— According to Philadelphia’s CityPaper.net, WWE lawyers have sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Wine School of Philadelphia for an event they’re holding called “Sommelier Smackdown,“ where a professional sommelier’s food and wine pairings are matched against those of a member of the Wine School, with students voting for the winner. Keith Wallace, the school’s founder and director, says he has no plans to stop using the smackdown phrase. “They don’t have a leg to stand on. I am not going to bow down to a bully,†he said in a press release. “They claim that they own the term “smackdown” but they don’t.†In response to the WWE threat, Wallace is calling out Mr. McMahon Chris Jerico to a wine-tasting double-team cage match.
— Jim Ross wrote in his latest JRsBarBQ.com blog that Steve Austin’s new movie “Damage” did strong sales in its first week in the United Kingdom. “Damage debuted at #5 on the i-Tunes store chart in the U.K. and #3 in DVD sales through major retailer HMV,” Ross said. The movie went straight to DVD in the UK and is scheduled for theatrical release in the U.S. on January 28, 2010.
— HecklerSpray.com has posted an interview with Steve Austin, who talks about his various movie projects.
— Ric Flair is said to be engaged to be married once again. According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, Flair has been seen around with his girlfriend, who is sporting a new ring on his finger. This would be Flair’s fourth time down the aisle.
