WWE News

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Orton Talks About Being A Father, Note On Miz, McCool

The following is from WWE.com: Current WWE Champion Randy Orton, a St. Louis native, recently sat down with St. Louis Today, where he was interviewed about growing up in St. Louis, his work with WWE, and how fatherhood has changed his life. To the full article, and find out what "The Viper" would be doing if he wasn't a WWE Superstar, visit STLToday.com.

-Today's "Daily Diva" at WWE.com with a new photograph is Michelle McCool.

-Today's Superstar of the Day" at WWE.com is The Miz.

 

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New Book: The Queen Of The Ring (Mildred Burke Biography)

[email protected] sent along the following:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mildred Burke was an eighteen-year-old waitress in a Kansas City diner when she saw her first wrestling match. A single mother barely scraping by on Depression-era tips, she had the inspiration and guts to crawl between the ropes and try to make something of herself.

What followed was the astounding odyssey of the most unlikely champion the sporting world would ever see. At 5-2 and 120 pounds, Burke would use both beauty and brawn to captivate audiences across the globe and rise to the top of America's most masculine pastime. Her story is a lost piece of Americana that is recaptured in The Queen of the Ring, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jeff Leen's extraordinarily researched account of Burke's rise to fame and riches.

It all began in that diner in 1934 when Burke convinced a male wrestler named Billy Wolfe to take her on and train her. Tough, crusty and twice her age, Wolfe was a skilled wrestler and an even better businessman, a savvy hustler with his eye on the main chance. Wolfe was skeptical until he saw Burke pin a good male wrestler; then he married her and put her to work in his carny troupe, where she wrestled men who hoped to earn $25 by pinning the little woman. Burke's extraordinary talent in the ring and her singular style made her an instant star.

Together, Burke and Wolfe built a brand-new business out of their sweat and dreams. Her muscles and his mind made the industry of women's professional wrestling in America and helped save the whole sport, coming along at a time when men's wrestling was reeling from newspaper investigations about fixed matches and fake champions.

They reached the pinnacle of their business, with Burke celebrated as the shining champion and Wolfe touted as the brilliant manager. She sported diamonds and minks and was written up in Time and Life and hundreds of other publications; He draped himself with his own diamonds and slept with the other female wrestlers. Burke did not care as long as she was champion; that was her one true love.

And then, at the peak of their success, it all came apart. Wolfe tried to replace Burke as champion with one of his girlfriends, and a physical fight between them turned into a divorce battle and a struggle over the business. Through canny legal maneuvering and with the backing of the National Wrestling Alliance, the monopoly that controlled wrestling, Wolfe outsmarted Burke, and soon she was destitute.

At her gravest hour, she entered the ring to face her toughest opponent, the female powerhouse June Byers, in the last wrestling championship match in America fought out for real.

The Queen of the Ring is a tale filled with sex, muscles and diamonds, but it is also a story of greed, intrigue and betrayal, and one women's indomitable will to survive and triumph.

Check out the official website at: http://thequeenofthering.com

 

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Another Kurt Angle Update: Scheduled to Have 2 Hearings

The Associated Press has issued the following press release:

Pro wrestler Kurt Angle's hearing postponed in Pa.
(AP) – 2 hours ago

MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. — A preliminary hearing has been postponed for pro wrestler and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle on charges he illegally possessed human growth hormone near Pittsburgh.

The 40-year-old star of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling was charged Saturday. Police say they found HGH when they stopped his vehicle in Robinson Township after Angle allegedly violated a protection from abuse order obtained by his girlfriend.

Angle contends he has a prescription for the HGH. His attorney says Angle didn't violate the order, but just happened to stop at a coffee shop where the woman worked.
Tuesday's hearing on the drug charge was rescheduled for Sept. 15. Angle faces a separate hearing Oct. 6 on violating the abuse order.

 

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Top Raw Stars to Appear at the SD! Taping Next Week


The US Airways Center website is advertising that the following Raw stars will be at the Smackdown tapings next week in Phoenix, AZ. Please note, WrestleZone is looking for correspondents for this show, so if you are planning on attending the event and want to submit a report as well as updates during the show, please let us know by emailing [email protected] and we will contact you!

