– Rarely seen WWE Superstar JTG posted a series of cryptic messages on Twitter suggesting that he is unhappy with his standing in the sports entertainment organization. The Cryme Tyme founder wrote Sunday evening, “Make decisions based on your worth, not your circumstance!” I wish some one told me this 2 years ago.”
He continued Monday night, “The camels back just BROKE ! I had enought of this.
“As a pro athlete,Im tired of me and my lockerroom brothers being taken advantage of . Fans have no idea what we go through.#itsanillusion
“Yea I said it.
“Nobody wants to speak up, everybodys afraid of losing their job or getting taken off TV.”
– Two Raw brand matches were taped Monday night at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars:
* WWE United States Champion Santino Marella vs. Michael McGillicutty in a non-title match
Silver Vision has released the official trailer for WWE’s DVD and Blu-ray compilation title on CM Punk, Best in the World, which is scheduled for release on October 9, 2012.
http://youtu.be/lQQhOWJzeOc
“On June 27, 2011, CM Punk forever altered the course of WWE history with a blistering rant, proclaiming, “Day in and day out for almost 6 years I have proven to everybody in the world that I am the best… on this microphone, in that ring, even on commentary. Nobody can touch me!”. Since riding into the scene as an extra in John Cena’s entrance at WrestleMania 22 to defending the WWE Title in main events all over the world in recent years, the “Voice of the Voiceless” has backed up that statement.
“Now, WWE fans get an unprecedented look inside the life and career of the most controversial Superstar of this generation. The first ever documentary to focus on CM Punk traces his rise to the top of WWE, from this early success on ECW, his divisive perpetuating of the Straight Edge Subculture, to becoming internationally revered as the best wrestler in the world, and all the 5 star matches and verbal “pipe bombs” in between. Packed with new interviews and commentary from Punk himself, as he takes the viewer inside his day-to-day life. Plus relive the signature matches that have punctuated his WWE career and vaulted him into the championship spotlight!”
– D-Generation X alumnus Sean “X-Pac” Waltman is in San Antonio, Texas promoting tonight’s “Shawn Michaels Appreciation Night” themed Raw with the WWE Hall of Famer himself. Michaels tweeted a picture of himself with Waltman promoting the show at a radio station.
– WWE.com has published a story highlighting 15 of the most lovable losers in WWE history, which are described as: “Some WWE Superstars aren’t lucky enough to win a championship during their in-ring career. Some may not even win a match. However, despite their squared circle shortcomings, their refusal to give up has endeared them to the WWE Universe.”
Talent listed include Rad Radford, Virgil, Who, The Young Stallions, Outback Jack, Barry O, Sam Houston, “Iron” Mike Sharpe, “Playboy” Buddy Rose, Leaping Lanny Poffo, Duane Gill, Barry Horowitz, Colin Delaney, S.D. Jones and Brooklyn Brawler.
– CM Punk is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Power Slam.
– The official website of the Bowie Baysox is advertising Drew Hankinson, who appeared as Festus and Luke Gallows in WWE, for TNA Impact Wrestling’s BaseBrawl event on Saturday, September 1 at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie, Maryland.
Hankinson competed in a dark match in June under the name Isaiah Cash and has reportedly appeared as one of the masked attackers of the “Aces and Eights” faction.
– In a “Bound For Glory Series” match Sunday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Christopher Daniels defeated “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero to earn seven points. Dinero also lost a “Bound For Glory Series” match Saturday in Oklahoma City to James Storm. Tournament standings as of August 5 are as follows:
Road Dogg and Josh Mathews return with more “garbage juice” on this week’s episode of Are You Serious?, including a WCW clip of a World Heavyweight Championship match where Hollywood Hogan poked Kevin Nash in the chest with his index finger, prompting Nash to fall to the mat and allow Hogan to pin him. Road Dogg notes that to Hogan’s credit, his mighty finger “has been used to sign many contracts with creative control clauses.” The match outcome marked the reunion of both New World Order factions into one villainous group, to which Mathews ponders “how did this company go out of business?”
Road Dogg and Mathews also ridicule a vignette of four muscular WCW wrestlers—two of whom are Alex Wright and The Renegade—marching down a beach and ripping off their Monday Nitro T-shirts. Road Dogg calls the group “Fruity Reservoir Dogs.”
