WWE
News Bytes
by Sassy
Elijah
Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts!
Elijah Burke appeared as a guest on Ghost Hunters live on
Halloween night. I did not get to
watch the entire show but did get in on the first part. At first I though Elijah was going to flip out and desert,
however, he seemed to be getting into it before I was no longer a part of the
viewing audience. If anyone saw the
entire six-hour show, please send in a report on Elijah’s doings throughout
the rest of the show.
This just in courtesy of www.prowrestlingfans.com:
ECW’s Elijah Burke was on the Halloween special live edition of
Ghosthunters on the Sci Fi Network. According to reports, half an hour before
the show ended, Elijah Burke flipped out and screamed like little girl and
started running. He was supposedly "touched" on his back. It was meant
to be very funny.
I can’t believe I missed it!
Tommy
Dreamer’s Costume
For those who asked, Tommy Dreamer dressing up as Paul Heyman
on this past week's ECW Sci-Fi broadcast was the idea of the WWE creative team.
Source: www.ewrestlingnews.com.
WWE
Wellness Policy
Starting November 1, 2007, WWE will be publicly revealing all
names of any future wrestlers who violate the WWE Wellness Policy. WWE is doing
this in hopes of showing the transparency of the Wellness program and to deter
wrestlers from engaging in activities that would cause them to violate. Source:
Sescoops.
Chris
Jericho Doesn’t Show At Cyber Sunday
For all of the Jerichoholics out there, Y2J did not make an
appearance at Cyber Sunday. We
heard speculation that he might appear on this week’s Monday Night Raw.
He did not. He did not show
up on ECW. The rumor is that now he
will show up on Friday Night
Smackdown. My suggestion? Don’t
hold your breath. The Y2J hype is
wearing itself thin.
More
on SAVE-US
This was posted on Pro Wrestling Fans:
SAVE_US ad campaign update
For those of you guys who did not catch Cyber Sunday on
television, a SAVE_US video aired saying "Stand By". It is likely that
what is behind the campaign will be revealed on RAW. In related news,
saveus-222.com and savior-self.com have updated their pages from the countdown
to a message saying "Upon_Us".
As reported previous, Chris Jericho will be in the same town
for book signings. Keep an open mind and expect anything to happen. After all,
it is WWE and it is sports entertainment.
Does
Y2J Have Weight Problems?
One of the reasons that may have delayed Chris Jericho’s
return from WWE are issues regarding his weight. According to some people that
I’ve talked too, Jericho weighed no more than 200 pounds when he agreed to his
new WWE contract. WWE obviously would like to see him put on more size to
protect himself from injury as well as give him a more marketable look. Source:
Richard Gray, Rajah.com.
What
Happened on Cyber Sunday
Security was confiscating a lot of "RAW is Jericho"
signs.
Crowd was hot all night, plenty of Y2J chants.
Matt
Hardy Out at Cyber Sunday
Although he appeared on camera, Matt was not allowed to
wrestle due to the head injury, which required stitches that he got the Friday
night before Cyber Sunday on Smackdown. We
understand that he did have a match taped this week taped for Friday Night
Smackdown and that there may have been a little more damage to the wound. Stay
tuned.
Lillian
Garcia and Cyber Sunday
Lillian Garcia removed from the "Halloween Costume
Contest" at Cyber Sunday! Her name was taken off the list of Divas (on
wwe.com) who were set to take part in it. No reason was given for the removal.
Other
Injury Reports
Candice Michelle is still out of action after breaking her
clavicle in a match against The Glamazon Beth
Phoenix.
Chris Masters’s status is unknown at this time.
He dislocated an elbow in a match with The Undertaker while in the UK.
Edge has not yet returned to action from his torn pec.
Rumor has it Edge will return to action soon.
Edge turned 34 on October 30.
John Cena is still out of action with his torn pec.
WWE
Ratings
Last week’s Friday Night Smackdown did a 2.6 rating, down
from 2.7 the week before. Source: www.wrestleview.com.
This week’s Monday Night Raw did a 3.5 cable rating, up
from the previous week’s rating of 3.3. Source: Rajah
*The increase in this past Monday’s RAW crating could have
been due to the anticipation that Chris Jericho would return to the company. It
will be interesting to see if the rating is able to stay up after WWE did not
deliver him this past week. Source: Richard Gray, Rajah.com
WWE
Earnings
WWE reported the results for the 2007 Third Quarter and
reports that revenue has increased to $108.10 million which is up from $93.2
million in the same quarter as last year. Net income slipped slightly to $8.5
million, down from $9.2 million last year.
Linda McMahon was quoted in a press release as saying:
"In addition to the $12.8 million in film related revenues, we posted
higher revenues from both the Live and Televised and Digital Media segments in
the third quarter. We also announced the development and implementation of our
strategic initiative for continued international expansion. We are establishing
new regional offices in Brazil and Australia to complement our current offices
in Canada, the UK and China. This will enable senior leadership to be on the
ground in these locations, and position our company for continued growth and
provide increased access to our expanding WWE fan base."
Revenue from Digital Media increased 31% to $7.7 million, up
from $5.9 million last year.
The $12.8 million in revenue shown by WWE films marks the
first time that company has recorded revenue for that division. WWE only
participates in revenue after distributors have recouped their print and
advertising costs. The $12.8 million is primarily related to "The
Marine" featuring John Cena. Source: www.1wrestling.com.
