SEScoops

Author: Staff

  • Chael Sonnen Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering: Facing Prison

    The following press release was issued by the US Attorney’s Office:

    (PRESS RELEASE) PORTLAND, Ore. – Chael Sonnen, 33, of West Linn, Oregon, plead guilty today to one count of money laundering in federal court before the Honorable Michael Mosman. Sentencing is scheduled on March 28, 2011 at 11:30 a.m.

    Sonnen, a licensed realtor in the State of Oregon, admitted that a financial transaction he conducted was designed to conceal or disguise the ownership and control of the proceeds of wire fraud. The scheme involved Joel Rosabal and Chadwick Amsden, employees of Crown Point Enterprises, dba Lighthouse Financial Group (Lighthouse), a mortgage brokerage service based principally in Vancouver, Washington, with operations in Oregon and elsewhere. Rosabal and Amsden submitted a materially false loan application on the buyer’s behalf to Decision One Mortgage, a subprime lending institution that is now defunct, for the purchase of residential property located at 11249 SE Rolling Hills Lane, Portland, Oregon. Sonnen acted as the realtor for the transaction. Sonnen submitted a false letter and Sales Agreement Addendum instructing the title company to pay loan proceeds to a plumbing company for repairs to the home. In fact, Sonnen knew and had negotiated with Rosabal that no repairs would be performed on the home and the funds designated to the plumbing company would instead be paid to the buyer as a cash incentive to purchase the home. This agreement was not disclosed to Decision One Mortgage. Once the loan was funded, the title company paid over $69,000 to the plumbing company and the plumbing company, in turn and at Sonnen’s direction, paid $65,000 to the buyer of the home.

    “This office will continue to aggressively prosecute real estate professionals who committed the mortgage fraud that contributed to this country’s economic downturn and wreaked havoc on our community’s housing market. We entrusted these professionals to honestly broker real estate transactions and instead, they defrauded lending institutions throughout the country and left financial ruin in their wake,” said Dwight Holton, U. S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    Marcus Williams, the Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigations for the Pacific Northwest said, “West Linn residents, and other residents throughout the Portland/Vancouver area, can rest assured knowing that federal law enforcement agencies take mortgage fraud very seriously because it played a major role in almost crippling this nation’s banking system just a few years ago.”

    Money Laundering carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

    There are currently two other cases related to Lighthouse pending in the United States District Court of Oregon, United States v. Joel Rosabal et al., USDC Case No. 10-CR-00195 and United States v. Chadwick Amsden, et al., USDC Case No. 10-CR-00196. In addition, three other defendants have pled guilty and have been sentenced to charges related to Lighthouse as well: United States v. Kamau Herndon, USDC Case No. 09-CR-00068, United States v. Marty Folwick, USDC Case No. 08-CR-00280, United States v. Kristen Buse, Case No. 08-CR-00283.

    This investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The case against Chael Sonnen is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Michelle Holman Kerin. The pending cases involving Lighthouse are being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorneys Michelle Holman Kerin and Allan Garten.

  • Shad Gaspard Talked Top MMA Star Out Of Joining WWE

    Former WWE star Shad Gaspard appeared on Right After Wrestling with Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas last night. You can hear the full interview at TheScore.com. Here are some highlights of what Gaspard said about:

    Telling Strikeforce MMA Fighter “King Mo” Not To Join WWE:

    “(Former Strikeforce MMA Light Heavyweight Champion King Mo Lawal) actually tried out (for the WWE). Gerald Brisco got him a tryout with WWE. They were ready to sign him and he was ready to sign. He decided not to come with WWE because, we were out drinking one night. I told him that he’s young, he can still do it.. he should fight right now, do what he has to do now and then later on become a pro wrestler. I know he will be a superstar when it’s his time. He’s in in no rush. I’m super proud of him.”

    Not Watching Wrestling Anymore & Being A Fan Of John Morrison:

    “I haven’t watched wrestling in months. Tonight was the first night I watched because I knew Morrison was wrestling, and I was hoping he’d win the title. You know it’s one of those things where the really good athlete doesn’t necessarily make the really good wrestler in some people’s opinions. And it’s not the people who are watching the product, it’s the people who are in the back. I think Morrison is a phenomenal athlete. But when you put him in a wrestling ring and that talent sometimes get unshowcased and sometimes I feel people like him get the short end of the stick.”

  • Tonight’s SmackDown & NXT Tapings, Why Alberto Was On RAW

    – WWE will tape tonight’s episode of NXT and Friday’s SmackDown show from the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, Arizona.

    NXT will feature the first elimination of Season 4. SmackDown will see Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio in a 2 of 3 Falls Match and Kane vs. Edge in a Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight championship.

    – A few readers have asked why SmackDown star Alberto Del Rio wrestled on Monday’s WWE RAW from Phoenix. Aside from the fact that Alberto is in the midst of a major push and WWE wants him to get as much exposure as possibe, the main reason is that WWE wants to give RAW fans a look at a top SmackDown star in hopes that they’ll watch SmackDown on SyFy. Expect to see more crossover among RAW and SmackDown stars in the coming months.

    – The new backstage announcer we saw on RAW is Scott Stanford, who announces on WWE Superstars and is one of WWE’s “hype men” on the PPV preview shows that air before WWE’s PPVs go on the air. He’s a longtime newscaster in the New York area and has an official website at ScottStanford.tv.

  • WrestleKings V Results: TNA vs. NJPW From Tokyo (VIDEO)

    New Japan WrestleKings V show
    Tokyo, Japan at the Tokyo Dome
    Report by reader Nick

    I don’t know the exact attendance figure, but the whole first tier was filled along with the ground level seating. My friend and I speculated there were about 10,000-12,000 people there. We paid 3,000 yen (approximately 35 US dollars) for a seat in the first tier, with a nice view of the action.

    As is expected in Japan, the Japanese wrestlers received the biggest pops and heat. Notable mention must go to Kenny Omega and Prince Devitt though – they seem to have created a pretty nice following in Japan.

