That’s the Twitter handle of Nate Rau, a reporter from the Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, who was live tweeting the hearing. While numerous fans and some wrestlers followed Rau during the hearing, Maria was the only one to openly tweet about what was going on.
It only makes sense: As noted earlier today, checks written to various talent bounced on September 1st. On top of that, Corgan had previously alleged that TNA told the roster that the restraining order/lawsuit was stopping the company from paying them on October 15th. The Bennetts, who left ROH and NJPW, were among the performers who signed with TNA this year for decent sized guarantees with the idea that the company would make it back by booking them out to independent promotions. That has not gone well so far.
Nashville-based model and branding specialist McKenszie Mitchell is now handling the weekly Impact Breakview segment, looking back on this week’s episode.
Following Impact, here’s the final card for Sunday’s Slammiversary PPV:
TNA Champion Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley (Submission or KO only)
Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy (Full Metal Mayhem)
Knockouts Champion Jade vs. Sienna
Tag Team Champions The Decay vs. The Bromans
X-Division Champion Trevor Lee vs. Eddie Edwards vs. DJ Zema vs. Andrew Everett
King of the Mountain champion Eli Drake vs. Bram
Mike Bennett vs. EC3
Maria Kanellis vs. Gail Kim
Grado & Mahabali Shera vs. The Tribunal (with Al Snow)
– Cody Rhodes will face TNA star Mike Bennett on 8/26 in Pittsfield, MA for the Northeast Wrestling promotion. As we reported before, Cody will face Kurt Angle at NEW’s 8/27 event in Wappingers Falls, NY. Bennett was one of the names on Cody’s list of post-WWE opponents he wanted to face.
– The Fan Garage has published the second half of their interview with Dixie Carter at this link. She commented on the partnership with SonySix in India:
“They’ve been great partners for a long time, and we would love to make India our second home. The potential is unlimited here, the fan base is so passionate about all the sports, especially wrestling and we see some great opportunities to grow the business in India as we have some incredible partners in Sony. We definitely want to tape television from India and we are currently discussing about the same.”
Ring of Honor stars Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis finished up with the company at Saturday night’s ROH TV tapings in Philadelphia.
Their departure was not a real surprise to people close to the situation, as the two sides had been unable to come to terms after weeks of negotiations. Bennett’s tag team partner Matt Taven is signed with ROH for 3-4 more months.
Kanellis and Bennett have reportedly been telling people that they’ll be starting with TNA in January. This likely means they are done with New Japan Pro Wrestling as well. With TNA working on some surprise debuts for the January 5th Impact Wrestling premiere on Pop TV, Bennett and Kanellis would certainly fit the bill.
– There has been talk within WWE recently about the company being interested in signing Ring Of Honor star Michael Bennett and his partner Matt Tavern as a tag-team when their deals are up with the promotion. Bennett’s wife, former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis, noted her ROH deal is up after the end of this year. Whether or not WWE has interest in Kanellis returning remains to be seen.
– As noted, Rachel Ellering, daughter of WWE Hall Of Famer Paul Ellering, has been training with Lance Storm at his Storm Wrestling Academy out of Canada. The second generation competitor is scheduled to make her professional debut in a tag-team match with Storm at the Prairie Wrestling Alliance event on November 21st.
Former WWE Diva and current Ring Of Honor performer Maria Kanellis recently spoke with Channel Guide Magazine. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On being The First Lady of ROH: “I think I’ve always had a passion for the pro wrestling business. In Ring of Honor, I was able to find something that inspired me and challenged me. I have been able to have a lot of fun with it. I think with this character and being the ‘First Lady of Ring of Honor,’ I’m having so much fun with it.”
On the ROH locker room: “I’ve always had a lot more guy friends than girlfriends, so it has never intimidated me being in a locker room full of guys. The Ring of Honor locker room is one of the best locker rooms I’ve ever been in. The guys are just so sweet and so wonderful. A lot of them came to my wedding. It’s great to be surrounded by all my big brothers and little brothers.”
On the state of women’s wrestling: “I think we are going in the right direction. We still have a long way to go. We have to be very careful right now, because we can’t become complacent that we are getting a few more nuggets of hope with time on television. It’s not enough. You look at women as a whole. Yes, there are more females that are going be on the cover of Fortune 500. You are going to see more females take bigger roles in these sitcoms and television shows. That doesn’t mean it is equal. Just because the girls get one main event every six months at NXT, that’s not equal. Yes, we are moving in the right direction. No, it’s not enough.”
