SESCOOPS.COM reader Kevin Gill sent along the following:

The first annual Rocks Off Pro Wrestling Film Festival is proud to announce two additional films that will screen as part of our celebration of pro wrestling this November at the Kraine Theater in New York City:
Special NYC Screening!

SADERMANIA (2013, Director Adam Gacka)

SATURDAY November 23rd – 11 AM, Doors 10:30 AM

Even if you have a passing casual reflection on the world of professional wrestling, you know who the red & yellow emblazoned Hulk Hogan is. Icon of the 1980s national wrestling explosion, Hogan remains one of the most well known celebrities of his era, parlaying that into reality TV, feature films and much more. But, despite the hype, the prayers, the training, the vitamins and the larger than life persona he’s cultivated, Hulk Hogan is just another mortal man – but one that has inspired countless others with his exploits.

There is perhaps no one in the world more moved than Chris Sader, the world’s number one Hulkamaniac. SADERMANIA tells the story of their inspirational tale, as Sader and Hogan relate how they met and developed a bond through mutual struggles and personal loss that each would have faced alone if not for the unlikely friendship that develops between them.

What happens when fan befriends his hero? That’s the power of SADERMANIA.

To order tickets to the SADERMANIA screening, click here

Time to Get Extreme!

BARBED WIRE CITY (2013, Directors John Philapavage & Kevin Kiernan)

SATURDAY November 23rd – 4 PM Doors 3:30 PM

“The Most Accurate Telling of the ECW Story” – Joey Styles, the voice of Extreme Championship Wrestling

Utilizing a recipe of over the top theatrics, balls to the wall violence and vibrant characterizations so deep they cut to the bone and an audience so passionate they became part of the show, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) exemplified the excess of its era, becoming the punk rock pro wrestling product.

So what happens when a wrestling promotion so steeped in originality sees its concepts poached by larger, international companies with a far wider audience and far deeper pockets? Co-Directors John Philapavage and Kevin Kiernan’s critically acclaimed documentary digs deep into the psyche and history of the ECW culture to examine what made it tick, why so many lived and died by the initials and what happened to these hard-living, hard-performing eclectic personalities when ECW ceased to exist.

Often compared to Nirvana’s influence on music, ECW changed the professional wrestling landscape as well as the lives of its performers and fans forever. BARBED WIRE CITY took a decade to film and complete in order to provide a final epitaph on the gravestone of the only pro wrestling promotion in history that saw it’s audience rescue it from the brink of oblivion…and then resurrect it.

Following Barbed Wire City’s screening, Co-Directors John Philapavage & Kevin Kiernan, Strictly ECW Fan campaign leader Tony Lewis and a number of performers from the original ECW will be on hand for a special Q&A discussion on the film and legacy of ECW.

To order tickets to the BARBED WIRE CITY screening, click here.

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED EVENTS:

Thursday November 21st – To order tickets for OPENING NIGHT MANIA featuring Colt Cabana & Friends, click here.

Friday November 22nd – To order tickets to the World Premiere screening of Adam Pearce’s documentary SEVEN LEVELS OF HATE, click here.

Saturday November 23rd – To order tickets to Cody Knott’s NYC debut screening of PRO WRESTLERS VS. ZOMBIES, click here.

If you are a director or producer looking to solicit your film for inclusion in the Rocks Off Pro Wrestling Film Festival, email RocksOffProWrestling@gmail.com.

The first annual Rocks Off Film Festival will take place the weekend of 11/21-11/23 in New York City at the Kraine Theater. The event will feature a number of special events and screenings including live appearances by Directors and wrestling stars for post-screening Q&As, a special comedy event as $5 Wrestling Presents Colt Cabana & Friends Watch Bad Movies and more – all to celebrate, spotlight and exploit the unique sporting genre known as professional wrestling. All events will be hosted by Kevin Gill, the voice of Juggalo Championship Wrestling. For more on all the events scheduled and complete ticketing information, visit www.rocksoff.com/filmfest.

MASSIVE *SPOILERS* For The Upcoming WWE Battleground PPV — CLICK HERE!