    From TNA, Jeremy Borash was doing the ring introductions, and Beer Money, RVD and Jeff Hardy were in action. Quite a few people seemed to be familiar with Beer Money as they have been to Japan
    before, but unfortunately Jeff Hardy and RVD received little to no reaction. It was quite funny with RVD, as the Japanese wrestler he faced received a way bigger pop when he mockingly did the RVD gesture with his name than RVD did himself.

    Props go to Jeff Hardy for making the trip to Japan with all the personal issues he has going on right now, but he was far from top form today, and put on arguably the worst match of the night. He faced Tetsuya Naitoh (part of No Limit who were in TNA briefly), but the match never got going, had a couple of botched spots, and there was a “was that it?” feeling in the crowd after it ended.

    The match may have finished early for some reason as Naitoh didn’t even take his t-shirt off (he usually takes it off during one his signature moves), and Jeff did look noticeably exhausted a couple of minutes into the match. Like I say though, props to Jeff for coming to Japan and putting on the show with everything he has going on at the moment.

    All TNA wrestlers used their TNA music and entrance videos.

    There was also an announcement during the show that New Japan will be putting on 3 shows under the “Strong Style” slogan in the U.S. in May this year. I think it was May 13 in New Jersey, May 14 in New York, and May 15 in Philadelphia. You may want to confirm those dates, but it was definitely in those cities.

    Dark Match

    1. Wataru Inoue, Tiger Mask, Tama Tonga and Tomoaki Honma defeated Yujiro Takahashi, Tomohiro Ishi, Gedo and Jado in an 8-man tag match. Short 8-man tag match, was disappointing to see Tiger Mask relegated to dark match status.

    Main Card

    1. Kouji Kanemoto and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Kenny Omega and Taichi.
    Kenny Omega looked great, and the fans seem to be really behind him.

    2. Giant Bernard (A-Train/Prince Albert) and Machine Gun Anderson defeated Beer Money and the team of Nakanishi Manabu and Strongman in a three way tag match. I liked Machine Gun Anderson – he and Bernard got a nice reaction. Beer Money did the Beer Money suplex, DWI, and James Storm did the beer spitting spot which backfired. Fun match which ended with Bernard telling TNA that “NJPW is No. 1!”

    3. La Sombra and Mascara Dorada (from CMLL) defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and Hector Garza. Lucha libre style tag match with lots of high risk athletic spots. La Sombra performed an inwards somersault dive to the outside and Mascara Dorada did a tightrope walk moonsault to the outside. Really impressive stuff from all 4 guys.

    4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Takashi Iizuka in a “Deep Sleep” (first person unconscious) match. Finally a singles match! Very physical grudge match – Iizuka is an awesome heel. Tenzan finished with an move similar to the Anaconda Vice to put Iizuka away. The crowd loved Tenzan – he was out for a long time with an injured neck and seems to be somewhat of a crowd favourite.

    5. Rob Van Dam defeated Toru Yano in a hardcore match. Poor RVD. He put on a good effort here, but received little to no love from the crowd. Japanese crowds are tough to win over. Standard hardcore rules match with chairs, trash cans, ladders, etc involved. RVD did the Van Daminator a couple of times (to no reaction) and hit the Five Star Frog Splash to Yano holding a chair (to no reaction) for the win.

    6. Yuji Nagata defeated Minoru Suzuki. Grudge match – apparently there is legit heat between these two guys going back over 20 years. Nagata hit some mega stiff kicks, very much a Japanese strong style match.

    7. Prince Devitt defeated Kouta Ibushi to retain the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Title. Easily the best match of the night. Both these guys are so impressive in the ring, and shook hands at the end after a very high paced match. I urge you all to check this out on YouTube if it gets uploaded.

    8. Sugiura and Yoshihiro Takayama defeated Hirooki Goto and Kazuchika Okada. Takayama was as stiff as ever, everyone was “oooh”-ing every time he hit a knee. They did a Go To Sleep style move where Sugiura threw Goto off his shoulders and onto Takayama’s oncoming knee. Looked nasty. Takayama got the win for his team with a bridging german suplex.

    9. Jeff Hardy defeated Tetsuya Naitoh to retain the TNA Title. As I mentioned, a disappointing match. Never got going. Jeff hit the Whisper in the Wind, Twist of Hate, and finished with the Swanton Bomb. Naitoh did all the heavy lifting before that, and did his best to create some movement, but Jeff didn’t have a great day at the office.

    10. Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Go Shiozaki. Great match, Nakamura has some nasty looking chops. He was even chopping Shiozaki’s knee at one point.

    11. Tougi Makabe defeated Masato Tanaka.

    12. Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Satoshi Kojima to become the 56th IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Tanahashi, who was in TNA for a while, had the crowd behind him in an entertaining title match, and sent everyone home happy with a title win.

  • Update On TNA TV In The UK, Last Week’s iMPACT! RAting

    – Last week’s episode of TNA iMPACT! drew a 1.1 cable rating, reports f4wonline.com.

    – SkyTV issued the following statement regarding the future of TNA television in the UK .. TNA had been airing on the Bravo UK channel, which closed at the start of the year.

    “Following the close of the Bravo family of channels on 1 Jan 2011, a range of the most popular programmes – including TNA Wrestling, Spartacus, Chuck, Leverage, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Star Trek, Sun, Sea and A & E, Motorway Patrol, Highway Patrol and Caribbean Cops – will find new homes on other Sky channels.

    We are still working through which shows will be reallocated to other channels, and when these will be shown. There are a number of factors to be considered in this, and we appreciate your patience.

    We will confirm new timings later in January.

    Full details will follow in due course and will be well publicised. All details will also be made available at Sky.com/mytv and you can register now for reminders when programme timings are confirmed.”