On working with husband Mike Bennett: “We separate church and state. There is ‘work’ us and ‘relationship’ us. We are a couple that just happens to be professional wrestlers. Our professional wrestling careers don’t define us as human beings. We have a lot of outside passions that we are able to experience as a couple. We love to cook together. We have three long-haired Chihuahuas together. We are big into our families. Even though we are wrestlers, it’s just one piece of our delicious soup.
“I don’t think there have ever been a couple truly like Mike and I. You could kind of equate us to Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. You can kind of equate us to other people. That doesn’t necessarily get the whole picture. We’ve never really been seen before in the fact there isn’t one dominant person in our onscreen relationship. It depends on what the match calls for. If I need to be involved more, I’m involved more. If I need to sit on the outside and do nothing, that’s what I do. When it comes to the dynamic of Mike and I, there is nobody like us.”
Check out the complete interview at ChannelGuideMagBlog.com.
Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis, along with her husband, longtime Ring Of Honor star Mike Bennett, are currently working with ROH without contracts, as their previous deals with the company have expired.
Both Kanellis and Bennett have been negotiating with ROH for the past few months, however they are still committed to work with ROH and the two are scheduled to work tours of Japan later this year.
As things stand now, there’s a feeling that both Kanellis and Bennett are talking with TNA, as well as the Lucha Underground promotion. Whether or not a deal has been reached, or is in the process of being figured out, remains to be seen..
– In light of Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar’s current reign of dominance over WWE, the company website has published a feature looking at the 10 Best Manager-Client Partnerships.
– Speaking of Paul Heyman, his HeymanHustle.com website has published exclusive photos of former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis and her soon-to-be-husband Mike Bennett at a recent indy show.
– Michael Cole revealed in his latest sit-down interview with Triple H that Stephanie McMahon will have an announcement on The Bella Twins this Friday on SmackDown.
The following are highlights of a new In Your Head Wrestling Radio interview with Maria Kanellis:
Having now wrestled in both the WWE and Ring of Honor, what is the difference between wrestling the women in the WWE and women on the independent scene? “It’s a lot more freeing. We always had to stick to a certain time when I was working on television so you really couldn’t try a whole lot. Getting in there and wrestling with some of the new girls or the up-and-comers or girls that have been veterans on the independents is completely different because we have all the time in the world. We can play with the crowd, we can see what works, what doesn’t work, and that’s really fun for me.”
There were a lot of rumors on the Internet that part of the reason your fiancé, Mike Bennett, didn’t go the WWE was because he was with you. Would you care to address that? “I’ve heard a lot of things, but with wrestling you have to know that everybody might blame it on different reasons. It’s always going to be ‘Oh, it’s because he wasn’t in good enough shape’ or ‘Oh, it’s because he was an independent wrestler’ or ‘Oh, it’s because he has something in his past’, and the truth of the matter is wrestling is all about timing and placement and at the time it wasn’t Mike’s time. It wasn’t his time to go. I’ve been called an albatross, I’ve been called this and that, but at the end of the day it really doesn’t matter. What matters is: ‘Is that what WWE needs right now?’, because if he is what they needed they would take him. And if you look at past history with wrestling, there’s been a lot of guys that came back that had a lot more controversy surrounding them than I have. They always said Stone Cold won’t go back, Rock’s not going to go back, this person’s not going to go back; when they need them, when they want them, they end up going.”
As a woman in wrestling, what do you think is the most important thing between looks, charisma, and in-ring wrestling, or do you think you have to have that whole complete package? “I think you have to have something. I don’t think it’s one particular look, I don’t think it’s one particular type of charisma, and I don’t think it’s one particular type of wrestling. I think that there is a place for everything; you just have to be extremely passionate about it. You have to stand out. I think a lot of people thought I would never come back to wrestling, and I think a lot of people thought that I wouldn’t have a place in wrestling and I would just do whatever it was to make money. If that were the case, then I probably would be somewhere else; I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing. I’m so very passionate about wrestling, and about being a part of wrestling and making the best product out there, and I think that that is what you need to stick around in this business. You’ll move around. You might go to TNA, you might go to Ring of Honor, you might go to WWE, and each place will expect something different of you, but you have to be passionate about every aspect of wrestling in order to make it.”
