— Shark Boy announced on his official website that he requested his release from TNA Wrestling, which was granted.
“I have officially requested and been granted my release from TNA Wrestling,” he wrote. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at TNA for giving me the opportunity to perform in front of their audience since the very early days of the company. Thanks especially to the great TNA fans who have given me their support throughout the past eight years… Now on to the next chapter!”
— Mickie James headlines !BANG! TV on March 26 in Ocala, Florida at the Funking Conservatory Wrestling Sound Stage. Visit www.Dory-Funk.com for more information.
— Dixie Carter will be appearing at the TNA Wrestling booth at this weekend’s Arnold Fitness Expo in Columbus, Ohio.
— Mickie James’ enthusiastic review of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s return to WWE over the weekend on Twitter reportedly upset some of her wrestler colleagues as they feel she shouldn’t be putting over the competition.
She wrote: “Finally getting a chance to catch up on @TheRock’s charismatic return… Literally got chills… & remembered why I do… What I do!”
— It’s said that Kazuchika Okada was shoehorned into the role of Samoa Joe’s lackey because TNA Wrestling officials ‘feel obligated’ to use him due to a working agreement with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Okada, whom the company signed a year ago, was completely relegated to Xplosion until last month when he was revealed as the camera man whom Joe had hired to follow “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero.
— In a follow-up on last week’s iMPACT!, the show drew 1,544,000 viewers overall, with a 1.13 cable rating.
TNA Knockout Mickie James wrote on Twitter this week about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s long awaited return to World Wrestling Entertainment on Monday’s RAW. James wrote on Twitter:
“Finally getting a chance to catch up on @TheRock’s charismatic return… Literally got chills… & remembered why I do… What I do!”
The Rock thanked Mickie James for her comments, adding that he likes her country music. He wrote on Twitter.com/TheRock:
“Thank u MJ..we’re blessed to be able to perform..keep kickin ass and being diverse in your career…I dig your music… I always admire diversity..takes guts..especially in country..if u sing jamey johnson for me I’ll come get that tooth..:)”
— TNA Knockout Mickie James has been announced for the WrestleReunion event taking place WrestleMania XXVII morning (April 3) at the Downtown Marriott in Atlanta, Georgia. Other talent scheduled to appear include Winter, Christy Hemme, Tommy Dreamer, Scott Steiner, Bruno Sammartino, Carlito and “Cowboy” Bob Orton.
— Tommy Dreamer celebrated his 40th birthday yesterday. Regarding this, he wrote on Twitter: “Thanks to all 4 the happy birthday wishes. 40 yrs old & I realized I have been wrestling 4 more than half my life. God bless everyone.”
— Taz mistakenly referred to Tara by her WWE ring name Victoria last night during Against All Odds.
— TNA Knockout Mickie James will be the opening musical act at The National in Richmond, Virginia tomorrow night for a concert featuring Randy Houser. For ticket details click here.
The recently relaunched MickieJames.com now features a fan club via paid membership. A brand new T-shirt and her debut album Strangers & Angels are also available on the website.
— Suicide has been quietly added to TNAWrestling.com’s roster page. The masked grappler returned to action Monday after a four month hiatus, defeating Brian Kendrick in a match taped for TNA Xplosion.
Due to the roster addition, Jimmy Hart was removed from the roster page for the second time in two weeks. The WWE Hall of Famer was added back to the page late last week when Kevin Nash’s bio was removed.
Recap of Mickie James & Jeremy Borash on Monsters in the Morning
By John Canton of thejohnreport.net TheJohnReport.net and MickieJames.com.
TNA’s Mickie James and Jeremy Borash were on the Monsters in the Morning show in Orlando (XM 152).
– She talked about this being her first country album, Strangers & Angels. The hosts asked her how we can get more people into country music. She said there’s a misconception about the music and now it can be a little bit of southern rock with pop too, so people should be open to the crossover that’s there. The hosts talked about how that Country Strong movie did poorly at the theatres in its opening weekend because some people get turned off by country music.
