— Today marks the eleven year anniversary of the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro. The show began with Vince McMahon appearing via satellite from Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, the site of that evening’s Raw is War broadcast on TNN, announcing that he had purchased World Championship Wrestling. The show ended with a simulcast on Raw with an appearance by Shane McMahon on Nitro as he interrupted his father’s gloating over the purchase to explain that he actually owned WCW.

WWE has posted several clips from the episode including Ric Flair’s emotional WCW farewell speech, Booker T vs. Scott Steiner: in a Title vs. Title Match, Shane Helms vs. Chavo Guerrero in a Cruiserweight Title Match, Sean O’Haire and Chuck Palumbo vs. Lance Storm and Mike Awesome, Shawn Stasiak vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, Vince McMahon firing Jeff Jarrett, Sting vs. Ric Flair and Shane McMahon saying he bought WCW.

— Kelly Kelly says “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson is her favorite ’80s Superstar. She says of the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame inductee to WWE Magazine in an interview, “I admire everything he accomplished in the ring. He was the greatest bad guy ever.”

She also reveals the best thing about being on the road as a WWE Diva: “Traveling with the girls. We have a lot fun getting in trouble together.”

— Dolph Ziggler was asked during an interview with WWE Magazine if there is anyone he loves listening to on the mic. He says The Rock despite not being “a huge fan” of his.

“Though I’m not a huge fan of The Rock, I admit that I am a fan of the fact that he does his own thing. He gets excited on the mic. He yells. He didn’t listen to what people told him to do, and people responded to that. I appreciate someone who stands out and stands up for what he believes in, because that’s what I’m trying to do,” Ziggler says.

“When I finally get the chance to say what I want, to talk about where we’re going from here on out, when my voice, my words, become the measuring stick for WWE, I think that’s the moment that’s going to reinvent our entire business.”

— SLAM! Wrestling has published an article on Marcus “Buff” Bagwell wrestling at the high school he attended, Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia. Along with that special occasion, Bagwell partnered with Scott Steiner in the main event of UCW’s recent Superclash event. The former nWo duo lost to Brodie Chase and Mike Knox in a tag team match.

Though long removed from the national wrestling scene and now 42 years of age, Bagwell still looks as he did during the late 1990s with World Championship Wrestling. The twenty-two year veteran credits his persona as the main reason for his consistent look.

“My name’s the reason,” Bagwell joked. “If you’ve got a name like “Buff” you better look the part.”

His physique has led to an endorsement as he is featured in online advertisements for Force Factor muscle building supplements.

— Chris Jericho posted a message on Twitter in response to online critics.

“Funny how some of u never stop complaining and think u know it all,” he wrote. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride…you’ll have a lot more fun!”

— WWE highlighted World Championship Wrestling’s annual February pay-per-view event SuperBrawl on this week’s episode of Vintage Collection. Matches featured include The Fabulous Freebirds vs. The Young Pistols (WCW SuperBrawl), Billy Kidman vs. Vampiro (WCW SuperBrawl 2000), Scott Steiner vs. Diamond Dallas Page (WCW SuperBrawl Revenge), Steve Austin, Paul Orndorff and Rick Rude vs. Sting, Dustin Rhodes and Brian Pillman in a Thundercage Match (WCW Superbrawl IV).

The 1998 edition is currently airing its entirety on WWE Classics On Demand.

— Tommy Dreamer will be holding a wrestling seminar on March 8 in Winnipeg. Cost is $35 and spots are limited. E-mail danny@cwecanada.ca for more information.

