TNA
News Bytes
December 10, 2007
by Sassy
TNA
Year End Awards
Vote now for the TNA year end awards.
http://www.tnawrestling.com/content/view/399/84/
Reported
Injuries and Illness Affecting Turning Point
Tomko had emergency surgery for a torn muscle he received
during a match in Japan the week before Turning Point. There was some
speculation that he might not be able to work the main event and rumor was that
Robert Roode was being looked at as a replacement for Tomko. Tomko did show up
at Turning Point and work the main event telling everyone that he had “minor
surgery” and that he was one hundred percent.
Abyss required stitches to close a gash he received during
the Match of 10,000 Tacks. Abyss partnered with Raven against Black Reign and
Rellik. All four men were cut and bleeding before the match was over and Rellik
was the recipient of being black hole slammed onto a mat of tacks but Abyss was
bleeding profusely during most of the match from a cut in his forehead.
Rhino, who was originally scheduled to partner with Abyss in
the match, received a kick to the head by Rellik during iMPACT and suffered a
minor injury to his neck. Because Rhino has previously had neck surgery he was
not cleared to work this match.
NOTE: December 6, 2007: Mike Johnson reports that Rhino
missed the Turning Point PPV due to a personal problem not an injury. Source: www.gerweck.net
It is being reported that Kaz whacked his head on the
concrete outside the ring during his match partnering with Booker T against
Christian Cage and Robert Roode. Kaz did not suffer a concussion but does have a
sore spot. Kaz did a great job in this match and is lucky he did not suffer more
damage.
Scott Hall did not make the main event at Turning Point. It
is being reported he contacted TNA and advised them he was suffering from food
poisoning.
“Works”
Tracy Brooks Fainting Spell At Last Month's TNA Genesis
Pay-Per-View Staged
Submitted by Daniel Pena on December 6, 2007, source:
www.f4wonline.com
For the few people who order TNA pay-per-views, if you recall
at last month's Genesis pay-per-view, Tracy Brooks inexplicably fainted near the
end of the Robert Roode vs. Samoa Joe match. Medics came to her aid and she was
said to be fine later in the night. However, it is now coming out that Tracy's
fainting spell was completely staged.
According to a source who overheard a conversation involving
individuals who would absolutely know, TNA writer Vince Russo told Brooks to
"faint" and to not tell anyone -- not even her co-workers or friends
-- that it was a work. Brooks ended up feeling really guilty about it because
she had to lie to her good friends. However, she was concerned that she might
lose her job if she didn't go along with Russo's idea.
Brooks' fainting spell lead to nothing -- except to divide
the crowd's attention away from the match going on the ring while EMT's attended
to her. Her fainting spell was never mentioned on television. Right after her
collapse during the pay-per-view broadcast, they cut to a camera shot of Brooks
down on the floor. It was portrayed to the viewers as a mystery attack and part
of the show since Mike Tenay was talking about how they didn't see what had
happened.
**NOTE: We previously reported Ms. Brooks was hit by a
cameraman who was accidentally bumped by Roode. That report was from a fan that
was at the live Genesis event**
Who’s
Back
Mike Johnson of the Professional Wrestling Insider is
reporting that there are future plans for Ron Killings in TNA Wrestling. While
we do not have the full details as to what the plans are, Johnson was able to
confirm that his name was brought up in the most recent TNA creative meeting.
Source: www.rajah.com
It is being reported that Judas Messias appeared for a TNA
taping and will be in living color in the next couple of weeks on iMPACT.
Yessss!
James Mitchell appeared for an interview with Mike Tenay on
last week’s iMPACT.
And
Maybe or Maybe Not
Judas Messias may not be cleared for work in the ring this
month. This from Rajah.com: Judas Mesias was at the iMPACT tapings this past
week to film vignettes. The current plan is for him to work a singles match
against Abyss at Final Resolution on January 6th. If Mesias doesn’t return to
television before then, the company will at least be airing the filmed
vignettes.
MEDIA: NASCAR commentator gives pro wrestling a spin
Posted on 12/06/107 by Michelle Saunders
NASCAR commentator gives pro wrestling a spin
Former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler joins TNA Wrestling
announce team
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orlando, Fla. (December 5, 2007) – Former NASCAR driver
Hermie Sadler makes his debut Thursday night, Dec. 6, as a professional
wrestling broadcaster for iMPACT! (9 p.m. ET), airing on Spike TV.