-For those who keep track of this kind of stuff, Wednesday marked the 20th anniversary of the day Paul Heyman booked his very first ECW event. The event was Ultraclash 1993.

-Former WWE Superstar “Psycho” Sid Vicious (aka Sid Justice) has been added to the lineup of talent scheduled to appear at WrestleCon in New Orleans during WrestleMania XXX weekend. For more information, visit WrestleCon.com.

-Former WWE and ECW wrestler Shawn “Gavin” Spears has been signed to a developmental deal with the company and returned to the WWE developmental system last week.

New WWE Battleground PPV Matches Announced — Click Here!

[Partial Credit: PWInsider.com]

It is an interesting “day in history” for pro wrestling today, September 9th. WWE Hall Of Famer “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair had his official WWE (WWF at the time) debut match on this day in 1991. Flair defeated Jim Powers at a television taping in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Also on this day, in 2000, former WWE Superstar Rhino defeated Kid Kash for the ECW Television Title. That is interesting to note because Rhino would end up being the final ECW TV Champion in history, as he would hold onto the belt until the company folded in April of 2001.

On this day in 2008, current TNA Impact Wrestling star Kurt Angle was found not guilty of driving under the influence and careless driving in a Allegheny County, Pennsylvania courtroom. Angle was arrested for one of his earlier DUI’s after a witness filed a complaint. Angle’s lawyer would later challenge the use of the witness, since police could not corroborate her claims.

Huge *SPOILER* On How TNA Plans To Bring Kurt Angle Back To TV! [READ HERE >>]

ECW original Ian Rotten, real name John Williams, recently announced that he is currently battling gastric stomach cancer in a new post on his official Facebook page:

Ian Rotten wrote:

Some of you may have seen that guys are saying that they are now open next weekend, and I have waited this long in an attempt to get ahold of everyone that was booked on the show so the boys would find out from me rather than social media. Many of you may have noticed the lack of updates the past couple weeks. I have been battling pancreatitis and my uncontrolled diabetes. I was hospitalized on Friday, August 30th, and through the processes of treating pancreatitis and running other tests on me, I was diagnosed today with gastric stomach cancer. I will be undergoing chemotherapy on Wednesday, twice a week for the next six weeks in an effort to get rid of this which is being diagnosed and told to me as in a very early stage. I’m not asking for anybodies sympathy, I’m not asking for anybodies money. If you have bought tickets to either the September or October show, your money will be returned to you within the next two weeks. I do ask if you believe in our Lord almighty that you say a prayer for me…and if you don’t, any good vibes will definitely be appreciated too. I realize in this day and age to some people this may even be good news. To those people I hope that this terrible disease never strikes your family. To the people I was unable to get a hold of, and you’re finding out this way, I apologize, but our fans deserve to know and with guys saying they were open next weekend and stuff it was time to give them an answer. Know that I am not writing a bucket list, and that I am planning for the future. To the boys that I spoke to today, thank you so much for your overwhelming support. I cannot tell you how much your words of encouragement and love have meant to me getting through this beyond harsh day. My hopes are in 7 weeks I am given a clean bill of health and to begin preparing a great show for the first weekend in December. Thanks to all for understanding, and I hope you have a blessed day.

Check out Rotten’s official page online at Facebook.com.

WWE NEWS

-WWE legend The Ultimate Warrior appeared at the PAX Convention in Seattle, Washington this past weekend. When asked about the possibility of being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in the near future, Warrior replied by simply saying, “Probably not, but we will see.”

-The official WWE website recently added an article that features a look at a list of the top 15 World Heavyweight Champions in company history. Coming in at number one, of course, was Triple H. Rounding out the top five were Batista, Edge, The Undertaker and Booker T. Check out the complete list online at WWE.com.

-Former WWE Superstar and ECW original Tommy Dreamer revealed in a new tweet on Monday evening that he will be tagging with hardcore icon and WWE Hall Of Famer Terry Funk, for “the last time ever”, at the House Of Hardcore event on November 9th. Dreamer and Funk will team up to take on the duo of Lance Storm and Sean “X-Pac” Waltman. For more information, visit HouseOfHardcore.net.

