Updated throughout the day, it's the Torch News Ticker with all the news and info that's not fit for print. Keep it open in a new tab and bookmark it every Monday!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

10:00 p.m.

- Early TNA PPV notes: The new valet to Scott Steiner is Trenesha Biggers, who was a college volleyball player at Florida St. and contestant in the 2005 WWE diva search. She worked through WWE's developmental system before being released in May 2006. Trenesha recently appeared on an FIP show in November 2007 against the current Peyton Banks, who wrestles as Rain on the independent scene.

6:00 p.m.

- Mick Foley has an interview with the U.K. Sun discussing his future in WWE and his current limited role. The usual self-deprecation from Foley, including this line about his Rumble cameo appearance: "If everybody is tanned, then nobody really looks tanned, there’s got to be one pale guy out there to make the tans stand out, and I see that as my role – the pale white guy." Foley talked about one of his sons booing him and accepting his role in WWE as a guy who won't draw ratings or buys, but can be valuable in a limited role. Good interview. Interview link.

- Miami Herald has a recap of Karen Angle's TNA conference call from earlier in the week. The basics of the interview are that TNA saved Kurt and their marriage, since his schedule has been reduced and he can be home with the family now. Karen said: "Kurt is able to do what he loves and what he has a passion for. Jeff Jarrett and Dixie Carter gave him that opportunity. He is healthier than he has been in 10 or 11 years, and he's able to pursue other opportunities. He is home with me and our kids. We have a family. We have a marriage. Our life honestly could not be better than what it is right now.'' Article link.

2:00 p.m.

- TNA's Against All Odds PPV from Greenville, S.C. is headlined by Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage for the TNA Hvt. Title, although you wouldn't know it from the TV build-up. We'll have team coverage of the PPV tonight, starting with live reports at 8:00 p.m. EST. For a full on-site coverage of the PPV, check out the DEJ blog on the main listing for all the details. At the conclusion of the PPV, we'll be looking for your thoughts and reaction to the event.

- WWE has two international tour dates today. Raw was in Seoul, South Korea today, so we're looking for reports on that event. Smackdown was in Guatemala City yesterday and they have a show in Guadalajara, Mexico today. We're looking for reports from all of the weekend international tour dates.

- John Cena will be one of the featured celebrity athletes in a new ad campaign for Gillette. He'll be joined by NASCAR drivers Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin. The ad campaign will be centered on Cena teaching the drivers how to wrestle. Irony is great, isn't it? Article link.

- ROH Notes: Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino has been added to the ROH vs. Dragon Show on March 28 in Orlando. ... On the Saturday show, March 29, they'll be taping one match for their sixth PPV.

- Mike Mooneyham's Sunday column talks about the changes this week in WWE. Article link.

- Canada.com has an interview with former B.C. Lions cheerleader Angela Fong about starting with the Florida developmental program for WWE. With no wrestling experience, Angela said she's scared and doesn't know what to expect, but she hopes to transition into being a diva and learning how to wrestle. Article link.

- The Orlando Sentinel has a story on the Lawler vs. Kaufman feud from three decades ago, with quotes from Lawler looking back on the program. Article link.

***

Saturday, February 9, 2008

12:00 p.m.

- WWE Smackdown from last night averaged a 2.7 rating, which is in line with past weeks. The show averaged a weak 2.5 opening hour and improved to a 2.9 for second hour. The show finished fifth on the night overall, but the second hour finished fourth ahead of another Desperate Housewives re-run. CW averaged a 1.3 rating in the adult 18-49 demographic.

11:00 a.m.

- The L.A. Times has a story on the CW-WWE split. The opening paragraph: "The CW no longer will be a ring rat for wrestling." Doh. As for the story, CW is set to lose $50 million this year, placing them under financial strain. Despite the strong viewership numbers for Smackdown, CW is trying to build its audience by targeting young women with such shows as "Gossip Girl" and "One Tree Hill." LA Times article.

