SEScoops

Category: WWE

  • WWE Confirms Final Class Of 2010 Inductee

    WWE issued the following today, confirming an earlier reports that baseball great and WrestleMania celebrity Bob Uecker will be the final member inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this weekend:

    MR. BASEBALL BOB EUCKER ENTERING WWE HALL OF FAME

    STAMFORD, Conn. – World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE: WWE) today announced that baseball legend Robert “Bob” Uecker will be “in the front row” when he is inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Uecker will be inducted by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics, at the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, Arizona this Saturday. The ceremony will run on USA Network at 11 PM ET.

    Bob Uecker, affectionately known as “Mr. Baseball,” has a long and glorious history at WrestleMania. While best known for his work as the radio play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers and his numerous acting credits, he participated in two WrestleManias. In 1987, Uecker appeared as a ringside announcer at WrestleMania III at the Pontiac Silverdome and the next year, Uecker was the backstage interviewer at WrestleMania IV at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City.

    “Bob Uecker cemented his place in WWE history with his appearances at WrestleMania III and IV,” said Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. “Seeing the huge hands of WWE Hall of Famer Andre the Giant around Uecker’s neck is a clip that became immortalized in pop culture history.”

    Uecker made his major league debut as a catcher with the Milwaukee Braves in 1962. Uecker also played for the St. Louis Cardinals and won the World Series with the club in 1964. After retiring as a player, Uecker returned to Milwaukee. In 1971, he began calling play-by-play for the Milwaukee Brewers radio broadcasts, a position he holds to this day. Uecker also played the part of “George Owens” on the television sitcom, Mr. Belvedere and play-by-play announcer “Harry Doyle” in the Major League film series.

    Others to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 27, as part of WrestleMania week, include pop culture icon Gorgeous George, Ted “The Million Dollar Man” DiBiase Sr., former Women’s Champion Wendi Richter, Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon, Stu Hart and Japanese legend Antonio Inoki.

  • Who Has The Best Win/Loss Record In WWE?, Chat With Melina

    — Believe it or not, but Nikki of The Bella Twins has the best win/loss record in all of WWE as she has yet to lose a single bout this year. She currently sits at 21-0. Her sister Brie sits at 21-1 as she lost a singles match to Maryse back in January. The only other wrestlers yet to lose a match this year are Tiffany (5-0), Heath Slater (3-0), Mr. McMahon (1-0) and Hornswoggle (1-0).

    The wrestler with the worst record in all of WWE is Jillian Hall as she has competed in 19 matches this year and lost all of them. Trailing behind Hall is Mike Knox as he too has yet to garner a single victory. He presently sits at 0-17.

    It’s interesting to note that WWE Champion Batista is 2-24 so far this year (with 3 no decisions). Other wrestlers with less than stellar win/loss records include Chavo Guerrero (2-23), William Regal (2-24), Alicia Fox (2-31) and Carlito (1-31).

    — Speaking of The Bella Twins, the WWE website has posted new studio photos of them here.

    — Melina noted on her Twitter account that she will chatting live tonight with fans. Click here for more information. She will also be on hand for tonight’s Raw, but simply as a visitor.

  • WWE Hall of Famer Baron Mikel Scicluna Passes Away

    WWE Hall of Famer Baron Mikel Scicluna passed away Saturday following a long bout with cancer. He was 80 years old. World Wrestling Entertainment released the following statement on its company website yesterday:

    Baron Mikel Scicluna passes
    Written: March 21, 2010

    World Wrestling Entertainment was saddened to learn of the passing of one of the company’s Hall of Fame members, Mikel Scicluna. The company would like to express its deepest condolences to Mr. Scicluna’s family and friends. Mikel Scicluna was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996. He performed as the “Baron” Mikel Scicluna, working with WWE for three decades. During his career, he won both the United States Tag Team Championship and World Tag Team Championship.

  • Update On MITB Plans, Bobby Heenan To Attend WrestleMania

    — It’s worth noting that Josh Matthews and MVP said on the WrestleMania preview show airing in the UK that the Money in the Bank Ladder Match will be a ten-man bout, though only nine participants were displayed in the graphic. Reportedly, a graphic was briefly displayed on WWE.com earlier tonight announcing a final Money in the Bank Qualifying Match for Raw with Kofi Kingston squaring off against Vladimir Kozlov to determine the tenth participant in the match.

    — Jim Ross noted on his Twitter account that he believes Bobby Heenan will be attending WrestleMania. He wrote: “I think that Bobby Heenan & wife Cindi are scheduled to attend WM26. If so, that alone will add 2 the experience. Luv the “Wease.”

