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Updated throughout the day, it's the Torch News Ticker with all the news and info that's not fit for print. Bookmark it every Monday!

Sunday, January 27, 2008

4:00 p.m.

- Royal Rumble notes: Former ECW champion C.M. Punk qualified for the Rumble match with a non-title victory over Chavo Guerrero at last night's super show in Providence. Punk brings the total announced wrestlers to 25. ... WWE made additional tickets available for sale at Madison Square Garden after they set up production and the set.

- Check back tonight for our live coverage of the Royal Rumble PPV beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST/7:00 CST.

- PWG notes: PWG's third show of the year is tonight in La Habra, Calif., with new PWG champion Low-Ki defending against El Generico. Also booked is PWG tag champs Davey Richards & Super Dragon vs. Scott Lost & Joey Ryan for the belts and Chris Hero vs. Human Tornado. ... Jack Evans was originally scheduled to face Roderick Strong in the rubber match of their #1 contender series, but Evans is out several weeks following face surgery. Rocky Romero will now face Strong.

9:00 a.m.

- We're looking for reports from the two TNA house shows this weekend and last night's WWE supershow in Providence.

- TV ratings: Smackdown from Friday night averaged a 2.7 rating, down slightly from last week's 2.8 rating. The show finished fifth out of the five networks on the night, but finished fourth in adults 18-49 with a 1.4 rating.

- Mike Mooneyham's Sunday column has an interview with Jeff Hardy. Hardy talks about his rise to legit main event status, his current injuries, and avoiding serious injury. Regarding doing dangerous stunts, Hardy says, "I'm usually pretty comfortable with anything I look at or stand on top of. If I feel I can't do it, I'll be the first to say I can't do it. I'll continue to do things like that and go with my instinct until something goes wrong and I do get hurt. But other than that, I can't really downplay my instinct because nothing bad has happened to me." As in other interviews this week, Hardy talks injuries: "I'm beat up. My ankles are really weak. A lot of that stems from motocross in the past. I've got a (bone) chip in my right kneecap now, pain in my elbows and two herniated discs in my neck and my back. I'm not feeling great, but I've been extremely lucky that I've gone this far without surgery. So I'll just keep knocking on metal or wood." Column link.

- ROH Notes: Last night in Chicago, Davey Richards & Rocky Romero won the ROH Tag Titles in an Ultimate Endurance match by eliminating the team of Austin Aries & Bryan Danielson last. ... In the main event, Nigel McGuinness beat Roderick Strong to retain the ROH Title ... Kota Iibushi from the DDT promotion in Japan was announced for the April 19 show back in Chicago. Iibushi video package.

***

Saturday, January 26, 2008

1:00 p.m.

Checking a busy events calendar for tonight...

- WWE house show: All three WWE brands will in Providence, R.I. at the Dunkin Donuts Center for a Super Show one night before the Royal Rumble. If you attend tonight's big Rumble preview show, be sure to send in a report.

- TNA house show: TNA is in Youngstown, Ohio tonight at the Eastwood Expo Center. TNA re-arranged the card for last night's show in Troy, Ohio to Joe vs. Angle and Booker vs. Roode as the two main events. The advertising for the Ohio shows was Joe vs. Roode and Booker vs. Angle. As always, if you attend tonight's show, be sure to send in a report.

- ROH house show: The second show on ROH's Midwest weekend swing is in Chicago Ridge tonight with Nigel McGuinness vs. Roderick Strong for the ROH Title and Delirious vs. Adam Pearce in a dog collar match. Joey Matthews makes his Age of the Fall in-ring debut against Mark Briscoe. If you attend tonight's show, be sure to send in a report.

12:00 p.m.

- ROH Notes: Joey Matthews (f/k/a Joey Mercury in WWE) was introduced as the newest member of the Age of the Fall last night in Dayton. He will face Mark Briscoe tonight in Chicago ... Ruckus was hospitalized prior to last night's show, and the Vulture Squad has been pulled from tonight's show in Chicago. Check the main listing for more details.