– They asked about celebrities in TNA. Borash mentioned that Toby Keith shows up once in a while and Snoop Dogg has showed up. They talked about J-Woww from Jersey Shore showing up saying they got exposure on TMZ with it. Then the hosts talked about J-Woww’s features, but Jeremy quickly moved off topic.
– They asked Mickie how the other girls treated her. Mickie said they welcomed her with open arms. They all realize that the bigger names that people have, the better it is for the company in terms of exposure.
– Mickie said that there’s a mix in the company from TNA originals, to former WWE people and wrestlers from all over the world, which makes it a cool place to work in.
– Borash talked about how he and other TNA wrestlers like Jeff Hardy & Beer Money went to Japan last week and how it helps the exposure of the company.
– They plugged Impact tapings for the next two nights at Universal in Orlando starting at around 5:30pm with free entry as always. Borash mentioned the Hardy brothers being together at the tapings last night. Mickie mentions they don’t really know what they will do on the day of the taping until you get to the building.
– The hosts asked Mickie if she’s single. She said yes. Madison Rayne said on the show yesterday she doesn’t date wrestlers and Mickie mentioned that you’re around many wrestlers all the time, so sometimes stuff happens, but she’s been single for a couple of years because she’s so busy. Borash mentioned a lot of the guys on the roster have crushes on Mickie.
– Mickie plugs the TNA theme song “Hardcore Country.” She mentions the song “Don’t Apologize” from her Strangers & Angels CD being her favorite. Then she talks about “Are You With Me?” being her first single and “Hollywood Movie Moment” being another favorite on the album. Then they started playing “Are You With Me?” She mentioned Tim McGraw being a favorite artist. She mentioned the
songs will be on iTunes again soon. (I should also note the whole CD will be available again on mickiejames.com very soon.)
– The hosts plugged the Impact tapings one more time and mentioned their close association with the the TNA brand.
— A number of TNA stars will be on hand for New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual Tokyo Dome show, which takes place Monday. Matches involving TNA talent are TNA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Tatsuya Naito; Rob Van Dam vs. Toru Yano; Beer Money Inc., vs. IWGP Tag Team Champions Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Strong Man in a Three Way Match. TNA ring announcer Jeremy Borash is filming footage of the trip and handling ring announcing duties.
— TNA Wrestling issued the following statement from Sky regarding the future of iMPACT! in the UK: “TNA (iMPACT) will be broadcast on a different Sky channel when Bravo closes, we are trying to find out which channel this will be and will let you all know as soon as we find out.”
On September 15, 2010, Sky announced that it would close Bravo as well as sister channels Bravo 2 and Channel One on New Year’s Day.
— TNA Wrestling has released a Mickie James hat at ShopTNA.com.
ESPN.com Page 2 writer Josh Stewart posted comments on his blog from an interview he recently conducted with Mickie James that weren’t featured in the piece.
The TNA Knockout said her former employer, World Wrestling Entertainment, had a chance to coordinate her music career, but didn’t. She feels it’s difficult for talent to have outside projects under their auspices.
“They had every opportunity to jump onboard if they wanted to, and I would have welcomed it,” she said. “If they wanted to wrap a tour around some of the live event shows, or maybe market the album itself.
“I think because it’s an industry they really don’t know anything about… I think they had a really killer idea on their hand that they probably dropped the ball on.”
She also commented on her national singing debut earlier this month on TNA iMPACT!, which was interrupted when Tara attacked her (producing a near wardrobe malfunction as she fought back while holding up her dress).
“I was really singing during that performance, because I thought in my mind as a performer, you know, you can do it one of two ways. Because it is a show, and TV, and you can do things a number of ways. Honestly, I found we were going to be doing that pretty much the day before we taped it. So, we were given the option, ‘Do you want to sing to your backup track?’… And I said absolutely not. I want people to see that I’m serious about this. And if I got up there and for whatever reason something goes wrong, then I only have myself to blame.”