Chavo’s
Suspension Expires
WWE Superstar Chavo Guerrero's 60-day suspension is expected
to be expiring next week. He is the last wrestler left from the Signature
Pharmacy list to be brought back. Prior to his suspension, he was in a feud with
Rey Mysterio. Since Chavo has been
out of the picture, Mysterio has been feuding with Finlay. No word yet on
whether or not the Mysterio/Guerrero feud will continue when Chavo returns.
Kelly
Kelly Has Implants?
Kelly Kelly has new breast implants and debuted them at Cyber
Sunday. Source: Pro Wrestling Fans. NOTE: This may only be a rumor. I have found
nothing to prove that it is a fact.
He’s
Baaack, Sort Of
Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore has replaced Joey Matthews as the
trainer of the Ohio Valley Wrestling Beginner class
Is
He Going To Be Back?
Ric Flair is being advertised for SmackDown/ECW shows in
Northern Ireland for the December tour. Flair was advertised the December 4,
2007 show. Source Pro Wrestling Fans. According to www.lordsofpain.net,
Ric Flair was interviewed on Hot 97 in New York City earlier today. Flair
confirmed that he is not retiring, yet, and will be back on SmackDown. He
didn’t say when he would be returning. He also discussed the differences of
the wrestling product fifteen years ago to today’s product.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Flair recently did an autograph signing in Orlando in to
promote WrestleMania 24 tickets, which go on sale to the public this Saturday
morning. During the signing, he appeared to be happy and said everything is fine
and he is still with WWE. It was his first appearance for the company since
August.
Flair and Vince McMahon have smoothed things out since their
explosive meeting several weeks ago. Both sides expressed interest in Flair
doing one final run and a retirement angle for WrestleMania.
Flair is currently very busy with his new start-up consulting
business, Flair Finance. He is not expected to be on television anytime soon.
Loser
of Diva Search Contest Speaks Out
WWE Diva Search contestant Taryn Terrell recently did an
interview where she buried WWE Champion Randy Orton and former WWE Diva Stacy
Keibler. She also said that there was one diva that she knew to stay away from,
while she didn?t reveal her name, it is assumed to be Melina. Terrell said
before she was eliminated that she would still work hard towards getting a job
in WWE but after she was eliminated has not been heard from since.
Smackdown
Is Back – In Italy
WWE SmackDown is now back on the air in Italy. Television
network Italia 1 canceled the show after the Benoit story broke saying they felt
wrestling was bad for kids. SmackDown has become very popular among the kids in
Italy, stemming the Italian wrestling boom of two years. WWE has worked out a
deal to get the show on Sky Pay TV. The Sky service in Italy broadcasts
pay-per-views live and airs all the major WWE television shows.
WWE
Cruiserweight Championship Missing
The WWE Cruiserweight Championship was removed from the WWE
website SmackDown superstars page a while back now. It is unknown if WWE have
dropped the title or have taken it down from the page due to there being no
champion. Source: Pro Wrestling Fans.
What
We Didn’t See On Raw This Week
OVW's Atlas DaBone defeated Kenny Dykstra.
WWE Heat Results:
Snitsky defeated Greg Cardona (Plasma from New York Wrestling
Connection).
Ron Simmons defeated Jason Static.
The Highlanders defeated Super Crazy and Hacksaw Duggan.
Source: www.prowrestlingfans.com.
We
Have A Diva Search Winner – Finally!
Eve Torres just won the Diva Search contest on RAW.
The following is from WWE.com: The votes are in and Eve
Torres is the winner of the 2007 WWE Diva Search! Learn all about your new Diva
and check out complete coverage of the competition.
Armageddon
Poster Revision
WWE Pay-Per-View provider InDemand recently released a
promotional poster for WWE Armageddon in December. The original poster featured
Batista standing in front of a destroyed city holding his World Heavyweight
Championship belt.
WWE Affiliates have now re-released that poster - but its
slightly modified. Instead of Batista holding the World Heavyweight title belt,
he's now holding a gas mask instead.
With the announcement that Batista will defend the World
Heavyweight belt against The Undertaker at Survivor Series in a Hell in a Cell
match, this could be an indication that Batista will not be champion going into
Armageddon. Source: www.rajah.com.
From Our Favorite Poll Source
What Did You Think Of Cyber Sunday? Total votes: 1,529
Thumbs Up 22%
Thumbs In The Middle 19%
Thumbs Down 28%
Didn’t See It 30%
Best Match At Cyber Sunday? Total votes: 1,225
MVP-Kane 3%
Rey-Finlay 5%
Triple H-Umaga 24%
Orton-HBK 11%
Batista-Taker 42%
Punk-Miz 7%
Kennedy-Hardy 8%
Mean
Gene Okerlund
We found an article about Mean Gene and hamburgers.
Follow this link
http://www.dcmilitary.com/stories/110107/southpotomac_27890.shtml.
WWE
Events
WWE's Carlito visits Cineplex Odeon Meadowtown Centre Cinemas
for fan autograph session
WWE Survivor Series® airs live on the big screen November
18th
PITT MEADOWS, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Nov. 1, 2007) -
Cineplex Entertainment (TSX:CGX.UN) and World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. are
pleased to announce that WWE Superstar Carlito is confirmed to visit Cineplex
Odeon Meadowtown Centre Cinemas on November 6th beginning at 7pm. Known
worldwide as one of WWE's top performers, Carlito makes this special appearance
to greet fans and sign autographs. The theatre is located at 19800 Lougheed
Highway in Pitt Meadows, BC. More on Carlito at www.wwe.com.