    “The Brain” last appeared on-camera at a WWE event three years ago at WrestleMania 23 when he was on hand for the weekend to induct Nick Bockwinkel into the Hall of Fame. In December 2007, he had major reconstructive surgery on his jaw and only recently resumed making public appearances.

    — WWE NXT rookie Justin Gabriel said on his Twitter account that he will be wrestling Friday night at WrestleMania Axxess and be taking part in two autograph sessions.

  • Bret Wearing Pink & Black At WrestleMania? Jericho Talks TNA

    — Bret Hart said in an interview this past week in Canada that he will not be donning his trademark pink and black tights for his No Holds Barred Match with Vince McMahon at WrestleMania. His reason for not wearing the tights is because he’s not the Bret Hart of old and that it would be too much of a stretch for himself to wear them.

    — In an interview with EndOnline.com, Chris Jericho discusses the best characters in the WWE, comparisons between Fozzy and Nickelback, whether he feels a sense of accomplishment about being World Champion while beating TNA in the ratings, and much more. You can listen to the interview here.

    — United States and Unified Tag Team Champion The Miz will appear on G4’s Attack of the Show Thursday night, March 25, at 7 ET/6 CT.

  • WWE Holding Nine-Man Match, Vickie Guerrero Wrestling, More

    — The WWE website announced that a Nine-Man Tag Team Match featuring the competitors of the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania will be taking place on next week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown.

    Also announced for next week is a match between Beth Phoenix and Vickie Guerrero.

    — WWE World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho will join talk show host George Lopez on Lopez Tonight Tuesday night, March 23, at 11 ET/10 CT. The show airs on TBS.

    — This week’s edition of the POWER 25 has been released on WWE.com. WWE Champion Batista holds the top spot for the second consecutive week. It’s worth noting that Vince McMahon is listed on the chart at No. 23.

  • Match Made Official For WrestleMania, Superstars Rating, More

    — A match between Rey Mysterio and CM Punk was made official for WrestleMania XXVI during last night’s episode of Friday Night Smackdown. The stipulation for the match is that should Mysterio lose the bout, he must join The Straight Edge Society. (Match preview)

    — Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America scored an 0.89 cable rating with 974,000 viewers. The midnight replay drew an 0.16 rating with 143,000 viewers. (source: PWInsider.com)

    — WWE returns to the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia on June 11th, 2010 at 7:30 PM. Tickets go on sale April 10th, 2010 at 10 AM. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

  • Jim Ross Evaluates TNA On Monday Nights

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross posted a new batch of Q&A’s on his JRsBarBQ.com website with his thoughts on the current state of TNA Wrestling.

    Ross says there’s a long road ahead for TNA if they really want to compete with WWE and offers some suggestions on how to tweak their current approach:

    “I think that TNA has a lot of work to do before they can begin to find the success that they need and want.” Perhaps starting an hour before Raw might help them. Obviously producing an alternative product is imperative. Their replay on Thursdays isn’t a bad idea but Spike really needs to commit with promotional time to give their wrestling product a fighting chance.”

    As for people who are expecting that TNA would be doing much bigger ratings on Monday nights from the beginning, Ross implies that TNA’s (approximate) 1.0 rating isn’t a bad thing.

    “Spike averages a .7 rating so why would anyone think it realistic that TNA is going to increase the network average 200% or so?”

  • Edge Promotes WrestleMania, How Old Is Evan Bourne?, More

    — Edge appeared on multiple FOX affiliates yesterday promoting WrestleMania, discussing his Achilles tendon recovery, his television feud with Chris Jericho.

    During his interview with WTTG FOX 5, the SmackDown Superstar talked about David Beckham similarly suffering an Achilles tendon injury recently, saying he can relate.

    “It’s been about a month-and-a half I’ve been back now. It was one of those injuries that really tests your patience and it was probably the worst one I’ve had,” Edge said. “I felt sorry for him (Beckham) when I saw it because you don’t expect it and all of a sudden you’re standing there and it goes.”

    You can view video of his interview with WTTG FOX 5 at the following link. You can also see Edge’s appearance on Good Day Tampa Bay here.

    — In an interview with NickNemeth.net, Dolph Ziggler gives his take on a number of topics unrelated to pro wrestling including women, whether a movie has ever brought him to tears, his biggest weakness, which famous person he’d like to meet, and much more. You can read the interview in its entirety at the following link.