— TNA ReACTION is currently not on Spike TV’s programming schedule for the entire month of January, so the season finale on December 30th will be the final episode of the show for the time being.
— Knockouts action is featured on this week’s episode of TNA Xplosion as Velvet Sky squares off against Tara. The match can be viewed here.
— Mickie James’ theme song, Hardcore Country is now available on ShopTNA.com and iTunes.
— Former TNA Knockout Rhaka Khan celebrates her 29th birthday today.
— TNA Wrestling has announced a Television Championship Match and X Division Championship Match for next month’s Genesis pay-per-view, which takes place on the 9th.
Douglas Williams will defend the Television Championship against AJ Styles. Should Styles lose the match, he will be booted from Immortal.
X Division Champion Jay Lethal will defend his title against Kazarian, who won a No. 1 Contender’s Match last night on iMPACT!.
— TNA Knockout Mickie James is featured in a lengthy article in the January 2011 issue of Richmond Magazine, which takes a look at her early days in the wrestling industry, her tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment, joining TNA Wrestling, and her growing music career that will include a tour in 2011. The article features quotes from James as well as TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter.
— ESPN.com profiled Mickie James yesterday on their “Page 2” section. She discussed synergizing her foray into the country music world with her wrestling career.
“I tried to make a beautiful marriage out of the two [careers], and I think TNA gives me the opportunity to do that,” she said. “But it’s not a gimmick, and I’m not some novelty act.”
She was also asked if she was scared jumping 20 feet off a cage into rival Tara.
“Of course I was scared,” James said. “I said to myself, ‘Oh, this is amazing. Please don’t get hurt. Please don’t get hurt.'”
— On the November 18 edition of iMPACT!, Rhino explained that Eric Bischoff had agreed to re–sign him as long as he turned on the rest of EV 2.0. The following week Dreamer defeated Rhino in a Street Fight. After the match Rhino attacked Dreamer, but was then chased away by Rob Van Dam, who challenged him to a First Blood match at Final Resolution, which RVD ended up winning. On the following iMPACT! episode, Bischoff refused to give him a contract and had Fortune and Immortal remove him from the arena.
It was legitimately meant as his final appearance with the organization. Company officials wanted to re-sign him, but both sides couldn’t agree to terms as he was looking for guaranteed money. The deal, however, is open ended in the sense that he could return if he agrees to their terms.
— The Dec. 16 episode of TNA iMPACT! scored a 1.12 cable rating, up from the previous week’s 1.09 number. The show drew 1,560,000 viewers over the course of two hours.
The peak quarter-hour rating was a 1.23 in Q4, which featured Orlando Jordan and Eric Young vs. Generation Me, and the first-half of the Mickie James and Miss Tessmacher vs. Madison Rayne and Tara tag team match.
— Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne for the TNA Women’s Knockouts Championship has been announced for TNA’s Genesis pay-per-view. The event takes place Jan. 9, 2011.
— Last night on Raw, the anonymous General Manager arranged Lay-Cool vs. Beth Phoenix and Divas Champion Natalya for Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view in the first-ever Divas Tag Team Table Match. The match was concocted in response to Mickie James battling Tara in a Steel Cage Match last Thursday on TNA Wrestling’s iMPACT!.
— David Arquette was said to be a delight backstage at last night’s Raw. The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion spent time chatting with most everyone locker room, a stark contrast to numerous celebrities who solely acknowledge the top stars.
— The terms Slammys and David Arquette were trending worldwide on Twitter last night during Raw.
— Triple H is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Inside Wrestling.
— TNA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy is not backstage at tonight’s iMPACT! taping in Orlando, Florida, but will be appearing at tomorrow’s event. He missed last night’s show due to a court hearing in North Carolina.
— Today is 13-time World Champion Kurt Angle’s birthday, who turns 42 years old.
— TNA Knockout Tara took part in an interview with Little Rock, Arkansas based radio station 103.7 The Buzz and discussed her Final Resolution pay-per-view match against Mickie James and working a Steel Cage Match against the country musician that will air on tonight’s iMPACT!. To listen to the interview, click here.
