Wrestling Globe Newsletter for 1-22 (2010)

=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Friday January 22, 2010

=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Wrestling Globe Newsletter by Mike Aldren – All the latest professional wrestling news, gossip and occasional opinion direct to your mailbox.
WGN is read by industry power players, many top wrestlers and thousands of fans from all around the world.

To subscribe email to: wrestlingglobe-subscribe@topica.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/wrestlingglobe

Please send all news tips to: you2us@wrestlingglobe.com

WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

1/21 Superstars TV results: Kelly Kelly over Jillian Hall; Shelton Benjamin over Vance Archer; and Kane over Chris Jericho via CO.

We’re looking for reader reports from all the WWE house shows this weekend to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.

The Raw crew runs tonight in Cape Girardeau, Saturday night in Evansville, Sunday afternoon in Champaign, IL, and TV is Monday from Columbus with James Roday and Dule Hill of Psych pushing John Cena‘s upcoming appearance on the show. Advertised matches for Cape Girardeau are Cena vs. Sheamus; Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston; and Big Show vs.
Mark Henry.

The Smackdown/ECW crew runs Saturday in Hammond, IN, headlined by Rey Mysterio & Kane vs. Chris Jericho & CM Punk; Sunday in Cleveland has The Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho as the main event; and the TV tapings are Tuesday in Cincinnati which is the go-home show to next Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Smacdown TV tonight has Batista vs. Finlay; Chris Jericho & Drew McIntyre vs. John Morrison; Cryme Tyme vs. Mike Knox & Charlie Haas; Matt Hardy & Great Khali vs. The Hart Dynasty; and Jimmy Yang vs. Dolph Ziggler. The show is preempted in a few markets tonight due to the Hope for Haiti fundraiser in New York City.

***

Dwayne Johnson appeared on ESPN SportsCenter last night. Regarding WWE,
he said: “In terms of wrestling a match, I really don’t have any
interest. I would love to go back and guest-host and entertain the
audience. I could still do the physical things [like hit the] Rock
Bottom and People’s Elbow. I could still do all that and kick ass and
have a great time. As far as wrestling a match, I’m not too sure if I
see that, but I would never rule it out.” He was also a guest last night
on Jimmy Kimmel’s all-Dwayne show [http://tinyurl.com/ybmclxr] and
appears today on The Rachael Ray show.

Linda McMahon was a panel guest yesterday on The View. Footage at
http://tinyurl.com/yhmssn7 where they show a lots of clips with Linda
slapping Stephanie, getting tombstoned by Kane, and kicking Jim Ross in
the testicles. When asked whether her past in wrestling and her
first-time political experience would hurt her chances for Senate, she
said: “I think anyone looking at those [WWE] clips will see bad acting
and know the difference between acting and reality. I helped Vince build
a successful business from the ground up and I believe those leadership
skills translate well in the senate.”

Silvervision has a Q&A with Maria Kanellis at
http://tinyurl.com/ybunfb3. She puts over Paul Herman and says Mickie
James made her smart to the buisness.

Randy Orton is tapped for WWE Studios upcoming movie Big Red; set in the
1960s about a12-year-old boy who comes of age when he’s asked by his
teacher to partner with school the outcast for an English assignment.
The Undertaker may also have a role in the film.

A former WWE wrestler noted to us this week that the DVD business must
be good right now because they just received a substantial royalty
check, and they haven’t been seen here for a few years, and after
investigating, they realized they don’t even appear on DVD that was
listed on the check.

Jamie Noble returns to the ring against Justin Angel on January 29 for
FCW in Melbourne, FL. That didn’t last long.

Kung Fu Naki returned from Japan to work his first match in months at
Tuesday’s television taping in Greenville, SC. He went over newcomer
Johnny Curtis in a dark match.

Maryse had some dental work this week to repair broken teeth. She won’t
be missing any time.

Mickie James has joined a union, of sorts, the American Society of
Composers, Authors and Publishers. She also has a new website to promote
her upcoming country music album at www.mickiejames.com.

The latest Sky Sports magazine in the UK has a feature on the Top 10
Divas to ever hold the Women’s title. The mag only lists women currently
under contract [so no Trish, Lita, etc.], excludes Gail Kim, and
includes Kelly Kelly, Tiffany, Natalya, Maria, and Eve Torres, who have
never even held the title. The other Divas listed are Michelle McCool,
Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Maryse, and Melina.

MovieWeb.com has a Q&A with John Cena to discuss his appearance on Psych
at http://tinyurl.com/yda62jb.

WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson turned 69 this past week. He is still on
the payroll as a consultant although he isn’t as active as he once was.

Chris Jericho was in Los Angeles this past week filming extra scenes for
Macgruber. A trailer for the film is now online at
http://tinyurl.com/y8ulfxj.

NFL legend Warren Sapp did a webchat on the NFL website and was asked
whether WWE had contacted him about hosting Raw. He said no but would
love to do it.

Rey Mysterio will be signing copies of his book, Rey Mysterio: Behind
the Mask, from 1 to 3pm Saturday at Kmart, 3443 W. Addison St., Chicago,
(773) 478-1334.

TNA WRESTLING NEWS

1/21 Impact TV results from Orlando, FL: Hernandez & Matt Morgan over
Brutus Magnus & Doug Williams to retain the tag titles; Orlando Jordan
over The Pope; Angelina Love over Madison Rayne; The Nasty Boys over
Kevin Nash & Eric Young; and AJ Styles over Kurt Angle via Orlando
Screwjob.

TNA has a crew in Europe that runs this weekend into next with shows in
Glasgow, Paris, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Coventry, Manchester, and
Saturday. In that order, it’s quite the schedule, plane-to-bus covering
over 10,000 miles in a few days. The tour kicks off Saturday night in
Glasgow, Scotland, with AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe for the heavyweight
title; Hernandez & Matt Morgan vs. Team 3-D in a tables match for the
tag titles; and a match that will likely change due to booking reasons
Amazing Red vs. Chris Sabin vs. Daniels vs. Suicide for the X-title,
plus an advertised crew of Kurt Angle, Desmond Wolfe, The Pope, The
British Invasion, Beer Money, Eric Young, Awesome Kong [who won’t be
there], Hamada, Taylor Wilde, and Sarita. We’re looking for readers
reports from all these shows to you2us@wrestlingglobe.com.

***

Awesome Kong has requested her release following the events of this past
week. She noted to friends that the altercation with Bubba the Love
Sponge at Monday’s television taping was the straw that broke the camels
back. She had been unhappy for some time. The company has not responded
to her release request thus far and are hoping that she will change her
mind. “Kong is really disappointed in the fact that this company that
once had class has turned into a paranoid backstabbing contest because
people in management are too worried about keeping their jobs to really
voice their opinions or represent the talent appropriately,” said one
source. “They sold all the talent that they were a team [before
Hogan/Bischoff arrived]… but then moved forward without rewarding
anyone, and benched half the original roster on top of that.” Regarding
the actual altercation, Kong admitted fault saying she had planned to
give Bubba a piece of her mind due to his remarks on Haiti, but things
quickly got out of hand. She cited lack of sleep, noting that she had
spent her free time last weekend raising funds for the victims of the
earthquake, and was also dealing with the loss of her mentor, wrestling
promoter Ed Chuman. She said delirium took over and she ended up
smacking Bubba instead of talking to him. One of Kong’s friends also
noted to us that she is furious with Bubba for ripping her on Howard
Stern, and for attempting to make an angle out of the situation on his
own radio show. She is now back at home pondering her future. She was
originally booked for the upcoming European tour but won’t be making
those dates any more.

Melissa Anderson [Alissa Flash] was released. It’s a decision that many
people are second guessing as she was among the top echelon of workers
in the company. She has not spoken publicly about her departure thus
far.

Former WWE Diva Ashley Massaro is telling people she’s been talking to
Dixie Carter about coming in.

Impact last night had around 16 minutes of wrestling in the two-hour
show. And yes, they copied the Montreal Screwjob in the finish of the
main event. After watching the show, one of our readers, a 49-year-old
wrestling fan of over 30 years wrote: “I have seen most of the greats of
my generation and some are still at it. Ricky Steamboat was one of my
favorites of the 80’s wrestlers and Ric Flair was the ultimate. Now as I
watch TNA tonight and I see Sags and Knobs wrestle Nash and Young, I
must hang my head in utter disgust. I can only figure that Sags and
Knobs need a pay check to help with their living because it was a total
sad way to see these three men, Young not included. The last time I saw
Knobs on Hogan Knows Best he couldn’t walk without a cane so why is he
wrestling? His shape is terrible and rightly so for someone who has had
a career and is in retirement so to speak. I know he and Hogan are best
friends, and there is nothing wrong with hooking up your buddy with a
gig, but this is really sad to see… There is too much young talent
[can anyone say Pope Dinero?] that deserves the chance to make it big
without being pushed aside for the old-timers that realistically cant
get it done anymore.”