10:00 a.m.

- Jeff Hardy has two more interviews to cap off the hype for Royal Rumble. (The WrestleMania-level hype is unmistakable.) In the Miami Herald, Hardy talks about maturing as a person and a wrestler to where he's given up a lot of hobbies to fully commit himself to wrestling. He said Michael Hayes has worked with him on his promos and wrestling. Hardy says: "I think I've grown as a wrestler. When it comes to matches, I know how to tell a story and how to structure things. Michael is always going to be an advisor to me backstage, probably a lot more than anyone else."

In the Winnipeg Sun, Hardy talks about his 30-foot dive onto Randy Orton from Raw two weeks ago. Hardy says, "It was pretty creepy. I checked it out earlier in the day. When I got up there and looked down, I was thinking, 'I've gotta follow through on this. I've gotta do it.' But when I jumped, what an adrenaline rush! It felt like I was 50 feet up!"

- MVP was interviewed by IGN.com on a number of subjects, including his influences in the ring and potential WrestleMania opponents. Regarding his study of pro wrestling, MVP said, "My offense is a lot of knee strikes and kicks to the head, and a lot of that I got from Chono and Kawada. I've been watching some Chono lately, so I've stolen one of Chono's moves." Asked what he's looking for when watching tapes from Japan, MVP said, "I look for storytelling, psychology, moves. ... I look at it with a different approach and try to find what I can apply to American wrestling."

Some dream opponents for MVP in WWE include Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, while outside of WWE, he'd like to work with Chono (obviously) and Low-Ki. MVP teased in the interview that he's going to be wrestling Matt Hardy at WrestleMania. Plans do change, though! The second-half of the interview is about MVP's personal life, including his non-existent video game career because of his hectic WWE schedule of being on the road all the time. Interview link.

- WWE has hired former American Gladiators announcer Mike Adamle as a backstage interviewer. His first assignment will be at the Royal Rumble on Sunday. Adamle will then be part of the Raw broadcast team as backstage interviewer. (Watch out Todd Grisham.) WWE.com interview with Adamle.

- TV ratings info: "The Celebrity Apprentice" from Thursday night, featuring Vince McMahon, averaged a 5.8 rating to finish third out of the five networks in the 9:00 p.m. EST timeslot. The show led adults 18-49. Vince's appearance didn't move the rating meter, as the previous week's episode averaged a 5.9.

***

Friday, January 25, 2008

9:00 p.m.

- ECW head writer Dave Lagana gone from WWE. Check main listing for details.

5:00 p.m.

Checking the TV, radio, and non-televised line-ups for tonight...

- WWE Smackdown: The debut HD show will feature C.M. Punk vs. Edge after Edge cost Punk the ECW Title on Tuesday. The other top matches are Finlay vs. Great Khali in a Belfast Brawl and The Undertaker vs. Big Daddy V.

- TNA in Troy: We're looking for a live report from TNA's house show in Troy, Ohio from the Hobart Arena. Top three matches on the card are Kurt Angle vs. Booker T. for the TNA Hvt. Title, Styles & Tomko vs. LAX for the TNA Tag Titles, Samoa Joe vs. Robert Roode. Pretty much everyone from TV is signed for the show.

- ROH in Dayton: We're looking for a live report from ROH's show in Dayton, Ohio tonight. Main event is Nigel McGuinness vs. Chris Hero for the ROH Title in a steel cage. For the FIP Title, it's Erick Stevens vs. Austin Aries. While the cage is being set up for the main event, they're doing a meet-and-greet with Aries and The Briscoes.

- Ross on the radio: Jim Ross will be on color commentary for tonight's OU-Iowa St. college wrestling duel. The call will be streamed live, starting at 7:00 p.m. EST/6:00 Central at takedownradio.com.

4:00 p.m.