Also featured are clips of Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart appearing on “The Mating Game” on Tuesday Night Titans and a cameraman tripping on stage during an episode of SmackDown earlier this year. The SmackDown episode emanated from the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, which Road Dogg remarked would soon be renamed “The Shane Douglas Center.”
– Former WWE Champion John “Bradshaw” Layfield teased on Twitter that he will be assuming the SmackDown color commentator chair left by Booker T. He wrote, “I was only debating coming back, not very serious. But after @MichaelCole shows he is still alive and an idiot. I’m coming back! #smackdown.”
The esteemed Voice of WWE, Michael Cole, broke his six-month Twitter silence to respond to his former broadcast partner dismissively comparing him to basketball great Michael Jordan’s backup center teammate Will Perdue: “It was jordan and pippen. You got glory I did the work. sorry I am actually working and not golfing at st Andrews or fishing in the Bahamas. Enjoy retirement.”
Cole also stated in regards to Layfield’s vow to come back to SmackDown, “I am sure they have a spot for you at nxt and fcw. Enjoy learning the ropes again.”
– The Beautiful People, Angelina Love and Velvet Sky, will face Maria Kanellis and Winter at Family Wrestling Entertainment’s “Back 2 Brooklyn” show taking place October 6 at Saint Patrick?s Gym 9511 4 Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11209-7414. Former WWE Divas Champion Maryse Ouellet is also scheduled to appear and the league’s official Twitter feed notes that she will be commentating the match.
– Ted DiBiase and Kaitlyn appear at the National Guard Armory 4255 IH 35N, San Antonio, Texas today from noon to 2:00 p.m.
Posted August 5th, 2012 in News, TNA, WWE. Tagged: JBL.
– Sean Christopher Haire, who appeared for World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling as a Sean O’Haire, is now trying his hand at a new profession: hair styling.
The South Magazine conducted an interview with the three-time WCW World Tag Team Champion regarding his endeavor and notes in an article, “Two or three times during our interview, Haire says something cool and outside the window, perfectly timed lightning shatters the sky. Some people have a flair for the dramatic. Which is one of the reasons he plans to make a great hair stylist.”
The interview is featured in their fifth annual “Power Professional” issue, and Haire is on the cover with the headline reading: “Sean Haire: When The Devil Came Down To Georgia.” During the interview, he recalls his life story as he discusses his history as a fighter, long-abandoned professional wrestling personas including Sean O’Haire and “the never-quite-finalized Devil’s Advocate,” his partially reconstructed and reinforced titanium jaw and orbital socket, the National Kodak Medallion of Excellence award he won for photography in high school, fighting a K-1 kickboxing champion and not knowing it, his boxing stint in New Jersey, stories involving “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, two marriages, two divorces, professional mountain biking, his girlfriend of four years and “enough WCW/WWE name-dropping to deeply entertain a writer who grew up watching scrambled WrestleManias on pay-per-view.”
– Scott Hall appeared at Friday’s I Believe in Wrestling event in Orlando, Florida as he managed son Cody Hall in his victory over Derek Ryze.
– TNA Wrestling executive producer Eric Bischoff has voiced his support for Gail Kim. When asked on Twitter to give his thoughts on the accomplished wrestler, he responded, “She’s talented, professional and hot! Great combo!”
– Two “Bound For Glory Series” matches were held at Friday’s TNA IMPACT WRESTLING World Tour event in Enid, Oklahoma as James Storm defeated Christopher Daniels and Jeff Hardy beat “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero to respectively earn seven points. With the victory, Storm widened his first-place lead to 59 points. He is trailed by Samoa Joe (47 points) and Kurt Angle (41 points).
– A “Bound For Glory Series” match between Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels was taped Thursday night in Orlando, Florida for an upcoming episode of TNA Xplosion, according to attendee JP Nichols.
Following the bout, Sam Shaw beat independent wrestler CJ O’Doyle in a dark match. Nicknamed “The Irish Lionheart,” O’Doyle primarily competes for World Xtreme Wrestling.
Wade Barrett will return to action during SmackDown’s two-show tour of Tokyo, Japan at Ryogoku Kokugika next week.
