— Randy Orton, who is out of action after suffering a herniated disc on the L4-L5 level on the left side, is scheduled for the Jan. 16 Raw SuperShow in Anaheim, California and the Royal Rumble taking place Jan. 29 in St. Louis, Missouri.

— The back page of USA Weekend features an article on the late Randy Savage. The legendary wrestler died of a sudden heart attack while driving with his wife, Barbara Lynn Payne, in Seminole, Florida on the morning of May 20, 2011.

— SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia rang in the new year by partying with her TNA Wrestling equivalent, Christy Hemme. A photo of the two with former WWE Diva Candice Michelle is available here.

— Former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler is featured in the latest issue of the National Enquirer with a story devoted to the best and worst beach bodies in Hollywood.

source: F4WOnline.com

The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s Impact Wrestling on Spike TV:

– Kurt Angle vs. Rob Van Dam

– Knockouts Championship Match: Gail Kim defends against Mickie James

– The Wild Card Tag Team Tournament continues with two semi-final matches:

* Eric Young & ODB vs. Samoa Joe & Magnus
* Abyss & Scott Steiner vs. AJ Styles & Kazarian

– The final match in the Best-Of-3 Series between Anthony Neese and Zema Ion, with the winner earning a shot at the X Division Championship.

Also scheduled to appear are World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode, Jeff Hardy, Sting, James Storm and more.

• *SPOILERS* For Tonight’s TNA Impact Wrestling

Speaking to Power Slam, Gail Kim explains why she deliberately eliminated herself from the Divas Battle Royal on the August 1, 2011 episode of Monday Night Raw.

“I have no regrets. They didn’t care. It didn’t affect the outcome of the match. If it was going to affect the outcome of the match, I wouldn’t have done it. It got to the point where … it’s just what I did, you know. Like I said, I don’t have any regrets.”

Kim quit WWE that night; she says it felt good.

“You know why? It was about my life and my happiness at that point, and having control of my life again. It felt good to know that I made that decision for myself. I wasn’t going to be unhappy anymore. And, most of all, I just wanted to wrestle again.

“The day that I told Johnny [John Laurinaitis) that I quit was a relief. He asked me why, and I said to him, “Really? Are you really asking me why?” And he knew: he knew my frustration. I know a lot of wrestlers are very happy in WWE. But, in my case, I had to move on.”

Kim was also asked whether her success in TNA Wrestling worked against her during her second run with WWE.

“Hmmm. I’m not sure. You always hear things about how that company thinks. I really don’t know. You know, that’s the whole reason they hired me back, because of the success I had in TNA. Kharma/Kong, she may not have even got hired, if it wasn’t for those matches we had in TNA. That’s what made our names in women’s wrestling at that time.”

She continues, “It’s funny that they knew we could do something like what we did in TNA and they didn’t do it. I don’t know what to say. But I can’t care about that now. I’m just trying to do the best with what I’m given now, and that’s on Impact Wrestling.”

— Rosita posted several messages on her Twitter account Wednesday mocking an Asian woman she rudely encountered the night before at a Fuddruckers restaurant in Connecticut following her twenty-first birthday party. The TNA Knockout claims the woman tried to cut in line. She then posted a picture of her, calling her “Kung Foo Panda.”

She tweeted, “THIS IS KUNG FOO PANDA.. PERFECT PICTURE TO DESCRIBE HER IGNORANCE. http://yfrog.com/kicpkdzj.”

She then wrote to Velvet Sky, “You sooo shoulda been there! King foo panda was allllllll ready! Offered to order the bitch bamboo sticks but she wasn’t having it..”

— Samoa Joe faces Kazarian in a Maximum Impact tournament match on this week’s episode of TNA Xplosion (video available here). The winner of the eight-man tournament will receive a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship during TNA’s tour of the U.K. in January.

— Bobby Roode and Mickie James appear at the Poughkeepsie Galleria (located at 2001 South Road Poughkeepsie, New York 12601) this Friday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Jesse Neal appeared on the Running The Ropes podcast (interview available here). Highlights are as follows:

* Neal says that Christina Von Eerie (a/k/a Toxxin), his girlfriend, was never under contract to TNA Wrestling. Her status with TNA remains unknown following Neal’s departure from the organization.

* Neal says the widespread rumor that he received food stamps earlier this year isn’t true. He does, however, admit that he was almost evicted from his small one bedroom apartment three times this year because he couldn’t afford to pay rent.