BG James worked the Impact tapings this past week in an agent capacity.
Scott D’Amore was on sick leave as he recently underwent shoulder
surgery so they used James as his replacement.

The Miami Herald has a story on Matt Morgan at
http://tinyurl.com/ybptwaz. He noted his father is currently fighting
brain cancer and was hospitalized in Bridgeport, CT, on January 11. He
said he flew out of Bridgeport for last Sunday’s PPV with his mind in
left field. “I started to break down after the match was done, and I
gave him a little shout out on camera… That was to him, and my family
all called me crying because they could read my mouth. They were like,
‘He will see it. We’ll get him through this. He’s going to get through
this. You’ll see.'” He said Dixie Carter has been very supportive and
even shipped a DVD of his match to his dad overnight. “That means a lot
to me. I didn’t ask her to do that,” he said. “Where does that happen?
That doesn’t happen anywhere else.”

Desmond Wolfe also puts over Dixie in the Scottish edition of The Big
Issue at http://tinyurl.com/yec2jfv. “Dixie is lovely and wonderful and
has created this kind of family in TNA,” he says. “But when it comes to
business, she doesn’t pull any punches. She gets the job done and she’s
really gung-ho about this [taking on WWE]. She’s going all out. She’s
got Hogan on board now, she’s got all the ducks in the line – everything
she thinks she needs to do it. I wouldn’t want to be against her.” He
also jokes about researching Scotland by watching Braveheart. “I’m
excited to be coming back to the UK. The fans in England are some of the
best in the world – it’s just a shame that we have to go to Scotland as
well.”

TNA announced a deal with Knotice to power a direct digital marketing
strategy. “TNA has some of the most passionate fans in the world, so
it’s extremely important for TNA Wrestling to keep our communications
targeted and consistent across any digital experience our fans may
have,” said TNA Wrestling Chief Marketing Officer Steve Allison.
“Simply, Knotice is the only software platform provider in the market
capable of bringing all of the vital direct digital marketing functions
together in one location while maintaining a seamless relationship with
data.”

Vince Russo’s book Rope Opera – How the WCW Killed Vince Russo from ECW
Press hits book stores on February 1. A blurb for the book reads: “It is
a changed Russo who has returned to wrestling — a world he both loves
and that has, he acknowledges, broken his heart. Russo states in the
prologue to Rope Opera, ‘The truth is, I always knew there would be a
second book. Since writing Forgiven my thoughts and emotions have
incubated, getting to the point of bursting from me much like Bruce
Banner bursts from those hideous purple pants as he transforms into the
Incredible Hulk.’ And for two hours every Thursday, Russo’s ideas and
words are broadcast on Spike TV; but what he achieves on Impact on a
weekly basis has been many years in the making. He’s been known as both
the savior of the WWF and the man who destroyed WCW, and Rope Opera is
the true, behind-the-scenes story of, quite simply, the rise and fall
and rebirth of professional wrestling.”

OTHER WRESTLING NEWS

Dragon Gate USA “Freedom Fight” premieres tonight at 10pm on
pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, TVN, Viewer’s Choice and Bell ExpressVU. For
$15 this show is a great deal next to what TNA and WWE are offering
right now. Complete line up: Davey Richards vs. YAMATO; Super Crazy vs.
Mike Quackenbush vs. CIMA vs. Jorge Rivera; Brian Kendrick vs. BxB Hulk;
Matt Jackson of Young Bucks vs. Nick Jackson of Young Bucks vs. Gran
Akuma vs. Hallowicked vs. Lince Dorado vs. Johnny Gargano; and Dragon
Kid & Shingo vs. Masato Yoshino & Naruki Doi. There is a preview online
at www.vimeo.com/8335383.

Dragon Gate USA runs Saturday in Chicago at the Congress Theater with
BxB Hulk vs. Dragon Kid; Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Davey Richards; Shingo &
YAMATO vs. The Young Bucks vs. Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino; CIMA & Super
Crazy vs. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw; Brian Kendrick vs. Jimmy Jacobs;
and Gran Akuma vs. TJP. More info at www.dgusa.tv.

