Miscellaneous WWE News Thread.

[Y 2 Jake]

credit: Various

The deal with the Boogeyman and Finlay feud is that they want Finlay to try to teach him how to work.

SmackDown/ECW will be holding two shows in one day at the Lowell Auditorium in Lowell, MA on Saturday, March 10. The first show will be at 3:00 p.m. and the second show will be at 7:30 p.m.

Thanks to Atz79 for the following... I went to a WXW wrestling event and they had an autograph place with the Wild Samoans. They had a sign that said they would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

 

[A.J.]

Chris Beniot and The Hardy's vs. MNM and MVP as well as a Cruiserweight Open.

Last night's No Way Out go home addition of Smackdown scored a 2.9 broadcast rating, based on the Fast National Numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research.

Former WWE champion Kurt Angle arrived in Japan on Saturday, as he prepares for his New Japan tag team match on Sunday at Ryogoku Kokugikan. Zach Arnold reports that Angle met Nagata for a photo-op and had a Hummer escort vehicle. Angle was billed as a "Real American Hero" and he stated that he would like a singles match against Nagata in the future.

Remember former WWF superstar Kurrgan (Real name Robert Maillet). He appears in the movie "300," which will be released next month.

Curtis "Mr." Hughes is now working in Memphis Wrestling.

 

[A.J.]

It will be hard to follow his appearance this past week on "Hogan Knows Best," but former Nasty Boy Brian Knobs will attempt to do it in "Trailor Court Justice." Knobs has finished filming the pilot, where he plays the judge in the series. Believe it or not, the "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan was to be the judge on the show, but they decided to go with Knobs with Duggan back with WWE. The show is being shopped around, and they are hopeful it will be syndicated nationally in the spring. Maybe VH1 can pick it up if "Hogan Knows Best" doesn't return for a fourth season.

After a two week stay on RAW, Scotty 2 Hotty has been moved back to the SmackDown roster. Scotty's profile is now in the SmackDown section on WWE.com. Scotty 2 Hotty appeared at Tuesday night's SmackDown tapings. He will be competing in the Cruiserweight Open at No Way Out this Sunday.

 

[A.J.]

Shannon Moore also appeared on SmackDown this past week. He'll be participating in the Cruiserweight Open at No Way Out this Sunday as well. For the time being, he's still a member of ECW. His profile is still on the ECW page.

Ken Patera has signed on with Jakks Pacific for a Classic Superstars action figure.

The deal with the Boogeyman and Finlay feud is that they want Finlay to try to teach him how to work.

Amy 'Lita' Dumas has opened up her own personal MySpace page at myspace.com/therealamydumas.

 

[A.J.]

WWE has hired a full-time scout to travel the country and recruit amateur and pro athletes to potentially become developmental projects for WWE. That person is Ty Bailey, the son of Miami Dolphins CEO Joe Bailey. He used to work for the XFL and is considered well-connected in the NFL. He reports to John Laurinaitis. The goal is to create relationships with the player organizations in the NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, and the Olympics.

Jillian Hall doing the airhead singing gimmick is, in fact, a shot at Hulk Hogan and his daughter Brooke. Vince McMahon thinks that Jillian looks just like Brooke, although others don't really see it. Whatever the case may be, Jillian's "singing" is intended to be a spoof on Brooke Hogan by Vince McMahon.

 

[A.J.]

- Featured under Yahoo’s Buzz Log, WWE Rumors is listed in fourth place.

- Last weekend’s edition of AM Raw scored a 0.9 cable rating, with a 3.8 share.

- A WWE decal was featured on Jeremy Mayfield’s new #36 OCT Toyota Camry For Bill Davis Racing this past week at Daytona. The decal is featured in the rear quarter panel.

 

[A.J.]

Lucha Libre wrestler Mistico will be getting a WWE tryout during the California swing over the next two weeks. With TV happening in Bakersfield and San Diego this coming week, his tryout might be this week.