* Neal says he rejected TNA’s request to move to Louisville, Kentucky and train at Ohio Valley Wrestling because the money they were offering “wasn’t anything close to live on.” Management told him to get a sidejob if he needed money, but felt that with three shows per week and training six days out of seven he wouldn’t have the time.

* Neal says he spoke to company president Dixie Carter over the phone regarding his situation and was promised it would resolved. He adds she was gracious to him on his final day with the company and was sure she’d see him in TNA again one day.

* Neal praised creative writer Vince Russo, who encouraged him with his promos.

– Last Thursday’s 12/22 edition of TNA Impact Wrestling drew a 1.0 rating.

– New promo videos have been released hyping TNA’s new Ring Ka King promotion, based out of India:

— After being named the Worst Game of the Year by the official XBOX Magazine, Hulk Hogan’s Main Event has won another “worst of the year” award.

ScrewAttack.com has awarded Hogan’s XBOX 360 Kinect game a SAGY award (Sh–ty Ass Game of the Year). Congrats to Hulk!

— TNA star D’Angelo Dinero has a small role in the upcoming blockbuster Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises.

The Pope will be playing a henchman of the film’s main villain, Bane. Themancavedaily.com has released the following picture of Bane’s goons – you can spot Dinero in the front row wearing a hoodie.

Check out the first video promo hyping TNA’s new Indian promotion, Ring Ka King.

Ring Ka King, which taped its first 13 episodes last week, debuts on India’s The Colors Network the weekend of January 14th, 2012. For much more on the first set of tapings, including live recaps and exclusive pictures, hit up our official Ring Ka King news page.

TNA Champion Bobby Roode

– TNA Champion Bobby Roode spoke with Phil Strum of the Poughkeepsie Journal this week about his role as the new TNA World Champion. Roode said he thrives on pressure and plans to be a long-term champion:

“It’s just an opportunity to prove to everybody that I’m worthy of being the world champion. Getting into this business, everybody dreams about being a world champion. There’s a lot of pressure that comes along with it, but I thrive under pressure. I’m good at pressure. I’ve had the belt for a couple of months and I plan on keeping it.”

Roode also commented on his long path to the TNA Title and the the culmination of years of hard work:

“I think, obviously, you learn along the way. I’ve learned a lot. I came from humble beginnings in Canada getting my feet wet in the business. It’s been a long transition. I’m a real student of the game and being in this spot right now allows me to perform in main events and travel around the world representing the company.”

– TNA has released the latest “Before The Bell” video preview for the upcoming Genesis pay-per-view o January 8th. The show features a double main event of Bobby Roode vs. Jeff Hardy and Kurt Angle vs. James Storm.

— Former WWE star Chavo Guerrero is expected to join TNA Wrestling in the near future after appearing for Ring Ka King this past week, their India based promotion. Regarding the tapings, he tweeted Wednesday, “In India right now, and had an INCREDIBLE wrestling experience last night! Never have seen anything like this in 18 yrs of wrestling!! Great crew in India, inside the ring &out. Really making me LOVE wrestling again!”

Alongside Harry Smith, Guerrero captured the promotion’s tag team championship at the tapings.

— Official XBOX Magazine named Hulk Hogan’s Main Event the worst video game of 2011.

The magazine writes, “This atrocity earns the loudest jeers from us for not only being the least interactive Kinect game to date, but also wasting a great idea (mimicking lavish pro-wrestling entrances) and taking up precious landfill space that could’ve been filled with something more pleasant, like hazardous waste. This game would have been a strong contender for the year’s worst game if it were a $5 XBLA download. At $50, it’s the financial equivalent of being smashed in the head with a steel chair.”

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Don’t miss Thursday’s TNA IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c, as the road to the January 8 “Genesis” Pay-Per-View event continues! If you can’t watch it on Thursday night, make sure to set your DVR to record it so you don’t miss any of the Total Nonstop Action!

Here is a preview of Thursday’s broadcast:

– The main event of the broadcast will feature Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle taking on Rob Van Dam

– The Knockouts Championship will be on the line as Gail Kim defends against Mickie James

– The Wild Card Tag Team Tournament continues with two semi-final matches:

Match 1: Eric Young & ODB vs. Samoa Joe & Magnus

Match 2: Abyss & Scott Steiner vs. AJ Styles & Kazarian

– In addition, it will be the final match in the Best-Of-3 Series between Anthony Neese and Zema Ion, with the winner earning a shot at the X Division Championship

– Also scheduled to appear are World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode, “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy, IMPACT WRESTLING General Manager Sting, “Cowboy” James Storm and many more!