Barrett has been sidelined since the February 20 Raw; he suffered a partially dislocated elbow while catching Dolph Ziggler, who was thrown out of the ring by Big Show during a battle royal. During his time away from the ring, Barrett shot a supporting role in the WWE Studios film Dead Man Down.
Matches announced for the August 9 show are a 2-1 Handicap Match for World Heavyweight Championship between Sheamus, Big Show and John Laurinaitis, a Triple Treat Match between Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio and Kane, Rey Mysterio vs. Daniel Bryan, Kofi Kingston vs. Cody Rhodes, Santino Marella and Zack Ryder vs. Epico and Primo, Kelly Kelly vs. Natalya, Yoshi Tatsu vs. Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel vs. Jack Swagger and Ted DiBiase vs. Jinder Mahal.
Matches announced for the August 10 show are a Fatal 4-Way Match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Sheamus, Kane, Alberto Del Rio and Big Show, a Six-Man Tag Team Match featuring Randy Orton, Santino Marella and Zack Ryder vs. Epico, John Laurinaitis and Primo, Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan, Kelly Kelly vs. Natalya, Justin Gabriel vs. Wade Barrett, Yoshi Tatsu vs. Jack Swagger and Ted DiBiase vs. Jinder Mahal.
IMPACT WRESTLING BECOMES FIRST ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY TO STREAM LIVE TO TWITTER
TNA WRESTLING makes history with IMPACT franchise by becoming the first entertainment company on Twitter to stream its “Backstage Access” live
NASHVILLE, TN – (August 4, 2012) — TNA WRESTLING made history on the Thursday August 2, 2012 LIVE broadcast of IMPACT WRESTLING by becoming the first entertainment company on Twitter to stream its “Backstage Access” live via its YouTube partner on IMPACT’s Enhanced Twitter Page at www.twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING.
IMPACT WRESTLING has pioneered in the field of social media when it comes to professional wrestling – whether incorporating live tweets from fans into the weekly television show on Spike in real time, interacting with fans during live pay-per-views in live Q&A’s, allowing fans to choose the main events and even allowing fans to help chose the fate of whether or not a wrestling hopeful gets a professional wrestling contract.
“We’ve always tried to keep connected with our fans and social media is a great way to do so,” says TNA President Dixie Carter. “We’ve had a wonderful relationship with Twitter and we’re glad to be able to use their technology to bring the experience to our fans in a new way.”
The “Backstage Pass” allows fans to interact with the Superstars of IMPACT WRESTLING who appear on the television show as the show happens by sending questions via twitter using hashtags. The questions then get answered live via the live stream. The “Backstage Pass” also provides continuous coverage of live action in the ring when the show goes to commercial.
IMPACT WRESTLING airs live every Thursday at 8/7ct on Spike TV.
– WWE developmental wrestler Dean Ambrose competed in his first WWE match since mid-June at Friday’s Raw live event in Jacksonville, Florida. He defeated Alex Riley in a singles match.
– Japanese wrestlers are highlighted on this week’s episode of WWE Vintage Collection: Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Ultimo Dragon (WCW Monday Nitro – December 30, 1996), Antonio Inoki vs. Lord Steven Regal (WCW Clash Of The Champions – August 24, 1994), Mr. Fuji and Tiger Chung Lee vs. Eddie Gilbert and Tony Garea (WWF live event – February 18, 1984), The Great Muta vs. Masahiro Chono (WCW/New Japan Supershow – January 4, 1993).
– Dean Malenko, who works for WWE as a producer, turns 52-years-old on Saturday. Also celebrating a birthday Saturday is Kensuke Sasaki, who turns 46-years-old.
– WWE Champion CM Punk sported a different hair style during his Street Fight Match victory over Daniel Bryan at Friday’s Raw live event in Jacksonville, Florida. In a change from his regular slicked back look, he sported a hairstyle similar to his time with The Nexus early last year.
– On this week’s “Santino’s Foreign Exchange,” Santino catches up with Superstars and Divas backstage to find out their favorite memories of the epic Raw 1,000.
– Jim Powers, who appeared for the World Wrestling Federation from 1984 to 1994, underwent successful hip replacement surgery Thursday and has been transferred to a physical therapy facility so that he can recovery. The surgery was caused by years of abuse he put his body through while working as a professional wrestler.