Former ECW star Amish Roadkill made his first appearance in several months at last night's Ohio Valley Wrestling house show. His name in OVW is Braddock. For his new gimmick he cut off his trademark goatee, grew his hair in, and grew some mutton chops. What with his large size and short trunks he very much resembles an older era wrestler such as Dusty Rhodes. Roadkill was pulled off the road in June so that he could test out this gimmick in OVW. He was soon pulled off OVW for some unknown reason, and he didn't show up again until last night. OVW wrestler Shawn Spears defeated Braddock in the match.

 

[A.J.]

The Chris Benoit & The Hardy vs. MNM & MVP match for tonight's pay-per-view was decided upon on Friday.

Torrie Wilson was signing autographs at a recent car show. When she was done, she started walking to a guy, gave him a hug, and left the building with him. That person is former Spirit Squad member Mitch (real name Nick Mitchell). Mitch is currently the only former member of the Spirit Squad not to be assigned to any roster, including developmental. Also, Torrie noted on her MySpace "I HAD A GREAT VALENTINES DAY, DID YOU? A SWEET BOY DID EVERYTHING FOR ME THAT I COULD EVER ASK FOR AND MORE....CAN'T BELIEVE SOMETIMES THAT I COULD EVER BE TREATED SO NICE!". She also talked about moving out of her Tampa residence (which was once featured on MTV Cribs), Ashley's Playboy spread, and more.

2006 Diva Search contestant J.T. Tinney is currently featured on in-store posters for 'Victoria's Secret' lingerie.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

WWE.com is reporting that Steve Austin is backstage at the Staples Center at the site of tonight's No Way Out PPV in Los Angeles.

"I’m here to watch the pay-per-view and do some interviews and behind the scenes features for The Condemned. But I would have come out anyway to see everyone and say hi," added Austin in the article.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

WWE.com has been following WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London & Brian Kendrick in preparation for the No Way Out PPV tonight in the form of a diary.

There is also coverage on WWE.com at the site of No Way Out tonight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA up.

Just a quick reminder that we will be providing live coverage of WWE No Way Out tonight starting at 8:00pm Eastern/7:00pm Central.

TNA star Kurt Angle made his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling on Sunday in Tokyo. Angle teamed with Yuji Nagata defeating TNA star Travis Tomko and former WWE star Giant Bernard (aka A-Train/Prince Albert). An estimated crowd of 11,500 were said to be in attendance for the event.

 

[A.J.]

The following is from WWE.com:

Preview:
Broken down?

February 19, 2007

What will be left of Raw’s WrestleMania main eventers when the flagship sails into Bakersfield, Calif. on Monday night?

No Way Out
It is known that John Cena and Shawn Michaels will meet for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 23. But before that, the current World Tag Team Champions must coexist at No Way Out, where they will meet Batista & Undertaker. SmackDown’s powerful duo left Cena & HBK beaten at the end of Raw last week…can the World Tag Team Champions rebound, hold it together and come up victorious in Los Angeles Sunday night?

Women’s Championship
As announced last week, Melina will meet Mickie James for the Women’s Championship. Melina was unsuccessful in her first attempt two weeks ago, but was able to score a pinfall over the Women’s Champion in a Mixed Tag Team Match last week. Will that success carry over for Melina, or will Mickie once again best the A-list Diva when the gold is on the line?

Called to the Hall
Last week, Dusty Rhodes was announced as the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2007. Continue to watch WWE programming and check WWE.com as more members of the Class of 2007 are announced.

Raw returns to its regular timeslot this week. Tune into USA Network Monday night at 9/8 CT to see what unfolds.

 

[A.J.]

Mistico was scheduled to have a tryout with WWE at a TV taping in the next two weeks during the company's upcoming California swing. Dave Meltzer is reporting today that CMLL is very unhappy about hearing that Mistico would be doing this and are said to be putting some heavy pressure on him to not go.