- Video Business.com has a significant story on WWE's marketing initiative to pitch the idea of "mini-stores" in select retailers that sell WWE DVDs, video games, and licensed toy products. The idea is for retailers, such as F.Y.E., to put all the WWE items together in one section of the store to create a temporary "boutique section" that promotes upcoming WWE product releases, such as the Triple H DVD and "The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania" on March 25. Wal-Mart is also expected to participate in WWE's retail marketing campaign ahead of WrestleMania 24.

Joel Satin, WWE's VP of home entertainment said in the article: "F.Y.E. took it upon themselves to strategize WWE product around key periods, such as a holiday or new DVD. Now, we are being more proactive to go after other big retailers with these shops. ... This is no different from a theatrical movie coming out and building the licensed product around it." Story link.

- Ultimate Warrior's rant on Heath Ledger from his website is on TMZ.com. From the TMZ article: "Former face-painting wrestling superstar and current homophobe Ultimate Warrior is using Heath Ledger's death as an opportunity to take serious shots at Heath, gays and his former rival, Hulk Hogan." Warrior ranted on Hulk Hogan for his parenting skills by "ruining" and "profiting off" his children's lives. TMZ link.

2:00 p.m.

- TNA announced they will be touring the U.K. in June. Dates have not been announced yet. TNA president Dixie Carter was in London last week to speak with the U.K. Sun about the tour, and the cities lined up are Coventry, Liverpool, and Essex.

- Consequences Creed, who wrestled in place of Pacman Jones last year during a PPV tag match, has signed a TNA contract. He'll be in an undercard match at the Against All Odds PPV next month, before starting regular appearances on TV.

- WWE will be one of 330 companies presenting at the 20th-annual "OC Growth Stock Conference". The conference will be held Feb. 18-21 in Orange County, Calif. with small-to-mid-sized companies presenting on growth opportunities overseas, especially in China and India. Conference details.

12:00 p.m.

- With news of USA Network owning the top three cable rating positions last week on the strength of "Monk" and Raw, Forbes magazine has an article on USA Network president Bonnie Hammer turning the network around from an also-ran to a leading cable network. The article sites Monk, Psych, and "the wildly popular WWE Raw wrestling franchise" as the leading programs that Hammer pushed when she took over in 2004 - around the time of Raw moving back to USA from Spike. Hammer recently stepped down as president of Sci-Fi, which opened speculation that she could become NBC Universal president, or possibly move to Oprah's new 24-hour TV channel. Article link.

10:00 a.m.

- A few days ahead of his Royal Rumble title match, Jeff Hardy spoke with Kevin Eck of the Baltimore Sun about his new main event position, promos, his injuries, and taking risks for huge spots. In a very revealing interview, Hardy says about his current injuries: "My body feels weak in a lot of places. I know I’ve got herniated discs in my neck and my back, which isn’t extremely serious – they could lead to being serious. I’ve got [bone] chips in my elbows. I can’t wrestle a match without getting my ankles taped because they feel like they'll shatter on me." On what a WWE Title win at the Rumble would mean to him, Hardy says, "Just having the responsibility of walking around with that title would really scream to me, 'Man, you’ve done it. Here we are.' Either way, if I win or lose, I still feel like a champion no matter what." Full Hardy interview link.

9:00 a.m.

- Jim Ross will be switching roles from his regular Raw duties to handle color commentary at tonight's Oklahoma-Iowa St. wrestling event in Norman, Okla. Ross's call, along with veteran play-by-play man Scott Casber, will be available on local radio stations, and streamed over the Internet at takedownradio.com. This unique opportunity to hear Ross call college sports is scheduled as a one-time deal, with Ross having spent the past few days prepping for his sports delivery. (In other words, he doesn't have to make Snitsky look like a million bucks tonight.) Matches start at 7:00 p.m. EST/6:00 p.m. OU time. The broadcast will be archived on the takedown site for future listening. Streaming broadcast link.

- WWE has filed lawsuit against Three Sixty Inc., producer of a hangover pill called 360 OTC, for failure to pay sponsorship fees for WrestleMania. The agreement was for 360 Inc. to pay $1.0 million for the official sponsorship, but they've only paid $75,000 thus far. WWE is looking to recoup the full amount. Local paper story.