— While Samoa Joe is free and clear from all contractual obligations with TNA Wrestling, he is available to appear at this week’s television tapings if officials choose to use him. Both sides remain in negotiations for a new contract.
— Many backstage are impressed with Tara and Mickie James working through injuries at this week’s television tapings. Tara tore a ligament in her elbow, while James hurt her knee Monday.
Mickie James performed her theme song, Hardcore Country, at the Nov. 16 iMPACT! taping (set for air on next week’s show). The segment featured Eric Young wearing bottom-less chaps while playing the cowbell in a takeoff of Will Ferrell’s “More Cowbell” skit years ago on Saturday Night Live.
Many backstage felt James was put in a tough position because she wasn’t given much notice to perform, not to mention without her actual band. She legitimately sang over a music track as a makeshift band comprised of two production crew members pretended to play instruments.
While some within the organization felt it was unprofessional to have James perform on short notice and under those circumstances, others praised her for not balking at the opportunity to perform on national television or upsetting creative by complaining about the situation.
The segment turned into an angle as Tara attacked James from behind while she was performing. Young then attempted to restrain Tara, but was struck with the cowbell. The segment may have to be edited as James suffered a wardrobe malfunction when she fought back—she placed her hand over her breast, not to mention that her skirt flew up. The two rivals continued brawling before security gained control of the situation.
— After suffering a concussion last month as a result of an accidental chair shot from Jeff Hardy, Mr. Anderson isn’t expected to return to the ring until early next year. With that being said, it’s been indicated that he’s feeling better and he may take part in some angles before then.
— It would appear that Hulk Hogan has gotten married as he indicated the following yesterday on his Twitter account: “Sitting outside with my dogs and new awesome Mrs Hogan.the waves are crashing and life is beautiful.only positive vibes.like attracts like HH.”
It was recently reported that Hogan and Jennifer McDaniel had applied for a marriage license in the state of Florida.
— Mickie James will be performing songs from her country music album and taking part in a meet and greet this Saturday at Cullen’s Cove, which is located at 6233 Mechanicsville Tpke. Mechanicsville, Virginia 23111.
MickieJames.com has posted a twenty question interview with the TNA Knockout herself, Mickie James. She discusses her budding music career, her thought process behind joining TNA Wrestling, and what she has planned for the future.
This past Sunday at Turning Point, she had a match with Tara that ultimately turned into a brawl all over the Impact! Zone. She commented:
“It was pretty incredible. It was my first PPV singles match in TNA, so it was my debut in terms of that. I think there’s no doubt that the history between Tara and I is great. She’s definitely one of the best in the business. We brought the fight to eachother. I think we raised the bar for our locker room and any locker room around the world. It was a lot of fun. I know both of us are hurting for certain today (Monday), but it was really cool to raise the bar for ourselves and the business. We’ve heard a lot of comments about how not only was it possibly the match of the night, but ladies match of the year. To have a women’s match get such high praise is an honor. Women’s wrestling is not fluff. We can go just as hard as the guys. That’s why we are in this business. We are wrestlers. We’re not just eye candy who are out there to look good. You heard the crowd chanting “Let Them Fight!” and it was an awesome feeling. I’m excited to see what’s next. I think this is just the beginning of an all out war.”
Regarding her decision to join TNA Wrestling, she remarked:
“I think a lot of people know (TNA President) Dixie Carter attended my CD release party in Nashville in May, so we were talking. I was entertaining the move for a while. I think what made it click was working an independent gig where friends of mine were there. It made me remember why I got in wrestling in the first place. It was my genuine love for wrestling. I think sometimes it becomes a business and you forget the important details. Now I feel like I have a renewed spirit. I remember why I got into the business and it’s that love. I know that Dixie is behind me 100% with the music too. We’re going to try to work both of the schedules together. One hand feeds the other. She gets that. She wants me to be successful and to pursue music or acting if I so choose. She knows I’m representing TNA with everything that I do. That’s not a liberty that you often have in any business. I think that’s a really cool thing. It gives everybody power over their own destiny. It allows you to go after your dreams and do what you want to do. You’re still an individual.”