    — Today is Evan Bourne’s birthday as the WWE Superstar turns 27 years old.

  • NXT Ratings Continue To Drop, Dolph Ziggler Speaks Out

    — Viewership for this week’s episode of WWE NXT on Syfy dropped 10 percent from the previous week, down 1.16 million viewers from 1.30. The premiere episode drew 1.70 million viewers while the second episode saw a slight increase to 1.73. Viewership dropped 25 percent the following week, to 1.30 million viewers. To compare, ECW was averaging between 1.15 and 1.20 million viewers before the final two weeks of the show when WWE announced the brand would cease. (Credit: pwtorch.com)

    — In an interview with NickNemeth.net, Dolph Ziggler gives his take on a number of subjects including who he’d most like to feud with, which wrestler he travels with most, his training routine, who inspired him to become a wrestler, and more. You can read the interview in its entirety at the following link.

    — Tickets for WWE Over the Limit on 5/23 in Detroit, Michigan went on-sale this morning via Ticketmaster. The pre-sale code is WWEPPV.

  • JR Blog: His Contract, Is He Calling WM? Chair Shots

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with an update on his WWE contract status, WWE banning chair shots to the head, Steve Austin and more. Some highlights:

    His WWE Contract Status: “I’ve also I read where I signed a new contract with WWE, I hope to BTW, however that is also wrong as what I signed was a contract extension to take us through the end of April. Re-signing with WWE is my top priority and I hope that we can get another, long term deal done sooner than later.”

    WWE Banning Chair Shots to the Head: “Nice to see WWE focus on eliminating chair shots to the heat of their athletes. I blogged about this several weeks ago which I am sure means nothing in regard to this decision being made. Some asked if I thought this mandate was ‘politically motivated’ to which I emphatically say hell, no. It simply makes common sense and the overall health of the competitors has to be any companies utmost priority.”

    Is He Calling WrestleMania? “It seems that many within the wrestling media know more about my Wrestlemania assignment that do I. I still don’t know what I’m specifically and officially doing in Phoenix but as I mentioned I am just happy to be attending the event. So for those of you that may read what my role is going to be in conjunction with WM26, and insiders might be correct at the end of the day, just for the record and as of today I don’t know. However, if you get any more inside info please share it. I need to know what to pack.”

  • Shawn Michaels Reportedly Telling Friends He’s Retiring

    source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    Shawn Michaels has been telling friends as of late he plans on retiring at WrestleMania. His contract is set to expire soon and he has talked about wanting to spend more time with his children as they grow up.

    Michaels himself has made noise about retiring in recent years, to the point that WWE actually scripted jokes about it on Raw. After taking time off in 2008, he made noise about deciding not to come back. Like previous times he’d taken time off, WWE would call him back to return and he would. He also said in a radio interview last year that he had told the company his retirement date (which at the time was this year’s WrestleMania). On the other hand, he’s brought up the idea of wrestling well into his fifties, though only a match or two per year.

    Michaels is not advertised for any shows past the night after WrestleMania when Raw emanates from the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

  • Jim Ross To Call WrestleMania, WWE Ignores Savage’s Request

    source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

    — While Jim Ross is not yet returning to television on a regular basis, he will be conducting play-by-play at WrestleMania.

    Wrestlers were told this past week at television that Ross, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler would be calling WrestleMania with Matt Striker, Todd Grisham and Josh Matthews handling interviews backstage.

    Ross signed a short-term extension this past week, believed to be one month. His former contract expired this week.

    — There was much disappointment among the Poffo family as Randy Savage contacted both WWE and TNA, asking them to send some kind of a message to be read at his father’s funeral. TNA sent a message while WWE ignored his request.

    Angelo Poffo passed away two weeks ago on Mar. 4.

    — WWE announced yesterday that the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will air on USA Network on Saturday, Mar. 27 at 11 PM/10 PM CT.

    — As noted earlier, former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia performed The Star-Spangled Banner before the Big East Championship Semi-Finals this past Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Those who miss seeing Lilian sing the anthem before WWE shows can see video of her performance at the following link.

  • *Spoiler* Gimmick Match Added To WrestleMania

    Warning: The following contains a spoiler for Friday’s WWE SmackDown

    Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk was officially announced at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings, airing Friday night.