– WWE will hold a Raw live event in Yakima, Washington at Yakima Valley SunDome on Saturday, October 6. Tickets for the event go on sale next Saturday at 10:00 a.m. via ticketswest.rdln.com.
Chris Masters appeared on Inside The Ropes radio Thursday night. Highlights are as follows:
How he finds Vince McMahon backstage: “He’s above and beyond everybody. Even The Hulkster. He’s the guy that put this stuff together. They’re an odd family. They are good at business. People who are business savvy tend to come off a little cold. They don’t get too close to the performers. My first meeting with him was very cool. I told him in due time, I could definitely be a huge player for WWE.”
Who came up with Masterpiece gimmick: “Dr Tom Prichard changed my name to Masters. My friend Matt Morgan and I were sitting one day and he said Masterpiece. I brought it to Jim Cornette and he ran with it, WWE ran with it. I joke that I give 10 per cent of my salary to Matt Morgan. I’m just kidding. He always ribs that he’s responsible for it but I tell him he just had one moment of brilliance (laughs).”
On working with John Cena in 2005/06: “That guy had some heavy fists. Carlito and I used to joke around that in tag matches with Cena and HBK, we would literally rush to get to Shawn Michaels, because he wasn’t as heavy with hands and the other guy would be stuck with Cena and you’d be potato’ing each other left and right. I remember at the Elimination Chamber I felt like I was in a real shoot fight. It’s not that he’s bad, he just gets really fired up and he’s got big hands, he doesn’t realise his own strength.”
Thoughts on his TNA dark match and ending up working for Dixie: “I think there’s a good chance I’ll be working them in the future. It’s a different vibe to WWE. I like that Dixie Carter makes herself accessible to the talent. Jason Hervey came up to me after the match with a camera and just let me talk, it wasn’t some writer giving you stuff to say. There was a good reaction from the crowd. All in all it turned out as good as it could go. I’ve planted all the seed I could. It’s up to them if they want to capitalise, if not I’ll just go about my way.”
To hear the rest of the interview where Masters discusses how he broke into wrestling, his first WrestleMania, working a program with HBK, The WWE’s Wellness Policy and the infamous Pec Dance gimmick, head over to www.facebook.com/theinsidenetwork.
WWE Studios and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced Wednesday that Randy Orton will star in 12 Rounds: Reloaded. The direct-to-homevideo title is the sequel to the film John Cena starred in 2009.
According to WWE.com, “Orton will portray an Emergency Medical Technician who finds himself caught in a deadly 12-round game of cat and mouse with a vengeful man tied to the paramedic’s past. With little time to spare and his wife’s life hanging in the balance, the EMT must figure out why he’s been chosen to be the pawn in this maniac’s game before it’s too late.”
12 Rounds: Reloaded was written by David Benullo and will be directed by Roel Reiné (The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption and Death Race: Inferno). Production will begin September 26 in Vancouver. This is WWE Studios’ second film in a three-picture agreement with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
In late March, Orton was set to star in The Marine: Homefront for WWE Studios and Fox, but was replaced by The Miz after the companies were reminded of Orton’s dishonorable discharge from the Marines. Orton has also appeared in WWE Studios’ That’s What I Am.
Wrestler’s Rescue, a charitable organization founded by former WWE and ECW star Dawn Marie Psaltis Damatta in 2008 to raise money to support the health care needs of retired professional wrestlers, has once come triggered allegations of fraud and embezzlement.
Former WWE Superstar “The Ugandan Giant” Kamala, whose real name is James Harris, released a video message Tuesday condemning Damatta as well as Dan Mirade of Boston-based independent wrestling promotion Millenium Wrestling Federation for raising money on his medical behalf that he has yet to receive. Damatta and her agent responded to his allegations Thursday via Twitter, where both claim Harris received a check in the amount of $500.00 but opted not to accept it.
Michele Mupo, Damatta’s agent, wrote on Twitter, “Kamala returned check issued by Wrestlers Rescue Certified because it wasn’t sent fast enough. Dawn Marie did what she said she would. Check for $500 was sent July 20,2012. Kamala refused it sent it back certified mail. HE LIED to get $$$$ never judge unless U have proof. Kamala returned check issued by Wrestlers Rescue Certified because it wasn’t sent fast enough. Dawn Marie did what she said she would.”