— Former WWE talent Kenn Doane (a/k/a Kenny Dykstra) wrote on Twitter that he had rejected trying out for TNA Wrestling at next week’s set of iMPACT! tapings in Orlando, Florida.
“November 8th and 9th I will not be going for my “tryout” in Orlando,” he stated. “No offense to anyone but I’m not comfortable paying my own flights and working for free. That is all. I don’t need a job that bad. if WWE calls I’ll go back or if TNA offers something decent. Otherwise I’m absolutely happy where I am in life.”
— TNA Wrestling will be holding a live event at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Maryland on Jan. 15, 2011. Tickets go on sale Nov. 19, 2010.
— The music video for Mickie James’ TNA Wrestling theme song, Hardcore Country, premiered this week on the international program Xplosion. Dixie Carter’s husband, Serge Salinas, also took part in the recording of the song, offering additional vocals. Check it out:
— TNA Knockout Mickie James is participating in an auction benefitting the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital this Friday at Bailey’s Pub & Grille in Richmond, Virginia.
Advertising for the event reads: “Not only will some of Richmond’s sexiest singles be up for auction but country singer and wrestling sensation Mickie James will be auctioned off too!”
— TNA Knockout Taylor Wilde announced Monday on Twitter that she is engaged to be married.
She wrote, “I can’t contain my joy and excitment anymore! I’m engaged to @olivermitchell.”
— TNA Knockouts Chelsea and SoCal Val are advertised to appear at MegaCon 2011, which is taking place March 25-27, 2011 at the Orange County Convention Center Hall in Orlando, Florida. Click here for more information.
— Last night’s episode of iMPACT! scored a 1.15 cable rating, with 1,509,000 viewers. The rating is down significantly from last week’s number, which was a 1.41. Viewership for last week’s iMPACT! was 1,900,000.
Meanwhile, ReACTION did a 0.68 cable rating, with 806,000 viewers. Like iMPACT!, this is down from the previous week, which was a 0.77 cable rating and average viewership of 942,000.
— Before Mickie James fought Sarita on iMPACT!, another match between both competitors aired internationally the previous day. To view the match in question, click here.
— Orlando Jordan and Raven are appearing for New Zealand promotion Impact Pro Wrestling this weekend at the ASB Showgrounds. Visit www.impactprowrestling.co.nz for more information.
— Regarding TNA Wrestling’s recent acquisition of former WWE Diva Katie Lea Burchill, it is said that the company’s decision to sign her was largely made following her tryout match two months ago and that it was a matter of timing.
One of the ring names being discussed for her is “Winter.”
— Mickie James is profiled in the latest edition of CMA Closeup Magazine, which is currently out on newsstands and features country music recording artists Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood on the cover. To read the magazine’s write-up of the TNA Knockout, click here.
(sources: PWInsider.com, Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
— Last night’s match between Maxine and Kaitlyn on NXT is being almost universally panned by both wrestling fans and Joey Styles alike.
“And I thought WWECW was hard to watch. OMG that match stunk on ice,” Styles said of the match on Twitter. “After that match, Mae Young is rolling over in her grave…and she’s still alive!”
Maxine responded to criticism of the match on Twitter, writing, “Yea the match was tough. It’s hard to lead someone with 2 months experience almost impossible.”
Kaitlyn had no prior wrestling experience prior to being signed by WWE in July.
— Though Mickie James has long since departed from World Wrestling Entertainment, the company’s production staff is still hauling around equipment used during the storyline deriding her weight to shows.
Reader Kyle wrote that before Monday’s Raw in Calgary, Alberta, he and his friends observed the WWE production trucks situated around the Saddledome and noticed a cart with a big box labeled “Piggy James.”
Once a storyline has been completed, items used during the storyline are either trashed or dropped off at an undisclosed warehouse near WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.