HEADLINE NEWS:
- Last week, World Wrestling Entertainment announced that Edward Fatu {aka Umaga} was released because he refused to enter a drug rehabilitation facility, after violating the company's Wellness Program a 2nd time. This should explain why he was telling people, including his family, why he quit, since it was his decision to refuse to attend the rehab that was ordered. However, Fatu wasn't exactly telling the entire story regarding his dismissal from the company, as he claimed his new deal {with his old deal expiring this January} was being negotiated & he was unhappy with the terms. Apparently, his unhappiness concerning the new terms of his contract made him quit 6 months early, if he's to be believed. WWE's announcement came a day after the company released a statement to The Sun that all performers who violate the company's Wellness Program are reported publicly. The statement was apparently in response to a certain online report, questioning whether the company was still adhering to the policy, as some developmental wrestlers had reportedly been released as a result of Wellness Policy violations the week prior, but were never publicly announced. There's some skepticism regarding the situation, because the fact remains that WWE hadn't previously announced a drug test failure concerning Edward, which should indicate that the company's public policy of doing so wasn't being completely adhered to. WWE officials released a statement to The Sun explaining the discrepancy, by saying the delay in announcing his Wellness Policy violation was "due to the unusual nature of Umaga's termination." Company officials knew Fatu had succumbed to a Wellness Policy violation @ least by June 5th, 2 days before the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Then, the result of the Samoan Strap match between Umaga & CM Punk was changed to the Straight-Edge Superstar going over, instead of the Samoan Bulldozer. It's unclear whether they knew by the SmackDown taping on June 2nd, which saw Punk net a clean win over Umaga. All of this should explain why an announcement wasn't previously made. Although, it once again brings up the question where talent who violate the policy are still put on pay-per-views for the sake of storylines, thus delaying suspensions. Edward had 1 strike, stemming from being named in the Signature Pharmacy scandal in August 2007, resulting in a 30-day suspension. Through a government raid, WWE officials learned he'd received packages of somatropin, a growth hormone, between July & December 2006. His 2nd strike would've been for a different drug, as the company doesn't send people to rehab for growth hormone {which can't be tested for anyway}, nor for steroids. There's a feeling in the locker room that management was out to get Umaga, with the idea they drug tested him when they knew there was a good chance of catching him. Also, there was some sympathy for him among talent, because he was constantly informed of ideas enabling him to shine & then those decisions would change, leaving him with nothing.
- World Wrestling Entertainment has since come to terms on the release of RAW Superstar Sim Snuka & Smackdown's Candice Michelle Beckman, as of June 19. WWE wishes themm the best in all future endeavours.
- Today marks the 2-year anniversary of the death of former RAW Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit.
- In other prominent Canadian wrestling personality news, venerable personality Billy "Red" Lyons passed away June 22nd @ the age of 77. Born William Snip, the Hamilton, Ontario native enjoyed a fair measure of success throughout his in-ring career. Debuting in 1956, Lyons’ career covered such locales as Ontario, California, Minneapolis, Texas, Georgia & Oklahoma. In 1984, Lyons retired as an active wrestler & began to work for Toronto’s Maple Leaf Wrestling. Many Canadian fans will remember Lyons as the interviewer for promoting WWE live events throughout Canada from the mid-1980s through early 1990s, with the phrase “don’tcha dare miss it” becoming a signature ending to his promos. CHMR offers its sincere condolences to the family & friends of Billy "Red" Lyons.
PAY-PER-VIEW NEWS:
- Check out my own write-up of TNA's Slammiversary pay-per-view @ blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=b...
- WWE issued a survey to fans on their mailing list about a PPV where the Hell In The Cell would be used in all the matches, similar to the potential all-submission match PPV & requested feedback on potential PPV names for the event: A) Hell In A Cell. . . B) No Escape. . . C) Lock Up. . . D) Rage In A Cage. That 3rd choice's a joke, right? Coincidentally, the opposite of Lockdown, a TNA pay-per-view which features {shock & horror!} all matches in their unique "6 Sides of Steel" cage
- This year's TNA Bound for Glory pay-per-view will be on the road, as the company holds its 1st PPV in California. The show, to be held on October 18th, will be @ the Bren Events Center in Irvine @ the University of California. The arena, depending on the setting, can hold up to around 5,000 fans.