Mupo then tweeted a photo of a copy of the check purportedly sent to Harris on July 20, 2012, and noted, “Kamala is a liar!”
Mupo then tweeted a photo of a certified letter Damatta purportedly received Thursday, noting, “DAWN GOT THIS TODAY KAMALA REFUSED A $500 CHECK. FACT DAWN SENT THE CHECK. FACT KAMALA RECEIVED THE CHECK.”
Damatta added on Twitter, “Received my check from Kamala today certified mail. That means he did receive money from me but opted not to accept it. More news to come.”
Mupo also offered proof that Damatta submitted a Stop Payment request with her bank Thursday for the payment.
Brian Heffron, who worked alongside Damatta in ECW as Blue Meanie, questioned her proof; he stated the day before on Twitter that two years ago, she launched a similar campaign fund purported to assist fellow alumnus Jerry Lynn with back surgery bills but Lynn never received any money.
Heffron wrote in a series of tweets, “To ME the handwriting on Kamala’s check looks like his “handwriting” on the “return envelope”. If he sent it back while put a stop payment on it? Rip it up! Stop payment’s on checks cost at least $35. Why spend $35 that to stop a check in that’s in your hand?
“My friend and tag partner Nova, who RUNS a bank just told me this: “As someone who RUNS BANKS I can say I’ve never seen a voided check like that after a stop is issued, the check is dead and can’t be reversed. None of this makes sense. The guy with no legs turns away money because IT DIDNT GET THERE QUICK ENOUGH? I have an easier time believing that me and meanie are gonna get our ECW PPV checks soon!”
STAMFORD, Conn., August 2, 2012 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2012. Revenues totaled $141.6 million as compared to $142.6 million in the prior year quarter. Operating income was $19.6 million as compared to $21.0 million in the prior year quarter. Net income was $11.9 million, or $0.16 per share, as compared to $14.3 million, or $0.19 per share, in the prior year quarter. There were several items that impacted comparability on a year-over-year basis, including expenses incurred in conjunction with our potential network in the current quarter and film impairments in the prior year quarter. Excluding the impact of these items, Adjusted Operating income declined 12% to $21.3 million from $24.3 million in the prior year quarter. Adjusted Net income was $13.1 million, or $0.17 per share, as compared to $16.5 million, or $0.22 per share, in the prior year quarter.
“In the second quarter, we made important progress on our key strategic initiatives, expanding our content and distribution and enhancing our brand strength,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The production and licensing of a third hour of Raw and the launch of a new program, WWE Main Event, for ION Television, as well as our exploding social media presence which now reaches over 100 million global fans, exemplify our achievement of these goals. In order to cultivate further the unique passion of our global fans, we continued to integrate social media in our program content and entered a strategic investment agreement with Tout, which enables users to capture and share 15-second videos. Integrating our fans’ voice in our programming enables us to escalate fan interaction, enhance our programming content, and drive the value of our investment.”
“Our results were highlighted by the strong performance of our pay-per-view business, which offset an anticipated decline in video game sales,” added George Barrios, Chief Financial Officer. “Key audience measures, including a 17% increase in pay-per-view buys and the attraction of 6 million viewers to our 1,000th episode of Raw in July demonstrate our staying power and our continuing ability to build consumer interest. Based on our earnings growth in the first half of the year and the recent positive trends in our pay-per-view business, we are raising our financial forecast for the full year. We expect that our 2012 earnings, measured by either earnings per share, or EBITDA, will be roughly 5% to 15% above our 2011 results on an “as reported” basis.”
– Tonight on Big Brother, Frank Eudy’s father, former world wrestling champion Sid Vicious, talks about how is son is doing in the game. Here is a sneak peak video clip of Vicious discussing Big Brother which will air during tonight’s broadcast at 9:00 PM ET/PT on CBS.
– Twenty years ago today, Ron Simmons became the first African American to win a world title in professional wrestling when he defeated Big Van Vader in Baltimore, Maryland. WWE.com relives that historic night with video and a retrospective written by WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross.