– Plus, more big news on the upcoming January 8 “Genesis” Pay-Per-View event

source: ImpactWrestling.com

Impact Wrestling star Rosita joined us this week on DD360 to discuss her incredible year since joining the company in January. Rosita fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming a wrestling star in 2011, positively marking the 10th anniversary of her father’s tragic passing during the 9/11 terror attacks. As fans will know, Rosita’s father, an amateur wrestler himself, inspired Rosita to become a wrestler. Her inspiring story earned her the Pro Wrestling Illustrated award for Inspiring Wrestler of the Year, as announced by Dixie Carter this week.

Highlights from the interview below. You can listen here:

On her rookie year in Impact Wrestling: “It’s been a crazy journey so far. I look back a couple of years ago, and seeing where I am now, there’s no way I thought I’d be where I am right now.”

“It’s truly amazing to see where determination and drive will lead you. From people telling me, ‘Oh no, you’re too small’ and ‘You can’t do those things that everyone else can do because you’re so small’, and you put those people to rest saying, ‘I can do this no matter what’. I had Tommy Dreamer, who’s amazing to me, from the very first day I met him — he actually was the one to say to me, ‘I believe in you, I know that you can do this. Let’s see what you can do at TNA’. Everybody at TNA has been amazing to me too, so I’ve been truly blessed on this whole [journey].”

On winning PWI’s Inspirational Wrestler of the Year award: “I remember when I was first presented the award, I was amazed. Usually when I’m shocked, I’m like, ‘Oh, my God’ — I just lose my breath and I [get] lost for words. I just looked at it like, ‘Oh, my God, this is amazing’.”

“I just remember bringing it home to my mom and she just started crying. She couldn’t even believe that her daughter — her crazy little daughter [Laughs] — actually touched the lives of other people to say that I’m an inspiration. It was an absolute honor.”

The screen time & opportunities afforded to the Knockouts division: “I think it’s super important [to have the screen time and opportunities the Knockouts receive]. Back to what I was saying about Hardcore Justice, I mean, despite the fact that myself and Sarita lost against [Brooke] Tessmacher and Tara, that was one of my favorite matches and that match alone was a good 10 minutes. When was the last time you really got a [Divas] match that’s over two minutes in WWE?”

“I’m just glad that we are given that time to show everybody who we are and show everybody what we have. And everybody is so different — you can look at Sarita and know that [there is] no comparison to Velvet Sky or Angelina Love. Everybody has their own certain characters. Everybody has something that they bring to the table.”

“I think it’s great that we get so much airtime to show that, and if you look, sometimes there’s more than one Knockouts match. You’re lucky if you get one Divas match in WWE.”

On her on-screen cousin Sarita overcoming the difficult year she’s had with facial paralysis & a nasty fall in Mexico: “From the moment I met Sarita, you can see that she is just, from top to bottom, inside and out, tough. She’s very tough. She’s very sincere, and she’s very sweet, but she’s tough as nails. No matter what, she will always get up from a fall. She didn’t let facial paralysis stop her from performing. She didn’t let that fall [in Mexico] stop her from coming back to the Impact Zone and doing what she does best and I couldn’t be more proud of her because there’s just some things, people are like, ‘Okay, I’m not going to go wrestle anymore after that’ or ‘Not my face, no’, but she’s not afraid of anything. It’s crazy. That’s another reason I look up to her.”

— Alberto Del Rio has been removed from WWELiveTour.com’s talent line-up for Monday’s Raw SuperShow in Chicago, Illinois and the entire Raw Holiday Tour. He was advertised for three-way bouts for the WWE Championship with CM Punk and The Miz.

Del Rio suffered a groin injury during the main event of Monday’s Raw SuperShow and is being given time off to recover. He is not expected to be sidelined for too long.

— FoxNews.com has published photos of wrestling stars before they were famous including The Undertaker’s high school yearbook photo. Others highlighted include The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Bill Goldberg, John Cena, Kurt Angle, Mick Foley, Jesse Ventura, Randy Orton, Vince McMahon, Randy Savage and Stephanie McMahon.

— Maria Kanellis said on Afterbuzz she will be wrestling Jillian Hall at an independent event next year. Kanellis is advertised to face Tara in her return to the squared circle on February 25, 2012 for New York City based promotion Family Wrestling Entertainment.

source: F4WOnline.com

For the eighteenth year, Power Slam magazine presents The PS 50, which ranks the 50 best-performing wrestlers in the industry. Rankings in The PS 50 are basted on grapplers’ in-ring showings over a 12-month period (December 1, 2010 through November 30, 2011).