CONFIRMED: Ultimate Warrior To Be Inducted Into 2014 WWE Hall Of Fame [READ >>]

SESCOOPS.COM reader Phil Johnson sent along the following:

Former ECW personality Lou D’Angeli (aka Sign Guy Dudley and Lou E. Dangerously) recently took some time to take part in a Q&A exclusively with PWMania.com. D’Angeli spoke on a number of topics from if he is a Paul Heyman guy to his thoughts on John Cena, the Attitude Era, ECW, WWE, TNA and more. Here are some highlights:

Are you a Paul Heyman guy? 100%…I am also a Tommy Dreamer guy….a Raven guy….and a Taz guy….with the 4 of them I would have never caught break in the wrestling business.

What are your thoughts about John Cena? John is a great guy. Having worked with him in WWE I know first-hand what he does for that company and the dedication and drive he has to get it done. His contributions to Make-A-Wish are second to none. I can honestly say Cena is the perfect role-model in the business right now.

When you think back, how much of WWE’s Attitude Era is owed to what you guys were already doing in ECW? A lot of it…and due to the popularity of shoot interviews, etc…it’s a fact and not a theory you know? People saw what we were doing and brought it to national TV before we could. The “Attitude Era” for WWE was insanely popular obviously…and given they still continue to bring some of the main-event guys from that time back into the fold now…they must feel the same way.

You can read the interview in its entirety at PWMania.com.

24WRESTLING.COM

-According to recent reports, the reason WWE Superstar The Big Show has not made his return to WWE yet is because he has been finishing up the final stages of rehab, following the recent hip procedure he underwent.

As noted in the AP report that surfaced yesterday, Big Show has been rehabbing at the new WWE Performance Center.

-The ECW documentary, “Barbed Wire City” will be on sale this week on Video Downloads, lowering the price to just $9.99. For more information on the documentary, visit BarbedWireCity,.com.

Big Show’s WWE Return Date, HUGE SummerSlam *SPOILERS* + MORE!

[Credit: PWInsider.com]

-WWE will be releasing “ECW Unreleased Volume 2” worldwide (and in the official SESCOOPS.COM Store) this Tuesday. The DVD and Blu-ray set will be hosted by ECW originals Joey Styles and Tommy Dreamer. Below is a full rundown of what fans can expect from the release:

Disc 1:

We Are Back!

Tommy Dreamer vs. Tazmaniac
Hardcore TV * October 19, 1993

Terry Funk & Arn Anderson vs. Sabu & Bobby Eaton
When Worlds Collide * May 14, 1994

Hardcore Legends

Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk
Hardcore Heaven * August 13, 1994

“I Quit” Match
Tommy Dreamer vs. The Sandman
Hardcore TV * October 4, 1994

Wrestling Machines

Eddie Guerrero & The Steiner Brothers vs. 2 Cold Scorpio, Dean Malenko & Cactus Jack
Wrestlepalooza * August 5, 1995

Raven vs. Tommy Dreamer
Holiday Hell * December 29, 1995

The Public Enemy vs. The Gangstas
House Party * January 5, 1996

Disc 2:

A Good Idea At The Time

Extreme Hardcore Shoot Fight
Chris Jericho vs. Taz
Lost Battalion Hall * April 13, 1996

ECW World Television Championship Match
2 Cold Scropio vs. Shane Douglas
A Matter of Respect * May 11, 1996

The Flagstaff

Sabu vs. Chris Jericho
Plymouth Meeting, PA * August 29, 1996

Dick Togo, Terry Boy & Taka Michinoku vs. Gran Hamada, Gran Naniwa & Great Sasuke
Hardcore TV * March 27, 1997

Tag Team Wrestling Done Right

Three Way Dance for ECW World Tag Team Championship Match
The Eliminators vs. The Gangstas vs. The Dudleys
The Buffalo Invasion * May 17, 1997

Disc 3:

Real Heat

The Sandman, Taz, Tommy Dreamer & Al Snow vs. Sabu, Rob Van Dam, Doug Furnas & Philip LaFon
Hardcore TV * January 5, 1998

ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Shane Douglas vs. Al Snow
Wrestlepalooza * May 3, 1998

ECW World Tag Team Championship Match
Chris Candido & Lance Storm vs. Sabu & Rob Van Dam
Hardcore TV * June 29, 1998

A Real Clash of Styles

Three Way Dance for the FTW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sabu vs. Taz vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
ECW Arena * August 8, 1998

ECW World Tag Team Championship Match
The Dudleys vs. Spike Dudley & Balls Mahoney
Hardcore TV * August 23, 1999

Stepping Up

ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Mike Awesome vs. Rhino
ECW on TNN * October 1, 1999

Extreme Three Way Dance
Yoshihiro Tajiri vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Super Crazy
November to Remember * November 7, 1999

The Ultimate Underdog

ECW World Television Championship Match
Rob Van Dam vs. Mikey Whipwreck
ECW on TNN * January 28, 2000

Three Way Dance for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Justin Credible vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Steve Corino
ECW on TNN * September 29, 2000

End of an Era

Blu-ray Exclusives:

911 vs. Doink the Clown
Hardcore TV * August 27, 1994

Steel Cage Match
The Sandman, 2 Cold Scorpio & New Jack vs. The Public Enemy & Mikey Whipwreck
Gangsta’s Paradise * September 16, 1995

Four Way Dance for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship
Terry Funk vs. Raven vs. Stevie Richards vs. The Sandman
The Buffalo Invasion * May 17, 1997

The Dudleys vs. The Public Enemy
Detroit, Michigan * January 23, 1999

Tommy Dreamer vs. Lance Storm
Hardcore Heaven * May 16, 1999

Japanese Death Match
Super Crazy vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri
Hardcore TV * February 11, 2000

DVD Runtime: 7 hours and 14 minutes
Blu-ray Runtime: 8 hours and 52 minutes

-The annual Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Fanfest returns this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Fanfest will begin this Thursday, and will run through Sunday evening.

Among those scheduled to appear as featured guests throughout the four days the Fanfest is in town are: Ole Anderson, Lars Anderson, Barry Windham, Kendall Windham, Les Thatcher, The Rock N’ Roll Express, Jim Cornette, The Midnight Express, Johnny Powers, Danny Miller, Leilani Kai, Susan Green, “Dr.” Tom Prichard, Rich Landrum, Bob Caudle, Mr. Wrestling II, Tully Blanchard, Ivan Koloff, Tiger Conway Jr., Denny Brown, Gerald Brisco, Ken Patera, Manny Fernandez, Baron Von Raschke, The Kernodles, The Mulkeys, Jerry Jarrett, Tommy Angel, Tommy Young, Moondog Rex and Scrappy McGowan.

All of the events scheduled for the Fanfest this weekend will be available for the first time ever on iPPV. For more information, visit MidAtlanticLegends.com.

Details On Major Last-Minute Change In Plans For WWE SummerSlam!

This week on the Breakdown, Steve runs down the history and legacy of the one and only Paul Heyman. (more…)

Above is the latest episode of the JBL & Cole Show, featuring footage from AXXESS, cameos from John Cena and Shawn Michaels as well as a rap song from Team Hell No.

– Rey Mysterio will be wrestling CM Punk at WWE live events after Elimination Chamber in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania 29. Mysterio had been booked for an upcoming promotional tour of Qatar and Turkey, but has been replaced by Mark Henry.

– JBL and Michael Cole will be taping a new episode of their “JBL & Cole” show this Sunday outside of the New Orleans Arena, site of Elimination Chamber. The show starts at 3:30pm and will feature Alicia Fox and Ricardo Rodriguez as guests. Once again, they’ll be giving away 2 free tickets to the fans with the best sign.

– Tyson Kidd tweeted the following injury update on Tuesday:

“For those asking recovery is going great physically. Mentally tough. Everyday either gym or physical therapy. On the path to 2 legs again”

– WWE recently applied for a new ECW trademark.