Jake the Snake Roberts recently announced his retirement from active
wrestling at the age of 54. He says that 2010 will be his last year in
the ring: “Bottom line, it’s time. There comes a moment and I regret
that it has happened, but I simply am unable physically to perform at
the level that I find acceptable. I cannot do what I did 30 years ago,
and my God, am I glad that I can’t. But my love for what I’ve done in
the last 35 years deserves more than I am capable of doing. I cherish
every moment that I’ve had, good or bad, bottom line is I never had a
bad moment in the ring. Any moment was something to treasure, and I can
only do so by stepping away. Although the cheers and support are still
there from you, the fans, I would be a liar to say that it is not only
painful physically, mentally, but worst of all, deep in my heart. It
would be unfair to me not to have one more go around the horn. I will do
a retirement tour that will last no more than to the end of the year. I
honestly feel that it won’t last that long, and I hope I am wrong.
Regardless of the offers to continue I respect that lady in the ring
enough to say “goodbye”. I would really love to continue to contribute
as a adviser, booker, teacher, etc., and perhaps that opportunity may
present itself to me somewhere in the future. For those of you in our
business, feel free to contact me for appearances for 2010. The open
dates are limited. Thanks to all, here’s to a safe and happy 2010.
Jake.”

UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and UFC president Dana White talk
Brock’s come back at http://tinyurl.com/yajgax6… Lesnar also gets heat
from Canada due to his comments this week on Canadian health care at
http://tinyurl.com/ydf6ps6.

Linda Claridge [Bollea] has settled with the Graziano family in their
auto negligence civil suit filed over Nick Hogan’s accident with John
Graziano. Terms were undisclosed. Hulk and Nick Hogan have yet to settle
their end. Linda said in a statement: “I felt it was the right thing to
do. My heart and prayers go out to John and Debra [John’s mother].”
Linda noted she was 3000 miles away in California when the accident took
place, according to a statement released by her publicist. The statement
also noted that John’s father Ed Graziano is currently in jail for
soliciting an undercover officer to kill his wife, and that Ed
Graziano’s step son was charged with threatening to kill the Bollea
family after a series of threatening answer machine messages, but the
Bollea’s declined to press charges. The St. Petersburg Times has a story
on the settlement at http://tinyurl.com/y8wkjmo.

Womens Superstars Uncensored has a third anniversary show on March 6 in
Union City, NJ. Scheduled to appear: Jazz, Molly Holly, Dawn Marie,
Angelina Love, Mercedes Martinez, Angel Orsini, Rain, So Cal Val, Nikki
Roxxi, April Hunter, Amber O’Neal, Alicia, Sassy Stephanie, Jessicka
Havok, Amy Lee, Brittney Savage, Jana, Latasha, Niya, Jennifer Cruz,
Cindy Rogers, Rick Cataldo, Destiny, and many more. They will be
honoring Jazz, Molly Holly and Dawn Marie with a live plaque
presentation and speeches from their friends and colleagues. More info
at www.WSUWrestling.com.

The latest on Booker T is that he claims he’s going to Los Angeles to
try to become an actor and he won’t be going back to WWE or TNA.

Former WCW personality Sonny Onoo was interviewed at
www.worldwrestlinginsanity.com talking unfinished angles in WCW, working
for Eric Bischoff, Hogan in TNA, and much more. On allegations of Vince
Russo being a racist, he said: “As far as Russo goes, he said what he
said. It’s a matter of public record and, you know, anybody in a
position of authority – at the time he was working for one of the
largest entertainment companies in the world – just can’t make a
statement like that. Then, the company allowed him to follow up. That
was the issue and the product was kind of obvious. He took all the
Mexicans and all the Japanese off the table. I mean, that’s just a
matter of record. When he came in, Mexican and Japanese [wrestlers] just
disappeared.”

Alex Marvez has a story on Steve Corino at http://tinyurl.com/ybfcf53.
He talks about returning to Ring of Honor and said one day he may
relocate to Helsinki with his Finnish wife to open a gym.

KRCG in Missouri at http://tinyurl.com/yhclhn3 has a feature story on
Theo Muller [the former WWE wrestler, Trevor Murdoch] who has opened T.
Murdock’s Bar and Grill in downtown Eldon. Harley Race is a regular
customer and they have named the “Harley Hamburger” after him.

Adrenalin Rush Wrestling runs Saturday night at Champions Ground
Fitness, Parks Plaza, in Dalton, GA.

Stacy Keibler has been all over Hollywood this week auditioning for
various shows. One show would be a huge deal for her if she gets the
part.

Today’s Diva of the Day is Torrie Wilson at
http://www.thewrestlingpress.com/DailyDiva.

=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-