Adding to the excitement is the live broadcast of WWE marquee
event Survivor Series on November 18th at 5pm. It's a great opportunity for fans
to take in all the action on the big screen at select Cineplex Entertainment
locations. National cinema locations and show times are available at local box
offices or online at www.cineplex.com.
ATTN EDITORS: Interviews with Carlito available upon request.
Francisco Gaztambide: As expected, Kristal and Chris Masters
along with Shannon Moore have been removed
from the ''Smackdown Survivor Series'' tour in Puerto Rico. The new lineups are
the following:
Friday, November 9, 2007 - Auditorio Juan "Pachin"
Vicens in Ponce
Batista & Rey Mysterio vs The Great Khali & Carlito
Undertaker vs Mark Henry
Kane vs Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle)
CM Punk vs John Morrison
Matt Hardy vs MVP
Chuck Palumbo vs Kenny Dykstra
Tommy Dreamer vs Big Daddy V (w/ Matt Striker)
Michelle McCool vs Victoria
Jimmy Yang vs Jamie Noble
Saturday, November 10, 2007 - Coliseo Petaca Iguina in
Arecibo
Batista & Undertaker vs The Great Khali & Mark Henry
Rey Mysterio vs Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle)
Kane vs MVP
CM Punk vs John Morrison
Tommy Dreamer & Steven Richards vs Big Daddy V & Matt
Striker
Carlito vs Matt Hardy
Chuck Palumbo vs Kenny Dykstra
Michelle McCool & Jimmy Yang vs Jamie Noble &
Victoria
Sunday, November 11, 2007 - Coliseo de PR in San Juan
Batista vs The Great Khali
Undertaker & Kane vs Mark Henry & Finlay
Rey Mysterio vs Carlito
Matt Hardy vs MVP
CM Punk vs John Morrison
Tommy Dreamer vs Big Daddy V
Steven Richards & Michelle McCool vs Matt Striker &
Victoria
Chuck Palumbo vs Kenny Dykstra
Jimmy Yang vs Jamie Noble
Source: www.prwrestling.com/english
This morning, I was watching The Cost of Freedom: Bulls &
Bears business program on the FOX News Channel, and WWE SmackDown! Color
Commentator John "Bradshaw" Layfield was a guest on the program and he
mentioned that he was going back to Iraq in "about four weeks" , which
basically confirms that WWE will hold their 5th Annual Tribute to the Troops
program this year - although Layfield has gone alone to Iraq, I'm guessing he's
going on the WWE tour. He also mentioned that several big businesses had donated
care packages that they will take with them to give out to the men and women in
uniform.
Steven Alexander, Source:
www.gerweck.net.
The main event for this year’s WWE Survivor Series PPV was
announced on this week’s WWE RAW. Randy Orton will be defending his WWE
Championship against Shawn Michaels.
WWE Survivor Series will take place on November 18, 2007 at
the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida According to the WWE and the
Ticketmaster website, tickets are still avalible for the event.
Tickets for the April 2008 WrestleMania Revenge tour in the
United Kingdom went on sale October 27, 2007 at bookingsdirect.co.uk. There will
be a total of 10 shows in the UK in nine days including television tapings for
RAW, Smackdown! and ECW at The O2 Arena in London. Tickets are priced from 25 to
60. The Smackdown! show in Glasgow at the Braehead Arena is already sold out.
STAMFORD, Conn.--World Wrestling Entertainment® has
announced that tickets will go on sale for WWE®'s annual pop culture
extravaganza, WrestleMania, this Saturday, November 3, at 10 a.m. ET.
WrestleMania 24 takes place Sunday, March 30, 2008 at the
Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
Tickets for WrestleMania 24 can be purchased at all Florida
Ticketmaster ticket centers (including FYE stores), Ticketmaster phone charge at
407-839-3900, and worldwide at Ticketmaster.com. In Orlando, tickets will also
be available at the Amway Arena Box Office. Tickets are priced at $250, $150,
$95, $55, and $40, with a limited number of "Platinum Ringside"
tickets available for $750.
Earlier this year, WrestleMania 23 set an all-time attendance
record at Ford Field in Detroit. A crowd of more than 60,000 fans from around
the world is expected to attend WrestleMania 24 in Orlando.
Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
(NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. Go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/
for information on our global activities.
Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images,
likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, and logos are the exclusive property of
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ECW is a trademark of WWE Libraries, Inc.
All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective
owners.
Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains
forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and
uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include the conditions of the
markets for live events, broadcast television, cable television, pay-per-view,
Internet, feature films, entertainment, professional sports, and licensed
merchandise; acceptance of the Company's brands, media and merchandise within
those markets; uncertainties relating to litigation; risks associated with
producing live events both domestically and internationally; uncertainties
associated with international markets; risks relating to maintaining and
renewing key agreements, including television distribution agreements; and other
risks and factors set forth from time to time in Company filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from
those currently expected or anticipated. In addition to these risks and
uncertainties, our dividend is based on a number of factors, including our
liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan, our financial
results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of
dividends and such other factors as our board of directors may consider
relevant.
WWE Talent Events
Bobby
Lashley and Torrie Wilson
IGN.com has a new interview online with former ECW Champion
Bobby Lashley and WWE Diva Torrie Wilson. The two discuss the new SmackDown vs.