Sadler retired from the NASCAR Nextel Cup series after the
2006 season and is now an analyst for NASCAR on SPEED and Direct TV Hot Pass. He
also has been a wrestling promoter and in-ring performer for the past few years.
Sadler joins Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling iMPACT!
alongside play-by-play announcer Mike Tenay and color commentator Don West for a
match between “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels and Senshi, which was taped
at Universal Studios Florida.
“I had a great time. It was a lot of fun, a great
experience, something I hope to do again,” said Sadler, 38, the 1993 Busch
Series Rookie of the Year. “Commentating for professional wrestling is, in a
lot of ways, quite similar to commentating on NASCAR.”
In addition to NASCAR announcing, Sadler also is a weekly
guest every Tuesday on the nationally-syndicated John Boy & Billy Big Show,
a morning radio show which originates from Charlotte, N.C.
“Mike and I were really impressed with Hermie’s knowledge
of the product and his knowledge of each individual wrestler,” said TNA
commentator Don West. “It’s always a pleasure working with someone who is an
actual fan of the sport. His enthusiasm shines through and his ability to relate
what he sees in the (wrestling) ring to his NASCAR experiences are a great
insight.”
In 2002, Sadler had a feud with TNA’s Ron Killings, leading
to a number of appearances and matches as part of a cross promotion between TNA
and NASCAR. TNA Wrestling later sponsored Sadler’s racing efforts.
“It’s always interesting to get the insight of a
professional athlete from a sport other than wrestling and, in Hermie’s case,
his appreciation of wrestling and the fact that he has been a lifelong wrestling
fan shines through,” said TNA’s Mike Tenay.
TNA Wrestling delivers a distinct brand of high-risk,
athletic entertainment. TNA's roster includes the biggest names in wrestling
today, such as Kurt Angle, Booker T., Kevin Nash, Christian Cage, Scott Steiner,
Jeff Jarrett, and Team 3D, as well as the hottest new stars in the business: A.J.
Styles, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe and the Motor City Machine Guns.
TNA features the innovative six-sided ring and the high
flying "X-Division," as well as concept matches such as "Ultimate
X," "King of the Mountain," "Six Sides of Steel,"
"Lethal Lockdown" and "Elevation X," considered the most
dangerous match in professional wrestling, where combatants battle on a platform
20 feet above the ring.
TNA Entertainment, LLC is a privately held company
headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. TNA programming is currently seen in more than
120 countries worldwide. “TNA Thursday Night iMPACT!” airs every Thursday at
9 p.m. ET/PT on Spike TV. Spike TV is available in over 96 million homes and is
a division of Viacom International Inc. Source: www.pwbts.com
NOTE: I saw last week’s iMPACT and was not impressed
with TNA sending the camera to the announcer’s table to show us repeated shots
of Sadler while there was a match going on in the ring.
Who’s
Out
It has been reported that Senshi, aka Low-Ki on the Indy
circuit, requested and received his release from TNA. It is our understanding
there was an all talent meeting and Ms. Carter informed everyone that if they
were unhappy with their position with the company they would be given their
release. Senshi was the only wrestler who stepped forward. Best luck to Senshi
on his new journey and if any of his fans get a chance to see him on the Indy
circuit, please let us know. We’ll try to follow his career as closely as
possible.
And
Maybe or Maybe Not
As of this date, there is no word on whether or not Sting
will sign a year extension on his contract with TNA or retire officially at the
end of 2007. Sting was scheduled to be on the Mexico tour, however, with that
being canceled, no one seems to know if we will see Sting in the six-sided ring
again.
We know that Sabu missed a flight a couple of weeks ago and
missed a shot at getting back in TNA. We hope that doesn’t stop TNA from
working with Sabu again in the near future.
TNA has not issued any statement regarding Hall’s
employment status at this time. It is our understanding Scott Hall did not have
a contract with TNA and was being paid on a per appearance basis. Since he
didn’t make it to Turning Point, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether or not
TNA will want him back.
Scott Hall no-showed the Turning Point pay per view. The
reason being given at this time is that he was suffering from food poisoning.