– Chris Jericho will tour Europe with his band Fozzy in November and December. He tweeted, “It’s official! @Fozzyrock back in Europe in December! Info to come 7 Cologne 8 Kerkrade 10 Paris 11 Frankfurt 12 Vienna 13 Zurich 15 Munich.” He also noted, “Nov 27-Stoke 28-Man 29-Birmingham 30-Glasgow Dec 1-Leeds 2-Hafan Y Mor 4-Plymouth 5-London 6-Brighton.” Visit FozzyRock.com for more information.
– The Undertaker appeared at a Florida Championship Wrestling event in Tampa, Florida on Wednesday and when a fan noted that like him, he attends WrestleMania every year, the WWE Superstar responded, “Well, don’t make any plans for April…”
The fan was in disbelief over his comment. The Deadman added, “We’ll see what happens.”
According to sources in WWE, the Undertaker will indeed be putting the streak on the line once again at next year’s WrestleMania. Current plans call for the Dead Man to return to WWE television around Survivor Series.
Check out these pictures of The Undertaker’s recent appearance at FCW:
Wrestler’s Rescue, a charitable organization founded by Dawn Marie Psaltis in 2008 to raise money to support the health care needs of retired professional wrestlers, is once again subject of scandal with rumors of embezzlement of funds by the former WWE Diva.
After former WWE Superstar “The Ugandan Giant” Kamala (real name James Harris) released a video message Tuesday condemning Psaltis and Dan Mirade of Boston-based independent wrestling promotion Millenium Wrestling Federation for raising money on his behalf that he has yet to receive, another embezzlement allegation was levied towards the retired women’s wrestler by one of her former colleagues.
Brian Heffron, who worked alongside Psaltis in Extreme Championship Wrestling as Blue Meanie, noted Wednesday on Twitter that two years ago, she launched a similar campaign fund meant to assist fellow alumnus Jerry Lynn with back surgery costs and was asked to donate an item for her to auction. Heffron, however, says Lynn was unaware of the campaign fund and noted that he never received money from Psaltis.
After posting a link to Harris’ video message, Heffron wrote, “I always had a feeling “Wrestler’s Rescue” was a scam since they aren’t a registered charity AND wrestler’s who they’ve collected for never got a dime that was supposed to get to them. 2 years ago I was asked to donate an item for auction for Jerry Lynn’s back surgery. He told me he didn’t know about and didn’t get a A DIME.”
He continues, “I always heard rumors “Wrestler’s Rescue” ripped off MY IDOL Steve Williams. Then I heard straight from Jerry Lynn he never received a penny. I never really thought of speaking out until I saw the video Kamala made. It’s a shame to collect money off off false pretenses.”
In June, Psaltis set up the “Kamala Campaign Fund” and said that money generated from the fund through auctions on their official website, WrestlersRescue.org (currently suspended by its hosting company), would assist Harris with “medical care, basic living costs and a myriad of other expenses as he transitions into a more handicapped-accessible world.” After claiming in the video that he has received nothing from Wrestler’s Rescue or Dawn Marie, Harris tells her to take any money she may have raised on his behalf “to Massachusetts and ram it up Dan Mirade’s ass.” He also wants Mirade to take any money he may have raised on his behalf “to New Jersey and ram it up Dawn Marie’s ass.”
Chris Jericho stated during an interview with iconvsicon.com that “he will be done with the WWE” on August 14 when “Sin and Bones” by Fozzy—his band—is released.
“I came back to the WWE and as of August 14, 2012, when “Sin and Bones” comes out, we go on the road with the Uproar Tour. At that time, I am done with the WWE and it is full-time with Fozzy until the album cycle and touring is done,” he states during an interview promoting the album.
A SmackDown taping is scheduled for August 14 in Austin, Texas. Contrary to his statement, WWE.com is advertising Jericho to appear at SummerSlam, which takes place five days later in Los Angeles, California. The official website of the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California is advertising Jericho for the following night’s Raw show.
Jericho’s top priority concerns his band, which he hopes is as successful as his wrestling career.
“Like I said, this is something I have been doing since I was 12 years old. It is part of who I am. I think I am very fortunate to have had two dreams that have come true, both of them in these very big ways. Fozzy is slowly catching up to where I am wrestling-wise,” Jericho states. “If I were to retire tomorrow, I would be very happy with all the things we have done as a band. We have worked really hard to get here and have all the pieces of the puzzle there and ready – it has been a whirlwind! I want to continue to build on those achievements!”