The website is advertising the following:

John Cena

Triple H

Shawn Michaels

Jeff Hardy

Rey Mysterio

Chris Jericho

The Big Show

CM Punk

Randy Orton

Christian

Finlay

Evan Bourne

Mark Henry

The Great Khali

Cryme Tyme

John Morrison

Shelton Benjamin

*Michelle McCool

and many more of your favorite SmackDown & ECW Superstars

MAIN EVENTS

John Cena and DX vs. Randy Orton & The Legacy

RAW 6 Man Tag Team Match

Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk

Word Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Match

Who will be the Champion going into the Steel Cage match…& who will leave the Champion?

Rey Mysterio & The Great Khali vs. The Big Show & Chris Jericho

Unified Tag Team Championship Match

​

 

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Full Card Announced For UFC's 102 PPV on August 29th

Sherdog.com has posted the full card for the August 29th UFC 102 PPV:
UFC 102 - Couture vs. Nogueira
Ultimate Fighting Championship
August 29, 2009
Rose Garden Arena,
Portland, Ore.


FIGHT CARD

Matchups:
Randy Couture (No. 6 HW) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (No. 5 HW)
Keith Jardine (No. 9 LHW) vs. Thiago Silva
Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt
Nate Marquardt (No. 3 MW) vs. Demian Maia (No. 5 MW)
Brandon Vera vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Chris Tuchscherer
Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson
Michael Russow vs. Justin McCully
Todd Duffee vs. Tim Hague
Mark Munoz vs. Nick Catone
Marcus Aurelio vs. Evan Dunham

 

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JR Updates Edge's Status & Explains His Kurt Angle Comments

Jim Ross has updated his blog over at JRsBarBQ.com. Below are some highlights:

"I received an email from Steve 'Dr. Death' Williams and apparently cancer has returned to once again challenge my dear pal. Cancer returned to his Stoma and Doc has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment which is the only way this matter can be addressed. I truly admire Doc's faith and his believe in God not to mention the mental and physical toughness that this former wrestling great possesses. If you have it in your heart to help us raise funds to purchase a hands free, talking devise for Doc, please check out www.wrestlersrescue.org. Doc has some limited wrestling engagements upcoming and is still working for Southwest Airlines at the Denver Airport."

"We received some unique feedback on the thoughts I wrote this weekend on the Kurt Angle arrest situation. Let me make it clear that Angle has not been convicted of any thing. I never even mentioned the allegations regarding alleged physical abuse to a woman which, by the way, I do not believe. The issue is that when external factors adversely affect one's life and when one's life is under such a professional microscope and is overly scrutinized there are times when one simply needs to take him or herself out of the game for a while to regroup. Call it a vacation or even a leave of absence but stepping away and being able to exhale sometimes isn't a bad thing."

"Got a text message from Edge who recently received an order of his favorite, J.R.'s Chipolte Ketchup, on which I think that he is 'hooked.' Edge said that he planned to start his rehab this week on his surgically repaired Achilles tendon. Usually it is approximately a 6 month healing process for these types of injuries but that is not definitive. Mother Nature always has a say in how fast one's body heals. I hope Edge is back in time for WM26 in Arizona. Time will tell as no one can absolutely say one way or another at this time when Edge will be cleared to go 100% and there is no sense in coming back to the ring until then."

 

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Big Kurt Angle Update: Hearing Delayed Until Next Month

Accoring to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Kurt Angle's hearing before a judge, which was scheduled for tomorrow, has been delayed until September 15th at 10am. Angle is currently free on $10,000 bail, and will remain so until his hearing on the 15th. This leaves him available to work any and all TNA dates until then.

 

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TNA Talent Told Not to Mention Angle Arrest: Knockout Slips

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that TNA talents were told yesterday not to mention the Kurt Angle arrest situation and to refrain from speaking about the incident in Tweets or online blogs. In what appears to be either a subtle dig or coincidental accident, TNA Knockout Taylor Wilde posted a Tweet on her Twitter account which read, "Just arrived in Orlando. Can't wait to see all the Knockouts, but not because I'm a stalker or anything." She later seemed to correct herself when she wrote, "Wow, that inside joke got blown out of proportion. Its not what you think it is, trust me."