  • Shad Gaspard Talks WWE Release, Cryme Time, TNA & MMA

    Former WWE superstar & one-half of Cryme Tyme, Shad Gaspard, was one of the featured guests on this week’s live edition (01/03/11) of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem.

    Shad Gaspard Discusses His WWE Release, Why His Slated Singles Push On SmackDown Was Halted, The Break-Up Of Cryme Tyme, Why Him & JTG Never Won The World Tag Team Titles, Who Created The Concept & Idea Of Cryme Tyme, TNA/MMA Rumors, His Relationship With John Laurinaitis, Why He Believes Chris Jericho Is One Of The Greatest Of All-Time, Collaborating With Muhammad Hassan On Their Forthcoming Graphic Novel, & What Fans Can Expect In His New Film “Untouchable”

    You can download an MP3 of Shad’s appearance on The Mayhem by clicking here.

    Interview highlights courtesy of The Mayhem’s official correspondent, Paterson from New Jersey:

    Whether or not his WWE release came as a surprise:

    “To be honest with you, no. I was with the company for about eight years, a few of those years were in developmental and five & a half of it have spent on the road. I kinda learned the system of the company and learned the understandings of the business side of the company, along with the wrestling. I saw it coming. The only thing that kind of caught me off-guard was I actually being talked to about what I was going to be doing on TV when I would came back in November or December, and then I was released.”

    What happened from the time of Cryme Tyme’s break-up to the time he was released by the WWE & what were the plans for his slated singles push which began on SmackDown:

    “I sat down with a lot of the top people, and we talked and they had very big plans for me on SmackDown or RAW. Everything sounded real good. I went down to Tampa to train, and went I got down to Tampa, I weighed 305 lbs. By the time I was done training, I got down to 265 lbs. I thought I was doing good, and I was told I was doing good by several people. Then again, I had some people telling me I was doing bad. It was a big push & pull kind of thing.”

    If he believes the WWE truly focused on tag teams during his run with the company & which tag team that he & JTG faced off with that he hoped the WWE would have capitalized on:

    “In my opinion, I think the WWE never focused on tag teams since like way back in the day. Tag teams are just something our creative staff doesn’t really think draws people to the show. As Cryme Time, we were lucky that we actually had personalities to go along with our wrestling. Even though we were aggressive, and we did fun moves, and had pretty good matches with people, we actually had personalities away from the ring, where we could talk into the microphone, and have fun, and get the fans into our matches. I honestly thought that when Chris Jericho & Big Show became Tag Team Champions, they brought so much to the tag team division, and they build it up so much together as a team (Jeri-Show). When they were Tag Team Champions, they stepped up the level in the tag team division. I was hoping that the WWE would have capitalized on that, whether it be with us as Cryme Time or any other team.”

    More is contained in Shad’s first post-WWE interview, including his candid thoughts & comments on how he took the news of his release from John Laurinaitis, whether or not you will see him in TNA in 2011, the possibilities of transitioning into the world of MMA, the real reason why Cryme Tyme never won the World Tag Team Titles in the WWE, whose idea it originally was to team him up with JTG in the first place, why he believes that Chris Jericho is one the greatest of all-time, collaborating with Marc Copani (Muhammad Hassan) on their forthcoming graphic novel, what fans can expect in his new film “Untouchable,” plus so much more! The rumors & speculation can now be put to rest, as “The Beast” breaks his silence in this worldwide Mayhem exclusive! Be sure to follow Shad right now on Twitter (at www.Twitter.com/ShadBeast).

  • JR Blog: Kong WWE Rumors, Miz vs. Morrison, Sheamus-Barrett

    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:

    Miz vs. Morrison’s Match From Monday’s RAW:

    “Great start to Raw with Miz vs. Morrison. These are two of the individuals that WWE is counting on to be big time players in the future. They both put forth great effort in the falls count anywhere match for the WWE Title. I enjoyed their hard work and the overall physicality of the contest. Both men likely want to be known not only as successful, main eventers, first and foremost, but also tough, physical wrestlers, as well. Each took positive steps forward on that goal.”

    “Miz is establishing that he is a talented, charismatic WWE Champion who can be beaten on any given night. That combo has worked for ages.”

    “Morrison can wow any discerning fan with his athleticism and his physicality is becoming more prominent in his matches and I like that trait with any wrestler.”

    The Elevation Of Wade Barrett & Sheamus:

    “Some of the exchanges between Wade Barrett and Sheamus were physical and both men showed intensity and a gear change. Both Barrett and Sheamus have definitive up sides and both fit into the same category with Morrison and Miz as men that WWE needs to get to the next level and to stay there. Again, this is no simple feat and the ascension is a process that takes varying amounts of time depending on the individual along with being at the right place at the right time with all the stars surrounding the process being aligned properly.”

    Reports That Awesome Kong Has Signed With WWE:

    “I don’t know if WWE has signed female star Awesome Kong or not but if they have then I think it is a smart hire. After meeting her at the Cauliflower Alley Club (CAC) function a year or so ago in Las Vegas, I wrote that I thought she would be a nice fit in WWE because Kong is so unique. If she does sign, I’d bet a case of BBQ sauce that her name changes. If the Kong rumor is true, and this is just my two cents, I hope that Kong NEVER wrestles a man in WWE.”

    As always, visit JRsBarBQ.com to check out Jim Ross’ delicious line of BBQ products!

  • What Happened After RAW Went Off The Air, Dark Matches

    Here’s a live recap of what we didn’t see on Monday’s WWE RAW broadcast from Phoenix, Arizona:

    Pre-RAW Dark Match:

    * Mason Ryan defeated Primo.

    Matches Taped For WWE Superstars:

    * Yoshi Tatsu vs. Zach Ryder.

    * WWE United States champion Daniel Bryan & Mark Henry vs. Ted DiBiase and Tyson Kidd

    After RAW Went Off The Air:

    The advertised dark match main event with Randy Orton and John Cena vs. The Miz and C.M. Punk never happened, due to Cena’s injury.