Sharon sent word about an article in The Daily Tribune regarding Randy Orton getting involved with the Kids Wish Network, a charity that grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses.

Adam Otero sent this in: I just saw a commercial promoting the WWE Raw house show in Albuquerque, New Mexico for March 4th at 5:00 PM at The Pit and they are promoting Rated-RKO vs. Hardy Boyz for the World Tag Team Championship. Interesting note since John Cena & Shawn Michaels are the current reigning champs. Note from us: As many are aware of by now, House Show cards are always subject to change. So this may or may not be an indication of what is to come down the road storyline wise.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

As I mentioned in my No Way Out PPV coverage, Steve Austin was backstage at the PPV in Los Angeles, CA.

Jillian Hall's new gimmick is a rib on Brooke Hogan

Shannon Moore has officially moved to Smackdown.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

ECW Extremist Shannon Moore has been transferred over to SmackDown, presumably to be a part of the Cruiserweight Division.

As reported earlier, Vito has changed his gimmick. He is doing some sort of Muay Thai gimmick where he wears red boxer shorts with Japanese writing on it, a headband, and he comes out barefoot. The storyline reason given for the gimmick change was that on DSW TV this past week, he said that he dropped the dress because wrestlers were using it as an excuse for losing to him, citing the dress as a distraction.

The Smallville episode featuring Kane and Ashley Massaro will air during Wrestlemania week on the CW Network.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Jakks Pacific is interested in approaching some celebrities about potential figures in the WWE Classic Superstars line. They're interested in making figures on Andy Kaufman, Lawrence Taylor, and Liberace, although no deals have been struck. Also, they've signed Brian Blair to a deal for a figure and are negotiating with a number of others including Jesse Ventura and Mr. Fuji. There will be Linda and Stephanie McMahon figures released over the next year.

Steve Austin lives in the L.A area and was working on material for his upcoming film, The Condemned at No Way Out last night. You can see the movie's official website at lionsgate.com/thecondemned.

Shelton Benjamin wrestled Rob Van Dam in a dark match prior to last night's No Way Out pay-per-view. RVD won. Also, Lilian Garcia sang the National Anthem before the show went live.

Paul Burchill regained the Ohio Valley Wrestling title from Cody Runnels last night in Louisville, Kentucky. Also, Burchill defeated Caden Matthews in a dark match prior to last week's RAW taping.

 

[A.J.]

Tazz is listed for 92.3 free FM in New York City every night, except Tuesday (ECW) 10PM to 12AM this week.

From Alex Von Panzerblitz: I've just noticed that even the Wii News Channel (an AP operated news channel of the Nintendo Wii) features the Trump-McMahon confrontation, and reports that both men will put their hair on the line at the "Battle of the Billionaires" scheduled for WrestleMania 23, explaining that each billionaire will manage a wrestler for that fight. It's also interesting because this is probably the first wrestling related note that appears on the Wii News Channel.

The following was issued today by the Associated Press which means you'll be seeing it in many news outlets over the next few days. DETROIT - Will Donald Trump put his hair where his mouth is? Trump and World Wrestling Entertainment owner Vince McMahon will pick a wrestler to represent them in the ring April 1 at Wrestlemania 23 at Detroit's Ford Field, The Detroit News reported last week. If their pick is beaten in the "Battle of the Billionaires," the loser will get his head shaved after the match, the Detroit Free Press reported Monday. WWE spokesman Gary Davis said the date of the event had prompted speculation that it was a hoax. But it's not an April Fool's Day joke, he said. "If Trump loses, he shaves his head," he said. The announcement of the match was made on a WWE television program that aired over the weekend.

 

[A.J.]

From WWE.com:

Trump to reveal his pick

Mr. McMahon sent a serious message to rival billionaire Donald Trump on Monday night when he selected new Intercontinental Champion Umaga to represent the Chairman in the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23. On the next edition of Raw, “The Donald” will answer back by announcing which Superstar will carry the Trump banner in Detroit on April 1. Which competitor will have the mogul’s endorsement? How will Mr. McMahon or, more importantly, the Samoan Bulldozer react to Trump’s pick?