RAW 2008 video game in a shoot style interview. During the piece, Wilson said
that she likes to work stiff in her matches. She also noted that she hates
bikini matches and hope that there is never another one in WWE. Torrie noted
that once the company hears that she said that she’ll probably be placed in
another one. Source: Pro Wrestling Fans.
John Cena
October 28, 2007: John Cena appeared at the Nickelodeon UK
Kids' Choice Awards which was taped at the ExCel and aired this morning on
Nickelodeon in the United Kingdom. Cena was nominated for an award in Best
Sportsperson category however the award went to LA Galaxy star David Beckham who
wasn't present for the occasion. When the video of Beckham started on the big
screen, Cena interrupted on stage to a large scream from the thousands of kids
in attendance. Cena was about to start crying for not winning the award and told
the hosts that he will stay on the stage and will hold his breath until he wins
an award. After a few they told him that they will give him an award for the
'most injured wrestler'. Cena - who had his arm in a sling - ran backstage after
the Slime Squad interrupted and came on stage to slime the audience. Source: Pro
Wrestling Fans.
The new WWE Magazine features former WWE Champion and new Celebrity Apprentice John Cena and his collection of muscle cars on the cover.
Family
Feud WWE Lineup
WWE stars are scheduled to appear on five episodes of the
half hour syndicated game show Family Feud next week. According to WWE.com, Ric
Flair, Mr. Kennedy, Batista and Jonathan Coachman are on the Superstars team;
and Layla, Candice Michelle, Michelle McCool and Maria on the Divas team. No
mention is made of King Booker and Queen Sharmell, who appeared at the episode
tapings conducted back in August. You can check out photos, video and an article
of WWE's appearance on the show at this link. Booker & Sharmell aren't
featured in any of the photos except for one aerial shot showcasing the Family
Feud set in which you can sort of see them if you look closely.
Rey Mysterio
WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio will appear at ToysRUs Times Square on Wednesday, November 14 to celebrate the launch of the highly anticipated WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 video game from THQ. The game lets players turn the WWE Superstars of today into the legends of tomorrow with prominent new features, key annual enhancements and incredible graphics while making its debut on three new video game systems. Source: www.prowrestlingfans.com.
CM
Punk
ECW's Champion CM Punk's autograph signing has been rescheduled to November 16th from 6-8pm at the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa, NY.
JBL
John Bradshaw Layfield has found a new job - a contributor to
the new Fox Business Channel! While his WWE commentary duties on Smackdown! and
PPVs will not be effected, JBL will be on FBC almost every day and will be
appearing on Neil Cavuto's show which airs at 6PM and replayed at 9PM. It will
not be the first time that JBL appeared on FOX as he was a regular contributor
in the past and even held a position at CNBC as a financial analyst. Bradshaw
was fired from CNBC three weeks after he was hired in mid 2004 after he did the
Nazi walk and salute during a non-televised WWE show in Munich, Germany.
"We find his behavior to be offensive, inappropriate and not befitting
anyone associated with our network," said the network at the time. While
JBL complained about it, he compared it to someone like Vin Diesel playing a
Nazi during a movie. "I was playing a character," he said. "They
hung me out to dry." Now JBL found a way to fire back at his previous
employer comparing CNBC to WCW and FOX Business Channel to WWE. JBL told WWE.COM
that he firmly believes that FBC will eventually win the war in the ratings
against CNBC, "just like WWE did against WCW." Source: www.powerwrestling.com.
Not
Necessarily WWE News
Polaroid, Nick Hogan’s sponsor has dropped out of
sponsoring Nick’s drift car for the 2008 season. No reason was given to why
they are not renewing the contract although it’s quite obvious. Reports are
suggesting that Polaroid has been receiving some flack over their names being
involved with Hulk Hogan’s son in the aftermath of the recent car crash which
has John Graziano in critical condition. Yesterday, Bay News 9 reported that
Clearwater police said that the investigation of the auto accident should be
completed by the end of the week. Source: Wrestling Observer
Gee, I guess I wasn’t the only one who boycotted
Polaroid over their sponsorship of Nick Hogan's drift car.
Where
Are They Now
Wrestling Camp
This is your chance to learn from the best.
Al Snow & Joey "Mercury" Matthews Wrestling
Camp
Saturday, December 8
10AM to 3PM
Milwaukee, WI
Location to be determined.
There is a LIMITED amount of spots available.
This IS NOT a beginners camp. Al Snow will be looking for
future OVW Talent
Contact David Herro at DavidHerro@aol.com or 262-573-5397 for more details.
Marty
Jannetty
Marty Jannetty's mother is very sick and the entire Jannetty
family needs all of the fans' prayers and support. A fan of Jannetty has created
a blog where you can post thoughts and comments to Marty that he (Chris - the
fan) will be sending to the family in a few days. The blog URL is http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=70309432&blogID=323707314.
From
Our Favorite Poll Site
Should Bruno Sammartino be inducted into the GERWECK.NET hall
of fame?
Yes - 73%
No - 27%
(6,712 votes total)
It is an honor and pleasure to induct Bruno Sammartino into the GERWECK.NET Hall of Fame. Read more about the Gerweck.Net Hall of Fame here www.gerweck.net.
Scott
2 Hotty, Gangrel and Jim Neidhart
Former WWE superstar, Scotty 2 Hotty is scheduled for Pro Wrestling Unplugged on November 3rd in Feasterville, PA at SportsPlex. Devon Moore vs. Too Cold Scorpio with Tod Gordon as special referee in a cage match is scheduled for the event. SATs, Jim Neidhart, Gangrel and The Blue Meanie are also confirmed for the event.