    After RAW went off air, The Miz and Alex Riley came out and started talking trash about Randy Orton and the city of Phoenix. The crowd got very loud and booed the Miz for about 2 minutes straight. Michael Cole got in the ring, which drew a lot of heat. Orton entered the ring, sized up the three men and delivered RKO’s to Miz and A-Ri.. Cole was able to get away. Orton posed to send the crowd home.

    The crowd was hot all night and very into The Miz and Randy Orton.

  • Tough Enough Application Online, More On Kong To WWE

    — As WWE announced earlier today, Tough Enough will be returning on April 4th and will air on the USA Network for 10 weeks prior to Monday Night RAW.

    WWE has posted the official application online, which you can download here in .PDF format.

    The application and a video must be submitted by January 14th. If you cannot download the application, e-mail ToughEnoughCasting@shedmediaus.com with your name, age, city, and state, phone numbers, a current photo of you, and a brief paragraph about you and why you think you can make it in WWE.

    — To follow up on the news of former TNA Knockouts champion Awesome Kong signing with World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE reportedly asked Kong to clear up her legal situation in Florida before going to work for the company. Kong was arrested last month in Hillsborough County, Florida for driving without a suspended license. According to a WWE source, Kong no longer lives in Florida but went back in December to turn herself in and resolve the traffic violation. (Source: prowrestling.net)

  • Awesome Kong’s WWE Debut, Top Stars Needed For WrestleMania

    – As we’ve been covering here on the site since last week, former TNA Knockouts champion Awesome Kong is believed to have signed a contract last week with World Wrestling Entertainment. Kong confirmed the signing on Twitter, re-tweeting congratulations from her attorney saying she’s going to “kill it” in WWE.

    Independent wrestling promotion Millennium Wrestling Federation is promoting Awesome Kong’s appearance for this Saturday’s event at Memorial Hall in Melrose, MA as her farewell show before she starts with WWE. Kong will wrestle J-Busta and will be accompanies to the ring by John Cena, Sr., father of WWE superstar John Cena.

    After speaking with a WWE source over the weekend about Kong’s signing, the latest is that the company is reportedly trying to keep it as “under wraps” as possible. A few WWE superstars are speculating that Kong could be a mystery entrant in this year’s Royal Rumble, which takes place on 1/30. While Kong will certainly be a part of WWE’s divas division, another plan that has been discussed is for Kong to be introduced as a bodyguard/enforcer for either a WWE superstar or diva.

    – WWE has reportedly reached out to Chris Jericho about returning in time for WrestleMania. Jericho is said to be enjoying his time away and does not have immediate plans to return to the company. Triple H will be returning soon to add some needed star power to WrestleMania. The Undertaker’s status is still up in the air.

    With WrestleMania taking place from Atlanta and there being talk of a possible WCW tie-in at the event, Bill Goldberg’s name has come up as somebody the company might reach out to for a WrestleMania program.

  • Lucha Las Vegas Announces First Show With Former WWE Star

    Lucha Las Vegas sent us the following press release on Monday announcing their first live event:

    LUCHA LAS VEGAS ANNOUNCES BANDS FOR DEBUT SHOW.
    L.A.’S CHOTTO GHETTO TO BATTLE MEXICALI’S THE KRANEOS LIVE ON STAGE!

    Aside from being the first Las Vegas stage show based around lucha libre and featuring not only action-packed high-flying pro wrestling bouts, but an on-stage spectacular as well which will include former WWE star SiNN Bhodi’s “too extreme for the PG world of WWE” circus freak stunts and super sexy don’t-call-them-divas performing in front of wrestling fans like never before, Lucha Las Vegas will feature the shows’ stars entrance music played by live bands who will also do battle among against each other!

    Representing the good guys, known in lucha libre as “técnicos,” will be Mexicali band The Kraneos (thekraneos.com). As unique as lucha is to Las Vegas, so areThe Kraneos to the Baja California music scene. This horrorpunk/psychobilly band followed in the vein of American bands like the Misfits and Tiger Army to bring a new sound to their region. This lead to a number of opportunities to play shows with the likes of The Adicts, Voodoo Glow Skulls, and Marky Ramone along with other popular American and British punk and psychobilly acts. Now, The Kraneos head to The Silver State for the first time ever to be part of theLucha Las Vegas debut!

    The “rudos,” or bad guys, of the night will be represented by Los Angeles’ Chotto Ghetto (chottoghetto.com) a post-hardcore band who draws influences from the likes of The Mars Volta, Faith No More, and Bad Brains. Assembled in 2005, they have released and toured behind three EPs through Quote Unquote Records, all available for free download at their website. They are currently in the studio working on their full-length debut for Asian Man Records, due this summer, followed by extensive touring.

    The bands will share the stage to provide the soundtrack to which wrestlers will storm to the ring, but before the show is over, they will go head -to-head and battle it out, musically speaking, in an all out war of which their can only be one winner, and that winner will be decided by the live audience.

    Live bands playing wrestler’s theme songs and going to war themselves is only one aspect of what makes Lucha Las Vegas unlike any other Vegas or pro wrestling related show in the world! Lucha Las Vegas is the only Vegas show to bring the biggest stars of the masked and mysterious world of Mexican wrestling to the city of Sin. Guest starring in the debut spectacular will be none other than the four of the biggest stars in lucha libre direct from Mexico: the original La Parka, LA Park, who set Ted Turner’s WCW on fire with his lucha antics and who can be currently seen starring on AAA Lucha Libre on Galavision; “La Leyenda Azul” Blue Demon Jr., one of Mexico’s most popular grapplers; Hijo De Rey Misterio, 3rd generation lucha royalty who stars in the Pay Per View series Viva La Lucha; and the 4′ 3″ Octagoncito, the World Mini’s Champion.

