— Tonight on Impact Wrestling, Sting battles Kurt Angle for the World Heavyweight Championship with Hulk Hogan serving as special enforcer.
Matches slated to air include:
* AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels
* Mickie James vs. Winter for the Women’s Knockout Championship
* Gunner vs. Rob Van Dam in a Bound For Glory Series Match
* Austin Aries vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Jesse Sorensen
— Asistencia Asesoría y Administración officials have confirmed that Sting will be appearing on their Heroes Immortales show on Oct. 9 in Monterrey, Mexico. He will be participating in the promotion’s TNA invasion angle.
— Mickie James turned 32 years old Wednesday while Jeff Hardy turned 34.
– TNA star Kurt Angle is not happy with WWE’s recent list of the top superstars of all time. Angle, who ranked #34 on the list, took to Twitter and vented about WWE’s “insulting” gesture an wrote the following:
“I was No. 34 of WWE all-time greatest? Tell you what, take me off the list. I’d rather not be on it if I wasn’t top five. Who ranks wrestlers?”
“I have never been More Insulted By Wwe top 50.#34 to Me Is a kick to the balls!Take Me out of ratings.please.U think fans will buy that crap”
– TNA has announced that Jeff Hardy will return the road at wrestle on TNA’s live events in two weeks. Jeff Hardy is scheduled to wrestle Jeff Jarrett at the live events the weekend of September 15th through the 17th in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Jeff Hardy returns to TNA Impact Wrestling next Thursday night, September 8th.
An apparent suicide note Matt Hardy released this evening via YouTube has been confirmed as a hoax.
Jeff Hardy’s wife Beth is not happy with Matt’s latest attempt ‘to work the Internet’ as police showed up to her North Carolina home on Tuesday evening on a suicide call. She angrily wrote on her Twitter account:
“When the cops show up to our house at 11 pm, for a “suicide call” the fucking joke is over @MATTHARDYBRAND. Stop trying to work the Internet.”
A fan wrote to her, “Who the hell calls 911 and sends them to the wrong f’n house?” She responded, “Apparently someone that believed the stupid video.”
She then wrote:
“I guess you got what you wanted @MATTHARDYBRAND. Everyone is talking about you, again. But it’s not in a good way.”
Meanwhile, Shane Helms wrote, “Don’t believe the hype.” He continued, “And please don’t bash me for it! I didn’t do it, had nothing to do with it.”
The following contains spoilers for the next 2 weeks of TNA Impact Wrestling:
TNA held a double television taping on Thursday night from Huntsville, Alabama – and one of the more newsworthy happenings was the return of Jeff Hardy.
Hardy came out and cut a promo saying that The Network gave him a chance to address the fans of TNA.
Hardy apologized for his conduct at Victory Road, when he showed up “in no condition to perform” and his main event match against Sting had to be cut to les than 30 seconds. Jeff said that his personali ssues “put the show in the toilet” and he knows he let everybody down.
Jeff asked everybody for one more chance – which got a huge “One More Chance” chant from the crowd.
Jeff placed the microphone down in the middle of the ring and exited to the back.
Jeff’s return to TNA Impact Wrestling will take place in 2 weeks. Next week’s show will feature the “Major Announcement” of Hardy appearing on the following week’s show.
Check out this exclusive video of Jeff Hardy’s TNA return from Thursday night:
— TNA Wrestling is officially advertising Jeff Hardy for tomorrow’s Impact Wrestling taping in Huntsville, Alabama. The top item on the company website is a graphic of Hardy with the accompanying text: “Jeff Hardy returns at Thursday’s taping.”
Hardy previously announced late Monday night via Twitter that he would be on hand for the event, which airs Sept. 1. It will mark as his first appearance for the organization in over five months.
— Velvet Sky posted a message on her Twitter account supporting the use of marijuana. The TNA Knockout relayed an informational picture Tuesday night explaining how marijuana benefits each part of the human body.
— Christy Hemme and Traci Brooks are advertised to appear at this Saturday’s K&S Wrestlefest & Highspots Present “A Hot Summers Night” event in Essington, Pennsylvania. Visit www.kandswrestlefest.com for more information.
Jeff Hardy, who has not appeared for TNA Wrestling in over five months, announced this evening on his Twitter account that he will be on hand for this Thursday’s Impact Wrestling taping in Huntsville, Alabama.
He wrote, “Ok it’s official…time to go back2work!I will be in Huntsville,AL this Thursday with ImpactWrestling!!!!”
The September 1 and September 8 episodes of Impact Wrestling will be taped that night at the Von Braun Center Arena.