 

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TV Main Event Announced For This Week's Smackdown

WWE has announced that Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy and John Morrison vs CM Punk, Tyson Kidd and DH Smith will headline this week's Smackdown broadcast. They are also advertising CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy in a Steel Cage Match for the World TItle in what will most likely be a dark match main event.

 

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Final 8/13 TNA Impact Rating: Bad News Heading Into PPV

The 8/13 episode of TNA Impact drew a final 1.04 rating, making it the lowest number the show has drawn since New Year's Day. TNA has to be concerned with this number considering this was the go-home show for the Hard Justice PPV.

 

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TNA Reaches a New Long Term Deal with SpikeTV Today

TNA's Awesome Kong has posted the following on her Twitter account: "TNA just signed a three year deal with Spike! Go team!"

 

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Breaking News: TNA Removes Don West as Color Commentator


It's being reported by PWInsider.com that at tonight's TNA Impact tapings, Don West was NOT on color commentary and he was replaced by Taz. It seems as if TNA is going with Mike Tenay and Taz as the new announce team and Don West has reportedly been moved into a merchandise sales position within the company.

 

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Guest Host Revealed For Next Week's Raw Show in Las Vegas

It was confirmed tonight on Raw that next week's show will be guest hosted by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. The show takes place live from Las Vegas.

 

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*Spoilers* Results of Two Superstars Matches Taped at Raw


Thanks to Steven for sending in the following results:

I attended WWE Raw tonight and the following matches were taped for this week's Superstars:

-Beth Phoenix defeated Kelly Kelly via pinfall.

-Mark Henry defeated Chris Masters via countout after Master left the ring, gave up, and didn't get back in. Henry did break the master lock at one point during the match.

 

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Raw Dark Match Result, More on the New TNA/SpikeTV Deal


Thanks to Steven for sending this in:

In a dark match prior to Raw tonight, Primo defeated Aaron Riley via pinfall following a cross body block.

TNA has issued the following press release:

SPIKE TV AND TNA WRESTLING EXTEND PARTNERSHIP THROUGH 2012

Deal Includes New Weekly Installments Of “TNA: iMPACT!” And The Addition Of New Original Series Of Specials

Spike TV and Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling have agreed to a new, three-year extension of their partnership, it was announced jointly today by Kevin Kay, President, Spike TV and Dixie Carter, President of TNA Entertainment.

The deal, which begins October 1, 2009, includes three new years of TNA’s weekly “iMPACT!” show as well as the addition of a new original series of one-hour specials. Each special (title TBD) will feature the biggest personalities and highlight some the greatest and awe-inspiring bouts in the history of TNA, many of them never before seen on basic cable. TNA Entertainment will produce 10 one-hour installments.

“TNA: iMPACT!” is coming off its highest-rated and most-watched quarter on Spike TV. During 2Q09, more than 1.8 million viewers on average tuned in to “TNA: iMPACT!” on Spike each week. Overall, “TNA: iMPACT!” saw an impressive 31% overall growth compared to YAGO, with double digit increases in the key demographics of M18-49 (+33%) and P18-49 (+40).*

“With the tremendous success and record ratings we have achieved over the past three years, we are very happy to continue to have Spike TV as TNA Wrestling’s partner,” said Carter. “We are excited to continue our relationship with the fantastic team that has supported TNA from the very beginning, and look forward to even greater success with all of our TNA programming on Spike TV.”

“TNA Wrestling has consistently delivered strong ratings in key male demographics and has continually grown its weekly audience. In the past year alone, “iMPACT!" has seen a remarkable increase of 30% in overall growth," said Kay. “We are excited to not only continue but also expand our relationship with the world’s fastest growing wrestling organization.”

Cross The Line to TNA Wrestling, the most innovative experience in professional wrestling today. Watch "TNA iMPACT!" every Thursday night (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) only on Spike TV. TNA Entertainment, LLC is a privately held company headquartered in Nashville, Tenn.