Hall has some history with late shows and no-shows. His latest no who may have
been a boon for Showtime Eric Young who got to step in and take Hall’s place
in the Main Event. Eric, who had already been in a hard fought match with Cowboy
James Storm, became the tag team partners of Samoa Joe and Kevin Nash to face AJ
Styles, Tomko and Kurt Angle.
Samoa
Joe Causes an Upset
Rumors are flying that the speech Joe gave on Turning Point
after Scott Hall didn’t make it caused TNA management some major headaches. If
you didn’t get a chance to see Joe’s rant, you may never get a chance to see
it. If it is, as is being reported,
all in Joe’s own words, TNA may cut it from the Turning Point DVD that is
released at a later date. Since I saw Turning Point when it aired, I can’t
tell you if the speech disappeared during later airings.
If anyone out there saw a repeat, we would be interested in knowing if
the speech stayed in.
It was reported that when Nash left the ring after the match,
he went backstage and waited for Joe, taking offense at some of the comments Joe
had made. When Joe got backstage, Nash was waiting; there was a verbal
confrontation and then a shoving match.
While we agree it wasn’t necessarily your fault Hall
didn’t show up, let’s be fair here, Nash. I personally watched the segment
again just to be certain and found that Joe was not looking directly at you
during all of this. In fact, I thought he spent a lot more time looking at Angle
when he was going off.
According to reports, Joe apologized to everyone the next day
at the all talent meeting for going off, however, as a fan that has been
complaining for months about the lack of talent being used at TNA, all I have to
say is – Joe was right! I’m not the first person who has agreed with Joe and
I can guarantee I won’t be the last.
Or
Was It A Work?
On last week’s iMPACT, Mike Tenay announced that TNA mobile
users would be getting information on an altercation that occurred backstage
after Turning Point. This could mean the entire Main Event fiasco was a work and
the fans really got taken – even more so than they did with the Feast or Fired
match.
**NOTE: There were rumors over the weekend
that Joe was deliberately sent out to the ring before the Main Event at Turning
Point to dis Hall. Sources say that Dixie Carter who was sitting in the front
row was not a part of the deal and that is why the announcers did not mention
who Joe was speaking to an ringside.**
Other
Mouths Running When They Shouldn’t
Kurt’s Mrs. made a major oops when she mentioned during one
of the little backstage skits that she had “seen Nash and Hall talking in the
back” and Hall wasn’t even in the building!
TNA
Problems and a “Turning Point”?
You can read the entire article here, but more than one
person wasn’t happy with Turning Point pay per view– and this unhappy fan
has a lot of readers…
I found this part particularly interesting:
The problems with the direction of the company are
glaring, and it bears repeating that the similarities between TNA and WCW in its
dying days are many.
It’s ironic that this show was called Turning Point,
because I think it was one for TNA. I don’t see how anyone could have any
confidence in the product after last night’s debacle. In fact, if anyone paid
for this show and feels like they got their money’s worth, I’d love to hear
from you.
Not only was Hall a no-show, but TNA also failed to
deliver on its Feast or Fired match. Like a lot of TNA matches, the stipulations
were nonsensical, but if the company is asking you to pay your hard-earned money
to see this nonsense, the least it can do is let it play out to a conclusion on
the pay-per-view.
Last night, however, after four wrestlers in the bout
retrieved suitcases – there supposedly were contracts for title shots in three
of them and a pink slip in the other – TNA told viewers that they would have
to watch Impact on Thursday to find out the contents of the suitcases. With that
decision alone, TNA made chumps out of everyone who paid for this show.
**NOTE: After the last few pay per views, I personally
have decided that I won’t be watching the next TNA pay per view until the
price goes down. I’ll still do a recap, but it won’t be for a few days after
initial pay per view airs. It isn’t worth the money any more for me to
purchase the show on the day it is aired. TNA hasn’t learned that putting on a
quality show is the most important thing to get the audience to tune in for the
next pay per view.
TNA
Rating
Last week’s iMPACT drew a 1.1 cable rating. Source: www.prowrestlingfans.com
TNA went head to head with the one hour WWE ECW show last
Thursday. ECW drew a 0.6 rating – not even close.
iMPACT
Changes
There are more commercials now airing on TNA iMPACT. The
company has decided to take iMPACT from a nine-segment show to an eleven-segment
show. This will slightly shorten both the commercial breaks and the segments by
22%. The decision was made after TNA management felt like four minute commercial
breaks were too long. Now the commercial breaks will be between three and three
and a half minutes long. Source: www.rajah.com
Since they are shortening the commercial breaks, does that
mean we will have LESS commercial interruptions during the matches? TNA is also
shortening the segments. Does that mean we will have less talk and more action
in the ring or will it be the other way around?