- WWE diva Maria Kanellis will be a special guest on Feb. 5 at the Peoria Rivermen AHL hockey game against Manitoba. She'll be doing a meet and greet at Carver Arena.

- In Canada, the Royal Rumble PPV will be broadcast in High Definition at 50 Cineplex movie theaters across the country. WWE has partnered with Cineplex Entertainment to deliver the PPV in HD for $13.95 admission in the theaters. Check cineplex.com for theater listings. Press release.

- TNA PPV: Following last night's Impact, TNA has updated the Against All Odds PPV card for Feb. 10. Current line-up: Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage for the TNA World Title, Styles & Tomko vs. B.G. James & Bob Armstrong for the TNA Tag Titles, Awesome Kong vs. ODB for the Women's Title, Abyss vs. Judas Mesias in Barbed Wire Massacre 2, Team 3D vs. Team Lethal, Booker T. vs. Robert Roode, and Eric Young vs. James Storm.

***

Thursday, January 24, 2008

5:00 p.m.

Checking the TV line-up tonight...

- TNA Impact has two hours of TV at 9:00 p.m. EST. The main angles will be Samoa Joe's storyline contract negotiations with Jim Cornette, Kurt Angle's comments on Brock Lesnar entering MMA, and TNA's year-end awards. Matches include Tiger Mask in a tag match against Rave & Hoyt, Roode & Storm vs. Young & Dutt, and Johnny Devine vs. Jay Lethal. They taped three weeks of TV in two days, so it's wait-and-see on what undercard matches air the next three weeks before the PPV.

- Vince McMahon will indirectly be competing against TNA with an appearance on Donald Trump's "The Celebrity Apprentice" tonight at 9:00 p.m. EST on NBC.

- Kurt Angle is on the "Pros vs. Joes" show immediately following Impact.

2:00 p.m.

- ROH Notes: The show line-ups for this weekend in the Midwest have changed after Jack Evans injured his face in Japan, so he's off the weekend shows. ... Saturday in Chicago, ROH will announce a new wrestler from Japan coming to future shows. He's not from NOAH or Dragon Gate. ... Top matches Friday in Dayton: ROH champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Chris Hero in a steel cage for the belt, FIP champion Erick Stevens vs. Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong for the FIP Title, Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black ... Top matches Saturday in Chicago: Nigel vs. Strong for the ROH Title if Nigel is still champ, Delirious vs. Adam Pearce in a dog collar match, ROH tag champs Black & Jacobs vs. Jigsaw & Ruckus vs. Richard & Romero vs. Whitmer & Albright in Ultimate Endurance for the titles.

1:00 p.m.

- Jeff Hardy discusses his Royal Rumble match against Randy Orton in a U.K. Sun interview. Hardy says: "I'm in the best spot I’ve ever been in and I just want to let that momentum grow and be victorious on Sunday... WWE have made a good decision by giving me the opportunity to be one of the top guys and trying to roll with it." Whether he wins or loses in the title match, he wants to be in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania. His dream match is to wrestle Rey Mysterio since he's never worked with him. Hardy talks pretty openly about the Rumble booking in the interview. U.K. Sun interview link.

12:00 p.m.

- TV ratings: Some more information on USA Network's top-three sweep in the cable ratings for last week. USA won the 18-49 and 25-54 demographics on the strength of the Jan. 14 Raw, which averaged 2.51 million viewers in the 18-49 demographic and approximately 2.2 million viewers in the 25-54 demo.

- The Daily Press (Va.) has an article on TNA's Destination X PPV coming to Norfolk following Raw's events this week in Hampton and Charlottesville. The pre-sale is still going on today until midnight with the passcode of "BOOKER". General on-sale date is Friday morning. Tickets are ranging from $150 for ringside down to $25 for GA. Story link.

11:00 a.m.