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi
2. Randy Orton
3. Davey Richards
4. Prince Devitt
5. Shingo Takagi
6. Christian
7. Kurt Angle
8. C.M. Punk
9. Kota Ibush
10. Takashi Sugiura
11. KENTA
12. Go Shiozaki
13. PAC
14. Akira Tozawa
15. Hirooki Goto
16. Eddie Edwards
17. BxB Hulk
18. Tetsuya Naito
19. AJ Styles
20. Shinsuke Nakamura
21. Masaaki Mochizuki
22. Bobby Roode
23. Rey Mysterio
24. Kenny Omega
25. Sheamus
26. Antonio Cesaro
27. CIMA
28. Katsuhiko Nakajima
29. Masato Yoshino
30. Chris Hero
31. Dragon Kid
32. Jay Briscoe
33. Ricochet
34. Mark Briscoe
35. Kevin Steen
36. Yuji Nagata
37. James Storm
38. Dolph Ziggler
39. Daniel Bryan
40. El Generico
41. Alberto Del Rio
42. Ryusuke Taguchi
43. Austin Aries
44. Jeff Jarrett
45. Kofi Kingston
46. Bully Ray
47. Christopher Daniels
48. The Miz
49. John Morrison
50. Kenny King

– The song “Ric Flair” by Killer Mike was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the 50 best singles of 2011.

• RIC FLAIR’s Classic Promos Used In New Rap Song (Listen Here)

– James Storm continues to get a ton of praise behind the scenes in TNA. He’s been working very hard on improving his mic work and has been working with Vince Russo on his promos.

– Jesse Neal’s storyline injury was TNA’s way of writing him out of the company. TNA let him go because he was not willing to move to Louisville, Kentucky to train at Ohio Valley Wrestling, TNA’s new developmental territory. Neal was not completely opposed to relocating, but based on what TNA was paying him, it didn’t make seense for him.

– TNA has sent Anarquia, Rob Terry and “Big Brother” reality star Jessie Godderz to OVW to train

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Regarding the departures of Jeff and Karen Jarrett’s departures from TNA shorelines, Jeff is taking time off because he is very busy with projects outside of TNA.

Jeff Jarrett been working hands on with TNA’s new Indian promotion as well as the All Wheels Wrestling show he is trying to get picked up on the Speed Channel.

• Pictures from Wednesday’s TNA India Show (“Ring Ka King”)

Karen Jarrett needs surgery on her foot, which will keep her on the sidelines for several months.

In Karen’s absence, Sting will be naming a new head of the Knockouts division.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

SEScoops.com reader Himanshu Doi sent in the following report and images from Wednesday’s Ring Ka King show from Pune, India.

• Everything You Need To Know About TNA’s New Indian Promotion: Ring Ka King

I attended the fourth and what might be the final day of taping of the month for the upcoming wrestling show on Colors “Ring Ka King” at Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune. Here are the spoilers:

– The taping began with a segment involving Jazzy Lahoria who was the “Commissioner of Ring Ka King”, Matt Morgan, Magnus, Abyss, Steiner, Sonjay Dutt, Doctor Nicholas Dinsmore, some Indian wrestlers and Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. I missed most of this part since I arrived late into the arena and wasn’t able to catch it.

– The team of “The Snakes” (Shawn and Arya Daivari) and Raisha Saeed defeated Bollywood Boyz (Bollywood Lions) and Mickie James.

– Matt Morgan, the Ring Ka King champion, came out for a promo. Apparently he’s a babyface and he started off the promo with a couple of lines in Hindi to get over with the crowd. He says that there was going to be a battle royal later on for the #1 contendership to his Ring Ka King championship. He says he wants to know who was the one who attacked him from behind, so whoever he is must come out now. Abyss’ music hits and he comes to the ring. Morgan gets the upper hand at first but Abyss comes back and dominates him. Morgan is helped up to the back by a couple of referees.

– Battle Royal for the #1 contendership to the Ring Ka King championship:

1. Sir Brutus Magnus

2. B Maxx (Indian wrestler)

3. Barood (Indian wrestler)

4. Roscoe Jackson (Trevor Murdoch)

5. Doctor Nicholas Dinsmore

6. Romeo Rapta (Indian wrestler)

7. Isaiah Outlaw (?)

8. American Adonis (Chris Mordetzky/Masters)

9. Chhotu aur Zoravar

10. Mahabali Veera

11. Scott Steiner

12. Aaghori Saaya

Chhotu aur Zoravar is a team that consists of one short and one really tall Indian guy, Chhotu being the short one and Zoravar the tall one. Zoravar is a 7-foot plus guy and was jumped on by everyone in the battle royal. Looks like they found their own version of The Great Khali.