- Booker T. has an interview in the Winnipeg Sun where he admits to steroid use earlier in his career to recover from three knee surgeries. However, he said he didn't test positive for steroids in WWE, and still feels was "hung out to dry" in WWE. "I've done steroids," he said. "They're something I had to do. I've had three knee surgeries and the doctor put me on steroids. ... But as far as ordering things from the black market, I didn't do that. I look the same now as I did when I was 25." Booker says he doesn't want to wrestle past 45, and he'd like to do something more than just be a wrestler. He wants to be a major or play on the Senior PGA circuit when he qualifies at the age of 50. Good interview. Interview link.

- Ashley is interviewed in Brian Fritz's Orlando Sentinel column about gearing up for WrestleMania and her appearance on Survivor. Regarding Survivor, Ashley said: "It was way different than I thought ... I thought there was going to be stuff all over the place, and I knew how to find this and that. I read like 20 books on survival and was fully prepared. I drank mud water, got sick all over the place. Everyone did, but I was the only one showcased." Ashley wouldn't reveal what's in store for her at WrestleMania. "I can't spill the beans! I'll get in trouble!" she said. Interview link.

***

Friday, February 8, 2008

11:00 p.m.

- The New York Times has an article on the CW and WWE split, basically reiterating the key points from Mediaweek's big story earlier today. It is the Times, though, so it's worth noting. Article link.

- ROH has a banner ad on its homepage promoting the fifth PPV entitled "Rising Above". The PPV, which was taped at the end of 2007 in New York City, will premiere on March 7 with top billing going to Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries for the ROH Title.

5:00 p.m.

- Smackdown's final episode on CW will be Sept. 12. More details on why CW did not renew TV deal with WWE on Torch main listing. Further reading: Mediaweek article.

- Jim Ross has a new blog discussing the split between WWE and CW, Lashley rumored to MMA, WWE severing ties with OVW's training facility, Sherri Martel, and the history of African-American struggles in pro wrestling. Ross said he has mixed emotions on OVW no longer being recognized as a WWE training facility, but the "Florida facility is apparently a bona fide, first rate operation that has been a significant investment by the WWE to make it state of the art." JR blog entry.

- Details on WWE's house show in Dubuque, Iowa on March 9, with tickets going on sale Saturday morning. Article link (scroll down).

3:00 p.m.

- A stock research website has a preview of WWE's earnings report for the fourth quarter and fiscal year '07. WWE will be releasing its earnings report on Tuesday, and stock analysts are predicting revenue of $115.01 million, which would be a significant increase over third quarter revenue of $108.11 million. WWE's stock is currently viewed favorably by stock analysts, but short-traders are pessimistic about realizing a profit from short-trading WWE's stock. However, a strong earnings report on Tuesday could lead to huge buy orders, driving up the price of WWE stock. Schaeffer Research analysis.

- Cinematical, a movie website, has an early story on the filming of "The Wrestler" in New Jersey. Marisa Tomei is slated for the role of Mickey Rourke's character's aging girlfriend. Article link.

2:00 p.m.

- Chris Jericho's band, Fozzy, will be releasing a remake of the "All That Remains" album in March. The remake of the January 2005 album will have new artwork and feature a bonus DVD of Fozzy touring the U.K. in 2006. Album details.

1:00 p.m.

- The San Jose Mercury-News is running an article on Batista's history of cars - before wrestling until his present-day car line-up as a WWE main eventer. Interesting article that perpetuates "The Myth" from J.J. Dillon's book that came out a few years ago. Article link.

- TNA has a story on Kurt Angle's autograph signing in London yesterday to promote the June U.K. tour. No dates or ticket information has been announced yet. TNA story.

11:00 a.m.

- The AP ran a story this morning on CW and WWE ending their relationship to broadcast Smackdown. The article lists other channels in the NBC Universal family and myNetworkTV as possible candidates to carry Smackdown after the current TV season. AP article.

- ROH has some scheduling changes to shows in March. The PPV taping originally scheduled for Saturday, March 15 in Philadelphia has been moved to Sunday afternoon, March 16 at the same venue. ROH is making room for their participation in the filming of "The Wrestler", with shows at the Baker Theater in Dover, N.J. on March 14 and 15. Tickets for the New Jersey shows went on-sale this morning. Full details.

- Johnny Fairplay made Yahoo TV's list of the top ten reality show villains of all-time. He was listed at number four, with American Idol's Simon Cowell coming in ahead of him.

8:00 a.m.