    Lucha Las Vegas will also feature former WWE Smackdown star SiNN Bohdi, who was known as the circus freak “Kizarney,” performing stunts much too extreme for the PG world of the WWE. Alongside SiNN will his lovely wife and assistant Stacy, better known to wresting fans as former WWE Diva “The Kat.” But Stacy isn’t the only former diva now dolling up for Lucha Las Vegas, as Shelly Martinez, who was known as “Ariel” in the WWE, will serve as “Head Official” for the action and make sure all the super sexy referees keep law and order inside the ring.

    Plus, wrestling fans may know Lizzy Valentine from her appearances on MTV’s Wrestling Society X and the syndicated series Wrestlicious, but they have never seen her perform the way she will at the Lucha Las Vegas debut as the hottest female free agent in the business will make her first ever appearance poll dancing for wrestling fans!

    Lucha Las Vegas debuts on Friday night, January 7, 2011, at 7:30 PM at The Crown Nightclub inside The Rio “All-Suite” Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. For tickets and more information on the show log on to LuchaLasVegas.com. Tickets are also available at The Rio box office or TheCrownVegas.com.

  • Former Creative Team Members Skeptical About Tough Enough

    Former WWE creative team members Court Bauer and Dave Lagana (who currently works with Ring of Honor) have posted messages on Twitter questioning whether the revival of WWE Tough Enough will be successful. Bauer wrote on Twitter.com/CourtBauer:

    “Glad WWE finally embracing reality TV (a decade late).. Tough Enough and reality is a proven GREAT vehicle to launch stars, BUT will WWE consistently commit to this new talent in long run? Skeptical.”

    Lagana (@Lagana) responded to Bauer’s tweet with his own line of skepticism:

    “‘He just doesn’t get it, boss’ Six words that have killed more careers before they could develop. Remember all the hype with NXT last year too? Will wait to see on execution.”

    Lagana continued, “I look forward to Tough Enough, but more importantly look forward to the weeks and months after to see what they make of the talent from the show.

    As we reported earlier, WWE and the USA Network announced today that the Tough Enough reality competition will be returning on April 4th (the night after WrestleMania) on the USA Network. Tough Enough will air for 10 weeks on Monday nights at 8 p.m. EST as a lead-in to WWE RAW.

  • RAW Preview For Tonight, David Arquette Enters Rehab

    – Tonight’s episode WWE RAW takes place from the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

    The WWE website has announced that the opening match of tonight’s RAW will see WWE Champion The Miz defending against #1 contender and former tag team partner John Morrison in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

    RAW will also feature follow-up on CM Punk appearing to join Nexus at the end of last week’s show. With the Royal Rumble taking place later this month, expect to see Royal Rumble qualifying matches as early as tonight.

    The dark match main event will be John Cena & Randy Orton vs. The Miz and CM Punk, with Michael Cole as referee.

    – Former WCW champion David Arquette, who appeared on RAW a few weeks ago as a presenter at the 2010 Slammy Awards, checked into rehab on New Years Eve. Arquette will be receiving treatment for alcohol and “other issues,” but not drugs.

    His ex-wife Courtney Cox told TMZ.com, “I really admire David and his choice to take charge and better his life. I love and support him.”

  • Top TNA Stars In Japan For Today’s NJPW Tokyo Dome Show

    Several top TNA stars including Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy are in Tokyo, Japan for the annual Tokyo Dome show for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Below is the official press release regarding the event:

    TNA WRESTLING VS. NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING TO ONCE AGAIN HIGHLIGHT NEW JAPAN’S ANNUAL “WRESTLEKINGDOM” EVENT AT THE TOKYO DOME ON JANUARY 4

    On January 4, New Japan Pro Wrestling will present the annual “Wrestle Kingdom” event, their biggest show of the year held at the world famous Tokyo Dome.

    TNA Wrestling and New Japan are happy to announce that superstars from both organizations will once again face off in battle at the event. The TNA vs. New Japan international bouts have been a part of Wrestle Kingdom since 2008.

    The footage from past events has been released at ShopTNA.com as part of the “Global iMPACT!” DVD series, and is also available for viewing at TNAONDEMAND.COM

    This year for the first time ever at Wrestle Kingdom, the TNA World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line as Jeff Hardy will defend the title! The bouts featuring Hardy as well as Rob Van Dam and Beer Money are listed below! Beer Money also has a chance to become IWGP Tag Team Champions!

    TNAwrestling.com will have updates on the event as it draws closer. For more information, visit New Japan’s website at www.njpw.co.jp

    Featured TNA Wrestling vs. New Japan Pro Wrestling matches at the January 4 “Wrestle Kingdom” Tokyo Dome event:

    TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match
    Jeff Hardy defends vs. Tetsuya Naito of No Limit

    Rob Van Dam vs. Toru Yano

    IWGP World Tag Team Championship Match
    Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson vs. Beer Money vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Strong Man

    The complete match lineup is below:

    Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson) (c) vs. Beer Money, Inc. (James Storm and Robert Roode) vs. Muscle Orchestra (Manabu Nakanishi and Strong Man)
    Three way tag team match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship

    Jushin Liger and Hector Garza vs. Máscara Dorada and La Sombra
    Tag team match

    Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Takashi Iizuka
    Sleeper hold match

    Rob Van Dam vs. Toru Yano
    Hardcore match

    Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki
    Singles match

    Prince Devitt (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
    Singles match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

    Hirooki Goto and Kazuchika Okada vs. Takashi Sugiura and Yoshihiro Takayama
    Tag team match

    Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Go Shiozaki
    Singles match

    Togi Makabe vs. Masato Tanaka
    Singles match

    Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Tetsuya Naita
    Singles match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship

    Satoshi Kojima (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
    Singles match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship

  • WWE Announces The Return Of Tough Enough (Press Release)

    To follow up on what was reported in the New York Times article on Sunday night, World Wrestling Entertainment issued the following press release on Monday morning, officially announcing the return of Tough Enough on April 4th:

    USA NETWORK PICKS UP TOUGH ENOUGH

    LOS ANGELES, CA –January 3, 2011 – USA Network has given a ten episode order to “WWE TOUGH ENOUGH,” a non-scripted series in collaboration with World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and Shed Media US. “WWE TOUGH ENOUGH,” slated to debut April 4, 2011, will feature a group of twelve individuals looking for an once-in-a-lifetime shot to become the next WWE Superstar or Diva. The grand prize winner will be awarded a contract with WWE, joining its roster of talent.