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

Here is a preview of Thursday’s broadcast:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

source: ImpactWrestling.com

TNA Wrestling presents Turning Point live tonight on pay-per-view and online at TNAOnDemand.com from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The complete match lineup is as follows:

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Bobby Roode (c) vs. “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles

Challenge Match
“The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy vs. “King Of The Mountain” Jeff Jarrett

X Division Championship Match
Austin Aries (c) vs .Jesse Sorensen vs Kid Kash

Television Championship Match
Eric Young (c) vs. Robbie E

Tag Team Match
Mr. Anderson and Abyss vs. Bully Ray and Scott Steiner

Undefeated Streak On The Line
Crimson vs. “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan

No Disqualification Match
Rob Van Dam vs. Christopher Daniels

Women’s Knockout Championship Match
Velvet Sky vs. Gail Kim

Tag Team Championship Match
Anarquia, Hernandez and Sarita vs. Jesse Neal, Shannon Moore and Toxxin

Preview TNA IMPACT WRESTLING Next Thursday At 9/8c On SpikeTV

Don’t miss Thursday’s huge IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c, as the road continues to the November 13 “Turning Point” Pay-Per-View event! Can’t watch it Thursday night? Set your DVR to record it!

Here is a preview of Thursday’s broadcast:

– NEW World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode will appear on the broadcast! Just one week after Roode shocked the wrestling world by stabbing James Storm in the back and taking the World Title, will Roode explain his heinous actions on Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING on SpikeTV? Tune in and find out!

– Plus, James Storm WILL be in attendance – and rumors are “The Cowboy” plans to unleash hell on his former tag team partner for what he did! No doubt, both Roode and Storm are prepared for war over the World Heavyweight Title!

– Ronnie from MTV’s hit “Jersey Shore” steps inside the ring for his first ever OFFICIAL Match teaming with Eric Young against Robbie E. and Rob Terry

– Also, in an attempt to end their longtime rivalry once and for all and determine who the best wrestler is, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles will take on Christopher Daniels!

– New Knockouts Tag Team Champions Gail Kim and Madison Rayne will make their first title defense, putting the gold on the line against Knockouts Champion Velvet Sky and Mickie James

– IMMORTAL alliance members Jeff Jarrett, Bully Ray and Scott Steiner have challenged “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson to find a tag team partner to battle in a Six Man Match on the broadcast! Who will step up to join Hardy and Anderson in battle?

All this and more this Thursday night at 9/8c on IMPACT WRESTLING on SpikeTV, including news on the upcoming November 13 “Turning Point” Pay-Per-View event.

source: ImpactWrestling.com

Preview IMPACT WRESTLING On SpikeTV: Shocks & Surprises!

Don’t miss Thursday’s huge IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c, featuring the aftermath from our biggest event of the year, Bound For Glory! It’s a night of shocks and surprises on the packed show! Can’t watch IMPACT WRESTLING on Thursday night? Make sure to set your DVR to record it so you don’t miss any of the action.

Here is a preview of Thursday’s broadcast:

– Kurt Angle is STILL the World Heavyweight Champion, having defeated Bobby Roode in controversial fashion at Bound For Glory! The champ will appear on Thursday’s broadcast of IMPACT WRESTLING! What’s next for Angle? How will Roode react? Who will step up to challenge him next? Don’t miss it!

– Also, after defeating “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan at Bound For Glory, Sting returned control of TNA to President Dixie Carter! Both “The Icon” Sting and Dixie Carter will appear on Thursday’s huge broadcast on SpikeTV! The question is, what’s next for Hulk Hogan after what happened at BFG? Is it a new era for Hulkamania? How will Eric Bischoff react? Tune in and find out!

– Also at Bound For Glory, a new Knockouts Champion was crowned as Velvet Sky realized her dream of capturing the gold! Velvet will be on the broadcast this Thursday, but Knockouts VP Karen Jarrett isn’t happy that Velvet came out victorious. What will happen between Velvet Sky and Karen Jarrett this Thursday? Is Jarrett about to make Sky’s championship reign a living hell?

– After he was forcefully kicked out of the Immortal alliance last week, “The Monster” Abyss will battle Immortal’s “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner

– Plus, the Knockouts Tag Team Championship will be on the line as titleholders Tara and Brooke Tessmacher defend against Winter and Angelina Love

Also appearing on Thursday night – “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy, “The King Of The Mountain” Jeff Jarrett, X Division Champion Austin Aries and many more!