Hardy last appeared for the organization on March 13 at Victory Road, competing in a TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match against Sting. The match, which was contested under No Disqualification rules, concluded in ninety seconds as company officials made an audible to cut it short after deeming that Hardy was in no condition to wrestle. He was sent home the following day.
TNA star Jeff Hardy recently had another custom championship belt created by the Top Rope Belts company.
Jeff Hardy’s new Omega Enigmatic championship belt is similar to the Immortal Championship belt that he had made up later yea.
According to the folks over at Top Rope Belts, the belt is designed so so that when he comes out onto a dark stage and his music plays, the eyes and mouth on the belt light up and flash to the music.
Jeff is allowing Top Rope belts to sell copies of the belt to fans.
No word yet if this means Hardy will be returning to TV soon. Matt and Jeff remain on TNA’s inactive list and are not expected to return to television any time soon.
Check out these pictures of Jeff Hardy’s new Omega Enigmatic Championship belt:
Matt Hardy posted a message on Twitter on Thursday night updating fans about his time away from TNA – and addresses the rumors about he and Jeff refusing to enter rehab. Matt wrote:
“The time off from Impact Wrestling has been a blessing in disguise-it’s allowed me enough time at home to physically & mentally heal & completely clean up my life. It was needed. I feel great, & the old Matt Hardy feels alive & fresh!
Regarding the reports of TNA keeping the Hardy Boyz off television due to their refusal to enter rehab:
“And BTW, rumors will always circulate.. But I know the real deal about myself & Jeff when I look in the mirror, & I’m ecstatic about where we’re both at. Thanks to everyone who has always supported me-you guys are amazing & I love ya!”
We receive a ton of emails from fans about the status of Matt and Jeff Hardy, who have both been off TNA television for several months now. This week Dave Meltzer reported that the reason TNA has yet to bring the Hardys back is because the company wanted both of them to enter rehab treatment – and they refused.
The Meltzer report led many Hardy fans to ask Matt and Jeff on Twitter what the real story is.
Matt Hardy responded to the reports on Wednesday night, tweeting:
“Not the case..at all.”
Hardy also noted that his own wrestling school is in the works.
Matt Hardy was reportedly suspended by TNA back in June after showing up late several times to live TNA events. He tweeted last week that he currently has everything “on hold” and is not yet taking independent bookings.
As for Jeff, he is still making court appearances related to his September 2009 arrest, after police raided his home in Cameron, North Carolina and uncovered a jackpot stash of drugs – including 262 Vicodin prescription pills, 180 Soma prescription pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, a residual amount of powder cocaine and items of drug paraphernalia.
Jeff has been charged with felony trafficking in opium, two counts of felony possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule III controlled substance, felony maintaining a dwelling to keep controlled substance, felony possession of cocaine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
If convicted of all charges (which is unlikely), Jeff Hardy faces upto 14 years in prison.
– Hulk Hogan’s daughter Brooke has posed nude for animal activist company PETA, and the “sophisticated” campaign will be unveiled in Miami on Saturday – Hulk’s birthday. A rep of Hogan’s says:
“The photos at the exhibit are very sophisticated and classy and just give the illusion of nude or the perception of nude, but of course, to get these shots, the shoot itself is fully nude.”
– For those wondering about what’s up with Matt and Jeff Hardy – the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that TNA want both men to first enter rehab but they have refused.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety over at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:
WWE Releasing Talent This Week: “I was surprised to see the list as I didn’t know it was coming. Fortunately that’s not my area of concern these days. I used to be the one who had to make those unpleasant telephone calls or conduct the meetings to release talent. Not a good facet of the job of being head of talent relations but it has to be done and likely should be done a few times each year. Giving released talents the opportunity to go elsewhere while they are still young and potentially productive is a good thing. No list of releases will ever make any one happy, nor should they, but it’s a necessary evil even if one’s favorite was included in the cuts. As I have said on Twitter, generally speaking when talents are released it is the best thing for all involved after the initial shock/sting subsides.”
Jeff Hardy Returning To WWE One Day: “The internet guys can react as they usually do from afar on my ‘never say never’ retort but on this occasion I really don’t see it to be honest with you. Jeff had a wonderful run in WWE and it seems as if he peaked after leaving WWE. Jeff has the intangible ‘it’ factor but I don’t know how committed or motivated that he is to recapture the magic he once had. I’ll always be fans of Jeff and Matt Hardy. ”
Being Insulted On RAW: “Am I concerned over all the insults thrown my way on Raw? Hell, no. Been insulted by the very best in the world on a professional basis for years. It’s part of the presentation. Can it be overdone as in taking away from the building of talent? Yes. Announcer ‘banter’ should always have the talents in the ring in mind and the issues with which those talents are involved. I’ve worked with many color commentators over the year whose top priority seemed to be to promote themselves.”