Opponents and partners

On two consecutive nights, Shawn Michaels was true to his word to WWE Champion John Cena, having his tag team partner’s back at No Way Out and on Raw. Will Michaels uphold his promise this Monday night as he and Cena defend their World Tag Team Championship against Rated-RKO? Edge and Randy Orton have been credited with taking out Michaels last partner ��" and best friend ��" Triple H. Could the former tag champions be looking for more than another taste of championship gold?

Cashing in

The man who put Money in the Bank on the map, Edge, defeated Rob Van Dam to qualify for this year’s Ladder Match. With the qualifying matches continuing on the Road to WrestleMania, who will be the next addition to this elite group of opportunists?

From paparazzi to Playboy

Melina changed the face of all Diva-dom on Raw as she seized the Women’s Championship from Mickie James. Despite arguably the biggest win in her career, Melina did not seem too happy Monday night as the new champion disparaged latest Playboy cover girl and SmackDown Diva, Ashley. It seems as if the attention Melina gets from the usual torrent of paparazzi isn’t enough any more. What will the Women’s Champion do to ensure the spotlight stays fixed on her curvaceous body?

Find out live Monday night at 9/8 CT only on the USA Network at 9/8 CT

 

[A.J.]

From James L: They air a segment called "the Skinnny" on ABC's World News. It was a good piece on the Vince vs. Donald Wrestlemania match and even super imposed the hair piece over the anchor's face, it looked very cool.

From Jmotaortega: The whole McMahon vs. Trump Wrestlemania match was mentioned on the Mike & Mike in the morning show this morning on ESPN 2. They discussed whether it was a good idea by Trump to do wrestling.

CNN, The Associated Press, Yahoo and MSN have all been reporting on the Vince vs. Trump angle.

WWE's board of directors today approved the Company's regular quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share on all Class A and Class B common stock. The record date for the dividend will be March 15, 2007, and the payment date will be March 26, 2007. For those of you not stock-savvy, for every WWE share you have, you will get 24 cents. Of course, its more money if your last name is McMahon. (Thanks to Colin Vassallo)

From BanesProphecy from imdb.com: Former WWE wrestler Steve Blackman aka "Cheese" is going to be playing Skeletor in the new "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" movie. That's right, the guy who only had one scant moment of expression in the WWE, when he found Val Venis's ***** in his weapon's bag, is going to be acting. Strange choice, but since Skeletor's face is an expressionless skull, I guess this could work. At least we know what kind of action to expect in the movie, martial arts. The even more surprising thing is that actor, writer, director and producer M. Night Shyamalan is also attached to the film, just not sure in what capacity.

 

[A.J.]

Sources close to Hulk Hogan have confirmed that "Hogan Knows Best" Season 4 has officially started filming, despite reports that Hogan had hinted to ending the series. On a side note, Hogan's 20-year deal (that was topic of this year's "Hogan Knows Best") is a licensing deal, and note a talent contract. Hogan receives money for having his name used in DVDs, specials and merchandise.

For at least one night, Dean Malenko will be coming out of retirement. It will be on March 3rd at Plaza de Toros la Monumental de Monterrey working for Toryumon Mexico. Malenko will team with Funaki vs. Mr. Aguila (aka former WWE star Essa Rios) & Damian 666 vs. former ECW star Yoshihiro Tajiri & Ultimo Dragon.

 

[A.J.]

With ticket sales being strong, WWE is experimenting with "double shots" house shows, same day and same location. On May 13th the company will run Smackdown/ECW house shows at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY at 1 PM and also at 7 PM. They may add more similar dates in the future.

Lance Storm has written a new commentary on the passing of Mike Awesome, which can be found StormWrestling.com

 

[A.J.]