    “WWE TOUGH ENOUGH” will premiere at 11/10c the day after WrestleMania® XXVII and immediately following USA’s ratings juggernaut “WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW®.” It will then move to its regularly scheduled slot, Mondays at 8/7c, starting on April 11th.

    “We’re thrilled to tag team with the WWE in bringing TOUGH ENOUGH back to television,” said Chris McCumber, evp marketing, digital and brand strategy, USA Network and Jeff Wachtel, president original programming USA Network & co-head, original content, Universal Cable Productions. “By focusing on both the physical and the performance challenges of becoming a Superstar, the show will shine a new light on what it takes to truly make your mark in the WWE universe.”

    “For years, the return of `TOUGH ENOUGH has been one of the most talked about and speculated topics amongst reality show fans and television industry insiders,” said Kevin Dunn, Executive Vice President, Television Production, WWE. “With the combined promotional muscle of USA Network and WWE, the right time slot and the reality show experience of Shed Media, WWE is looking forward to the successful return of one of television’s first reality show hits.”

    The diverse group of men and women will live and train together in a house in Los Angeles. To see who has what it takes to be the next WWE Superstar or Diva, the contestants will battle it out each week in a series of unique challenges designed to test for such characteristics as showmanship, creativity, athleticism and desire, just to name a few. Each episode will feature a current WWE Superstar, who will introduce the contenders to a quality that they must possess to make it to the top of the sports entertainment world. Along the way, viewers will witness the trials and tribulations of what it takes to be one of the best in the world’s greatest sports entertainment organization.

    Each episode will conclude with the elimination of one of the hopefuls who is left outside of the ring, while those that remain will move one step closer to their dream. In the final episode, the remaining contestants will battle it out for the grand prize.

    Shed Media US, noted for its strong characters and memorable casting in the non-scripted arena, will produce WWE TOUGH ENOUGH. The company’s previous reality credits include “The Real Housewives of New York City,” “Who Do You Think You Are,” “World’s Strictest Parents.” Producing for Shed Media US are Alex Demyanenko and Eric Van Wagenen.

    USA Network is the #1 network in all of basic cable and is seen in over 98.5 millionU.S. homes. A division of NBC Universal, USA is the cable television leader in original series and home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, acquired televisionseries and entertainment events. The award-winning USA website is located at www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.

    USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

    World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly, PG content across all of its platforms including television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 500 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo and Mexico City. Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to https://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

    * Details On Awesome Kong’s WWE Debut & A Top Star Returning Sooner Than Expected

    (For more corporate WWE news, visit Corporate.WWE.com)

  • ROH On HDNet Preview, JR Turns 59, Grisham Grows A Mustache

    – Tonight’s episode of ROH on HDNet will feature the ROH TV debuts of former WWE stars Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. Here’s a spoiler-free preview for the show:

    * Eddie Edwards vs. Mark Briscoe for the ROH TV Title.

    * Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin vs. The Bravado Brothers

    * Claudio Castagnoli vs. Homicide.

    * Mike Mondo vs. Grizzly Redwood

    – WWE announcer Todd Grisham posted a picture of himself with a mustache on Twitter and asked his followers, “To ‘stache or not to ‘stache? That is the question.” You can see the picture of Grisham with a mustache here. To answer his question – NOT to ‘stache!

    – Happy Birthday to WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross, who turns 59 today. He was born on January 3, 1952. Ross wrote on his Twitter (@JRsBarBQ) that he attended the college football Fiesta Bowl over the weekend and saw his Oklahoma Sooners defeat the Connecticut Huskies. He wrote:

    “Finally…a BCS Bowl win…and an apple pie from Joey Styles! Life is good in Soonerland. No sleep tonite.”

  • Maria Talks About Leaving WWE, Working For TNA, DivaMania

    Former WWE Diva and Playboy covergirl Maria Kanellis was recently interviewed by the Miami Herald newspaper.  Here are some highlights of what Maria said about:

    Leaving WWE:

    “It’s weird because you forget how busy you are when you are on the road. You’re on the road four or five days a week and sometimes going internationally for two weeks at a time, three weeks at a time. When you’re doing it, you don’t realize how crazy and hectic it is. Your body has to adjust to it.’”

    “It’s very funny because I still have friends within WWE, and now seeing some of the other girls released, I’m so surprised.”There was a whole group of us that came in together. It was me, Melina, Mickie [James], Jillian [Hall]. We all came in about the same time, and a lot of us are no longer there anymore. It’s kind of funny how we all went in around the same time and left around the same time. I’m just happy about the future.”

    The Possibility of Working For TNA Wrestling

    “I never actually talked to [TNA] too much about it. I’m not saying I will never do it, but what I am saying is I’m completely focused on my acting career right now, and with pilot season coming up, I’m just super excited to be out here doing that. I’m in acting classes and working my tail off. I’ve been on tons of auditions.”

    The Upcoming DivaMania Tour With Jillian Hall and Taryn “Tiffany” Terrell:

    “I guess you get to party like a diva with a diva,” she said. “We are going to be there to have a good time and visit with people who are fans. Just really let loose after all the craziness with WWE. It’s our after party. I’m sure we will be sending lots of photos and videos.”

    Aside from working on her singing career, Maria has also been acting. She will be appearing in the upcoming horror film “Manos: The Search For Valley Lodge,” scheduled for a 2013 release, along with former WWE star Gene Snitsky.

    To read the full interview, visit MiamiHerald.com.