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

Filmmakers John Philapavage and Kevin Kiernan have announced that their upcoming ECW documentary will be titled, Barbed Wire City.

“It feels good to get this out there to those that have funded the finishing of the film, but also those that have been following along via the news sites and social media outlets,” Philapavage commented. “You’ve got a title and a date, and now I can get back to putting the final pieces together.”

The film will be released on DVD and will screened in Philadelphia on April 20th at a location not yet announced.

“Right now we just want to get the business decisions done so we can focus on the last few weeks of post-production, said Kiernan. No more talk about when. It’s happening. Now I’ll be over here editing background noises out if anyone needs me,” he joked.

Here’s the artwork for the documentary:

* Rumored WM29 Opponents for CHRIS JERICHO, RYBACK & CM PUNK

WWE has announced its WWE Home Entertainment 2013 DVD/Blu-ray release schedule, which confirms several rumored titles. In addition to pay-per-view events, the sports-entertainment organization will be releasing compilation videos on WCW Monday Nitro, Bret Hart, Mick Foley, In Your House, Goldberg, ECW, War Games, WWE Divas, Triple H, Money in the Bank and Raw, among others. A History of WWE title is also scheduled.

WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2012 – 01/15/13
Best of Raw & SmackDown 2012 – 01/29/13
The Best of Nitro Volume 2 – 02/12/13
Royal Rumble 2012 – 02/26/13
Bret Hart Unreleased Matches – 03/05/13
Elimination Chamber 2012 – 03/19/13
Mick Foley Biography – 04/16/13
The Best of In Your House – 04/30/13
WrestleMania 29 – 05/14/13
Top 25 Rivalries – 05/28/13
Extreme Rules 2013 – 06/18/13
Goldberg – 06/25/13
TBD PPV – 07/16/13
ECW Unreleased Vol. 2 – 07/30/13
Money In The Bank 2013 – 08/13/13
Best of MSG – 08/27/13
Best of War Games – 09/10/13
SummerSlam 2013 – 09/17/13
Top 20 Divas Countdown – 09/24/13
Triple H Biography – 10/08/13
Night of Champions 2013 – 10/15/13
Money In The Bank Anthology – 10/29/13
Over the Limit 2013 – 11/05/13
History of WWE – 11/19/13
Hell in a Cell 2013 – 11/26/13
Raw 20th Anniversary Box Set – 12/03/13
Survivor Series 2013 – 12/24/13
Best WWE PPV’s – 12/31/13

– Conspicuous by her absence Monday on Raw was Beth Phoenix, who WWE advertised as a participant in the Divas Championship No. 1 Contender Battle Royal. According to PWInsider.com, she, nor Kelly Kelly, who was also advertised for the match, were not at the show emanating from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. “The Glamazon” will be missing more events as WWE.com is no longer advertising her for next week’s four-event Raw brand tour of Australia. She had been listed as appearing as recently as late last week.

– There have been numerous WWE Superstars, Divas, Legends and Hall of Famers who made oft-forgotten and brief appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling or it’s predecessor Eastern Championship Wrestling that fans may not have known. WWE.com has published a list naming seventeen of those individuals, which includes Jimmy Snuka, Konnan, Doink the Clown, Marty Jannetty, Scott Hall, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, Don Muraco, Nikolai Volkoff, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner, King Kong Bundy, Stan “The Lariat” Hansen, Road Warrior Hawk and Lita.

– Walking Tall, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, airs on Spike TV on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 9:00 p.m.

As previously reported, a company called Mocker LLC has attempted to trademark the letters “ECW” to be used for a new pro wrestling promotion after WWE let their trademark expire.

After a recent rant by Paul Heyman stating that nobody could ever recreate the magic of ECW no matter what they call themselves, the United States Patent & Trademark Office has rejected Mocker’s request, due to potential conflicts with WWE’s ECW-related trademarks. WWE still has trademarks on the phrases ECW One Night Stand, ECW Extremists and ECW Vixens.