Big
Vito Big On Reading
Tampa, FL: October 29, 2007: Through his contacts with the
WWE, Marty Lyons, Joe Nameth and other companies and charities, Big Vito was
able to raise $10,300 towards the purchase of books for PS30’s Library in
Staten Island at a charity event held on October 20th, 2007.
Tickets sold out within 25 minutes. The event itself was a
huge success. Big Vito played basketball with the school’s teachers and the
5th graders.
He was professional and utterly amazing having moved the
crowd of 500 people. He made people who weren't wrestling fans ones now, said
Denise Spina, the school’s principal, The thing that impressed me most was
that he made sure every child on line for an autograph got one.
There’s more to wrestling than being a well known
personality, said Big Vito, ?I like being able to give back to the community.?
Vito was released from WWE earlier this year and can now be
reached for bookings at bigv@vitolograsso.com
Source: Tim Brown
Teddy
Hart Sighting
October 27, 2007 at The JAPW show in Rahway, New Jersey Teddy Hart returned.
Chyna
Bunnny
Former WWE personality and reality TV star "Chyna Doll" Laurer is featured on the front page of celebrity news site TMZ.com. There is a picture of Chyna dressed up in a pink leotard with pink bunny ears for Halloween. She appears to be out of it and is being carried by 2 other men. The captions read: If you were wondering how many people it takes to carry Chyna around town, the correct answer is two. The wrestling diva was dressed up as a bunny for Halloween, and apparently needed a little help from her friends to get around. It's unclear from the pic where she hid her carrot.
The
Rock's Game Plan
The Rock's 'The Game Plan' movie is in fifth place this week in box office charts getting $6,257,000 during the weekend and after 31 days in theaters, the movie made $77,067,000 in domestic revenue. It is still showing in a total of 3,342 theaters nationwide. It did an additional $3,869,098 in international box office sending the total to nearly $81 million. 'The Game Plan' is getting closer to 'The Scorpion King' in terms of box office revenue for The Rock's most successful movie so far in his short acting career. 'The Scorpion King' did $91,047,077 in domestic sales. Source Pro Wrestling Fans.
Andre
The Giant's Movie
A trailer for Andre the Giant's movie of his life is
available at http://vimeo.com/360033.
Source: www.WrestlingObserver.com.
Stacy Keibler At The Movies
In the movie The Comebacks, Stacy Keibler's role was the
All-American Mom in the Halftime Show/Commercial during the Championship Game
close to the end of the movie.
The
Sandman Speaks
Interview With: The Sandman
Interview By: Andy Steven of www.PWMania.com
Date: October 29, 2007
Recently released World Wrestling Entertainment superstar,
The Sandman, has spoken out for the first time since his WWE release with
www.PWMania.com. He spoke on his release from WWE and gave the real reason to
his release, the original plan for him in WWE/ECW. The different atmospheres
backstage in RAW, SmackDown & ECW, the possibility of a TNA return and much
more. The complete interview is below:
Andy Steven: Thanks for taking this time out once again to
take part in this interview for www.PWMania.com. Online reports suggest that you
were released after an incident during WWE's South Africa tour with Ricky
Steamboat and you later asked for your release, can you explain the situation a
little more and your thoughts on it?
The Sandman: Well actually the reason I am no longer with WWE
is because I wanted to be able to spend more time with my family. I got tired of
the road schedule.
Andy Steven: You were with WWE for over a year and had a huge
involvement in the ECW return, what were WWE's original plans for ECW and you?
The Sandman: Well I am not sure what Vince McMahon's plans
for ECW were but the plans for me were to come in kick ass then leave that's why
you never saw me in full matches and when you did they were basically beatdowns.
Andy Steven: Did you enjoy your time working with WWE?
The Sandman: Yes it was great got to see allot of my old
friends.
Andy Steven: Were there any differences of the atmosphere
backstage between the live RAW shows and the ECW/SmackDown tapings?
The Sandman: Some what not too much though. ECW was different
because we had a bunch of the originals so it was like home. When I entered RAW
it was allot different.
Andy Steven: Have you been contacted by TNA or if asked to
return to TNA would you consider it?
The Sandman: I would go over to TNA if offered the right
amount of money.
Andy Steven: Who did you most enjoying working with during
your time in WWE?
The Sandman: There was not really a certain person.
Andy Steven: Are you still in contact with anyone in WWE, if
so who?
The Sandman: I am still in contact with some of the people
but I barely use my phone so I barely talk to them.
Andy Steven: Who's idea was it to trade you to RAW, when did
you find out about it and did you enjoy it more than ECW on Sci Fi and why?
The Sandman: It was the creative team's idea to trade me. I
found out about it last minute before the trade happened. I enjoyed ECW more
then RAW because my friends were on ECW
Andy Steven: Do you have any plans for the near future?
The Sandman: Basically I am going to spend allot of time with
my family. I will still take bookings but want time for my family. If anybody
wants to book me they can do so by contacting Tod Gordon at www.myspace.com/pwuczar.
Andy Steven: I would like to thank you very much once again
for taking this time to take part in this interview for www.PWMania.com,
I wish you the best of luck in the future, do you have any messages to say to
your fans?
The Sandman: I would like to thank you all for your support.
Make sure to checkout the new official Sandman website at www.hardcoreiconsandman.com
it just launched on the 25th.