  • WWE’s Best Win/Loss PPV Records Of 2010, WWE Cable Network

    — Reader Darren Bongiovanni has compiled a list of the best win & loss records for WWE superstars on pay-per-view for 2010. All pay-per-view matches were included in the statistics except the Royal Rumble, the Tag Team Gauntlet Match from Extreme Rules, and the Tag Team Turmoil Match from Night of Champions (because the participants were not all involved in the match at the same time.)

    The WWE wrestler who had the best PPV record of the year was Daniel Bryan, with an undefeated record of 5-0. Also undefeated were Tyson Kidd (3-0), David Hart Smith (3-0), Bret Hart (2-0), Vikcie Guerrero (1-0), JTG (1-0) and Chris Masters (1-0). Other notable records were Big Show (6-2), Kane (6-3-1), John Cena (6-5), Randy Orton (5-7-1) & The Miz (6-4).

    — The New York Times published an article on Sunday discussing the return of Tough Enough in April. Also in that article was an update on WWE’s planned cable network, which is currently scheduled for a launch in mid-2012 to early-2013. Kevin Dunn, WWE’s executive vice president of television production, said the ddition of “Tough Enough” on USA did not reflect any change in the company’s plans for a channel of its own. “We’re talking to partners,” he said, and those include NBC Universal.

    (Source: PWInsider.com)

  • WWE Tough Enough Returning The Night After WrestleMania

    The New York Times published an article on Sunday announcing that the new season of “Tough Enough” will premiere on the USA Network on Monday, April 4th – the night after WrestleMania. The show will

    The new “Tough Enough” will air on Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. EST, right before WWE RAW, creating a three-hour block of WWE programming on USA.

    Tough Enough will feature 12 men and women competing for a one-year WWE contract. At this time, there’s been no word about a cash prize for the show’s winner.

    WWE’s executive TV producer Kevin Dunn says WWE hopes the show will draw in new viewers who will stick around for WWE RAW.

    “It’s a way to bring eyeballs to the WWE product that wouldn’t necessarily watch a live event wrestling show.”

    Dunn told the New York Times that USA has been interested in Tough Enough for years and wants to add more “unscripted” programming to its schedule.

    For more on Tough Enough’s return, visit NYTimes.com.

  • Vince McMahon’s New Role In WWE, HBK At Detroit Auto Show

    — Carl Dantes sent in the following news item about Shawn Michaels appearing at the Championship Auto Show in Detroit next month:

    Shawn Michaels will be making an appearance & signing autographs at the Championship Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on February 27th from 1:00PM to 4:00PM. As far as I can tell, autographs are free with admission to the show, which costs $15 for adults & $5 for children. The show takes place at Cobo Center, One Washington Blvd., Detroit, MI 48226. For more information, check out their official website.

    — A new “employment agreement” Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment went into effect on January 1t and will run for three years until December 31, 2013. According to the official SEC Filing posted at WWE.com, McMahon’s new role in the company is as follows:

    “In addition to his duties and responsibilities as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, the Executive shall serve as the Company’s creative director, and as a writer, and performer at various times for and in the Company’s events and productions.”

    The three-year deal gives McMahon generous compensation if he is terminated “other than for cause” or leaves on his own accord with “good reason.” It also includes a 1-year no compete clause in the event that his agreement is terminated. For more specifics, visit Corporate.WWE.com.

  • Tiffany Says The McIntyre-Kelly Angle Was Meant For Her

    Former WWE Diva Tiffany (real name Taryn Terell) was interviewed recently by the Miami Herald newspaper and talked about what it’s like being gone from WWE with her real life husband Drew McIntyre still traveling the world with the company.

    “I went from working as much as Drew to, all of a sudden, he is gone all the time,” she said. “I’m home all the time, so I have to play housewife. That is a little weird and definitely not who I am because I like to work a lot. The whole situation sucks, but on the other hand, there are other opportunities.”

    Tiffany also revealed that the current SmackDown storyline with Drew McIntyre and Kelly Kelly was originally one that she and Drew pitched to WWE creative for themselves. She told the Herald:

    “Since I got released, they decided to use Kelly. I’m not really sure if that was meant as a way of, `Yeah. You’re gone. Let us torture you a little bit’ or not. It is what it is. I will never know. It sucks because I know that was the role originally pitched for me and Drew, which would have been amazing because we are actually a couple. I think it’s a little bit ridiculous because everyone who watches WWE knows that we are married. So it’s a little strange.”

    She continued, “I personally don’t understand it, but at the same time I sort of get myself into a little bit of controversy talking about it. I get all these tweets saying how I feel about it and about how it’s not acting. Wrestling is real. The actual wrestling is real. Everybody beats the crap out of each other. That’s all real. What goes on backstage and is written by the writers is all acting. It’s acting. So it doesn’t hurt my feelings.”

    To read the complete article, visit MiamiHerald.com.

  • Bischoff Interview: State Of TNA, Competing With WWE & More

    TNA’s Eric Bischoff was the featured guest on this week’s live edition (12/27/10) of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem. Bischoff Discusses Why Spike TV Canceled TNA ReAction, What He Believes Were The Changes That Him & Hulk Hogan Implemented Effectively This Year In TNA, Which TNA Superstars & Knockouts Impressed Him The Most In 2010, The Company’s Ability To Compete With The WWE In 2011, If There Could Be Changes On The TNA Creative Team In The Near Future, Repairing His Relationship With Matt Hardy If He Signed With TNA In The New Year, Plus The Latest Update On “The Hulkster” Following His Most Recent Back Surgery.

    You can listen to an MP3 of Eric Bischoff’s appearance on Monday Night Mayhem by clicking here.