— ImpactWrestling.com has announced a TNA Knockouts Championship Match for Hardcore Justice. Miss Tessmacher and Tara will defend the straps against Sarita and Rosita, the previous title holders.
Sarita, who announced four weeks ago via Facebook that she had suffered facial paralysis, continued to wear a protective mask at this past weekend’s TNA Wrestling live events in Texas. Her condition, however, has improved in the meantime.
— Matt Hardy, who has been inactive from TNA Wrestling since May 30, posted a status update on Twitter:
“To all of the promoters that have contacted me about working for them, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve kinda got everything on hold for now. I would greatly appreciate your patience in me taking bookings for now, thanks!”
Company officials reportedly suspended Hardy in June due to continuously arriving late to events and posting online of himself urging Jeff Hardy to stun Reby Sky (Matt’s girlfriend) with a taser.
TNA executive producer Eric Bischoff appeared on this week’s Monday Night Mayhem radio show and was asked about the TNA statues of Jeff Hardy and Ric Flair. Here’s a recap of what Bischoff said about:
Jeff Hardy: “I have no updates on Jeff Hardy. I’m not involved in his situation within TNA. I hope the best for Jeff. He’s a very talented young man. He’s a great guy. He really is. I haven’t gotten to know him very, very well, but I believe he’s a good hearted individual who just got caught up in some issues. From what I’ve heard, he’s dealing with them and hopefully successfully.”
Ric Flair: “Ric Flair is out with a shoulder injury. I haven’t talked to Ric in a while now, so I’m not sure what his status is. I know he’s anxious to get back. I’ve heard that through other people. This time of year is very busy for me with everything that has been going on with my family, I haven’t stayed in close contact with enough people. I hope to see Ric real soon. I enjoy the hell out of Ric, and respect the hell out of Ric. I love working with him. I look forward to seeing him back on Impact.”
— TNA Wrestling performer Lisa Marie Varon (a/k/a Tara) stated in an interview with Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com that she no longer has aspirations for a career in mixed martial arts. The multi-time women’s wrestling champion cites an injury (a torn ligament in her elbow) during a Steel Cage bout against Mickie James, which will eventually require Tommy John surgery, as the main reason for mixed martial arts no longer being in the cards. Varon also cites her age, and feels that she would have been involved in mixed martial arts if she was ten years younger.
– Jeff Hardy’s next scheduled court date in North Carolina is September 8th. The case was believed to be coming to an end in late June but has been pushed back another three months. Hardy was arrested back on September 11th of 2009.
– Former TNA star Max Buck of the Generation Me tag team had this to say about his team’s recent departure from the company:
“Simply put: If we weren’t wrestling, we weren’t making money…And a guys gotta eat. Obviously, if you’re a fan of the show, you probably hadn’t seen us for quite sometime. Aside from the television program, TNA also runs live events around the country. In 2011, we’d only been on a handful of those, as well. Now, don’t get me wrong. When you’re booked a bunch, you’re making pretty good money, which was the case for us in our first year with the company. Not so much, this year.”
— The Wrestling Observer reports that TNA Wrestling officials want Jeff Hardy to enter a rehabilitation facility.
Hardy, who was accompanied by his wife, appeared at the Moore County Courthouse in Moore County, North Carolina on Monday to face drug trafficking charges related to his September 2009 arrest. His court hearing was once again pushed back.
Chris Shore of ProWrestling.net reports that all signs point to a deal being reached with Hardy agreeing to undergo some type of drug rehabilitation.
— Matt Morgan will appear on an upcoming episode of the self-improvement reality television series Made. The episode will air on CMT, which will soon air new episodes focused on adults as opposed to teenagers.
“The Blueprint” will be working with a 28-year-old policeman who wants to be a wrestler for TNA.
— Devon threw out the ceremonial first pitch at yesterday’s Brooklyn Cyclones game at MCU Park. TNA Wrestling will hold a BaseBrawl event tomorrow night at the stadium.
– The word at the courthouse in Moore County, North Carolina today was that Jeff Hardy’s court case would be pushed back until Thursday of this week, due to other cases on today’s docket. We’re still waiting on official word.
– TNA will be taping two episodes of Impact Wrestling this week from the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida with the final build for the Destination X pay-per-view.