How
TNA Handles The Really Important Issues
TNA tells talent to dodge the “drug testing” issue
Steve Gerweck - Friday, December 7 2007 - 3:55 PM
Chris Sabin was on Live Audio Wrestling Sunday night after
the Turning Point PPV. He was asked about drug testing in TNA, and Sabin said he
wasn’t allowed to comment. Apparently TNA is advising talent they aren’t
allowed to answer any questions about TNA’s drug testing policy, or there lack
of any such policy. Personally speaking, TNA needs to address this issue,
especially with a pending congressional hearing likely. Even though TNA flies
below the radar most of the time, Congress is aware of TNA, and have already
interviewed several sources close to the situation in TNA, so TNA not letting
talent address the drug testing issue makes them look like they have to
something to hide. Source: www.gerweck.net
Our
Favorite Polls
Courtesy of www.gerweck.net
Who would win a beer drinking contest?
James Storm - 8%
Steve Austin - 57%
The Sandman - 35%
(1,883 votes total)
NOTE: I voted for Cowboy James Storm but if Showtime Eric
Young had been one of the choices, well, let’s just say we TNA fans know that
Eric could drink all three of these guys under the table!
Are you going to order TNA's Turning Point PPV?
Yes - 21%
No - 79%
(2,026 votes total)
Do you believe Scott Hall missed Turning Point due to food
poisoning?
Yes - 17%
No - 83%
(1,849 votes total)
Best match at Turning Point?
6 Man Tables Match - 8%
Knockouts Tag Team Match - 5%
Storm v. Harris - 3%
Feast or Fired - 9%
Knockouts Championship Match - 22%
Match of 10,000 Tacks - 21%
Cage & Roode v. Kaz & Booker T - 21%
Main Event 6 Man Tag - 11%
(815 votes total)
What did you think of TNA's Turning Point?
thumbs up - 17%
in the middle - 11%
thumbs down - 29%
didn't see it - 43%
(1,039 votes total)
TNA
Cancels Mexico Tour
Earlier this year TNA canceled their tour of Israel
supposedly due to low ticket sales. They have now canceled their tour of Mexico
citing the same reason. The tour of Canada is still on – at least as of this
writing. Since some of TNA’s wrestlers hail from Canada, they should be able
to get a few seats sold.
TNA
EVENTS
The Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, South Carolina refused to let
TNA announce the venue as the location of their upcoming Against All Odds
pay-per-view until after WWE’s house show in the venue on November 25th.
Speaking of Against All Odds, tickets are on sale now.
JANUARY 9 - BELTON, TEXAS AT THE BELL COUNTY EXPO CENTER
Tickets go on sale Friday, December 14 at 10 a.m. at www.texasboxoffice.com,
all Texas Box Office outlets or by calling 512-477-6060. Superstars
appearing to be announced!
JANUARY 11 - DALLAS, TEXAS AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES
Tickets go on sale Friday, December 14 at 10 a.m. at www.ticketmaster.com,
all Ticketmaster locations or at the House of Blues box office or by calling
214-978-BLUE. Superstars appearing to be announced!
JANUARY 26 - YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO AT THE EASTWOOD EXPO CENTER
Tickets go on sale Friday, December 14 at 10 a.m. at
www.gettix.net or by calling 866-GETTIX. Appearing live and in person will be
Kurt Angle, Booker T, “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe, Robert
Roode, Tomko, “The Phenomenal” A.J. Styles, “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal,
“The Canadian Destroyer” Petey Williams, The Latin American Xchange,
“Primetime” Elix Skipper, Motor City Machineguns, “Cowboy” James Storm,
Shark Boy, Awesome Kong, Ms. Brooks and more! Source: www.gerweck.net
Tickets for TNA’s upcoming Against All Odds pay-per-view
which will take place in Greenville, South Carolina are sale on Ticketmaster.com.