- Regarding his freakish size in the new "Rambo" movie, Sylvester Stallone told the New York Post that he bulked up to 209 pounds using prescription testosterone, not steroids. "HGH [human growth hormone] is nothing. Anyone who calls it a steroid is grossly misinformed," Stallone says. He gave the explanation that testosterone is important for people over the age of 40 because it "increases the quality of your life." The reason why it's important for Stallone to use prescription testosterone is that excessive testosterone and steroid use early in life shuts down the body's natural production of testosterone. Stallone also said, "Mark my words. In 10 years, it (HGH) will be over the counter." (Thanks to Pete Ferguson) NY Post article.

10:00 a.m.

- Part 2 of RVD's interview with Kevin Eck of the Baltimore Sun includes RVD's thoughts on WWE's drug testing, which he says, "For them to actually go inside my body and take my urine and then tell me if they’re OK with what I'm taking, it's all very violating. At the same time, I do realize the goal behind it, hopefully, is to help people. And there are a lot of irresponsible wrestlers, there’s no doubt about that." Regarding wrestlers dying at a young age from drug habits, RVD said it's about education, and C.M. Punk is a good role model for younger wrestlers to not become abusive.

On the drug bust with Sabu two years ago, RVD said he felt like he dropped the ball and let Vince McMahon down. His charges: "I paid a $100 fine for possession of marijuana. However, since the WWE suspended me it ended up costing me like $30,000 or $40,000 easily." Link for part 2 of RVD's must-read interview.

- As a follow-up to yesterday's story on WWE going to Oshkosh, Wisc. for the first time in 14 years, The Northwestern has a story on the show being a homecoming for Hornswoggle (Dylan Postl), who is from Oshkosh. Postl's father (it's not Vince?!), Eric, told the paper, "When he hit the big time I couldn't believe it. I think one of his biggest fans is his grandpa Postl. He watches every week religiously." The Feb. 9 house show is a fundraiser for Univ. of Wisc.-Oshkosh's athletic department. Article link.

***

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

6:00 p.m.

- The last non-HD WWE Raw from Jan. 14 grabbed the second and third top ratings on cable TV last week. USA Network's "Monk" was the only show over 5.0 million viewers to finish first. Raw averaged 4.91 million viewers for the two hours. Variety posted demographics that the two hours of Raw averaged a 1.9 rating with adults 18-49. Variety numbers.

- The Smackdown/ECW house show on March 8 is WWE's first show in Oshkosh, Wisc. in 14 years, according to a local Wisconsin website. Article link.

5:00 p.m.

- THQ increased its expected quarterly revenue for the quarter ending December 2007 from approximately $490 million to $509 million. They based the increase in revenue estimates on "better-than-expected" sales of the "WWE: Smackdown vs. Raw 2008" video game. Press release.

4:00 p.m.

- Jim Ross has a new blog on jrsbarbq.com with comments on a variety of topical subjects. Some notes: Paul London is out a few weeks with a foot injury, which is why Brian Kendrick was by himself on Raw ... Dr. Death Steve Williams has been cancer-free for three years now. He's currently working as a personal trainer at Bally's in Lakewood, Colorado. He still requires an annual check-up at the world-renown M.D. Anderson cancer center in Houston. ... Regarding Jeff Hardy's WWE Title match at the Royal Rumble, Ross writes: "I simply say stay tuned as we are in unpredictable waters and Jeff Hardy winning the WWE Title in Madison Square Garden would be one of those lasting 'moments' that would live for years." Blog entry.

3:00 p.m.

- On the Bobby Lashley front, nothing is official regarding his departure from WWE. Currently, there is conflicting information on whether WWE has granted Lashley his official release. Until pertinent H.R. paperwork is filed and his contract is terminated per the terms of the agreement, Lashley is still with WWE. Kevin Eck of the Baltimore Sun reports that a WWE spokesman told him he's heard nothing about Lashley being released. Stay tuned as more information comes in.