Dawn
Marie Settles Lawsuit Against WWE
According to the latest issue of the U.K.'s Powerslam magazine, Dawn Marie recently settled her case with WWE. Details were not disclosed. Dawn took legal action against the company after the company fired her while she was pregnant in July 2005. At the time, they promised her that she would keep her job.
Sabu and Scott Hall in
Puerto Rico
WWC results from cancha Pepin Cestero in Bayamón (Puerto
Rico) October 27, 2007:
Eddie defeated Sabú
Scott Hall (w/ Mr. Casanova) retained the Universal title
over Orlando Colon
after the ref is knocked out and Barrabas brings a chair to
the ring where
Hall attacks Orlando's arm with it, then puts a submission
hold and wins the
math. After the bout Carlos Colon came out and cleaned house.
Francisco "McGyver" Gaztambide
Paul
Bearer Talks About Everything – Including Wrestling
Paul Bearer was the guest on the October 23rd edition of the
In Your Head Wrestling Online show, hosted by Jack, One Inch Biceps and Barbie
Richards at http://www.inyourheadonline.com
.
Paul was welcomed back to InYourHead. Paul jokingly gives IYH
hell for not bringing him back for over 2 years. Paul tells everyone he is doing
well, and is about have his 2nd grandchild.
Paul talks about people coming up to him and asking him to do
the “Paul Bearer” voice. When wrestling is the furthest thing from his mind,
fans will bring it up.
Jack asks about the urn. Paul says old time managers always
need an object to hit someone with. Managers should be sissy’s and need
something to hit people with, plus it feels good to have something in your hand
at ringside.
Paul talks about his time in Florida and living with the
Freebirds. He and Michael Hayes started as friends before they were in wrestling
with Hollywood John Tatum. They all lived in Jimmy Garvin’s house while
wrestling in Florida.
Paul talks about The Iron Sheik, and he was always fun to
watch, he never had any problems with him.
Paul says he gets asked a lot what he misses most about being
in wrestling. He misses traveling around the world. He still has friends in
England who still email him. He talks about the big Summerslam PPV from England
where Undertaker wrestled Kamala. Paul says he loved the food in Europe, and was
always a guy to go site seeing in new countries.
Jack asks about a story from Percy’s site where Kamala’s
wife pulled a shotgun on him before he smartened her up. Paul said he would
never get near that woman. He was a long time friend with Kamala and his first
manager, they all started in the same territory in 1978.
Paul talks about his “son” Kane and how it is like his
sons doing well when he sees Taker or Kane do well. He thought See No Evil was
the “f**ing sh*ts”. Kane wasn’t upset he told him that, he always says
what he thinks.
Jack asks if any fans ever tried to get physical with him for
being a good heel. Paul says a lot of the hillbilly towns it wasn’t unusual
for them to chse them out of town with shotguns or slash your tires. He never
got hurt but was scared many times. People believed then but not now, Paul says
it’s more fun to suspend your disbelief and enjoy wrestling or a movie. Now
many fans worry about “work rate” and “drug tests”.
Caller Ashley calls in to enter the IYH contest. She mentions
she is 14, and Paul says that makes her old enough for the Jerry “The King”
Lawler fan club.
Caller “Swax” asks what Paul thinks of managers today.
Paul says there aren’t any old school managers like him, Jim Cornette, Jimmy
Hart or Bobby Heenan today. The only one he can think of is James Mitchell, and
he considers him old school.
Paul says just because he has some grandbabies doesn’t mean
he isn’t queer. Jack asks Percy if he is a homosexual. Paul jokes that just
because you blow one guy that doesn’t make you a queer. He jokes about all the
guys in wrestling do nothing but do steroids, drugs and suck d***. This segment
has to be heard to truly be appreciated for it’s comedy. Paul then says no he
isn’t, he’s been married for 30 years.
Jack asks seriously if that is ever a problem, if guys were
gay like Pat Patterson. Jack mentions Chris Kanyon recently claiming WWE fired
him for being gay. Percy says he didn’t know that or he would have drilled a
“glory hole” in the wall when he was next to him in a hotel. Paul says
seriously Pat Patterson has one of the greatest minds for the business, and is
well respected. Paul considers him a close friend. Paul says when people get
fired they come up with excuses, like himself being fat.
Caller Jason says he is a big World Class fan and what was it
like the night Paul and Eric Embry tore down the World Class sign in the
Sportatorium. Paul says he was a fan before he worked there, it had such an
ambiance in the building. Some of the stories you hear about the Von Erichs is
true some aren’t but he loved the family. Paul says that night tearing down
the banner was one of the most emotional nights for him in the business. Jack
asks how he would compare the building to other ones he has performed. Paul says
it was so unique even in the way it was built like a pit. Paul says it was
brutal in the summer time because it wasn’t air conditioned, but you got used
to it. He says it is sad it is torn down.
Paul says he liked the World Class DVD from Big Vision but
there should be much more on it that he would have liked to seen. Paul mentions
WWE putting their own version out.
Paul talks about getting the Percy Pringle name from the
Great Mephisto, who also started Michael Hayes, Gordy and Kamala. He told Paul
to try and get a job in the office wherever you work. The entire 6 years in
World Class he worked in the office.
Jason asks if territories could work today. Paul says he
doesn’t know if it’s the old school in him but he thinks they could.
Everything would have to be right though, the money, the station the talent.