Tickets for the January 25, 2007 TNA house show in Toy, Ohio
are on sale
ShopTNA.com already has a Booker T t-shirt for sale. The
front says Booker T while the back has the phrase "Same Player, Better
Game".
Also in stock now at ShopTNA.com are red and black TNA logo
fleece blankets.
For those having trouble finding the new TNA Meltdown CD,
ROHwrestling.com now has it in stock. Source: www.prowrestlingfans.com
TNA
TALENT EVENTS
November 24, 2007, Berwyn, IL, All American Wrestling, Windy
City Classic III, The Murder City Machine Guns (Sabin/Shelley) d. The
Michigan Invasion (Martinin and Mattson) to retain the AAW tag team titles.
November 24, 2007, Rochester, NY, NWA Upstate Holiday
Hangover, NWA National Heavyweight Champion Pepper Parks defeated "The
Notorious 187" Homicide.
El Mesias aka TNA’s
Judas Mesias retained
his AAA Heavyweight Championship November 30, 2007 in the main event of the
Guerra de Titanes pay per view.
December 1, 2007 in Union City, NJ, Ace Action Zone
Wrestling: "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal def. Giovanni Marranca and "Black Machismo" Jay
Lethal & Azrieal def.
Style & Finesse(Rob Vegas & Mike Donovan).
December 1, 2007, Newark, DE, East Coast Wrestling
Association, Low Ki, Sebastian Night, Iron Man & Gary Mc Laughlin
were inducted into the ECWA Hall of Fame.
December 7, 2007, Elizabeth, PA, International Wrestling
Cartel, Hell Hath No Fury 2004 Rematch:"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles
vs. "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels vs. "The
Notorious 187" Homicide, Non-Title Match, The 2006 Feud of the Year
Revisited:
Low Ki vs. "Fabulous" John McChesney,
Special Attraction Tag Team Match: The Motor City Machine Guns vs. The
Burning River Brigade, "The Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe
vs. 2 Cold Scorpio, and
Battle of IWC Characters: Delirious w/ Daizee Haze
vs. "Showtime"
Eric Young
December 7, 2007, Union City, NJ, Jersey All Pro Wrestling,
JAPW Tag Team Championship - 3 Way Dance: The
LAX (Homicide & Hernandez) vs.
BLKOut Members Eddie Kingston &
Slyk Wagner Brown vs. Teddy Hart & Senshi, Jay Lethal vs. The Human Tornado, "The
Future" Frankie Kazarian vs. "Dangerous" Devon Storm
"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. Chris Hero
December 8, 2007, Hybrid Wrestling, Fremont, OH, Battle For
The Future: Chris Sabin
Vs. Brian Lyndon.
December 8, 2007, Canton, CA, Ultimate Christian Wrestling, Austin
Creed is scheduled to appear.
December 8, 2007, Pemberton, NJ, United Wrestling Coalition, Raven
is scheduled to appear.
December 9, 2007, Lake Hiawatha, NJ, Pro Wrestling
Syndidcate’s Firestorm, "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal vs
Ruckus.
Kurt
Angle’s DUI hearing in PA was postponed until December 18, 2007 because Angle
was in Orlando, FL at the TNA iMPACT tapings.
December 28, 2007 - P.W.A.'s one-year anniversary event,
"CHRISTMAS CHAOS II", 7:30 P.M. at the Pasadena Convention Center in
Pasadena Texas! Tickets go on sale December 1, 2007, visit http://www.bookertonline.com.
Special guest star – Rob Van Dam!
Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin will be leaving for Tokyo
on December 30, 2007 to spend New Year's in Tokyo. The TNA tag team is booked for Zero-One Max on January 1
2008, and will return to the promotion for a March tour.
January 6, 2007, WWC, scheduled: Scott Hall, Kevin Nash,
Ron Killings, Konnan, Chris Masters, Carlito, and Ultimo Dragon on WWC’s
upcoming Euphoria tour. The tour’s biggest show will take place on January 6th
at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan.
January 19, 2008, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Golden Door
Charter School (180 9th Street in Jersey City, NJ), 7:30pm, Already signed:
Senshi, Homicide and Hernandez.
The TNA Knockouts are featured on the cover of the new issue
of "Inside Wrestling".