Aaghori Saaya had an almost Samoa Joe like character and was in control of the match fighting with Steiner. Magnus attacked Adonis as soon as he entered, but they both teamed up against Aaghori when he eliminated Steiner. In the end, Aaghori managed to eliminate Adonis, but was beaten to the punch by Magnus who became the #1 contender to Morgan’s title.

– Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh came out to promote the #1 contendership match. He needed at least 15 retakes.

– Mickie James (w/Bollywood Boyz) defeated Raisha Saeed (w/The Snakes) with the Mickie DDT. The Snakes tried to interfere in the match but were fended off by Bollywood Boyz.

– Jeremy comes out with a female Indian presenter. He says that there is an American businessman Jeff Jarrett who wants to buy Ring Ka King. He will be here tonight to try and buy the company. The female presenter translates what he said to the audience.

– Pagal Parinda (in the guise of an Indian wrestler but who seemed to be Alex Shelley, I might be wrong) defeated Zema Ion. Pagal Parinda had a bird gimmick and came out with wings. Sonjay Dutt enters the ring after the match and cuts a promo in Hindi, asking him who he thinks he is. The crowd cheers for him at first, so Sonjay Dutt said in Hindi that you’re all the crazy ones, not this guy. Parinda doesn’t reply to the Hindi promo which further leads me to believe that it was Shelley. He pulls some punches on Dutt till he falls out of the ring, then hits a diving crossbody over the ropes and re-enters the ring to end the segment.

– Jeremy Borash and the female presenter remind us of the arrival of Jeff Jarrett and say he is the same man who brought Steiner and Abyss into Ring Ka King.

– Scott Steiner and Abyss defeated Barood and Romeo Rapta (both Indian wrestlers). The match was really a squash match but what followed was one of the most amazing sights on a wrestling show you could ever wish to see. Following the win, Steiner motioned to punch one of the people in the crowd. He then climbed over the barrier and into the crowd. The crowd scattered in opposite directions away from him as if he were a raging bull! He then proceeded to climb to the second tier like f***ing King Kong and those people tried to run away from him too! Great stuff by Steiner! I hope they got it on camera because it is to be seen to be believed!

– We then had the contract signing segment where Jeff Jarrett would try to buy Ring Ka King from the Commissioner, Jazzy Lahoria. A red carpet and a table was set up in the ring. An Indian presenter introduced Jarrett as the founder of TNA Wrestling and he made his entrance through AJ Styles’ style pyro, followed by Steiner, Magnus, Abyss and Dutt. The Commissioner Jazzy Lahoria was then introduced. Jarrett said that he was impressed that they were able to do what they have done. He said he was the founder of TNA Wrestling, his family was in the business for 70-plus years and that he would be able to take Ring

ka King to another level. After some deliberation, Jazzy said that for th sake of the fans, he would not sell Ring Ka King to Jarrett. Sonjay Dutt then tried to convince him in Hindi to sign the contract. Steiner catches him by the collar and is threatened by Dutt. Just as it seems that he was going to sign the contract, he tore it up. Jeff Jarrett is livid and takes off his suit and throws it to the ground and was almost about to hit Jazzy. He then slowly cools down, wears his suit back on and offers Jazzy a handshake. Jazzy thinks about it and shakes his hand. Jarrett hugs Jazzy, then turns around and punches him down. The entire bunch gang up on him. Steiner hit him with his own walking stick and Abyss takes it and chokes him with it. Harbhajan Singh then enters the ring with an Indian police officer character guy who must’ve been about 6’5″-6’6″. This causes Jarrett and co. to quietly leave the ring. Harbhajan and the police officer check on Jazzy who he is helped up by the two and gets a standing ovation from the crowd.

– Bollywood Boyz defeated Broadway (Little Guido/Nunzio) and Hollywood (Joey Ryan) with a double superkick on Broadway.

– Roscoe Jackson (Trevor Murdoch) defeated Romeo Rapta (Indian wrestler) after a splash off the top rope. Roscoe shook Romeo’s hand and raised it after the match.