    Interview highlights courtesy of The Mayhem’s official correspondent, Paterson from New Jersey .. Here’s what Eric Bischoff said about:

    The changes he believes that himself and Hulk Hogan, both individually and collectively, implemented effectively in TNA since coming into the company one year ago:

    “If you look at TNA as a brand and as a media property, I think that Hulk Hogan in particular, and to a lesser extent myself, probably brought more media awareness and industry awareness to the brand than anything they had done up to that point. I think the residual effect of that brand awareness is still playing itself out and is something that TNA is taking advantage of, and it will probably continue to do so.”

    Why Spike TV decided to cancel TNA Reaction, his reaction to the news, and when he found out about the decision:

    “No it won’t unfortunately. We found out toward the second-to-last day of the TV tapings we had, and Spike had decided to make a different programming decision and go in a different direction. The ReAction you see on the 30th will be the last ReAction.”

    His reaction to Jim Ross’ recent comments (on his BBQ Sauce Blog) regarding TNA being able to compete with the WWE in 2011 and that TNA will “never” overtake the WWE in the marketplace:

    “I agree 100 percent. WWE has been around for a long, long time. They’ve been well-entrenched and well-established in cable television for the last 20 years. It’s a television juggernaut. TNA comparatively is a Kool-Aid stand compared to Coca-Cola in terms of its resources and infrastructure. The idea of TNA ever being able to compete with the WWE, although I’ve been out there, and I’ve been promoting it as such: I believe in a lot of ways we do compete.

    “There are a lot of things about TNA that are better than the WWE on an individual basis. But you can’t compare TNA as a company to WWE as a company. In that regard, Jim Ross is absolutely 100 percent right on the money. Doesn’t mean we don’t want to try. Doesn’t mean we don’t wanna swing for the fences whenever we’re given the opportunity. Doesn’t mean that we don’t want to do things that put ourselves out in front of the WWE audience, just like we did with the Monday night effort. That was something that got people to sample us. It created awareness, and that’s important for us. I don’t think anybody within TNA realistically felt we were going to compete on a business level with the WWE.”

    More is contained in the highly anticipated return of “The Hot Seat,” including Eric’s candid thoughts/comments on whether there could be changes on the TNA Creative Team in the near future, if he believes he could repair his relationship with Matt Hardy if Matt signed with TNA in 2011, the TNA superstars and knockouts he believed made the biggest impression on him this past year, the latest update on Hulk Hogan following his most recent back surgery, plus so much more!

  • WrestleMania Plans For Cena, Punk, Orton, Miz, Barrett & More

    As we’ve been reporting, WWE creative is currently planning out what the top matches will be for WrestleMania 27 in April. As of late last week, WWE had a tentative WrestleMania line-up that included WWE Champion The Miz defending against John Cena and Randy Orton vs. CM Punk. We’ve had also heard that the new John Cena vs. CM Punk feud would result in a match at WrestleMania, so the company is currently discussing a few scenarios.

    WWE had a major scare this week with John Cena suffering a leg injury at Tuesday night’s live event from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. While he is in a lot of pain and his condition is being monitored on a day-to-day basis, there has been no definitive word yet on whether he’ll be out of action for any significant amount of time.

    There is still talk of having Wade Barrett vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 27, if the Undertaker is healthy enough to return for a singles match. Based on what we saw on Monday’s RAW, it looks like Wade Barrett could be on his way out of Nexus, but there’s been no confirmation on his status. It’s possible he may end up on SmackDown. A babyface turn for Barrett has also been rumored, but that would likely take place after WrestleMania.

  • JR Blog: John Cena’s Injury, CM Punk’s Popularity, Michael Cole

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

    John Cena’s Injury: “I thought that John might have suffered a hip pointer which is a severe bruise. That speculation was erroneous on my part. He is day to day according to www.wwe.com. Knowing Cena he will be back in action much sooner than many, many others suffering the same injury. Athletic, hip injuries are hard to define or so they seem to be with football players. I certainly wish John a speedy recovery.”

    CM Punk’s Popularity: “What do I feel is CM Punk’s attraction to the WWE Universe? IMO, it’s simply his overall talent. Punk is simply being himself which translates well on the TV screen. His skill set is unique and he is extremely confident in his abilities. The guy is a student of the game and will do what ever [sic] it takes to be the top guy in WWE. Plus, he has great verbal skills.”

    Whether He Hates Michael Cole: “Of course I don’t ‘hate’ Michael Cole. He’s doing his job and has simply interjected more of his natural personality into his work than he did previously. Some folks like it and some don’t. People said the same thing about my announcing back in the day. My guess is that Cole doesn’t care what fans think of him. Cole is garnering more attention than ever before in his career so something must be working, right?”

    As always, visit JRsBarBQ.com for JR’s delicious line of BBQ products.

  • Update On Brock Lesnar’s UFC Future: UFC Owner Comments

    Several pro wrestling and MMA news websites have been buzzing this week following comments by Dave Melzer that Brock Lesnar is looking to get out of his UFC contract so he can return to World Wrestling Entertainment. Dave has since clarified his remarks and UFC part owner Lorenzo Fertitta has also commented on the situation.

    Following the huge reaction to his initial comments that Brock Lesnar wants very badly to appear at WrestleMania for a big payday, Melzer clarified that Lesnar is not leaving the UFC and believes that Brock Lesnar will not only fight twice in 2011. He emphasized that Lesnar “is looking to make as much money as possible next year” – which indicates that Lesnar may want to appear at WrestleMania in addition to his professional fighting career.

    MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani tweeted on Wednesday regarding Brock Lesnar’s ability to appear at WrestleMania:

    “UFC boss Lorenzo Fertitta says flatly Lesnar cannot participate in WWE event. ‘He’s under exclusive contract with us.’”

    UFC President Dana White was very outspoken about Lesnar appearing at WrestleMania shortly after the Undertaker confrontation that went down following Brock’s loss to Cain Velasquez in October.  Interestingly enough, those close to Vince McMahon report that the WWE remains optimistic and thinks there’s a chance they can work out a deal that would allow Brock to wrestle at WrestleMania.

    Related: UFC President Says Undertaker vs. Lesnar Won’t Happen