Spike TV is available in 98 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet Address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press.

 

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VOW Archive (8/17): Kurt Angle/TNA Details, SSlam & More!

The Voice of Wrestling Radio show from Monday night, 8/17/09 is now archived and available for download! The Voice of Wrestling is heard live every Monday from 7:30-8:30pm EST as Chris Cash, Nick "The Man of 1,000 Names" and Mark Madden lead you into Monday Night Raw!

This Week's Hot Topic: Chris, Nick and Mark provide more exclusive details behind the recent arrest of Kurt Angle, rundown the SummerSlam card for next week, and discuss all of the fallout from TNA's Hard Justice PPV!

All this plus YOUR live phone calls!

TO STREAM, enter the following URL in your favorite media player: http://www2.wrestlezone.com/audio/VOW_08172009.mp3

TO DOWNLOAD (right click/save as): CLICK HERE!

You can now follow WrestleZone.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WRESTLEZONEcom

You can also follow Nick on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NickyPags

 

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Update On Jerry Lawler For Memphis Mayor

Well Jerry Lawler is running gain for Mayor of Memphis, as previously reported.

I remember the first time he ran in 1999 getting 12% of the vote. I was promoting in Georgia and in Nashville off & on with Bert Prentice and Bert was helping Lawler. I recall picking up a bunch of Lawler for Mayor Lawn signs for him once. When the election was over we had hundreds of those things, and I tried to get rid of them thinking folk would buy them. I even had some for Lawler to sign when Lawler appeared in Conyors, GA for me, and I thnk we sold maybe two of them. I used some to fill in a wall in a shed at my house, and threw away a bunch. Who knew they'd have value nearly a decade later.

Oh well.

Anyway WREG-TV did a nice piece on it's website with video at http://www.wreg.com/wreg-lawler-for-mayor,0,4993126.story

When asked if he is serious about being mayor:

"yes, I am very serious. I'm in this race to win, and I think I can win," Lawler says. "I'm all about bringing common sense to this city."

Lawler also addressed his and his sons' legal issue:

"Have I been to court? Yes, I've been to court. When you're a public figure you become a target, that's just the way it goes," he says.

 

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Taz Comments On New TNA Role And Don West

On Taz's Twitter page he commented on joining the TNA announce team, and on Don West, the man he replaced in two "tweets"

http://twitter.com/OfficialTAZ

WhiteI am already LOVING my new role in TNA! I had a blast with Mike T also!! TNA will sound different starting Thurs!!

I'm also hapy Don is TNA stil-It shows type of front office we have-dude has been there for 7yrs u don't just can him- promote hm

 

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"Killer B" B Brian Blair To Run For Florida House


B Brian Blair in 1982 as Florida Champ

Brian Blair, formerly B. Brian Blair of WWE's Killer Bees, will officially announce his candidacy for the Florida House of Representatives on Monday.

Blair said:

``I am running for state representative because I want to use my experience as a businessman to help create jobs, reduce the size of state government and defend traditional values,'' Blair said. ``I believe we can accomplish these goals without raising taxes.''

No word on whether the Iron Sheik felt humbled.

http://www.miamiherald.com/626/story/1189808.html

 

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Rey Mysterio Speaks On Meeting Real Madrid Players

The following is from WWE.com:

Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio recently toured Spain where he invited Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul and their Real Madrid teammates to WWE’s upcoming SmackDown and ECW live event in Madrid on Sept. 24.

"It was an honor to be invited to visit Real Madrid’s training ground and meet Raul, Ronaldo, Kaka and all the other footballers that play for such a successful team,” Mysterio said. “I am looking forward to seeing them again in September when I am back in Madrid and to give them a taste of my own kind of athleticism!”

Real Madrid is a professional club and the most successful team in Spanish football history. They’ve won a record 31 La Liga titles, 17 Spanish Cups, nine European Cups and two UEFA Cups.

"Rey, it is a pleasure to meet you,” Raul told the SmackDown Superstar. “Thank you for the invite to see you in Madrid. My kids love your show.”