- WWE fans will have the opportunity to chat with Kelly Kelly on the WWE Universe site this Sunday from 7:30-8pm EST. prior to "The Bash" pay-per-view. For more information, check out fans.wwe.com/universeliveblogs/blog/2009...
- KCRA in Sacramento, California's holding a contest for free tickets to The Bash next weekend.
- WWE's new '25th Anniversary of WrestleMania Calendar' includes a list of dates & locations for all of their 2009 PPV's. . .
the Bash, June 28th @ the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. . . Night Of Champions, July 26th @ the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. . . Summerslam, August 23rd @ the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. . . Breaking Point, September 13th @ the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. . . No Mercy, October 4th @ the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. . . Cyber Sunday, October 25th @ the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. . . Survivor Series, November 22nd @ the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.
WWE NEWS:
- WWE Hall-of-Famer Jim Ross updated his blog & you can read the latest posting @ www.jrsbarbq.com
- Fans who attended Monday night's RAW got an unexpected surprise. . . a full refund to whatever they paid for the show. The whole stunt was pulled to continue, or rather, start the rather short Donald Trump era of Monday Night RAW. The announcement was made by Trump himself @ the beginning of the show & was met by a huge ovation from the crowd. The Donald quoted the sum of $235,000 US in refunds for the show. The commercial-free RAW was made possible by the product placements of Kentucky Grilled Chicken, who paid a hefty price to be the sole sponsors of the show.
- After RAW was over, fans rushed to the Resch Center box office to get their refunds, basically giving away a free 2-hour+ show. RAW ring announcer Lillian Garcia gave instructions after the show was over, how to fans could get their money back. Those who paid via credit card, their refund would appear on their statement, while fans who paid in cash, had the opportunity to grab the money before heading home from the box office. WWE gave fans who paid cash a week chance to collect their money from the box office, by presenting their ticket.
- The Donald Trump angle on RAW ended sooner than every1 anticipated, as WWE Owner Vince McMahon "bought back" the brand for "double the price" that Trump paid after his 25%, 50% & 75% more offers were turned down. Trump announced on RAW that he wouldn't appoint a General Manager on the show & it would have a celebrity host every week. After mentioning WrestleMania, Vinnie-Mac went down to the ring & made a deal to get control of his show back, but still ended up getting slapped after "firing" Donald Trump McMahon-style.
- WWE writers didn't finish the script for RAW until hours before the show & it was a last minute decision to kill off the Donald Trump new owner storyline, which was originally planned to last for more than a week. The general feeling backstage was negative towards the storyline & it didn't create the reaction Vince expected from the media. WWE hoped, when they announced Trump would give a full ticket refund for the people in attendance @ the show, that the media would pick the story up, but it was another failed attempt, as only the local media covered it. The bottom line now's that WWE purchased $250,000 worth of failed publicity.
- Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase Junior are no longer be referred to as "Pricele$$" reports www.f4wonline.com Rather, they'll simply referred to as "Legacy." WWE recently issued a directive to the announcers regarding the change
- The 1st teaser trailer for the new movie "The Marine 2" starring Ted DiBiase Junior has made its way on YouTube. DiBiase took some time off last year to film the movie, which will be released straight to Blu-Ray & DVD later this year. The 1st movie was released in theatres in October 2006 & did a total of $18,844,784 US in box office revenues in the United States & an additional $3,320,824 US worldwide. You can check the 35-second teaser trailer @ bit.ly/d6GEv
- Chris Jericho has announced via www.Twitter.com/iamjericho that he’s finished vocals for his new Fozzy CD, saying "We finished them tonight & they sound awesome! I can't wait to hear this record."
- WWE had arena security confiscate all fan signs related to "Macho Man" Randy Savage @ Monday's RAW taping in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was reported last month that WWE decided against manufacturing Savage clothing, in co-ordination with their 3-disc DVD release on him, as they didn't want fans wearing t-shirts bearing his trademark likeness appearing on their television shows.
- Monday night before RAW, WWE taped a triple threat match for Thursday's edition of WWE Superstars, between RAW United States champion Kofi Kingston, Montell Vontavius Porter & Matt Hardy. According to www.WrestlingObsever.com Hardy suffered a torn abdominal muscle during the match & is scheduled for surgery later this week. No word yet on how long he'll be out.