SEScoops.com can confirm that Jack Evans, Homicide, Low-Ki, Matt Bentley and Jimmy Wang Yang are all backstage at tonight’s Impact Wrestling taping. Scheduled for tonight’s taping:
* A face-to-face confrontation between Sting and Hulk Hogan.
* A 3-way X-Division match.
*AJ Styles vs. Gunner.
* Samoa Joe vs. Devon.
* An elimination match between Mickie James & Tara & Miss Tessmacher vs. Angelina Love & Winter & Madison Rayne.
– TNA star Jeff Hardy is scheduled to appear in the Superior Court of Moore County, North Carolina today to respond to his pending drugs charges stemming from his September 2009 arrest. You can see Jeff Hardy’s name on today’s master court schedule at this link. Anybody else want to bet we’ll get another continuance?
– According to Hulk Hogan, TNA’s Impact Wresting show will begin taping episodes outside of Orlando’s Impact Zone starting this summer. Hogan tweeted this morning: wrote the following on Twitter this morning:
“Getting ready for 2days of IMPACT tapings in Orlando,can’t wait till August and we start going on the road every other taping. HH”
Hogan also says he recently turned down an offer to appear in the new “American Pie” movie – and took a jab at Chris Jericho in the process. Hogan tweeted:
“Just turned down a cameo for the new American Pie movie,they wanted me to dance,I told them they should get Jericho,not my deal brother. HH”
— We reported here yesterday that TNA Wrestling officials suspended Matt Hardy due to continuously arriving late to live events. It’s now being said that Hardy’s suspension was also due to the video he posted online of himself urging Jeff Hardy to stun Reby Sky (Matt’s girlfriend) with a taser, “among other reasons.”
Hardy was left off last week’s Impact Wrestling tapings in Orlando, Florida due to the aforementioned reasons.
Matt Hardy tweeted the following statement in response to the online reports: “Just checked out the headlines on the ‘net.. They make me smile :-) Everything’s cool in life-luv it! It’s 95 out but I’m not sweating ;)”
— TNA Knockout Tara has launched an official website at RealLisaMarie.com.
— Rob Van Dam is advertised to appear at the Los Angeles Comic Con, which takes place September 24-25 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California.
Matt and Jeff Hardy are back with another YouTube video. After posting a video earlier this week zapping each other with a tazer, this latest installment has a more serious tone.
Jeff talks about what he’s been upto since leaving TNA television and appears to be in good spirits. Matt said Jeff is a “reborn, reincarnated person especially now that he has a daughter, he has a wife, he has family.”
Matt also calls a truce with all the “dirt sheets” out there – but we’ll see how long that one lasts.
E#199 Jeff & Matt Hardy Issue A Statement To The Press
“Both Jeff & Matt Hardy issue very sincere & serious statements to the people, the press, & the sheets. Enjoy their heartfelt words.”
Check out this new video posted on Youtube of Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy and Matt’s girlfriend Reby Sky playing with a tazer .. Jeff shocks Matt and then convinces Reby to see how it feels.
– Jeff Hardy’s never-ending drug case was delayed once again this week, with the next court date set for June 27th. Back at the April 21st hearing, Moore County Sentencing Services program administrator Becky Carlson told the court she needed until June 1st to finish Hardy’s evaluation, but missed that deadline.
– TNA is now branding its live events as the “Impact Wrestling World Tour.”
– With the recent news of cellphones being banned from TNA television tapings due to spoilers being sent out while the events were taking place, the ban was put in place by Universal Studios, not TNA. According Universal’s policy, fans will get a warning the first time they are caught. A repeat violation will result in the fan being thrown out of the building and possibly banned from the Impact Zone.
A fan was ejected from Monday’s tapings for using their phone to send out spoiler results.
– Kurt Angle appeared on the Talksport radio show in London this week and talked about his quest to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games next summer. Angle said that he really misses the competitive edge that olypmpic-level wrestling offers. Angle talked about his disappointments of not negotiating a deal to pursue a career in MMA. He mentioned that he will make the odd TV and pay-per-view appearances for TNA, but as of now he is training for the olympics.
– With the recent TNA return of Chris Harris, company officials had discussed reuniting Harris with James Storm to reform America’s Most Wanted – with Robert Roode moving on as a singles wrestler. After Harris wasn’t getting over as well as TNA hoped and is not in great shape, the idea was scrapped. There are still plans for Beer Money to split up in the near future.
– Jeff Jarrett has the person handling most of TNA’s affairs with Mexico’s AAA promotion. Jarrett is booking the current TNA vs. AAA storyline that’s currently taking place on AAA television and Jarrett is said to have some big ideas for AAA’s upcoming TripleMania show.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:
R-Truth’s Recent Push :“R Truth seems to have finally found a viable niche and he is one of the brighter aspects on Raw. Truth is embracing his new persona and I happen to think it fits him well.”
