monday Night Raw on November 1st, 2010 will be held at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island, New York. Tickets go on sale August 21st, 2010. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

Did WWE Legal Threaten TNA?, ECW Alumni Likely Landing Jobs

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— TNA Wrestling officials have discussed using some of the HardCORE Justice talent going forward, though not many. A few performers are on hand for this week’s television tapings.

— Contrary to popular belief, World Wrestling Entertainment’s legal department made no threats regarding TNA Wrestling’s HardCORE Justice pay-per-view event. The talent name changes was TNA being proactive to avoid potential legal problems as opposed to reactive.

— There were no major injuries suffered last night at HardCORE Justice, though C.W. Anderson had a minor hamstring injury.

source: f4wonline.com

Booker T Discusses Departing TNA, Problems With His Brother

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Former WWE, WCW and TNA performer Booker T. appeared on The LAW this past Sunday night to promote his appearance at the 11th annual ‘Gathering of Juggalos’ next weekend at Cave in Rock, Illinois. Booker T. will be taking on Tracy Smothers as part of Bloody Mania 4 on Saturday night – for more information check out http://www.juggalogathering.com.

On departing TNA in 2009
I wasn’t happy for many different reasons mainly the reason I wasn’t happy was because I wasn’t wrestling and wasn’t performing. I was there for two years and probably had three real matches. When I first came to TNA my thing was I wanted to help them grow, I wanted to be out there in the middle of the ring performing with Sting, Jarrett, Steiner, Hall, Angle, A.J, Samoa – all of them and I didn’t get to do that in that two year period and show them what Booker T. was really made of and I didn’t get that chance because of the writing in TNA. I always felt that’s where TNA was lacking a little bit, I won’t say a little bit – a lot more than WWE. As far as business goes, WWE has a staff, they have several people putting together a show and when you have one person trying to put together a two hour show it’s very hard.

On his final months in TNA
Well I didn’t want to waste myself so I felt I should leave instead of just stay there and be in the background, I didn’t come to be part of the background and be a part of a group or anything, even though the Main Event Mafia was hot and it could have been hotter if it was done right. I felt the Main Event Mafia could still be going now, it’s similar to Nexus Vs WWE. That’s really a formula you can’t go wrong with, it’s something in life – the young guys always want to take the older guys spots. I felt TNA didn’t capitalize on it.

TNA’s branding
I felt they took a huge step back when they got rid of the six sided ring after investing seven years in it and making people believe they were a different company and went back to being the same as everybody else. That was your signature, your staple and there were a lot of complaints from people saying they couldn’t work in it properly and I know exactly what the problem was because I worked in it – it was just too small. They should have made it two feet bigger on each side and it would have been perfectly fine for Hogan to get in and work as opposed to changing the look of TNA to make it look like WCW. WCW is dead and it will never come back and it should be that way because life is evolution, we go forward not backward.

The ECW reunion show
I know a lot of the ECW guys – RVD is literally my best friend and we’re really tight and doing the ECW thing, it’s a nostalgia thing but it’s not done the right way and more importantly not done for the right reasons and it’s done for a TV rating and that’s not what they need to be focusing on. The ratings will come if you put your time into the product and stay on the grind when it comes to focusing on where you’re trying to go as opposed to coming in and figuring it out on the fly and it all goes back to having a staff that is coming up with different ideas and you can bounce them off wrestlers who have been in the ring wrestling, that can go up top and give it a ‘yea’ or ‘nay’. You’ve got to be able to agree to disagree without having animosity and have egos involved when you’re trying to run a business and when I was there it didn’t feel like it was being run like we really wanted to win and I’m not saying I wanted to beat WWE but I wanted to be the best wrestling company out there and it has nothing to do with WWE.

Comparisons of the Nexus invasion to the WCW invasion angle
You’ve got a lot of young and hungry guys out there and with WCW you had a lot of young guys that wasn’t hungry, that didn’t really care about the business. Those guys got real lazy and there were only probably two of us that could go out and perform at that time, everybody else was in their zone and weren’t prepared for WWE and the take over by WWE, no one was prepared for that but I was saw it coming long before it came.

Current problems with brother Stevie Ray
Me and my brother have a feud going, hopefully one day it works itself out. I still love my brother, it ain’t nothing like that but until he can come to grips on certain things and I can come to them it will be a little rocky. Maybe he will hear this or not, but I’ve got a couple of twins in the world if you want to get them a hollar they’re in the hospital at St. Luke’s.

Another potential run with a national promotion
I would not say that I won’t be in the big spotlight again – I’ve got some stuff brewing just keep your ears open and maybe coming up real soon. Booker T. is not over yet, I’m still going to go out there and perform like I said, do my thing, like I always do and make my fans jump.

The entire 30-minute interview with Booker T. is available at http://www.liveaudiowrestling.com/downloads and The LAW airs each Sunday night at 11pm EST on Sirius 98 Hardcore Sports Radio.

ECW Talent Not Contacted For TNA PPV, Update On Samoa Joe

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— The word amongst the locker room is that the following former ECW performers were among those not contacted to appear at last night’s HardCORE Justice pay-per-view event: Dawn Marie, Jim “Sinister Minister” Mitchell, referee Jim Molineaux, manager Jason Knight, and ring announcer Bob Artese.

— The role of Raven’s lackey Lupus was played by one of the Team 3D training center students. It was not the individual who portrayed the original character in ECW. Additionally, he is scheduled to work a match at tonight’s television taping, likely against Jesse Neal.

— Samoa Joe is not backstage at tonight’s iMPACT! television taping. He is currently serving a suspension due to an incident that took place at the July 13 television taping.

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