TNA NEWS:
- For all the latest Total NonStop Action news, join the MySpace TNA community @ www.myspace.com/wrestlingwarlordtnafan
- TNA Wrestling has uploaded a teaser video in anticipation for the arrival of former ECW Heavyweight champion & Smackdown commentator Taz on their Facebook. The video incorporates the "FTW" & "Survive If I Let You" phrases, along with Taz' signature #13. It's not known in which capacity Taz will join TNA, but 1 thing's for sure, once his WWE no-compete clause's over, the man formerly known as the "Human Suplex Machine" will be crossing the line. You can check the video out @ www.facebook.com/TotalNonstopAction
- Newfoundland TNA fans!! Tired of not being able to see pay-per-views @ a local establishment? Same here! So that's why I've set up a MySpace page to help get our message across! As per instructions on www.tnawrestling.com, if fans want to promote TNA in their local area, they can set up a "TNAtion" page on MySpace & get other fans from their area to pitch in to help get the word out locally about the great wrestling action of Total NonStop Action! So if you wanna get TNA Wrestling pay-per-views into local bars around St. John's, or even have a dream of even the slimmest chance @ getting a house show here in the unforeseeable future, then add www.myspace.com/tnanewf as a friend & pledge your support!
HAUGHTY HOTTIES NEWS:
- To read the coolest news on the hottest women in wrestling today, check out Shimmer's official Yahoo! Group -- sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/shimmerwre...
- Following last night's episode, former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson's 1 of the final 3 competitors in NBC's reality show "I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!" The 2 other finalists are actor Lou Diamond Phillips & former NBA star John Salley. The King or Queen of the Jungle will be announced during tonight's 1-hour finale, which starts @ 8pm EST.
- You can download the high resolution version of Nicholas Andrews' new SHIMMER highlight video "1 Shot" (featuring clips from Vols. 19-22 of the SHIMMER DVD series) @ www.sendspace.com/file/rptgxb
DECLARATION of INDEPENDENTS NEWS:
- To view an up-to-date listing of all the omnivorous upcoming independent shows, check out www.prowrestlingevents.tk/
- Eric Bischoff posted a a blog entry on www.EricBischoff.com giving his thoughts on WWE's Monday Night RAW this past week. To read a synopsis, check out www.wrestling-radio.com/?view=newsitem&h...
- Pro Wrestling Eklipse, Friday, June 26th @ JoBob's ELITE Fight Club, 4797 Allen Road, Zephyrhills, Florida. Doors open @ 7:30pm & show starts @ 8pm. All tickets are $5. For more info call (813) 960-8412 or visit www.eKlipsepro.com
- ALL STAR WRESTLING & www.KOCOSPORTS.COM PRESENTS "FUNBASH" Saturday, June 27th. Doors open @ 6:30pm, Show Starts @ 7pm @ the Spring Hill Town Square (Behind Chili's) 3021 US 19, Spring Hill, Florida. All tickets are $5. For more info call (813) 960-8412 or check out aswfl.com/
- Check out the results of the most recent IWA Mid-South Wrestling, check out their most recent newsletter @ sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/iwamidsout...
- Former WWE wrestler & ½ of the tag team the Killer Bees, B. Brian Blair, was arrested early in the morning of Father's Day, according to the St. Petersburg Times. Police were called in to his residence after Blair had an altercation with his 2 sons, who are aged 17 & 12. Brian pushed the oldest son in the chest & then punched him in the face with a closed fist as the teen was trying to walk away. He then put him in a choke hold, which caused breathing problems. After letting go of his oldest son, Blair attacked the 12-year-old, grabbing him by the throat & punching him, leaving a bump on his head. Both sons identified their father as the attacker & he was booked into the Hillsborough County jail on 2 felony counts of child abuse. Blair's also a former Hillsborough County Commissioner. He was released from Orient Road Jail Monday morning without bail. Blair didn't speak @ the hearing & the Florida Department of Children & Families will determine if he can see his sons. His wife of 22 years accompanied him to the hearing. He'll have to enter a plea to the charges within the next 30 days. Brian called the whole incident an "unfortunate situation" & a "misunderstanding that could've been prevented." You can see the video of Blair walking out of jail & talking to the reporters @ bit.ly/IH8F9 & Brian's mug shot from the booking @ bit.ly/xkweI
- Lance Storm has a commentary about working under a mask as a surprise this past weekend @ a wrestling show in Camrose, Alberta, which you can check out @ www.stormwrestling.com/062209.html