Randy Savage In The WWE HOF: “I have no idea if or when Randy Savage will be inducted into the WWE HOF or if he will go in with his former wife and valet, the late Miss Elizabeth. As I have said many times, it is obvious that both are deserving.”
Alex Riley Attacking The Miz: “I was impressed with the interaction between Alex Riley and The Miz Monday night on Raw as was, seemingly, the live audience in Portland. I am intrigued to see where Riley on Smackdown, I assume, and Miz, continue to evolve. Riley looked very impressive doling out the physicality on Miz on MNR.”
Jeff Hardy’s Current Situation: “I have no definitive comments to make on the “Jeff Hardy incident’ as I don’t follow TNA that closely nor do I know the accurate details of the issues at hand for Jeff other than he has had a court case pending that has seemingly dragged on forever which means the legal meter has been running, one would assume, for weeks and weeks. I like Jeff, I signed both Jeff and his brother Matt to WWE contracts, and hope that any personal issues that he may have can be resolved sooner than later and for good.”
Hulk Hogan’s Legacy: “What will Hulk Hogan’s legacy be at the end of the day? I can’t see why it won’t be excellent. If Hogan is judged on his contributions to the business of pro wrestling then it’s a no brainer. Hulk’s legacy is intact IMO as I don’t choose to judge him or anyone else by personal issues that happen in many of our lives. ”
As always, we highly recommend you check out JR’s site and sample his amazing line of BBQ products, his BBQ sauce and main event mustard can be found in the fridge at SEScoops global headquarters at all times!
Recap of Kurt Angle’s appearance on the Busted Open satellite radio show on Sirius 92 and XM 207.
This interview was pretaped before the announcement of TNA Impact becoming Impact Wrestling, and before the news that Brock Lesnar had to pull out of his upcoming UFC fight because of his condition.
Angle on his Olympic comeback: “I started training two weeks ago. I’m not allowed to really talk about but I’m gonna make a formal press conference in August. I will be training with my nephew who’s never tried out and it’s gonna give him that opportunity to realize his dream….to not say ‘What if? Why didn’t I try?’ So him and I had a long two hour conversation one night and we were very serious about it. I mentioned it on WTAE in Pittsburgh and it just went out like wildfire. I’m very serious about it. I am going to do it and I believe I have a very good shot.”
Angle on whether he still have the passion for wrestling: “I love wrestling. I will always love wrestling, but now for me, it’s a job. My responsibility is to have the best match on the card every time I go out there and I usually do. That’s my job, and I get paid very well to do it, and I don’t want to quit wrestling because that’s getting me to where I can get my Angle Foods where I need it to go. It’s also getting me so I can train for the Olympics. TNA is going to give me time off to train. If I make the Olympic Team, obviously I’ll have to leave for 3 months to train in Europe. So TNA has been a blessing for me to be able to do this. I don’t think I could have done it in the other company.”
Angle on whether he’s still the best in the business and whether he still loves pro wrestling: “I could retire. I made enough money to sit back the rest of my life and retire, but I do love it. I know that if I left now, I would miss it significantly. I am signing a new deal with TNA right as we speak. It’s another three and a half year deal. It will be part time, I’ll be doing very few house shows, I’ll be doing a number of TVs and I promised I’ll do all the pay-per-views. My wrestling will calm down. I’ve been more of a TV/PPV schedule and a lot less of the house shows. I’d rather wrestle six days a month than doing what I’m doing right now which is 18. With WWE, I was probably doing 18-24 so I’m almost as busy as I was then and I went to TNA to back off so we came to an agreement that I should definitely be taking off house shows and be able to rest and recuperate.”
Angle on the Jeff Hardy incident at the end of the Victory Road PPV: “That was an unfortunate situation where I think Jeff realizes it now. Whatever he did…this is something that’s been talked about many times. Jeff made a mistake. If he was going to take any form of, let’s say, sleep medication… he probably should’ve waited an hour before he did that. Jeff made a bad decision and he’s learned from it.
“Jeff has been clean for the last month and he wants to come back and he’s ready to come back and I believe that he won’t make that mistake it again. But it did happen. I felt really bad. I felt bad for TNA, I felt bad for Jeff, I felt bad for the company. Jeff Hardy is an amazing wrestler. I have nothing bad to say about him, actually I love the kid. I wrestled Jeff at his best and I wrestled Jeff at his worst, and it’s night and day.”