Incher asks if Paul has seen Big Daddy V on TV and if he
could have a good feud with Undertaker or Kane. Paul says he is a good dude but
people wouldn’t want to pay to see that. Jack asks if people want to see big
man vs. big man. Paul says it depends on the big guy. He says what an abortion
Undertaker vs. Khali was. He says it gave him nightmares of Undertaker vs. Giant
Gonzalez. He and Taker were so happy when they finally had the blow off match
for their feud with Gonzalez. Paul says he has asked some folks in WWE and they
have said Khali is much better than Giant Gonzalez. Jack asks if Paul at least
liked the Gonzalez was suit. Paul said no, the angle was horrible, the suit was
horrible, the matches were horrible the whole thing was the sh*ts.
Barbie asks what would Percy Pringle say to Paul Bearer if
they met. Percy would love Paul Bearer for buying his clothes, house etc. Paul
Bearer was the one who made all the money.
Jack asks if the internet fans talk too negatively about
wrestling. Paul says yes, but he is aware of how the industry has changed and
changed with it. He believes the internet has it’s place. He says it’s so
much fun to just watch wrestling and get into the wrestlers and storylines
without dissecting everything and worrying about drugs etc. Just enjoy it, but
that’s the way it is.
El TNA Fan calls from Portugal, Paul corrects him on saying
WWE was only in Portugal once. Paul talks about doing 2 shows in Barcelona in
the early 90’s. El TNA Fan asks what Paul thought of Vader. Paul says Vader
was “the f’ing sh*ts”, “Giant Gonzalez was the drizzling sh*ts and Vader
was the f’ing sh*ts”. He tells the story of Vader getting arrested in
Kuwait. Vader tore the set up when the interviewer asked if wrestling was fake,
he was a total idiot and did bs like that.
Paul says besides WWE, World Class was his favorite place to
work, he talks about loving Gary Hart.
OIB asks if Paul is surprised by Kane and Undertaker’s
longevity. Paul says if you asked in 1991 he would have been, but after working
with him so long he isn’t surprised.
Jack asks what Paul thinks of people saying Undertaker was
just a gimmick. Paul says everyone in wrestling is a gimmick, he’s a gimmick,
the IYH hosts are gimmicks, “Pope Dave Meltzer” is a gimmick. Paul goes on
about Dave Meltzer and his Hall of Fame, he says Meltzer can do no wrong, who
has he beat, how many “d****” has he sucked.
Jack asks about the WWE hall of fame and who would he like to
induct him. Paul says the Undertaker.
Paul talks about seeing his action figures, and mentions an
upcoming Percy Pringle action figure by WWE.
OIB asks about Buzz Sawyer and Matt Bourne. Paul says they
were fantastic but all they did was fight ALL the time. If they could have
gotten along better they could have been big stars. OIB asks Paul what it was
like wrestling Mike Von Erich. Paul says he never did, but he helped break Chris
in. Paul has a deep respect for all the Von Erichs. Paul says they were Gods and
could walk on water, and maybe that is part of the reason they aren’t here
anymore. They were born in the business and lived their whole life behind that
curtain, at teenagers they had all the women they could want. He misses all of
them and hopes they are all resting in peace.
IYH fan Mrs. Big Red Machine asks if Undertaker will be
retiring any time soon. Paul says when Taker wants to, he doesn’t have the
superstar attitude. He is a first class guy and a dear friend.
Paul says he really didn’t have a problem with Tony
Schiavone, that TNA promo was all scripted by Vince Russo. Paul never had a
problem with Vince and knew him since he was a young mark hanging outside in the
parking lot.
Paul says most of his and Undertaker’s segments were never
written or scripted. Vince believed in them enough to let them do their own
stuff. Paul says that is bad today they script so much. If you are given a
gimmick you become that gimmick. Paul tells a story of seeing Ric Flair
memorizing a script last time he was backstage in WWE.
Paul says Ric Flair was the epitome of a world champion. If
he wants to keep going more power to him, if he wants to quit he deserves it.
Paul isn’t sure if Ric Flair as world champion would work today, none of us
are what we were 15 or 20 years ago.
Barbie asks if there is anyone he managed as Percy that would
have been better with Paul Bearer. Paul says that is interesting, he isn’t
sure.
Paul talks about his territory Gulf South Wrestling he ran
for 2 years.. He ran several shows a month, then had the opportunity of going
back into the funeral business full time. He runs a “Wal-Mart” of death
care. He still does some Indy shows when he has time, and his son DJ Pringle
wrestles and is doing well. Paul says he has a good time working Indy shows here
and there that are close to home.
Paul talks about his wife’s breast cancer coming back a
year ago. Paul reminds everyone this is Cancer Awareness month, he lost his
little brother a year ago this week. He tells everyone to please take their
monthly breast exams or to remind their wives or girlfriends to do so. Paul says
catching it early is a matter of life and death.
Brian Jones asks for Eric Embry stories and how did he lose
all his weight. Paul says his surgery saved his life, he was up to 525 lbs at
one time. He has lost almost 240 lbs. Paul says Eric Embry was a character and
is well known for his big member between his leg. Jack asks Mick Foley talked
about that in his book, Paul says if you saw it you’d talk about it too. Paul
doesn’t know how Eric wrestled with such a large member, how he put it up in
his tights. He thinks Eric rolled it and put a rubber band around it, Eric is a
blessed man. Paul says now he is a good family man and lives in a small town and
ran for Sheriff. Brian says Eric Embry’s feud with Skandar Akbar was very
memorable. Paul says his time with Eric was his first time as a baby face. Paul
is naturally a heel, he had to work at being a baby face.