    Here’s what looks to be the final card for WrestleMania 26, unless they add the Divas match next week:

    WWE Title Match
    John Cena vs. Batista

    World Heavyweight Title Match
    Edge vs. Chris Jericho

    Career vs. Streak Match
    Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker

    No Holds Barred Match
    Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon

    WWE Unified Tag Team Title Match
    John Morrison & R-Truth vs. The Miz & Big Show

    Triple H vs. Sheamus

    Triple Threat Match
    Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase

    Street Fight
    CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio

    Money in the Bank Ladder Match
    Dolph Ziggler vs. Kane vs. Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. MVP vs. Jack Swagger vs. Matt Hardy vs. Evan Bourne vs. Drew McIntyre

  • Pregnant Candice Michelle Backstage At SmackDown (Picture)

    Candice Michelle was backstage at last night’s SmackDown taping at the Staples Center in Los Angeles visiting friends. On her Twitter account, she posted a photo of herself and Melina, who was also backstage visiting. The former WWE Diva is expecting her first child, which is due in May.

  • Mickie Pushes Back CD Release, Hoping To Compete At Mania

    Mickie James has pushed back the release of her debut album, Strangers & Angels, until May. It was initially scheduled for release next Tuesday.

    She wrote in a blog post on the WWE Universe website: “I have come to the decision to push back the release of my album “Strangers & Angels” to mid May… After Wrestlemania, after the draft, after the tours… My main focus now, as it should be, is to get myself 150% for Wrestlemania first and foremost…”

    James then went on to describe the severity of her staph infection, which may forbid her from competing at WrestleMania.

    “Then, this is the second time in 2 months that I have ever been sent home from the road, both for the same reason. A Staph Infection, but not just any, as I found out in the hospital it’s MRSA. The first was from the most recent Mexico Tour where I was sent to Tampa to be treated. Then it came back worse than before this last time during the live event Loop in Texas where I was sent home. Then immediately admitted to the hospital in Richmond. To all the WWE universe who came to any of the shows or have watched in the last few weeks to see me. I am truly sorry and please know that I wanted to be there more than anything. Both times I tried to fight it, I fought with the doctors. I fought with my boss.. to just let me work through it, “its just an infection.. No big deal… I’ve worked through worse with a smile on my face” but thankfully for me, they wouldn’t hear of it! I cant express how truly grateful I am that they didn’t listen to me.

    “I didn’t realize the severity of the infection and how bad it was. When i was admitted into the hospital I went straight into surgery to get the infection out of my body. They also told me I wouldn’t make it to Wrestlemania. I told them they were wrong.. Watch me! When I woke up i was devastated… My leg was in an immobilizer, my knee was sliced open with tubes coming from it t help drain it. As the days passed in the hospital I found out more and more about the infection, about how bad mine truly was. The nurses also explained to me what could have happened if it had gone a little longer untreated. The infection had already gotten into my bloodstream and I was extremely ill.. A few more day meant I could have lost my leg.. Even my life… So I really want to take this moment to say thank you to them all from the bottom of my heart… To our Doctors, the Dr.’s who treated me, and my Boss(who always has to deal with my stubborn ways..haha)! It is because of you that I am getting better everyday, That I am able to write this, that I have my leg, that I have my life, I love you, God Bless You!”

  • WWE Bans Chairshots To The Head

    WWE has updated its talent Wellness policy with a section about concussions (click here to read the amendment). Part of WWE’s effort to limit the number of concussions sustained by its Superstars is a ban on chairshots to the head, which actually went into effect back in January. The section on chairshots reads:

    *The WWE has eliminated using folding metal chairs to “strike” an opponent in the head.

    *The WWE penalizes through fine and/or suspension the following:

    -The intentional use of a folding metal chair to “strike” an opponent in the head.

    -Any blow to the head that is deemed an INTENTIONAL act.

    *The fine and/or suspension will be directed by the EVP of Talent Relations.

    WWE spokesperson Robert Zimmerman recently commented to Connecticut’s Hartford Courant newspaper about the chairshot ban:

    “In January 2010, WWE amended its Talent Wellness Program, specifically regarding the ImPACTâ„¢ Concussion Management Program originally instituted in 2008, eliminating the use of folding chairs or props to “strike” an opponent in the head.”

  • WWE Conducts Drug Testing, SD Wrestlers Appearing On Raw

    — World Wrestling Entertainment conducted its latest round of drug testing this past week, including talent scheduled to compete at WrestleMania. No wrestler has been suspended due to a violation of the company’s drug testing violation in over six months, the last punishment being handed down on August 27, 2009 to Rey Mysterio.

    — Current plans call for SmackDown talent to regularly appear on Raw from now until next month’s annual Draft on the 26th.