The following are highlights from a recent interview with former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis:
On working with Paul Heyman in OVW in the past: “I’m kind of an underground Paul Heyman girl and he is what really inspired the ditsy character, he really inspired me to do the things that I did at WWE. I’m an admirer of his work, I think what he has done with so many guys and throughout ECW was incredible.”
When I was in OVW I just watched him as he helped CM Punk every day, Punk was already incredible but then Paul Heyman kind of pushed him over the edge and gave him that opportunity on ECW to be who he is today.”
On what Vince McMahon is like as a boss: “He was great with me, I know he can be very tough with other people but with me he wasn’t, he was like a father figure to me, I really enjoyed working for Vince.”
On her opinions of the Total Divas reality show: “I’ve watched a few of the episodes of Total Divas and I think it is a great show. There is a lot of tremendous talent in WWE’s women division at the moment, I think AJ Lee is incredible, I’ve always been a fan of Natalya. There are also some great women down in NXT like Paige, there are a lot of great talented women that are a part of that company at the moment.”
On whether or not we could ever see her and Mike Bennett in WWE or TNA: “TNA called me twice this year, I think they’re a great company but I’m loving my time in ROH and I’m definitely happy with my fiancée. Who knows if that will ever change, but I wish TNA all the best in the world, I think the girls there are tremendous.”
WWE called me earlier this year and for whatever reason that fell through, would I go back there eventually, sure. I loved my time there I loved traveling the world and the people that I worked with. I’m sure Mike will be in the WWE very soon and it will be great to join him there.”
Check out the complete interview online at Wrestling101.com.
-A lot of construction work is still being done to the former ECW Arena in Philadelphia. While the original plan was for the facility to re-open in October, it is looking more likely that it will be closer to January of 2014. Without the ECW Arena, the independent scene in Philadelphia has apparently taken a pretty big hit.
-Former ECW original Lou D’Angeli will be making a speaking appearance at the “Life Is Beautiful Festival” on October 26th in Las Vegas. D’Angeli will be talking about his time in the original ECW on the “Passion Before Paycheck” panel. For more information, visit LifeIsBeautifulFestival.com.
-Former WWE Diva and current Ring Of Honor star Maria Kanellis, along with Mike “The Prodigy” Bennett will be appeearing at the 2014 National Pro Wrestling Day events.
The official YouTube account of WWE has released a video previewing additional episodes of E!s Total Divas.
Highlights include the crew partying in Las Vegas, John Cena, Daniel Bryan and The Bella Twins jet-setting together, Brie referencing various Twitter users labeling Nikki as “fat,” John asking Nikki to meet his family, Cameron acknowledging her small bust, Nikki feeling threatened by Eva Marie, Natalya appeared sexually frustrated with Tyson Kidd, Eva Marie taking off her engagement ring for a business meeting with Fandango, JoJo having a rough start in WWE, Stephanie McMahon threatening to terminate Eva Marie’s contract, Naomi getting physical with Jey Uso and Nikki being hauled in an ambulance.
During last night’s premiere episode, former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis posted numerous messages on Twitter slamming the twin duo’s real-life characters—she has claimed multiple times in recent weeks that Nikki and Brie prevented her from returning to the sports-entertainment organization earlier this year through political means. This drew a great negative reaction from fans on the social media outlet. Her boyfriend, Ring of Honor wrestler Mike Bennett, posted a statement on Twitter on Monday defending her right to speak out.
“Funny that the same people who complain about what’s wrong w wrestling, are the same ones who blast someone when they speak out against it,” Bennett wrote. “Nobody gets anywhere by going w the crowd. stand up for what u believe in, or just keep ur mouth shut and follow blindly.
He continued, “I respect someone who has the balls to speak up,and if that makes them bitter and jealous. What does it make the ones who r afraid to speak.”
Kanellis added, “Family, fancy, friends, dogs, morals, and career are all things I will ALWAYS protect. No one has the right to do damage to my future.”
– Ring of Honor star Mike Bennett is said to be on WWE’s radar, however people in ROH don’t expect him to leave any time soon. There is also renewed speculation that WWE is interested in Mark and Jay Briscoe.