- Tickets for the Destination X PPV in Norfolk, Va. went on sale at 3:00 p,m. EST today in a special pre-sale. The pre-sale lasts until Thursday at 11:59 p.m. EST. The passcode is "BOOKER". The official on-sale date is Friday at 10:00 a.m. Tickets are available through ticketmaster.com or the Norfolk Scope box office.

- Dory Funk has a new article on his website talking about his history wrestling in Japan prior to his final "retirement" match on March 1 at Tokyo's Sumo Hall. The match for All Japan Pro Wrestling comes nearly 40 years after his first overseas NWA World Title defense against Antonio Inoki in 1969. Funk writes that one member of his training school will be wrestling for All-Japan starting with the Feb. 17 tour. dory-funk.com.

1:00 p.m.

- The season premiere of Spike TV's "Pros vs. Joes" show is tonight at 11:00 p.m. EST. TNA's Kurt Angle is one of the featured "pros" on the show. The show will then air in its regular timeslot on Thursday nights following Impact. TNA press release.

- WWE sent out a press release touting their "invasion" of the Haboo virtual world to promote Royal Rumble. Haboo is described like the Sims, except for teens as "the largest online world for teens." WWE's marketing towards the younger crowd allows the Haboo users to pick a WWE superstar avatar to compete in Rumble contests. Winners could win a trip to Mania. Now for some business jargon from WWE's VP of Marketing, Geof Rochester on the partnership: "This promotion with Habbo's large, active community is a perfect fit for our expanding digital footprint." Press release info.

11:00 a.m.

- On his European promotional tour, John Cena told the U.K. Sun that he probably won't be appearing at WrestleMania this year while continuing his injury rehab and filming the "12 Rounds" movie in New Orleans. Cena said: "I most likely will be at WrestleMania in some capacity, but you probably won't see me on camera." Cena will be moving down to New Orleans shortly to interact with the people and cops, for his leading role in the movie. Interview link.

- Rob Van Dam said he's not ready for a fulltime return, in an interview with Kevin Eck on the Baltimore Sun. Regarding his surprise appearance at the 15-year-anniversary show, RVD said it was a quick in-and-out appearance. WWE posed the question of talking about a full-time return, but his answer was no, and the discussions have ceased. Same with TNA, although he would consider TNA if he returns to wrestling. WWE is primary, though. "WWE and I do have a good-faith understanding that if and when I’m ready to return that I’ll be talking to them," he said. In-depth (must-read) RVD interview link.

- Although unconfirmed on the validity of the statement, Bobby Lashley posted a message on his official website that he's not coming back to WWE. Lashley wrote: "Circumstances which are out of my control left me no decision but to leave the WWE." Visit Pat McNeill's take on the main listing for more details.

4:00 a.m. - Newsletter deadline night!

Brock Lesnar story on Yahoo front page 1-23-08

- Yahoo.com currently has a front page splash story on Brock Lesnar's UFC fight next weekend. The headline reads: "Fake wrestling star tries UFC." The subheadline: "Former WWE champion Brock Lesnar is fighting for real in the octagon." The Lesnar section has links to Lesnar's training video and Dave Meltzer's column on the fight at UFC 81.

- The St. Petersburg Times has a story on WWE sending WrestleMania 24 tickets to two longtime fans in Florida, with the story being one man is caring for the other man while he battles lung cancer. Gulfside Regional Hospice has been trying to fulfill the wish of the man with lung cancer for Mania tickets, and WWE sent tickets when they read the story. Story link.

***

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

11:00 p.m.

- TNA Impact tapings notes: At tonight's Impact taping, a no-ropes barbed wire match between Abyss and Judas Mesias was taped for the Against All Odds PPV in February. TNA's previous no-ropes barbed wire match was Abyss vs. Sabu. ... IWGP champion Shinsuke Nakamura faced Elix Skipper, of all people, in a matched taped for Xplosion. They also taped some non-wrestling segments with Nakamura and IWGP 3rd champion Kurt Angle. ... New Japan's Tiger Mask faced A.J. Styles in a match taped for Impact.