Amazing Kong aka Awesome
Kong Interview Recap
Interview Recap – Amazing Kong, By John Wiswell
The Amazing Kong (TNA’s Awesome Kong) was the guest on the
In Your Head show on November 28, 2007, hosted by Jack, One Inch Biceps and
Barbie Richards at http://www.inyourheadonline.com.
She showed a very different side than you’ll ever see on TNA.
Kong was on the show to plug her women’s title match with
Gail Kim at TNA: Turning Point on December 2nd, with PPV replays throughout
December.
Kong said she goes under “Awesome Kong” in TNA because of
property rights. “They own that name, I own mine.” She said she prefers
“Amazing Kong” on the indies and “Awesome Kong” when she’s in TNA.
Kong said winning the TNA women’s title would mean
validating the last five years of “Hell” in Japan and the American indies.
Her training in Japan was very rough, “and now it’s time to cash in,” she
said. She began training under Jesse Hernandez in the School of Hard Knocks,
before impressing All Japan Pro Wrestling at a tryout and going overseas
permanently to train. All Japan Women’s dojo put her through “the most
rigorous routine I’ve ever experienced,” far above any high school sports
she had tried, as the trainers wanted to see how much she could take.
Kong was a fan of wrestling as a kid. Undertaker was her
favorite as a kid, and as she grew up she liked Steve Austin and the Rock.
Kong liked living in Japan. The first time she was there she
“pulled a George Bush,” getting some at Disney Land. She said Japanese food
is an acquired taste, and that Japanese people love to make Americans try
everything to see their reactions.
A caller asked about Amazing Kong being the last All Japan
Women’s Pro-Wrestling tag team champions with Aja Kong. Kong said it meant a
lot to be the champions, but it was bittersweet, because she felt partially
responsible for the company’s failure, even though it was beyond the
talent’s control.
Kong said she’d heard of Aja Kong before trying out, but
didn’t know about her importance. It wasn’t Aja Kong’s idea to give her
the “Kong” name, but rather All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling’s idea so
that even if Aja Kong wasn’t there, there would be a “Kong” at the show.
She said Aja Kong is very happy with it now.
Kong enjoyed her time All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling
immensely. While patriotic, she learned how many different ways people do things
that aren’t wrong, but simply different. When she overcame all the pains of
the business and her peers said she had “the fighting spirit,” it meant the
world to her.
A caller asked what female wrestler had the biggest
impression on her. Kong said Joanie Laurer (“Chyna” in WWE).
A caller congratulated her on being the biggest hit in TNA,
and Jack asked how it felt to arrive at her first PPV and already have people
chanting her name. Kong joked that when she steps into the ring she goes deaf
and doesn’t hear the crowd, but she enjoyed “the vibe.”
A caller asked what American women’s wrestlers could
benefit TNA’s women’s division. Kong gave a shout-out to SHIMMER, an
all-female American indy, calling its roster the hardest-working women in
America. She listed Ms. Chif, Sara Del Ray and Cheerleader Melissa as people she
would like to see in TNA. While she didn’t want to disrespect WWE, she
doesn’t consider WWE Divas to be wrestlers. She doesn’t watch WWE much, if
at all, and did not recognize Beth Phoenix’s name.
She calls her version of the Torture Rack the “Accordion
Rack.”
One Inch Biceps asked if anyone had ever complained about her
style. She said if they hadn’t liked it, they were too scared to mention it.
Jack asked about injuries. Kong has had a lot of back
problems. In her first month in Japan, she sprained her ankle. Like most
wrestlers, she’s suffered concussions. At one point, she had to have part of
her tongue removed.
A caller asked if Kong was still allowed to go to SHIMMER,
considering TNA has an embargo on ROH and ROH runs SHIMMER. Kong said she does
her own bookings and will still do SHIMMER, but she would respect TNA’s
requests if she was contacted. If anyone wants to book Amazing Kong, they can
contact Ed Chuman at edchuman@midwestwrestling.com.
She also has an official website at www.amazingkong.com
and a myspace at http://myspace.com/carsonhomecomingqueen.
A caller asked if she ran into xenophobia in Japan. Kong said
the Japanese were very receptive. Sometimes she was stared at, asked if she was
Queen Latifah or asked to help practice their English, but nothing bad.
Kong is fluent in Japanese.
Steve Corino was a close friend in Japan. Kong told a story
about when Corino pretended to be her agent and got her a tryout as a dancer for
an Avian water commercial. She got a callback, but also got in trouble with
Zero-1 over it.