– To promote the limited theatrical release of the WWE Studios horror movie No One Lives, Brodus Clay will be hosting a Q&A this Friday night after a 7pm screening of the movie at the AMC Veterans 24 theater in Tampa, Florida. No One lives is being shown in 23 states.
– This week’s WWE Five-Star Match of the Week was chosen by Paul Heyman and he picked The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar from SummerSlam 2002. Heyman told WWE.com:
“First of all, I disagree with the designation that it’s The Rock vs. Brock. It is Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock. Brock deserves top billing. And he deserves top billing because he won the match. [Brock] did not win the match with outside interference. In fact, The Rock hit me with a Rock Bottom through a table. I was not an equation. Brock Lesnar defeated The Rock cleanly to become the Undisputed WWE Champion, and in doing so, he put his boot on the neck of The Attitude Era and anointed himself the new reigning monarch of the WWE Universe.”
– We noted earlier this week that John Cena was battling some sort of illness at Monday’s RAW. PWInsider.com reports that Cena was battling food poisoning, which is quite possibly the least fun thing ever. It’s believed Cena got sick while traveling on the road.
– As previously reported, The Rock has been advertised to appear at the WWE RAW the night after the Royal Rumble (1/28) and on February 18th. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that The Rock is also booked for RAW on January 7th and the RAW the week before the Royal Rumble (1/21).
– It appears that Ring of Honor star Mike Bennett could be working with WWE sooner than later. Bennett’s girlfriend, former WWE Diva, Maria Kanellis, tweeted the following on Thursday night:
– Despite Comcast listing a rerun of NCIS: Los Angeles for this Monday night on the USA Network at 8:00 p.m., Raw will remain three hours in its regular time slot.
WWE officials confirmed to F4WOnline.com Wednesday night that Raw will remain a three-hour show airing from 8:00 to 11:05 p.m. The cause of this miscommunication is currently unknown.
– Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis announced on Twitter Wednesday night that she is engaged to be married to Ring of Honor wrestler Mike Bennett. She tweeted a photo of her engagement ring.
After parting ways with WWE in 2010, Kanellis largely kept away from the professional wrestling industry until meeting Bennett through Twitter last year. She regularly accompanies him to independent events as his valet and now holds the position of creative director of Crossfire Wrestling in Nashville, Tennessee.
– Today marks as the 63rd birthday of WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler. Also sharing birthdays with “The King” are fellow WWE broadcaster John “Bradshaw” Layfield, who turns 46-years-old, and WWE Hall of Famer “Mean” Gene Okerlund, who turns 70.
– WWE has contemplated building towards a Ryback vs. Big Show match at WrestleMania 29 on April 7, 2013 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is based on the idea of Ryback having a “WrestleMania moment” by hoisting Show onto his shoulders and marching around.
– Ring of Honor wrestler Mike Bennett met with WWE officials last week. Additional details have not been disclosed.
In August, “The Prodigy” remarked on whether he would be interested in joining the promotion if an offer came along: “Well, I’ll give you the political answer right now and say never-say-never. I’d be absolutely lying to you if I said I didn’t become a wrestler to be at WrestleMania and headline WrestleMania, which is what 99% of all guys want to do if they’re in wrestling. They want to make the big bucks and be on the main stage. But for me, right now, I’m 100% happy in Ring of Honor. I mean, I feel like I’m building a company. Its been around since 2002, its been building since then, but I feel now with the Sinclair network behind it we really are truly building a company. Is WWE ever an option? Like I said, I’d be lying if I said wouldn’t want to go there, but right now Ring of Honor is where I like to be.”
– WWE Superstars announcer Matt Striker heavily praised Stephanie McMahon upon seeing her on Monday’s landmark edition of Raw.
“Not just saying this but Stephanie is great. She’s beautiful, witty, athletic, creative and gets a better reaction than those who THINK they’re over,” he wrote on Twitter. “They can fire me tomorrow and I’d still stand by my last tweet.”
– The planned title for WWE’s Brock Lesnar DVD and Blu-ray release is Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain – Collector’s Edition, reports WWEDVDNews.com. The title will include the documentary featured in the 2003 DVD release Brock Lesnar – Here Comes the Pain!, as well as 30 minutes of new content, plus career matches.
Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain – Collector’s Edition will be released on October 30, 2012.
– Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis will face Eddie Edwards and Sara Del Rey at Ring of Honor’s Boiling Point iPPV on August 11 in Providence, Rhode Island.