— Kevin Nash is advertised to wrestle TNA Wrestling star Scott Steiner at UCW’s September To Remember events, which take place on Aug. 31, 2011 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada at St. Antonio Hall and Sept. 1, 2011 in Berwick, Nova Scotia, Canada at the Apple Dome.

Meanwhile, Northeast Wrestling announced today that Nash will fulfill his future obligations for the promotion. Their statement reads: “We have just confirmed with the Big man himself – “Big Sexy” Kevin Nash – he will be in Waterbury, CT on Friday, September 30th and Poughkeepsie, NY on Saturday, Oct. 1st. He will be in action both nights and signing autographs and taking photos with the fans.”

— Mick Foley says he’s not upset about not being included in WWE’s Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century DVD.

“I’m not surprised I’m not on that greatest stars disc,” he wrote on Twitter. “I only had 9 matches with @WWE in the 21st century. Not hurt at all.”

— Tammy Sytch, Nikolai Volkoff and Samu appear at Sports Heroes & Legends 10 Giffords Lane Staten Island, New York this Friday from from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

— TNA Wrestling has announced that Sting and Kurt Angle will sign the contract for their World Heavyweight Champion Match at Hardcore Justice on this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling. Plus, three Bound For Glory Series matches are scheduled: Samoa Joe vs. “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero; AJ Styles vs. Devon; Scott Steiner and Gunner vs. Rob Van Dam and Crimson.

— MVP, who now competes overseas for New Japan Pro Wrestling after parting ways with World Wrestling Entertainment in December, was asked on Twitter about joining TNA Wrestling should he get homesick.

Taking an apparent shot at the Nashville based organization, he responded, “I could never be THAT homesick!”

— TNA Wrestling has announced live events for Friday, September 23 in Springfield, Illinois and Saturday, September 24 in Hammond, Indiana. Click here for full details.

Impact began with Sting coming to the ring for a promo. He talks about how insane he is. He calls out Bischoff and Hogan to come out. Kurt Angle comes out in his clown attire from last week and enters the ring. Angle says that he means no disrespect and says that it was him who saved Sting last week because it was the right thing to do. At Hardcore Justice their paths will cross again. Sting says he respects Angle. Angle says he wants to beat Sting since he never has. It has to be Angle because he has no other choice. Sting says they have a dilemma.

Immortal’s music plays and out comes Ken Anderson and Bully Ray. Ray says it is Sting and Angle versus Anderson and Ray tonight.

In a Bound for Glory Series Match, Rob Van Dam defeated Scott Steiner with a rollup.

Mickie James came out for a promo and called out Velvet Sky. Mickie said she has watched Velvet get blamed for other wrestler’s problems. Mickie knows how it gets and its not good. Mickie wants to give Velvet her first knockouts championship shot tonight because Velvet has earned it and says that they are going to tear the roof off the Impact Zone.

Angelina Love and Winter come out. Angelina says she and Winter are competitors and that Mickie and Velvet just need to go get a hotel room. Angelina says that no matter who wins tonight it won’t be long before the title is back around her waist. Winter insults both Mickie and Velvet for a bit before they go to the back.

Backstage Sarita and Rosita are brawling with Tara and Miss Tessmacher. Madison Rayne brawls with Tara as well until referees have to break it up.

Miss Tessmacher and Tara defeat Rosita and Sarita to become the new Knockouts Tag Champions. Tara and Tessmacher jumped Rosita and Sarita when they came out. Sarita was wrestling this match wearing a mask due to her recent facial injury. Tara had Sarita in the Widow’s Peak and Madison ran out while the ref was distracted and Madison tackled Tara. Tara and Miss Tessmacher were able to hit stereo finishers (Stratusfaction by Tessmacher and fireman’s carry into side slam by Tara) for the three count.

In a Bound for Glory Series Match, Matt Morgan defeats AJ Styles, Gunner, and Samoa Joe to earn 10 points.