    — Mark Henry will be making a cameo appearance on this Sunday’s episode of Celebrity Apprentice. Former WWE talent Maria Kanellis and Bil Goldberg appear as contestants on the show and it’s been said that Maria’s debut appearance put her on the map with a lot of people in Hollywood.

    source: www.f4wonline.com

  • Superstars Preview, Kelly’s New Website, Chat With The Bellas

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

    * Christian, Mark Henry and Yoshi Tatsu vs. Jack Swagger, William Regal and Zack Ryder
    * The Bella Twins vs. Jillian and Katie Lea
    * Kane vs. Shelton Benjamin

    — Kelly Kelly has relaunched her official website, www.kellykellywwe.com.

    — The Arizona Republic newspaper is getting in the WrestleMania spirit by hosting “WrestleMania Wednesdays” online chats. This week, Scottsale, Ariz., natives Nikki and Brie Bella will answer questions in a live, one-hour chat. You can join them today at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. MST at azcentral.com.

  • Steve Austin Wishes TNA Luck Against WWE

    WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin appeared on Hardcore Sports Radio this week and discussed TNA Wrestling challenging WWE on Monday nights. Despite the fact that Austin is aWWE guy through and through, he says “competition is great for the business” and hopes TNA can give WWE a run for its money.

    “I wish the TNA people all the luck in the world because it means more of the boys have jobs and it gives fans an alternative” Austin said.

    TNA has a lot of the WCW pieces in place (Hogan, Bischoff, Flair, Sting, The Band), but Austin doesn’t know if TNA will ever be able to reach WCW’s popularity peak. “I don’t know if we’ll ever re-create that Nitro-Raw war,” he said. “WCW kicked our ass for two years, then we smoked their ass and never looked back and put them out of business.”

    Even though he wishes good luck for TNA, he knows it will be close to impossible for them to realistically push them to the brink like WCW did. “I don’t think anyone will ever come close to really giving true competition to WWE because they’re so far ahead of the game, they’re rooted in their system, and they’re a winner.”

    (Quotes transcribed by TheSun.co.uk)

  • What You Didn’t See On RAW, Batista Busted Open

    – Batista was legitimately busted open last night by Kofi Kingston during their match on RAW.

    – The following matches were taped before Monday’s RAW for this week’s WWE Superstars show:

    * Bella Twins vs. Jillian Hall & Katie Lea
    * Christian, Mark Henry & Yoshi Tatsu vs. Jack Swagger
    * Zack Ryder and William Rega

    – During the commercial break before the Bret Hart & Vince McMahon WrestleMania contract signing, CM Punk came out and challenged Rey Mysterio to a match that would take place after RAW went off the air. When RAW concluded, the two wrestled a 10 minute match and Mysterio earned the win with the 619. Mysterio celebrated with the fans after the win.

  • Jim Ross Signing New WWE Contract This Week

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Ross reveals that after months of negotiations, he’s come to terms with WWE for a new contract and will be signing it this week. Plus, Ross discusses Gorgeous George being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and more. Some highlights:

    His WWE Contract Status: I will be signing another contract extension this week with WWE to allow us to get past Wrestlemania and to give us more time to finalize our newest agreement which will hopefully see me remaining with WWE for the long term future. At least, that’s the goal for all involved. I’m going into this negotiation with a positive frame of mind and hopeful that all will work out to everyone’s mutual happiness at the end of the day.

    Talking With Steve Austin Over The Weekend: I talked with Steve this weekend and he was really excited about being back on Raw and feeling that live audience, adrenaline rush that one experiences. I cannot name any wrestler who better connected with their audience than did Stone Cold Steve Austin and I’ve seen a few in my day. I even think Steve was going down from LA to San Diego on Sunday, he’s still old school, to be ready to rock the house Monday night. Obviously, WWE will be promoting the film “Damage” starring Stone Cold that will be out on DVD on March 23 which is only 8 days from now.

    Gorgeous George in WWE’s Hall of Fame: WWE announcing Gorgeous George as a new inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame is a cool thing for the business. When I first got in the wrestling biz in 1974, my boss, Lee Roy McGuirk, was a former wrestling star who had crossed paths with Gorgeous George on many occasions. I heard numerous GG stories from McGuirk who was a former NCAA Champion at Oklahoma A&M (Oklahoma State) and was considered one of the toughest men in the business. McGuirk was a old school guy with a “jock mentality” and he wasn’t crazy about the show biz aspect of the Gorgeous George persona but McGuirk always said that George Wagner was much tougher and more skilled in legit wrestling than people would ever give him credit for being.