– Sir Brutus Magnus vs Matt Morgan for the Ring Ka King championship. During the intoductions by JB (which was interestingly enough done in kilos instead of pounds), Jarrett appeared in the crowd claiming to have a ticket. Soon after the match began, he appeared in front of the announce table and clapped, distracting Morgan enough for Magnus to capitalize. The action went to the outside with Magnus hitting Morgan’s head against the barrier. The action returned to the ring as Magnus stayed in control through the majority of the match. It then came to a sleeper hold by Magnus, only for Morgan gets his hand up before 3 and come back into the match. Morgan went for the chokeslam, but it was avoided by Magnus only to get clotheslined. Morgan gets the chokeslam this time. Some Indian guy I didn’t recognise distracted Morgan. The Indian police character then returned and hit Morgan with a baton while the ref was distracted. Magnus then hit the Mag Driver on Morgan and gets the 3 count. Magnus becomes the new Ring Ka King Champion. Jarrett then enters the ring and puts the championship on Magnus’ shoulders. The police character guy celebrates with them to suggest that he was bought off by Jarrett, and Dutt, Steiner and Abyss join in the celebration. Some Indian wrestlers try to enter the ring but are attacked by the bunch and thrown out. Harbhajan Singh’s music hits and he comes out with a cricket bat in hand leading to Jarrett and co. leaving the ring. Harbhajan says in Hindi that it was a mistake to give him a second chance, and that soon he would take his wicket. Magnus celebrates with the championship on the ramp as they leave.

Additional notes:

– The show is being promoted as “Ring Ka King: Wrestling Ka Mahayuddh”, which translates to “King Of The Ring:Wrestling’s Megabattle” in Hindi. The show name in all likelihood was chosen by Endemol and Colors and not TNA.

– This was the first set of tapings for the show and was shot over four days. The next set of tapings will be in January.

– The show was held at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune, which is a city near Mumbai.

– The arena probably had about 1,500 people in, and they might have turned off about a 1,000 more. And that was with zero promotion or advertising.

– In terms of the size of the arena, it was similar to the Impact Zone, but the floor area was filled to capacity till they hardly had any space to move around.

– While in conversation with a lady who had come to watch the show, I found out that like most TV shows in India with an on-screen audience, there were a lot of people who were sent by the organizers to watch the show and fill the seats. I’m convinced that with the turnout that they got even without any promoting or advertising in the city, they wouln’t have needed to do that had they done some promoting in the city they were taping it in at least.

– Joe Baath is one of the two announcers of the show. Joe Baath has been the presenter for a bunch of TNA Wrestling recap shows in India for the past 5 years. The announcing will be in Hindi.

– A lot of the Indian wrestlers were also used on the previous wrestling show on Colors, “100% De Dhana Dhan”, which involved the South African wrestling promotion WWP.

– The show will air every Saturday and Sunday night on Colors in India, which is available in the US and UK as “Aapka Colors”. Colors is one of the top three networks in India in terms of ratings.

– It may be possible that Bigg Boss, the Indian version of Big Brother involving Indian celebrities, will be the lead-in to Ring Ka King.

– The celebrity involvement in the show is by Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. Cricket is the most popular sport in India and Harbhajan Singh is among one of the well-known faces of the national team.

– The production values of the show were excellent and may match or even exceed the quality of production in the Impact Zone. There was a truckload of lighting on the ceiling of the arena and was definitely much better lit than the Impact Zone. Though the Impact Zone may win in the pyrotechnics department.

– I managed to catch a glimpse of what the arena might look like on TV by the direct feed on one of the TVs in the “Creative TNA” room. It looks spectacular and will look good on TV too.

– I was not allowed to take photos, but I managed to sneak out my camera and take a few snaps from the horrible view that I got behind the announcer’s table.

– Overall this was a great experience, it being my first time at a wrestling event. All the wrestlers and celebrities involved got a great reaction from the crowds, unlike the usually dead Impact Zone. I’m sure TNA would be pleased with the way the tapings turned out. I was lucky to find a few wrestlers on the hallway outside and I quickly searched through my bag for a piece of paper, though all I could find was a bank receipt. Oh well. I managed to get a couple of autographs – one from Matt Morgan, who was nice enough to give me an autograph after frantically trying to get to the bathroom before asking one of the crew members “Can you tell me where is the shower?” The other was from Luke Gallows, though he did not seem very pleased by my asking him for an autograph. I was dumbfounded and speechless when I saw these guys in front of me, because I’ve only ever watched these guys on TV. Also it made me realise how big these guys are. Matt Morgan was f***ing huge!

TNA has officially launched their new Indian promotion, called Ring Ka King (which means King of the Ring). The first set of tapings are taking place this week.

Ring Ka King will debut on India’s The Colors Network on January 14th and will air 26 episodes over 13 weeks.

The promotion will feature 20 American wrestlers and 10 Indian wrestlers, trained by Savio Vega, Sonjay Dutt, and Nick Dinsmore (“Eugene”).