It is quite obvious now, but yes, the current plan is to build to an Ashley vs. Melina match for WrestleMania.

Continuing on the Road to WrestleMania 23, CM Punk collides with Johnny Nitro in a Money in the Bank qualifying match on ECW on Sci Fi tonight.

A story on the Vince McMahon vs. Donald Trump Wrestlemania match has landed on the front page of Yahoo.com. On ABC's World News last night, they featured a segment on the McMahon vs. Trump Wrestlemania match. They showed what they would look like if they were bald. They even super imposed the hair piece over the anchor's face. The McMahon vs. Trump Wrestlemania match was also mentioned on the Mike & Mike In The Morning Show this morning on ESPN 2. They discussed whether it was a good idea by Trump to be involved with professional wrestling.

WWE.com has posted the "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig Hall of Fame video package that aired on RAW last night.

 

[A.J.]

Kris Zellner sent this one: I was just informed from someone who would know in Mexico that the Malenko that will be working in Mexico is Chad Malenko aka Chad Collyer. That's a pretty big oops IMO and it's all over the lucha boards but thinking about it the dudes in Mexico probably didn't even know of a Chad Malenko and see the name Malenko automatically assumed it was Dean. I should've caught on when I already had Chad on the 3/4 card but I didn't catch it.

As noted earlier, the current plan for Wrestlemania 23 is to have new Women's champion Melina defend the title against the newest WWE/Playboy model, Ashley Massaro.

The name of the unidentified male announcer on RAW is Max Bretos. He was hired just a few weeks ago. He has worked for the Fox Soccer Channel. He was always a wrestling fan and he'd sometimes make some wrestling references in his announcing. He is said to very professional and he is aware of the product. The wrestlers like him so far too.

There has been talk of some WWE stars appearing as guests on the USA Network show Psych.

According to WWEAffiliates.com, the theme for WWE 24/7 for the month of April is 'Managerial Mayhem'. No other details were given.

 

[A.J.]

The first Saturday Night's Main Event of the new year will be taped in less than two weeks on March 5th in Phoenix after that night's RAW taping. Considering that they are taping the show several days in advance tells you about the priority level the show has become. The show is scheduled to air during prime time on Saturday, March 10th. It was actually more NBC's call than WWE's to air the show.

The 2/12 SmackDown/ECW house show was moved from that Monday to the very next Wednesday, which happened to fall on Valentine's Day. The show was moved because they needed much of the top talent to appear at the 2/12 RAW taping. This move obviously upset a number of workers as some of them wanted to spend Valentine's Day with their loved ones.

On Tony Kornheiser's radio talk show yesterday he talked about the Trump/McMahon angle. He said that the public is going to be rooting for McMahon's wrestler to win so that Donald Trump ends up getting his head shaved. Tony thinks that Trump is going to lose in the match.

 

[A.J.]

Source: The Wrestling Observer

As reported several times before, Test was suspended for a WWE Wellness Policy violation and is off the road for 30 days. What people seem to forget is that you'll get suspended if you don't have a prescription for whatever you are testing positive for. So well, some people are able to get away with doing steroids because they have a prescription for it. Back in the summer, Kurt Angle was actually suspended for doing steroids, not painkillers. His steroid prescription had run out and he was subsequently suspended after he had failed a test.

ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley's match with Kenny Dykstra on RAW two weeks ago lost 670,000 viewers.

 

[A.J.]

source: PWTorch Newsletter

-- The Associated Press ran an article this week on the Donald Trump vs. Vince McMahon “hair angle” that will take place at WrestleMania. With the pay-per-view being on April 1st, the article questions whether it would be one big April Fools Joke. WWE spokesman Gary Davis said that this would not be the case.

-- Toy maker JAKKS is preparing to release a Jeff Hardy and Mr. Kennedy “Money in the Bank” toy set. This is an indication that they will be involved in this match at WrestleMania.