Jericho also revealed that he plans to begin working on his third autobiography while touring: “Rumor has it that I have signed a deal for a third but I haven’t really started working on it yet because I have been pretty busy. However, that is one of the things I start doing when we hit the road with Uproar. You have a lot of time to kill on tour! When you have 30 minutes on stage each night, it leaves you with 23 1/2 hours in between to kill! I am sure there will be a lot of working on the foundation on the book then. It is a long project, writing a book, and like you said, I have been fortunate enough to write two very good ones in the past. I have big shoes to fill or books to write when it comes to this third one! When the time is right, I will get the muse and get the inspiration. I already have more than enough material for the third book, so I think people will dig it when it is ready to go!”
TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter announced via Twitter Thursday that three Four-Way “Bound For Glory Series” matches will take place at Hardcore Justice. Each match will feature a different stipulation with the winner receiving 20 points.
* AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe
* Bully Ray vs. James Storm vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Robbie E
* Rob Van Dam vs. Magnus vs. Mr. Anderson vs. “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero
Stipulations for all three matches will be announced during tonight’s live Impact Wrestling broadcast at 8:00 p.m. on Spike TV.
Also scheduled for Hardcore Justice is Austin Aries defending the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Bobby Roode in a singles match. The pay-per-view event takes place August 12, 2012 at the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida.
– During Thursday’s conference call for 2012 second quarter results, WWE Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon, said he hopes to make an announcement concerning the WWE Network in three months. “I hope next quarter I will be making an announcement on our Network,” McMahon said.
McMahon acknowledged a delay in announcing details on the WWE Network. He stated at the last conference call in May that he expected an announcement to be made “within the next three months.”
– Jim Powers, who appeared for the World Wrestling Federation from 1984 to 1994, will undergo hip replacement surgery Thursday due to the years of abuse he put his body through while working in the professional wrestling industry.
– According to WrestlingFigs.com, Maria Kanellis will appear at T’s Zone at the Enfield Square Mall 90 Elm St. Enfield, Connecticut on September 29 from from noon to 3:00 p.m. Call 860-756-6522 for more information.
Former WWE Superstar “The Ugandan Giant” Kamala (real name James Harris) released a video message Tuesday condemning two wrestling-based organizations that are claiming to raise money to aid his health recovery, but are only benefiting themselves.
Boston-based independent wrestling promotion Millenium Wrestling Federation has been offering a variety of merchandise to fans with a portion of the proceeds meant to assist Harris, who is struggling with complications from a double leg amputation. Harris says he has received nothing from the organization and specifically tells head Dan Mirade to take any money he may have raised on his behalf “to New Jersey and ram it up Dawn Marie’s ass.”
In response, Mirade issued a statement Wednesday verifying that a money order for the amount of $425.00 was issued last Friday. He also released the contents of an e-mail to Karl Lauer, Executive Vice President of Cauliflower Alley Club, Tuesday that showed the money order had been received and was on its way to Harris.
Mirade is requesting an apology from Harris after he “made the video knowing full well money was sent to him.” Mirade says Millenium Wrestling Federation plans to continue raising money for the former WWE Superstar on their August 19 and September 22 events and will assist him in getting the prosthetic right leg that his insurance company has refused to pay for.
Mirade also slams Harris in his lengthy response, which is available here: “SHAME ON YOU JAMES HARRIS. . . shame on you for not opening your eyes to see that you had people that cared enough to help you when almost NONE of your peers cared enough to hit a re-Tweet button. . . shame on you for trying to run my name and the MWF’s through the mud because you didn’t get your precious check as fast as you wanted to, waking people up at 6AM whining not even 48 hours after the event was over. Shame on you for hiding like a coward after the money was sent to you and trying to prevent people from seeing the truth. I don’t care if you were a WWE Superstar or a homeless person, you should be ashamed of yourself as a man. When I wake up and look in the mirror, I know the face looking back at me is one that cared and is one that did everything he could to help someone that needed it. The face staring back at me has character and integrity. HOW DARE YOU INSULT AND ATTACK ME AFTER ALL I DID FOR YOU, YOU GUTLESS PUSSY!! Grow a spine and be a man. Be grateful someone wanted and tried to help you, not piss on their efforts. What runs through James Harris’ mind would be a psychiatrist’s dream come true. Then again, I’m the guy that’s been working on this column for four hours.”