- Tommy Dreamer, Big Daddy V, and Chuck Palumbo have been added to the Royal Rumble, bringing the total to 24 wrestlers. ... For the three of you wondering where Big Daddy V was on ECW tonight, well, he'll be on Smackdown against The Undertaker this Friday night.

10:00 p.m.

- ECW TV: Chavo Guerrero captured the ECW Title from C.M. Punk in the ECW HD debut tonight. With a little help from Edge, Chavo earned the first new title victory in WWE this year. Full TV report on the main listing. If you attended the TV taping, be sure to send in a report from the show.

- TNA has new screenshots of Styles, Joe, Angle, Christian, and Rhino from the upcoming TNA video game. Pic link.

- Jim Ross has a new blog on jrsbarbq.com. He answers questions on what it takes to be an announcer, Bob Sapp, future WrestleMania locations, and WWE's tape library. Blog entry.

- Lance Storm has a new commentary on stormwrestling.com, commenting on last night's Raw HD debut. He also has recent commentaries on TNA's "bi-polar" offering this past Thursday with two hours of silliness on Impact and one hour of solid TV with Global Impact. Blog links.

5:00 p.m.

- WWE will report fourth quarter 2007 (Oct. - Dec.) earnings and full 2007 year results on Tuesday, Feb. 12. The conference call with investors is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. EST that day. Press Release.

- Texas government officials chose Kansas-City based "Center For Drug Free Sport" to handle its new steroid and drug testing program for athletes. Aegis Labs, the third-party drug testing company for WWE's Wellness Policy, was in the running for the contract. The program will begin during the current school year and cost $3 million per year. It's considered one of the largest steroid testing programs in the world for the 40,000-50,000 student-athletes in Texas. Houston Chronicle story.

4:00 p.m.

- SD/ECW taping: WWE tapes Smackdown and ECW (with the new HD set!) tonight in Charlottesville, Va. The ECW main event is C.M. Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero for the ECW Title. If you attend tonight's taping, be sure to send in a report.

- TNA Impact taping: TNA is taping tonight in Orlando for the Jan. 31 show. We're looking for a regular taping correspondent, so if you attended last night's taping and/or are attending tonight's taping, let us know with your report.

3:00 p.m.

- SEC Filing: WWE filed an Amended Statement of Ownership today, indicating that Barclays Global Investors, N.A. has reduced its ownership interest below the 5 percent threshold. Barclays is registered as investment adviser to WWE, and they now own 4.7 percent of common stock. Total number of shares owned by two Barclays subsidiaries is now 1.13 million.

- The U.K. Sun has an article on John Cena visiting with the Tottenham Spurs ahead of their soccer match against Arsenal tonight. Cena is quoted on visiting the stadium and meeting former coach Gerry Francis, who said he'll be watching the Royal Rumble on Sunday. They have a photo of Cena receiving his own custom jersey. Story link.

12:00 p.m.

- Press release on Ernest "The Cat" Miller being cast in a "major role" in the upcoming film, "The Wrestler", directed by Darren Aronofsky. Miller is also slotted for a role in an upcoming TV series on the legend of Bruce Lee. Press release.

- The Penn St. newspaper has a recap of last weekend's SD/ECW house show on campus at the Bryce Jordan Center. Story link.

11:00 a.m.

- TMZ.com has a photo of John Cena for a story on Cena promoting the WWE brand in Milan. The suggestion is that he's bulked up by "eating his Wheaties". TMZ story.

- ROH Notes: NOAH's Go Shiozaki will make his 2008 ROH debut at the Feb. 22 and 23 shows in New York. With KENTA unable to work for ROH in 2008, Shiozaki is going to take a number of dates for ROH this year. His first match will be against Erick Stevens, then Austin Aries on Feb. 23 in New York City. ... Necro Butcher is off both of this weekend's shows. ROH Newswire.

- Media outlets in Canada have articles on WWE's move to HD for Raw on The Score. They write that Raw and Smackdown are the number one and two-most watched TV programs on the channel, respectively. Mediacaster article. Digital Home article.