- Kurt Angle cut a promo on WWE's video games during a presentation in the U.K. yesterday. In promoting the upcoming TNA video game to be released the spring, Angle said, "WWE don't care. They just want to put something together, hurry it up and get it out there just to make money. We spent a lot of money to make this the most authentic wrestling game ever, and we did it." He said the game looks authentic and realistic that it could be mistaken for the actual TV show. Angle added: "Within two or three years, TNA is going to be the biggest company in the wrestling world, and this game is going to be our kick-off." Story link.

- Eclipse Magazine has some new screenshots of the TNA video game. Midway, the game developer, will soon be releasing the box cover art and full game details. Article link.

- Movie Web has an article indicating CW dumped WWE when a new deal could not be reached. It's apparent WWE put out a press release late last night as a preemptive measure to say they broke off ties with CW, not the other way around. MW article.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

11:00 p.m.

- WWE has severed ties with the CW, effective the end of this current TV broadcasting season in the spring, most likely in May. CW's exclusive negotiating period expired at the end of January, giving WWE the ability to shop the Smackdown product to other networks. WWE has since been in negotiations with other networks to find a new home for Smackdown in the next broadcasting season.

Variety is reporting that WWE broke the story before it was leaked by TV insiders to the mainstream press. Variety is also reporting that TV insiders believe Smackdown will stay in the NBC Universal family, but they are shooting down the idea of a regular weekly series on NBC. USA Network seems more likely, if the show remains in the Universal family. Variety article.

5:00 p.m.

Checking tonight's wrestling events...

- TNA Impact: Tonight is the final show leading to the Against All Odds PPV in Greenville. Christian Cage continues to be more concerned about Tomko's friendship rather than the TNA World Title, and he's booked against Judas Mesias ... Matches: X Division champion Johnny Devine vs. LAX's Homicide, A.J. Styles vs. Tiger Mask, Kaz vs. Black Reign Dustin Rhodes in the mousetrap gimmick match, Women's champ Awesome Kong vs. Traci Brooks, and Hoyt & Rave vs. Shark Boy & Curry Man. ... Jim Cornette will try to present the contract to Samoa Joe again.

- The Raw brand is in Anchorage, Alaska tonight at the Sullivan Center for the first time in three years. We're looking for a report on tonight's show, as well as last night's show in Fairbanks.

3:00 p.m.

- WWE has officially severed ties with OVW and released head trainer Al Snow. Details on the main listing.

- We're looking for notes from Karen Angle's TNA conference call from this afternoon.

- Smackdown/ECW taping notes: At the WWE TV taping in Houston last night, reps from Booker T's PWA promotion were passing out flyers inside and outside of the Toyota Center to promote PWA's next show in Pasadena on Feb. 16 featuring Booker, Kazarian, and 2 Cold Scorpio. Card details. ... Funaki lost to Vladimir Koslov in the pre-show dark match in less than a minute. They went to the finish early, as Funaki was struck in the face and began bleeding on the mat. He suffered a broken nose.

- The Canadian Press has an article on the movie theater chain, Cineplex, seeing a boost in business with help from alternative programming such as WWE and NHL pay-per-view broadcasts. Article link.

11:00 a.m.

- MTV and Entertainment Weekly have also checked in with reviews of last night's Project Runway featuring WWE divas. EW had a positive review of the show, adding to the strong reviews from entertainment news outlets. EW review link.

- For what it's worth, an Australian company named World Wide Entertainment (WWE) has a mobile phone deal for the 2008 Olympics in China to produce streaming content for subscribers.

9:00 a.m.

- The Chris Benoit documentary story is on the main listing. CBC has a very good resource page to bookmark for future reference. CBC link.

- The Jan. 28 Raw finished in third and sixth place for last week in the cable TV ratings. The first hour (Royal Rumble fall-out with Cena promo) drew 5.98 million viewers. The audience fell off in the second hour to finish with 5.44 million viewers. Only CNN's Presidential race coverage on Jan. 31 topped Raw's first hour for the week. Ratings break down.

- Jim Ross is interviewed in the Daytona Beach News-Journal about various topics related to WrestleMania 24 and wrestling. Among the highlights, Ross said booking Britney Spears for Mania wouldn't be wise out of concern for Britney's health. Ross maintained that the majority of the Mania card is a work-in-progress.