They show an Eric Young video package with him going into a gas station looking for an opponent to defend his TV title against. He finds D’Lo Brown. D’Lo tells Eric this is a road Eric doesn’t want to go down. Eric rolls up D’Lo and counts the 3 himself and runs from D’Lo. Young gets away and D’Lo says “he didn’t even recognize me.”

In an X Division title match, Brian Kendrick defeated Alex Shelley Shelley hit sliced bread on Kendrick on the apron. When Shelley put Kendrick back in the ring, Aries ran out and hit Shelley with the title and threw him back in the ring for the fall.

Mexican America comes out for a promo. Anarquia comes out and calls what Tara and Tessmacher did earlier garbage. He says they are pissed off and when they are pissed off they kick ass. They call out Beer Money who enter the building and come face to face with Mexican America. James Storm tells them to do everyone a favor and leave the ring, the company, and go cut grass. Storm threatens to kick Anarquia’s teeth down his throat. Since they have been competing in the Bound for Glory Series, they came out to reintroduce themselves to everyone.

Storm says they are the best, being four time tag team champions. Storm says they aren’t going to just beat them, they’re going to kick their asses for the people here, the people watching, and all the Mexcians that came before Mexican America that they are disgracing. At Hardcore Justice, Beer Money will beat them to retain the tag titles. Storm advises them to mark the day after the pay per view on their calendars because Mexican America is going to wake up with their Green Cards stuck straight up their asses. Roode tells then Sorry About your damn luck.

The Knockouts Title Match between Velvet Sky and Mickie James never got to happen. Angelina Love and Winter attacked Mickie as she entered. Velvet tried to make the save. ODB and Jackie came out and attacked Velvet as Angelina and Winter bailed. Traci Brooks then came out for the save. Referees and security had to separate Traci, Mickie, and Velvet from Jackie and ODB. Cops came out and put handcuffs on Jackie and ODB and took them out of the Impact Zone.

TNA World Champion Sting and Kurt Angle defeated Ken Anderson and Bully Ray when Angle pinned Anderson after an Angle Slam. Ray tried to stop Anderson from doing his usual intro because Ray wants to get in the ring and take care of business. Anderson did it anyway. At one point during the match Bischoff came out and said something on commentary.

After the match, Angle and Sting shook hands and Angle pulled Sting in close before leaving the ring.

source: PWInsider.com

The official Facebook page of Impact Wrestling has released the promotional poster for No Surrender, which takes place Sunday, September 11, 2011.

The poster features the twelve wrestlers competing in the Bound For Glory Series: Crimson, Gunner, Matt Morgan, James Storm, Bully Ray, AJ Styles, Devon, Rob Van Dam, Scott Steiner, “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode.

At No Surrender, the top four points leaders will vie for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship—to be received at Bound for Glory. It has not been determined whether a tournament or four-way match will be held.

— The official website of Miss Tessmacher, MissTessmacher.com, has confirmed that the TNA Knockout has launched an account on Twitter. Her account is located at twitter.com/BrookeAdamsTNA.

She noted that she’s in South Beach, Florida for the Miss Hooters International Pageant, which she will be competing in.

— The next match in the first-ever “Bound For Glory Series” will feature Bully Ray vs. Scott Steiner. The match will take place on this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling.

Rob Van Dam and Matt Morgan currently lead the series with 7 points apiece.

— Brian Kendrick competed at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s pay-per-view event, Dominion, Saturday in Osaka, Japan. He teamed with Gedo and Jado in a tag team match against Jushin Thunder Liger, Yujiro Kushida and Tiger Mask IV. The TNA star scored the win for his team after hitting the Sliced Bread #2.

— On tomorrow night’s episode of Impact Wrestling on Spike, the first-ever “Bound For Glory Series” will be officially announced. There will be twelve Superstars participating in the competition, all leading to the Bound For Glory pay-per-view event in October.

Matt Morgan, Brother Devon and Scott Steiner were announced today for the competition.