On the vital topic of head sizes, Kong said CW Anderson’s
head was bigger than Steve Corino’s.
Barbie asked how fun it is to destroy Ms. Chif, in particular
in their match on SHIMMER Women’s Athletes Volume 9 (available at http://www.visuex.com/shimmer/).
She said it was more fun than you could imagine. “Just imagine having
your very own Stretch Armstrong.” Her grandmother was actually in attendance
for the SHIMMER match, and she got a standing ovation from the crowd for it. She
said she’ll never forget that match.
A caller asked about Meiko Satomura from Japan’s GAEA
promotion. Kong thought she was a hard worker and a great leader. Kong said she
was the sort of person you aspired to be like.
Another caller asked if she would ever be interested in
creating her own company. It would be interesting to her for an anniversary
show, but not regularly. “There’s a lot that goes into a wrestling
promotion,” she said. Right now she is focused on work in the ring and proving
the ability of women’s wrestlers.
Kong wasn’t particularly happy with eating fake fruit on
the Thanksgiving TNA Impact, but wouldn’t speak against it. She said the fake
fruit was surprisingly easy to bite through. “Better than some cafeteria
food,” she said.
Kong said stepping into the six-sided ring for the first time
was disorienting, but she found her bearings. It essentially gave her six
directions to throw people.
She did some MMA in Japan, but it was a lot of training and
hardwork. She won’t return to that sport soon. She had trouble with some
“rules,” like not pulling hair or fish-hooking. She retired undefeated.
WWE did actually contact her, but she liked TNA’s overall
product better, and TNA offered her bookings first.
Jack asked about what it was like to win the All Japan
Women’s Pro-Wrestling world heavyweight title. She said it was a huge sense of
accomplishment, as other wrestlers went years without so much as a titleshot.
The chat room wanted to know if she would get promo time in
TNA. She said her character was all about “food and whooping ass” right now.
She loves the HUSTLE promotion in Japan. When she was
approached to wrestle in a yellow tutu, she knew she had to do it. She has a
sense of humor and likes HUSTLE’s antics. They also gave her the chance to
face her tag team idols, Team 3D.
Jack asked about the wardrobe malfunction on her TNA PPV
debut. She said it wasn’t that embarrassing, and that she’s been in much
more embarrassing situations than having “her girls” pop out.
Kong is up for wrestling men. She’s done it in Japan and
sees no problem with it.
They plugged TNA: Turning Point again, and Amazing Kong
thanked all her fans for the support.
You can listen to the full-length interview at http://www.inyourheadonline.com
and new episodes Wednesdays at 8 PM EST.
Source: www.gerweck.net
Not Necessarily TNA News
Rob Van Dam doing standup comedy for the first time ever
(photos included)
Steve Gerweck - Saturday, December 8 2007 - 12:20 AM
from Tim Chizmar, Tim Chizmar Productions
RVD doing standup comedy for the FIRST TIME EVER from
Championship Comedy: Seasons Beatings at the world famous Improv. Booker T also
made it out that night. Our champion retained his comedy championship with a win
over Ro. New Jack is coming out in Feb to challenge our champion Bruce Jingles.
More info on
Santino Speaks On Getting Slapped
Submitted by Richard Gray on December 6, 2007, Source: www.rajah.com
The Lilsboys out of the United Kingdom have a new interview
online today with Santino Marella on The Sun web site. In it, Marella speaks out
for the first time on being slapped by Jim Cornette when he was in OVW.
Marella commented, “When he slapped me I just didn’t know what to think.
I’d heard he had a bad temper, but I didn’t have enough experience to make a
proper assessment of the situation. I just knew if I punched him in the face
I’d get fired. I guess I made some history though – I was pretty popular.”
Cornette’s antics led to him getting fired and Paul Heyman being brought in to
replace him at OVW. Click here to check out the full interview: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/article553544.ece
Lance Storm has posted a new commentary regarding this week's
slate of wrestling television on his official website. He starts off his
commentary by saying that last night's edition of TNA Impact was 'completely
retarded'. He then rips the show some more and says that he's never going to
watch it again. You can read his thoughts at this www.StormWrestling.com
TNA NEWS BYTES / DECEMBER 3
TNA Wrestling . Com
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