Paul brings up he is going to be managing The Honky Tonk Man
this Saturday. He hasn’t seen Honky Tonk Man in years and is looking forward
to it. Paul says it is a lot of fun doing the small arenas because there is no
pressure, and he can just relax.
Jack asks about Wrestling Fan Fests. Paul says he has fun
doing those, but he can’t do too many because he can’t travel around too
much. Paul mentions having a picture there with Sherri Martel he took at the
Capital Legends Fanfest.
Paul talks about all the lost brothers and sisters. He
praises Vince McMahon for reaching out and helping those who need it now and
offer rehab. Paul says he partied and was not a saint but he never got hooked on
anything.
Jack asks what changed with WWE or Vince McMahon to recognize
the past now with WWE 24/7 and the Hall of Fame. Paul says back when he started
they never acknowledged anyone’s past in any other company, you only mentioned
WWE. Jack asks if WWE being the only company left is the reason they try to keep
an archive of all the other federations. Paul talks about his memorabilia he has
kept through out the years. He says he isn’t close to Jim Cornette though.
Barbie asks if any wrestling fans have come into his funeral
home and just thought they were out of their minds. Paul says all the time. Down
south many people are or were wrestling fans. Paul says he gets recognized all
the time and he will get “I can’t wait til I get home and tell everyone Paul
Bearer buried grandma”. Paul says it helps make it easier, since it’s such a
heavy business and people know him.
Paul tells a great story about a young man of 29 who was
dying of cancer and his wife setting up his funeral arraignments. His wife asked
for an autograph for Doug who was a huge wrestling fan, Paul signed a picture
for him. A few days later Doug died at home, when Paul got there to pick up the
body Paul’s picture was at the bedside table. Paul says that was pretty heavy.
Doug’s widow told Paul he was so happy, he called his friends laughing that
Paul Bearer was making his funeral arrangements. Paul said in his business as a
wrestler if he could put a smile on someone’s face it made him a success, and
in the funeral business if you can ease the pain you are a success.
Percy thanks the IYH guys, and tells everyone to check out
his website http://www.percypringle.com
.
You can listen to the full-length 90 minute interview at http://www.inyourheadonline.com
and new live episodes on Wednesdays at 8e/11c PM
Robert
Goulet Obit
Robert Goulet, who sang at Wrestlemania VI has passed away.
He was 73 years old.
One
Member of Cryme Tyme Update
Shad Gaspard A.K.A. "BEAST" (in PWA) is currently
accepting U.S. and international bookings. You can reach Shad via his MySpace
page: http://www.myspace.com/bkbeast13
or via e-mail at bookdabeast@hotmail.com.
Autograph Sessions, Singles Wrestling, and Tag Team Wresting with JTG bookings
are available.
American
Gladiator Try Outs
Wrestlers Daniel Puder and Matt Cross have tried out to be
Gladiators on the new American Gladiators on NBC, which is hosted by Hulk Hogan.
The show will be a mid-season replacement on NBC. Source: Wrestling Observer.
Kristal
Marshall Can’t Stay Out Of The News
Prior to her release, WWE had planned to do a storyline with
Kristal Marshall where it would be revealed that her and Vickie Guerrero worked
together in the Teddy Long deal. Knowing that he had a heart condition, they set
him up so Guerrero could be General Manager. Then, apparently in an effort to
show how heartless she is, she would fire Kristal and send her to RAW. The move
to RAW was at the request of Lashley who she was dating. There was some heat on
Kristal for not selling enough after matches and apparently making up stories to
WWE road agents in order to get what she wanted. Source: www.sescoops.com.
Kristal may no longer be employed by WWE, but she has advised
her fans that none of the website MySpace things posted as “Kristal” are
actually her.
NICOLE
BASS LECTURE TOUR- QUEENS, NEW YORK
FREE ADMISSION
IFBB Professional Bodybuilder, Former WWE & ECW Wrestler
Nicole Bass
It's a man's world or is it? Meet Nicole Bass, the world's
largest female bodybuilder at 6 ft. 2 in. and 236 lbs., former WWE and ECW
wrestler, who will speak on nutrition, bodybuilding, pro-wrestling and much
more. Q&A with audience follows.
THURSDAY 11/8 6:00 PM Maspeth Library 69-70 Grand Ave.
718-639-5228
Bus: Q18, Q58, Q59, Q67
Nicole Bass & other legends available for bookings
through Evan Ginzburg
Legends Radio is Archived 24/7 at the following websites.
Co-hosted by Dr. Mike Lano.
Visit these great websites today.
www.riotradionetwork.com,
www.wrestling-radio.com,
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25% off all merchandise
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merchandise at this site
www.onlineworldofwrestling.com,
Source: A1 Wrestling
Airiel aka Shelly Martinez
Former WWE Diva Shelly "Ariel" Martinez was
eliminated from the The Search for the Next Elvira reality show, which airs
exclusively on Fox Reality. She was eliminated during the second episode. During
the episode, Martinez was shown shopping for naughty lingerie in a shop, but she
couldn't find a small enough size. Later in the show, fans got to see Martinez
in a test screening as she acted a scene from a funeral. Martinez was eliminated
later in the episode because the panel felt her acting wasn't up to par.
WWE NEWS BYTES / OCTOBER 26
Wrestling Bodyslam . Com