Nine of the twelve wrestlers in the Series have been announced thus far. The first six wrestlers announced were Rob Van Dam, AJ Styles, Gunner, Bully Ray, Crimson and James Storm.

— The Impact Wrestling website has published separate bio pages for Gunner and Murphy. They were previously grouped together as a tag team.

— TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mr. Anderson and WWE Hall of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch are advertised for an appearance at K & M All Star Sports in Waterford, Connecticut on Saturday, July 9 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Visit www.kmallstarsports.net for more information.

— Mickie James will be wrestling in an Impact Wrestling match at the San Diego Comic Con on Friday, July 22. The event takes place at the San Diego Convention Center 111 W. Harbor Drive, San Diego, California 92101. Visit Comic-Con.org for event information.

— Scott Steiner is featured in Impact Wrestling’s latest “Why Wrestling Matters” video. “Big Poppa Pump” discusses what drives his passion and dedication for professional wrestling.

“On Impact Wrestling, the handcuffs are off. I can say what I want,” he says in his regular voice. “I’ve been getting a lot of leeway, a lot of freedom to say what I want, cause what I say is pretty much what I believe. I don’t really try to stray too much from that. Other places, I was kind of like, handcuffed.

“People want to escape, people wanted to be entertained and that’s really the bottom line. Why won’t you let me say what I want to say? Everybody’s got a voice, let me speak it.”

The video is available here.

— Mick Foley was not TNA’s original choice for the role of Network Consultant. Company officials had a nineties star in mind for the role but couldn’t come to terms on an agreement—it was not Bill Goldberg.

— Scott Steiner has apparently resolved his financial dispute with TNA Wrestling as he appeared at last night’s iMPACT! Wrestling taping in Orlando, Florida.

After building up a match between Matt Morgan and Scott Steiner for TNA Sacrifice, company officials stopped pushing it just prior to the event since “Big Poppa Pump” accepted a booking for an independent show in Port Colborne, Ontario on the same night.

He was also scheduled to participate in a TNA vs. AAA match at TripleManía XIX (Mr. Anderson and Scott Steiner vs. Jack Evans and Extreme Tiger), which takes place on Saturday, June 18 at Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City. However, his issues with TNA may prevent the booking from being finalized. AJ Styles has been discussed for the role in case Steiner is unable to compete.

— Jeremy Borash will be hosting a TNA UK Fan Party in Manchester, England on May 26 at a “secret location.” More details are available here.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Monday Night Mayhem with Scott Steiner
Hosts: The Big Mosh and “The Chairman of the Board” Todd Vincent
Airs every Monday at 6:00 P.M. (CT)
Show available at www.MondayNightMayhem.com.

His feelings on returning to TNA after an eleven-month absence: “Part of the reason was I don’t know why I left. That was not my decision, and obviously they brought me back to bring the ratings back. Now I’m here, and we can go out there and prove that I’m still the best.”

Why he believes Matt Morgan’s collegiate and basketball backgrounds will not help him when “Big Poppa Pump” and “The Blueprint” square off soon: “I tired to look up his (Matt’s) profile on the computer and saw Monmouth College somewhere in the cesspools of New Jersey. I never heard of that. And supposedly Chaminade, where they somehow made it to the NCAA Tournament, where he played a couple of minutes. Fans are going to be deeply disappointed when it comes down to athletic ability, because he says he’s trying to follow in my footsteps. You can’t follow in my footsteps. So he plays with little balls and puts them in the holes. That’s not going to help his ass when he gets in the ring.”

What fans can expect at CWI’s “Brawl at the Bush II” event in Brantford, Ontario, Canada (headlined by his CWI Title defense vs. Kevin Nash and a special appearance by Hulk Hogan): “It’s going to be a great event. There’s going to be a lot of stars there. Of course I have to go against Kevin Nash, which will be a hard-fought match. Hulk Hogan’s going to be there, so anybody who’s a wrestling fan should enjoy the show.