Regarding Brock Lesnar's UFC debut last weekend and UFC's product presentation, Ross said, "I watched the UFC PPV and enjoyed their presentation even though I still feel that the WWE blows boxing and MMA away with the WWE's TV production for PPV's. Nonetheless, it was a fun show to watch. ... I talked to the Undertaker who was there in Vegas at the fight, and he hit the nail on the head when he said without question the fans in attendance had come to see Brock's debut. In essence, Lesnar 'drew the house.' I suspect the number of PPV buys to be strong because of the curiosity factor of how Lesnar would fare." Interview link.

- There are many reviews of the "Project Runway" show that aired last night featuring WWE divas. The concept of the show was for the contestants to design new ring outfits for the divas. TVsquad.com said it was "one of the classiest moves in Project Runway history." Another review focused on the sexual nature of WWE diva outfits, and concluded: "Britney Spears totally has a career in professional wrestling if she makes it out of the hospital." That's rather interesting. Reality TV magazine has play-by-play of the show.

1:00 a.m.

- Triple H missed the TV taping on Monday in Austin due to the sudden death of his brother-in-law, Gordon B. Ouellette, at the age of 41. Obituary link and the Guestbook to send condolences to the family.

- The Kansas City Star has a brief review of Steve Austin's DVD that will be released next Tuesday. Review link.

- To promote the "Against All Odds" PPV on Sunday, TNA wrestlers James Storm, Eric Young, and TNA Knockouts Traci Brooks and Crystal Louthan will be appearing at the White Horse Flea Market in Greenville, S.C. on Saturday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. They'll be doing the usual meet-and-greet autograph session. Appearance details.

- The Univ. of Wisconsin-Oshkosh has a story on WWE coming to Oshkosh for the first time in 14 years on March 8. UW-Oshkosh's athletics director Al Ackerman is quoted: "We used to have them out every year and then they stopped coming to our smaller type venues. They’re now making a push back into smaller venues and we're excited about having them back." The arena holds about 6,500 fans, which is a good-sized venue for a Smackdown/ECW house show. Tickets go on sale Saturday. Story link.

- The Tampa Tribune has a story on the Florida State Fair that will feature nine matches on Feb. 15 from Florida Championship Wrestling. It's being billed as "WWE Stars of Tomorrow". Autographs are at 5:00 p.m. and matches, including a 20-man battle royale, start at 6:00 p.m. Fair details.

***

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

4:00 p.m.

Checking the TV/wrestling line-ups for tonight:

- WWE tapes the Feb. 12 ECW and Feb. 15 Smackdown at the Toyota Center in Houston tonight. Torch columnist James Caldwell will be on hand with a live taping report on the VIP main listing.

- WWE's Raw brand has a house show at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks, Alaska tonight. It's WWE's first show in Fairbanks in five years. If you attend tonight's house show, be sure to send in a report.

- TV listings: the much-anticipated Chris Benoit documentary airs tonight on CBC's "Fifth Estate" show in Canada at 9:00 p.m. EST. ... WWE divas will be on Bravo's "Project Runway" TV show at 10:00 p.m. EST.

3:00 p.m.

- All Japan Pro Wrestling held a press conference today to officially announce Dory Funk's retirement tour March 1 in Tokyo. Funk's tag partner for the night, Osamu Nishimura, talked about Genichiro Tenryu agreeing to wrestle as part of the opposition tag team after being away from All Japan since December 2004. Nishimura said he has been trying to put together the match since 2000, and he asked Tenryu in January to be part of the match. Tenryu accepted, wanting to give Dory Funk a proper send-off in Japan. Dory Funk's website.

1:00 p.m.

- TNA Mobile notes: TNA sent text messages to mobile subscribers the past two days regarding Kurt Angle and Bobby Knight. The Angle news is that Angle taped an upcoming episode of "Mindfreak" with Criss Angel while in Las Vegas for Brock Lesnar's fight over the weekend. Angel is expected to appear on an upcoming episode of TNA Impact ... Related to former Texas Tech head basketball coach Bobby Knight, TNA said they have offered him a "head coaching" position with the company. Knight quit at Tech earlier this week. TNA has a press release on their offer, with some college basketball background on Jeff Jarrett and Kevin Nash. TNA press release.