- Barrons has an article comparing recent video game company sales. They write that THQ's WWE video game, "Smackdown vs. Raw" had a "strong holiday", with unit sales up 33 percent in the December. Barrons article.

***

Monday, January 21, 2008

11:00 p.m.

- The annual WrestleMania Axxess Tour will be making two stops in Canada this year. At the Vaughan Mills Shopping Center in Toronto will be one stop on Saturday, Feb. 2 and the second stop on Sunday, March 2. (Thanks to Adam Lebow)

- Technical notes from Raw: During the Raw HD debut, some of the video elements and camera shots did not appear correctly on regular TV, or vice versa where viewers watched the regular USA Network channel on an HDTV. The millions of LCD lights on the video board appeared grainy during some video entrances on the regular USA Network channel. During the Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Kennedy match, there was one spot on the top turnbuckle where only half of their bodies were visible in the far left corner of the screen. In some regions, Time Warner Cable does not have a USA HD channel.

5:00 p.m.

- Mr. Kennedy has been added to the Royal Rumble match, running the total to 20. Triple H could bring the total to 21 tonight, with more entrants to be named later this week or at the Rumble PPV itself.

3:00 p.m.

- VIP tickets for TNA's first house show in New York City on Feb. 21 have sold out. General admission tickets are available at the Webster Hall box office at websterhall.com.

- TNA storylines for Impact: TNA's website has posted a lengthy letter supposedly written by on-air authority figure Jim Cornette to the Internet re: Samoa Joe. The letter says Samoa Joe's disqualification on Impact this past Thursday will be addressed on Impact to make everyone happy. The letter also promises two TNA World Title matches on Thursday's show. And a lot of the "I will deliver ratings" jargon. Paging Vic Venom. "Letter" link.

2:00 p.m.

- WWE's website has an interview with Jason Robison, who is the set engineer in charge of the new HD sets for Raw, Smackdown, and ECW. Robinson details how they are using one set for all three shows, with the set being completely video-based to allow them to create any image they want. For people in the arenas, they will be able to see the changes to the set in real-time. Fascinating preview of how the vision for HD has come together. Interview link.

- Storyline notes on Raw: As follow-up to the Hardy-Orton crash ending last week, Mr. McMahon will order Hardy and Orton to shake hands in the ring tonight to make peace before their title match at the Rumble ... Chris Jericho will be on the show to confront JBL after his promo on Jericho's family last week.

11:00 am.

- WWE Raw: Tonight's HD debut will broadcast live on USA Network and The Score in Canada (at 9:15 p.m. EST). New sets, new videos, and stiffer action in Raw's final show before the Royal Rumble. Matches: Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Kennedy and Triple H vs. McMahon's mystery opponent to re-qualify for the Rumble. Plus, fall-out from Hardy and Orton's double stretcher job last week.

- TNA Impact: TNA tapes the Jan. 24 show today in Orlando. IWGP 2nd champion Shinsuke Nakamura and Tiger Mask are scheduled to represent New Japan at the tapings. Kurt Angle will cut a promo on Brock Lesnar, and TNA will air training footage ahead of Lesnar's UFC fight on Feb. 2. We are certainly looking for taping report.

- WWE house show: The Smackdown and ECW brands have a house show tonight in Marlboro, Md. If you attend the show, be sure to send in a report.

- ROH Notes for this weekend (Fri. in Dayton, Sat. in Chicago): Necro Butcher will not be in Dayton, but he will be in Chicago. Jimmy Jacobs will have a surprise replacement partner against Roderick Strong & Rocky Romero ... Chris Hero is healthy enough following his knee injury two weekends ago to challenge Nigel McGuinness for the ROH Title in Dayton ... Austin Aries will have a Q&A session in Dayton ... Saturday's main event is Nigel vs. Roderick Strong for the ROH Title if Nigel retains vs. Hero. ROH Newswire.

***

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