TNA Wrestling was cited as an example of another company existing in the same industry using their own unique trademark that does not infringe on existing trademarks by a competitor.

(Source: PWInsider.com)

– A company in New York recently trademarked “ECW” for wrestling use as WWE let their trademark expire on it. Former ECW head Paul Heyman was asked about the news.

Yes. Dumbshits who think they can recapture the magic. Some people never learn! RT: @TheFear1980 any idea who bought rights to ecw now tha..

— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) July 18, 2012

Heyman then posted the following rant:

Letters don't mean anything. WWE's #ECW wasn't ECW. Any1 can buy letters. Big deal. ECW was based on ORIGINAL IDEAS!

— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) July 18, 2012

It's called "having an imagination." Obviously, trying to be a duplicate ripoff of the past is not "new" or "original" nor "game changing."

— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) July 18, 2012

#ECW was a product of its time. When I wrote @WWE #Smackdown in 2002/03, I didn't try to duplicate ECW.

— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) July 18, 2012

If someone wants to take a try at re-doing #ECW, knock yourself out. Go for it. Maybe ur investment is smarter doing something NEW!!!

— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) July 18, 2012

– WWE will be releasing a new DVD set on the “Biggest Matches in ECW History.” Amazon.com has the release date listed as June 5th – and the project will feature a countdown of the Top 25 Matches in ECW history.

– WWE’s upcoming DVD set on CM Punk is still in production and content is still being filmed for it.

– John Cena and Zack Ryder are booked to challenge Primo & Epico for the WWE Tag Team Titles on May 11th at WWE’s live event from Glens Falls, New York.

Also on that show, Dolph Ziggler will challenge CM Punk for the WWE championship in a Best of 3 Falls match.

— A commercial promoting WWE’s Over the Limit pay-per-view event on May 20, 2012 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina is advertising a Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton and Sheamus.

— CM Punk is scheduled to appear on CNN Headline News’ Showbiz Tonight at 11:00 p.m. He will be interviewed about his war of words on Twitter with recording artist Chris Brown.

— Joey Styles wrote the following on Twitter regarding a video release highlighting ECW: “Coming this summer, a home video release unlike any other you have seen before. Please RT and spread the word of Extreme #ECWDVD.”

— Four-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion Shane Douglas announced Saturday via video message that “extreme wrestling” is coming back to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “The Franchise” is rounding up the band of hardcore misfits for Extreme Reunion, which takes place Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory (2700 Southampton Blvd & Roosevelt Blvd) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19154.

An official website has been launched for the event at www.extremereunion.net. PWInsider.com reports that the show is not planned as a one-off event but as part of a larger project.

— Paul Heyman went on Twitter to praise Jim Ross. He wrote, “Greatest announcer ever. And 1 TOUGH mentor. I learned about wrestling and LIFE from JR.”

In a trivia note, Ross indicated Saturday that he almost joined ECW following his dismissal from WWE in 1994. He tweeted Heyman, “but Happy…you never hired Ol JR..could’ve been a contend-a. Do you remember when we discussed me being a ‘surprise?”

Heyman also said he’s high on Chris Jericho. He wrote, “HUGE fan of Chris Jericho, professionally and personally!”

– We’ve got an update on the former ECW stars that will be appearing at TNA’s upcoming “Hardcore Justice” pay-per-view, which will be a [another[ special “farewell ECW” show.

At this time, the wrestlers confirmed to appear are Jerry Lynn (who announced on his website that he’ll be fighting TNA Champion Rob Van Dam in the main event), 2 Cold Scorpio, Sandman, Sabu, Johnny Swinger and Bill Alphonso.

It’s confirmed that Lance Storm, Tajiri, Super Crazy and Amish Roadkill will not be appearing.

Former ECW stars who are currently working in TNA scheduled to appear include Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, Team 3D, Mick Foley, Raven, Rhino, Stevie Richards, Al Snow, and Simon Diamond.