According to TNA sources and several wrestlers who are on the tour, the production values and the set are said to be amazing. TNA India is drawing huge crowds, which are red hot and very into the product.

Matt Morgan was crowned the first ever Ring Ka King heavyweight champion after defeating Scott Steiner in the finals of an 8-man tournament. Steiner is a top heel in the new promotion.

According to a source, Scott Steiner caused a near-riot with fans during a six-man match that was taped this week. The match saw Smith, Guerrero and Morgan take on Steiner, Magnus and Sonjay Dutt.

Chavo Guerrero and David Hart Smith were also crowned the first-ever Tag Team Champions of the promotion.

Jeremy Borash tweeted the following regarding the new India project

“Great 2nd day of TV in India just wrapped. Tonight’s crowd was insane, most seeing wrestling for the first time. Enthusiasm off the charts. The most heel heat I’ve seen in 15 years tonight in India. This will be amazing TV. Congrats to the team. Forgot how fun this can be.”

@HulkHogan tweeted a picture of himself and his son Nick with Charlie Sheen Tuesday morning with the caption, “The 3 musketeers gone bad.”

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TNA star Samoa Joe was interviewed this week on AllWrestling.com’s Week In Review podcast. You can listen to the full interview here. Here are some highlights of what Joe said about:

Not being in the world title picture: “It’s always rough not to be in the world title picture but at the same time right now we are finding new talent and establishing new characters. TNA gives me opportunity to work with tremendous young talent. Playing a part in developing young talent is rewarding.”

Bruce Prichard As The Head of TNA Creative “TNA put me in the main event picture pretty early and these guys have been around just as long if not longer in Storm’s case. I’m very thankful to see those guys where they are right now from a personal standpoint.”

Whether He Would Jump Ship To WWE: “I’m still with TNA; we have a fantastic financial agreement. The relationship between me and TNA has always been great. I’m the type of person that really lives in the moment. I don’t put too much into trying to build scenarios that are bad. As long as I get an opportunity to wrestle and wrestle great people then I have the greatest job in the world.”

Stone Cold Saying WWE Should Sign Him: “That was one of the greatest compliments ever given to me in my career by far by one of the greatest athletes in the industry. Just hope that TNA sees that and we can take it from there. I’m big on loyalty. Some people are of the thought process that if you don’t like something, you quit. You go somewhere else. That’s just not me. I think it’s silly. I think it’s shallow and tawdry. I don’t think I’m done with what I want to do in TNA.”

Matt and Jeff Hardy: “I’m ecstatic for Jeff. I’ve never seen him more healthy and look so much more alive. God bless Matt. Matt is battling those same demons now. I hope and pray that he makes it through. At the end of the day, wrestlers are human beings. These are real people. No matter how much you hate their antics, no matter how much they disgust you, as a person, as a responsible human being I would never wish death on these people.”

On TV wrestling: “TV wrestling is very flash, bang, get it going. I’ve been told by many people in creative that those wrestling fans love the wrestling but it’s the other fans that don’t understand what a wrist lock is etc. I have had my disagreements on this. I think that the art of professional wrestling speaks for itself. I think if you are good enough professional wrestler you can tell your own story regardless of what extraneous feuds you have going. Fundamentally we may differ on that.”

His shoot on Scott Hall At Turning Point 2007: “There was an incident where Scott Hall no-showed. They handed me the mic and said “get him”. That’s what I was told. I went out there and got him. I ruffled a lot of fathers that day, in particular Kevin Nash. Kevin knew about the demons Scott was facing. None of us knew the extent of Hall’s issues.”

Against All Odds 2012 Poster (Click to Enlarge)

– TNA President Dixie Carter tweeted a picture of the PPV poster for Against All Odds, which takes place on Sunday, February 12th. The poster features a casino theme of TNA wrestlers and knockouts on playing cards.

– The TNA website has added new holiday pictures of the Knockouts, which can be viewed at ImpactWrestling.com.

– The TNA tournament that is taking place on the Xplosion show is down to the final four. The semi-final matches are Daniels vs. Devon and Samoa Joe vs. Kazarian. The winner of the tournament will receive a title match on TNA’s upcoming tour of the UK next month.

* Impact Wrestling *SPOILERS* For Thursday

When Gail Kim left WWE she criticized the organization for their lack of faith in women’s wrestling. Sports Vibe asks Winter if she shares the same sentiment.

“I wouldn’t say that the standard of female wrestling in WWE isn’t as good as in TNA, but I would agree that there is less opportunity for the girls in the WWE to showcase what they can do. Every now and again WWE would have a great story line with a woman or a great pay-per-view match and then other times you watch Raw and if you blink you miss the girls wrestling,” she says.