  • WWE Announces The Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

    Gorgeous George

    WWE sent out the following press release this morning announcing that wrestling legend Gorgeous George will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame later this month:

    Gorgeous George Enters Hall of Fame

    STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–World Wrestling Entertainment® (NYSE: WWE) today announced that Gorgeous George, the man often credited with creating American pop culture and who set the standard for future WWE Superstars and influenced such greats as Muhammad Ali, James Brown and Bob Dylan, will be inducted into the WWE® Hall of Fame on March 27, 2010. His 96 year-old former wife, Betty Wagner will accept the honor on his behalf. The Hall of Fame ceremony will be broadcast that night on USA Network at 11 PM ET from the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, Arizona.

    “A mighty spirit. Crossing paths with Gorgeous George, was all the recognition and encouragement I would need for years to come.”

    “Gorgeous George’s was a pop-culture innovator who took risks pushing the social envelope and did things that no other performer had ever dared to do,” said CEO and Chairman Vince McMahon. “He was a cultural tour-de-force who set the standard that many in the world of sports and entertainment still emulate today.”

    The significance of Gorgeous George’s legacy led WWE Studios to option the rights to his story for a major motion picture slated to begin production in 1Q 2011.

    Muhammad Ali, whose notorious boastful and arrogant style derived from George, stated, “I made up my mind after meeting Gorgeous George to make people angry at me…I saw 15,000 people comin’ to see this man get beat. And his talking did it. I said this is a good idea.”

    Bob Dylan, the music poet, said, “A mighty spirit. Crossing paths with Gorgeous George, was all the recognition and encouragement I would need for years to come.”

    Gorgeous George, born George Wagner, single-handedly changed the dynamics of not only wrestling, but entertainment and sports in the 1940s-1950s. His character was an arrogant aristocrat dressed in silk, lace and chiffon robes who spoke in a braggadocio style, often referring to himself as “The Toast of the Coast” and “The Sensation of the Nation.” Audiences around the country came to see Gorgeous George perform live, and tuned their TV sets in to see what he would say or do next, making Gorgeous George one of the biggest celebrities of his day, and an influence on pop culture for generations to come. As popular as Lucille Ball and Bob Hope, media observers believe more Americans purchased televisions to watch Gorgeous George perform than to see Milton Berle.

    Others to be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame on March 27 include Ted “The Million Dollar Man” DiBiase Sr., former Women’s Champion Wendi Richter, Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon and Japanese legend Antonio Inoki.

  • Sound Off 103: Is Sting STILL Beating RVD With That Bat?

    Solomonster Sounds Off

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    Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 20 minutes

    Raw and Impact reviewed with a rant on TNA, plus news on the ratings, Jeff Hardy possibly headed to prison, a new member of the Hall of Fame and a look back at WrestleMania 7!

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  • WWE Officials Interested In Working With Bill Goldberg Again

    — While the clip of Bill Goldberg pinning Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XX was largely aired this past week on Raw to put over tomorrow night’s special guest host, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, WWE has indeed been in talks with the former wrestling megastar regarding a relationship renewal.

    WWE officials recognize he’s not going to come back and wrestle, but they’re hopeful of reaching a deal where they can use his likeness in video games and perhaps an induction into next week year’s Hall of Fame class considering they are running low on “main eventers.”

    Next year’s Hall of Fame class is expected to have a WCW theme considering that it will be taking place in Atlanta, Georgia.

    — WWE’s recently released Shawn Michaels DVD, Shawn Michaels – My Journey, has HBK doing commentary for a 1992 match in Ottawa against Bret Hart. It’s worth noting because Michaels goes out of his way to put over “The Hit Man” after proclaiming for a number of years that he was very good, but not great. Michaels relays his past history with Hart, saying both tried to work past their conflicts in spite of their paranoia and shared belief that management kept them at odds because they thought it was best for business. The piece was taped prior Hart’s return to WWE as Michaels said he hadn’t seen him since “Montreal.” Michaels added he had Hart’s phone number and wanted to call him to bury the hatchet because it sends a bad message to people if you can’t forgive and forget. Ultimately, he never ended up calling him.

    — Today marks the six-year anniversary of WrestleMania XX, which saw Chris Benoit triumph over Triple H and Shawn Michaels to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. After the match, Eddie Guerrero came to the ring and the two embraced while confetti dropped for an emotional ending. WrestleMania XX also marks as the final wrestling matches of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Bill Goldberg and Brock Lesnar — for now.

    source: www.f4wonline.com