— On Raw, The Corre came down and attacked both The Rock and John Cena. The heels worked over the WrestleMania XXVIII opponents until they fought back and got the upper hand. Rock and Cena cleared Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson out of the ring and Heath Slater was the unlucky Corre member who got the brunt of Cena and Rock’s revenge. Rock and Cena hit their finishers on Heath Slater and cleared the ring. Cena put his hand out and The Rock shook it. Cena then left the ring and The Rock celebrated to end the show as Cena walked up to the ramp.

Video is available here.

— Chris Jericho is scheduled to appear on That Metal Show on VH1 Classics on Saturday.

— TNA Wrestling star Scott Steiner was backstage visiting friends at WrestleMania XXVII in Atlanta, Georgia.

— Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page turns 55 years old today while WWE Hall of Famer Sika turns 66.

source: PWInsider.com

— WrestleMania 28 will be held on Sunday, April 1, 2012. The Miami Herald reported last night that the event will be held at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida.

— Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Scott Steiner has been announced for WrestleReunion’s signing event on Sunday, April 2 at the Downtown Marriott in Atlanta, Georgia. Bruno Sammartino, WWE Hall of Famer “Cowboy” Bob Orton and TNA Knockout Winter will also be on hand for the event.

— WSVN-TV features a short piece on WrestleMania 28 coming to Miami, Florida. (Article link)

– Matt Hardy is reportedly signed to a three-year deal with TNA. It’s said that Matt is getting less money than his brother Jeff Hardy but the other details of their contracts are very similar. During Matt’s negotiations with TNA, he was pushing hard to get a spot on the creative team. While TNA refused to put that stipulation in Matt’s contract, they are open to hearing his booking ideas.

– TNA will tape more iMPACT tapings tonight from Orlando. Tonight’s spoilers will be the Against All Odds go-home show.

– TNA officials are currently having a new World Heavyweight Title belt made for Mr. Anderson.

– After working a few TNA shows on a per-night basis, Scott Steiner is believed to have signed to a new deal with the company.

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

Last Thursday on TNA iMPACT!, Amazing Red’s “little” brother (officially known as “Crimson”) put Abyss in a chokehold backstage and delivered a cryptic message to him: “They are coming.”

“They” will mark the return of the Main Event Mafia and will consist of Kurt Angle and Scott Steiner, and possibly Sting, Kevin Nash and Booker T.

Steiner returned to TNA at last Wednesday’s iMPACT! taping and participated in a cliff hanger ending. He donned a suit reminiscent of his time in the Main Event Mafia. Angle is penciled in for the group, and many within the organization expect Sting to be too.

Many in TNA presume that Nash is on board for the group. However, he adamantly said last week on Twitter that he is not because he is retired. Internally, many believe Nash is kayfabing his absence from TNA, but those close to him indicate he’s legitimately retired.

Booker T’s status remains unknown at this point, other than he wasn’t believed to have signed as of last week. Some were pleased with his departure from the organization in October 2009 as there were complaints about his performance, attitude, refusal to put over Matt Morgan in a match, and his own admission that he was using the company as a way to audition for acting roles.

Bobby Lashley has been mentioned by those in TNA as a possible member of the group. However, those affiliated with the mixed martial artist don’t believe he’s returning to the wrestling organization. Lashley is currently a free agent as his contract with Strikeforce expired following his loss to Chad Griggs in August. The only thing of note he has done since then is work a wrestling match for the Japanese promotion Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) in September. He is not tentatively not scheduled for any upcoming shows.

“They” would initially feud with Immortal and Fortune. The angle begins on the Feb. 3 iMPACT!.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

— It would not be surprising to see Scott Steiner return to TNA as he was in the process of negotiating a new contract with the organization when Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff joined the fold. Though negotiations fell through and he is no longer under contract, a company source predicts he’ll return within the next few months.

— On Twitter, a fan expressed his displeasure with Taylor Wilde’s lack of television time in recent weeks. The Knockout herself responded, “Yeah……….I’m not too thrilled about it either.”