Wrestler’s Rescue, which was founded by Dawn Marie in 2008, has been a subject of scandal with rumors of embezzlement of funds by the former WWE Diva star. The group was the subject of multiple articles two years ago that questioned the validity of the charity (available here) .
Harris says he has received nothing from Wrestler’s Rescue or Dawn Marie and tells her to take any money she may have raised on his behalf “to Massachusetts and ram it up Dan Mirade’s ass.” He also says Dawn Marie claimed to have made a donation to “Dr. Death” Steve Williams after he passed away in December 2009, but offered no proof.
Wrestler’s Rescue received a donation from TNA Wrestling star Jeff Jarrett in the form of an autographed guitar that was to be auctioned off on their website, WrestlersRescue.org. The website, however, has been offline for weeks as it was suspended by its web host—likely due to unpaid server bills. Dawn Marie has offered no response to Harris’ claims.
– Steve Keirn, President of WWE developmental promotion Florida Championship Wrestling, announced at Wednesday’s FCW live event in Tampa, Florida that The Undertaker and Michelle McCool were expecting their first child. “The Deadman” was at the event for an autograph signing.
The Undertaker has been romantically linked to former WWE Diva Michelle McCool since 2007, whom he married on June 26, 2010, in Houston, Texas. Before Wednesday, their relationship had never been publicly acknowledged by WWE.
– Cryme Tyme founder and former WWE Superstar Shad Gaspard appears on The Exes tonight on TV Land. The program will replay multiple times.
– WWE will hold a SmackDown taping on October 23 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
– Jimmy Golden, who portrayed Bunkhouse Buck in World Championship Wrestling as well as Jack Swagger’s father on SmackDown, turns 62-years-old Wednesday.
The official WWE website announced Monday that John Laurinaitis had resigned from his position as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations, effectively immediately. He will, however, remain with the company as a producer assisting talent with their matches. His resignation is legitimate and not part of any storyline.
According to WWE sources, Laurinaitis had mentioned how exhausted he was with his workload, which consisted of office duties in Stamford, Connecticut and traveling to numerous events as a performer. The writing, however, was on the wall since he was quietly removed from the WWE Corporate website’s index of Executive Officers in April. Paul Levesque, Executive Vice President of Talent and Live Events, was reportedly never a “Big Johnny” booster and it was believed to be a matter of time before Jane Geddes, Vice President of Talent Relations, and Canyon Ceman, Senior Director of Talent Development, understood the WWE machine. With each element they learned, they assumed duties that belonged to Laurinaitis. Creative writer Michael Hayes had already replaced John Laurinaitis as matchmaker of live events and it said that he was taken out of the loop concerning developmental program matters.
The internal belief is that Laurinaitis will wind up back on television as a performer since most people are surprised that WWE has maintained his character’s firing. He is scheduled to appear at live events through at least September.
Laurinaitis was hired as a producer after WWE’s acquisition of certain assets of World Championship Wrestling in March 2001. When Jim Ross desired to move from Stamford, Connecticut to Norman, Oklahoma, he began grooming Laurinaitis to overtake his position as Vice President of Talent Relations. WWE chief Vince McMahon, however, made the switch without informing Ross first in 2004. Laurinatis was at one point one of the most powerful employees in the organization, and in 2009, was promoted to Executive Vice President of Talent Relations. However, when Stephanie McMahon took over Talent Relations and handed over the reins to Levesque, his power weakened and he was ultimately demoted.
The only person remaining in the talent relations department since last year, aside from employees working in travel, is Mark Carrano. Though WWE stated in their article that Laurinaitis was “burned out” from the position, multiple sources have stated that recent changes to the corporate infrastructure represent Levesque assuming control of certain sectors of the organization and re-shaping them to his liking. Despite his demotion, Laurinaitis chose to maintain employment because he bought an expensive Connecticut home and his family doesn’t want to move away from the area.