“In TNA there is a lot more opportunity for the girls to showcase what they can do and there are a lot more story lines for the Knockouts division—a lot of the time on Impact there are two girls matches.”

Winter also compared the two bosses she’s worked for, Vince McMahon and Dixie Carter.

“I really haven’t had much contact with Vince McMahon apart from a couple of meetings about story lines and character ideas, I wouldn’t really say I got to know him has a person,” she says. “Dixie is very approachable, she is always around and is super friendly, she has a lot more a a personal relationship with all of the wrestlers.

Since joining TNA last year, Winter has held the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship as well as the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship. She is asked if she should have been given the opportunity to win gold in WWE.

“I think it was possible for me to have the opportunity but I didn’t for whatever reason. I could blame them and say they didn’t give me the opportunity or I can maybe it’s something I didn’t do, its just something I’ll never know. I did have a title shot once in the WWE against Mickie James and that was amazing, I would have liked to have got more opportunities,” she says.

Heading into 2012, Winter reveals her New Year’s resolutions.

She says, “Just to kick it up another notch, I would like to be involved in more really strong story lines, have some really good PPV matches and hopefully get my titles back!”

Winter also discusses TNA’s partnership with Ohio Valley Wrestling, the wrestlers who inspired her when she was growing up, her WWE debut and more. The full interview is available here.

— Sunday at Final Resolution, Jeff Jarrett was defeated by Jeff Hardy in a Steel Cage Match. As per stipulation of the match, either Jeff or Karen Jarrett would be fired at Sting’s discretion on Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling. Sting, however, decided to fire both Jarretts.

Many assumed that only Jeff would be fired via storyline since he’s overseeing TNA’s satellite promotion based in India, which is conducting television tapings this week and next month. Karen was written off television as well since she is scheduled to undergo surgery on her foot, which will keep her sidelined for an unspecified amount of time.

— TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter was recently profiled in The Tennessean. She spoke with reporter Bobby Allyn about the marketing and business of professional wrestling and the TV market to which it appeals. The interview is available here.

— Mickie James is a late addition to TNA Wrestling’s satellite promotion based in India, which is conducting television tapings this week and next month.

— Devon hit an important milestone Tuesday. He tweeted, “Today makes 20 years I’ve been in this business. Hope to do 20 more. thank you to the fans. For being there. With you it could not have been.”

— Eric Young, Robbie E and Winter are scheduled to compete at tonight’s Family Wrestling Entertainment event at 3 Legged Dog Studios (located on 80 Greenwich Street, New York, New York). Visit www.fwewrestling.com for more information.

source: F4WOnline.com

— Kim Neilson, who appeared for TNA Wrestling from 2002 to 2004 as Desire, is a contestant on the next season of the NBC reality television series The Biggest Loser.

The show features obese people competing to win a cash prize by losing the highest percentage of weight relative to their initial weight. Neilson, a former fitness model who was briefly under developmental contract to WWE in 2002, is vying to shed the tremendous amount of weight she has gained since leaving the professional wrestling industry.

— Shannon Moore addressed the departure of tag team partner Jesse Neal from TNA Wrestling as well as his own future.

He tweeted, “U want my opinion on the rumor my partner is gone. I like Jesse as a friend. This Business is something I made my life about for 19 years. I m not scared to fly solo I wish him the best if it’s true but alot of hope for the new year for me in my eyes. I have the X Championship and the TV Championship in my sights. Alot of hope in my mind!!!!”

Moore added that his knee is “banged up” following this week’s Impact Wrestling tapings.

— Former WWE performer Melina Perez denied rumors she has joined TNA Wrestling.

She tweeted Wednesday, “Everyone is so funny. I am not in TNA. If I go anywhere I would tell you all first!”

Her message is in response to a masked female combatant appearing at Tuesday’s Impact Wrestling taping in Orlando, Florida.

— Mr. Anderson is advertised face former WWE star MVP at Champions Showcase 2012, which takes place February 4, 2012 in Manila, Philippines at Smart Araneta Coliseum. More details are available here.

Other advertised talent include Carlito, Chris Masters, Shelton Benjamin, Snitsky, Luke Gallows, Shane Helms, Rhino, Daivari, Jimmy Yang, Billy Gunn, April Hunter and Jillian Hall.

— Jesse Neal’s first post-TNA appearance takes place this Saturday in Orlando, Florida for I Believe in Wrestling. He is scheduled to face J.D. Amazing.