Wilde was not flown in for this week’s television tapings. She is currently vacationing in England.

— Click here to watch the Before The Bell special previewing Lockdown.

(partial source: Pro Wrestling Torch)

– Former WWE stars Spike Dudley and Ken “Dykstra” Doane are at Tuesday’s TNA iMPACT! tapings. Doane lost a dark match Homicide and was said to look good in the ring.

– Contrary to a previous report, the main event of tonight’s TNA iMPACT! tapings (airing next Monday night) will be Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles. We reported earlier that Rob Van Dam and Desmond Wolfe would be part of the match, but those plans seem to have changed.

– Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Scott Steiner was visiting backstage at Monday’s iMPACT! His profile was removed from the TNA website back on 2/4 and departure from the company was confirmed the following week.

– Sorta-celebrities Joey Fatone of N Sync fame and Jesse Goddarz from CBS’ Big Brother show were sitting ringside last night.

– The TNA website has added Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam and Shannon Moore to its roster page.

– ShopTNA.com is selling an autographed photo of Hulk Hogan from his return match last night for $39.99.

– After Scott Steiner’s superstar profile was recently removed from the talent roster page of TNA’s official website, we were able to confirm that Big Poppa Pump is no longer with the company. It’s said that Scott Steiner wasn’t offered a new contract by TNA because the company felt bringing in Ric Flair was worth more to them and with the bad blood from the past between Flair and Steiner, it just wouldn’t work out.

– As previously reported, Karen Angle was backstage at this week’s  TNA iMPACT tapings in Orlando. For those keeping score, Kurt Angle’s ex-wife is still dating Jeff Jarrett. While some would think this would be a major issue between Kurt and Jeff, the two TNA stars are actually said to be on pretty good terms right now. Apparently Jarrett has even gone to bat for Kurt regarding custody of Kurt and Karen’s children, trying to help Kurt get more time for visitation with his children. Kurt has told friends he’s considering moving to Nashville to be closer to work and his kids. There was talk a few months ago of doing a Jarrett vs. Angle feud based on the real life love triangle involving Karen, but that storyline never came to pass and there are currently no plans to put Karen Angle back on television.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

— Former WWE wrestler Johnny Stamboli, who wrestled as Rellik during his previous stint in TNA, inquired about returning to the organization as part of a tag team with Chuck Palumbo, but company officials were said to not be interested. Alongside Nunzio, Stamboli and Palumbo worked together as a tag team in World Wrestling Entertainment as “The F.B.I.” — Full Blooded Italians. The partnership ended when both Stamboli and Palumbo were released from their WWE contracts on November 4, 2004.

— Regarding Scott Steiner’s departure from TNA Wrestling this past week, his contract expired and he wasn’t offered a new contract. He is now accepting independent bookings through wrestling representative Bill Behrens and is also available for teaming with his brother, Rick Steiner, as the Steiner Brothers. Those interesting in booking “Big Poppa Pump” can contact Behrens at showbis@aol.com.

— Ric Flair is looking to open a gym and wrestling school in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. He owned several Gold’s Gyms years ago, and when he sold them, he had a non-compete clause which ran out at the end of last year.

(credit to the Pro Wrestling Torch and Wrestling Observer for the information used in this report)

– The following matches have been confirmed for TNA’s Against All Odds pay-per-view on February 14th:

TNA Heavyweight Title Match:
AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe

Tag Team Legends Collide:
The Nasty Boys vs. Team 3D.

– While some speculated that TNA would be holding live events Arizona during WrestleMania weekend when WWE is in town, the company has actually announced shows  in Alabama and Georgia that weekend. They will be in Ozark, Alabama on March 25th and Columbus, Georgia on March 26th.

– Scott Steiner has been removed from the TNA roster page, which doesn’t say good things about his standing in the company.  It was reported a few weeks back that Steiner’s future with TNA was up in the air. Ric Flair and Mr. Anderson have been added to the roster page.