Stars from the original ECW that are still active in wrestling include Shane Douglas, Terry Funk, Justin Credible, Axl Rotten, Balls Mahoney, The Blue Meanie, CW Anderson, Danny Doring, Kid Kash, Guido, Spike Dudley and Steve Corino.

– TNA President Dixie Carter wrote the following on Twitter over the weekend regarding the PPV:

“HardCORE Justice pay-per-view card looks amazing. Not sure who Tommy is going to announce. Stay tuned.”

– Tonight marks the end of an era, as World Wrestling Entertainment presents the final episode of ECW on SyFy. The show will be taped from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. Confirmed for the final show are

– Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson in an Extreme Rules Match for the ECW Title

– Big Show & The Miz vs. Goldust & Yoshi Tatsu for the WWE Unified Tag Team Titles.

– Sources in WWE indicate that after ECW ends tonight, Christian will end up on SmackDown, William Regal & Ezekiel Jackson will go to RAW as will Zack Ryder & Rosa Mendez while the team of Caylen Croft & Trent Baretta will also end up on SmackDown. It’s still anyone’s guess what the future will hold for people like Shelton Benjamin, Goldust, Yoshi Tatsu, Vance Archer, Tiffany and Savananah, but they are all expected to stay on TV. (Source: f4wonline.com)

Credit to the Wrestling Observer for some of the information used in this report:

— Regarding the future of ECW talent stemming from WWE’s decision to pull the entire roster from Tuesday nights in support of the new NXT series, the feeling is that most of the wrestlers will find its way onto other brands rather than be released. As the storyline goes, ECW talent will become “free agents” once NXT debuts and can choose to join either Raw or SmackDown.

While roster changes have not yet been finalized, the plan at last word was to keep key partnerships such as Zack Ryder & Rosa Mendes and William Regal & Ezekiel Jackson together when sending them to Raw or SmackDown.

At least in the short-term, most of the ECW talent will be used on WWE Superstars rather than Raw or Smackdown.

— WWE The Music: A New Day sold 5,988 units in its first week of release, reaching No. 94 on Billboard. However, it should be noted that WWE’s latest compilation album was primarily pushed for downloading on Amazon.com rather than CD purchase.

— Last week’s episode of WWE Superstars drew a 0.97 cable rating with 1.05 million viewers, setting the show’s all-time audience record.

— ECW champion Christian made a surprise appearance during tonight’s Raw broadcast to announce that the entire ECW roster will become “free agents” after ECW goes off the air next week.

As the storyline goes, each wrestler on the roster can choose to join either Raw or SmackDown with the new NXT show filling ECW‘s timeslot on Syfy.

— While promoting WrestleMania during an appearance on an Arizona radio station, Maria Kanellis discussed her involvement with Celebrity Apprentice and said she got along with all of the celebrities with the exception of Cyndi Lauper. Maria had this to say regarding the recording artist: “It was more like, girls just wanna be mean, than girls just wanna have fun… I still like [Cyndi], I just don’t want to work with her again… EVER!”

— Speaking of Maria, she will be appearing at the World of Wheels Auto Show this Friday, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The show is located at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

For those wondering, the future of the ECW Championship has not yet been decided on. Though ECW will cease to exist next week, the belt may linger on in some fashion.

Internally, some are lobbying to keep the belt, but ultimately, Vince McMahon will decide its fate and he hasn’t made a decision yet.

Those pushing to keep it feel it can still be used as an attraction for undercards of secondary pay-per-view events.

(credit to PWInsider.com for the information used in this report)

It’s official – the ECW brand is shutting down for good in 3 weeks. The final ECW broadcast will air on Tuesday, 2/23.

Vince McMahon appeared on this week’s ECW on SyFy broadcast to make the announcement, thanking the superstars and crew who made ECW the success it once was.

McMahon promised a “new, innovative, never before seen program broadcast” that will debut on 3/2 and take over the old ECW timeslot.

There are reports that the new brand will be dubbed WWE Next Generation (“NXT”) and will feature almost exclusively young talent from WWE’s developmental system.

More on the end of ECW and the start of WWE NXT later this week.