11:00 a.m.

- TNA has sneak-peek video clips from their Global Impact DVD, which will be released at the end of the month. Video link.

- ROH Notes: At WrestleMania weekend, the March 29 "Supercard of Honor III" show will have the Dragon Gate six-man tag match as one main event, and Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries for the ROH Title as the other main event. Nigel vs. Aries headlines ROH's fifth PPV, which debuts on March 7.

- WWE's Florida developmental notes: Tommy Dreamer will be appearing at FCW's weekly Tuesday night show on Feb. 12 to face Ralph Mosca. ... Also on Feb. 12, Heath Miller & Steve Lewington will face Eric Perez & Eddie Colon, with the winning team facing WWE tag champs The Miz & John Morrison on the Feb. 15 show at the Florida State Fair. Dusty Rhodes will signing autographs at the fair. FCW press release.

8:00 a.m.

- CBC has a preview of their documentary on Chris Benoit airing tonight across Canada. They actually have a headline that the show is airing next Wednesday, but radio ads, their press release, and the actual TV listings schedule have the documentary airing tonight. Text Preview. Video preview including Bret Hart soundbytes.

- Jim Ross has a new blog on jrsbarbq.com discussing Monday's Raw taping in Austin, Super Bowl weekend in Austin with Dusty Rhodes, and other topics. On Bobby Lashley's departure from WWE, Ross said: "Things like this don’t surprise me now days as they perhaps once would have. Lashley is a genuine physical specimen who is supremely gifted athletically, but much like Brock Lesnar, Bobby apparently did not like the travel demands of being a pro wrestler in today’s marketplace, nor do I think that Bobby ever fully understood the business of sports entertainment, which added to Lashley’s consternation at times." Blog link.

***

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

11:00 p.m.

- ROH announced on its message board the details for Dragon Gate's participation at the WrestleMania weekend shows in Orlando. The traditional six-man tag match on the Saturday, Mar. 29 show will be CIMA & Dragon Kid & Ryo Saito vs. Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino & Genki Horiguchi. ... For the March 28 ROH vs. Dragon Gate show, the first match announced is Briscoes vs. Dragon Kid & Ryo Saito.

- National Post has a follow-up story on the CBC documentary that will air tomorrow night in Canada. Their story leads with: "Repeated concussions from a career in professional wrestling severely damaged Chris Benoit's brain according to a report that will air on CBC television's The Fifth Estate on Wednesday." Story link.

- The local NBC affiliate in Corpus Christi, Tex. has an interview with MVP. The article has an interesting factoid that 2008 was the year MVP was scheduled to be released from prison after being sentenced to 16 years for armed robbery and kidnapping in Florida. As it turns out, MVP got out in 1999 with a half-sentence before dedicating his life to pro wrestling. Article link.

- NOAH Notes: For the March 2 show at the Budokan, Misawa vs. Morishima has been signed for a GHC Hvt. Title match. The other top match signed is Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura vs. the Briscoes for the GHC tag titles. In tag action, Kenta Kobashi will team with KENTA in a six-man tag match, while Jun Akiyama & Takeshi Rikio will face Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli.

- Rory McAllister, of Highlanders tag team fame, recently welcomed a new child into the world with his girlfriend, Gina. Ian McAllister was born on Monday morning. Article link.

6:00 p.m.

- ECW TV Notes: WWE tapes tonight's episode of ECW and Friday's edition of Smackdown in Corpus Christi, Tex. tonight. If you attend the taping, be sure to send in a report. ... ECW matches tonight: Tommy Dreamer & Colin Delaney vs. The Miz & John Morrison and Kelly Kelly & Michelle McCool vs. Victoria & Layla. ... WWE's preview is hinting at a Kane vs. Shelton re-match and, of course, more from C.M. Punk and ECW champion Chavo Guerrero.

- The Canadian Press has more details on the CBC documentary on Chris Benoit's condition at the time of his death. The "Fifth Estate" documentary airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST. Article includes quotes from Chris Nowinski: "At this point, the odds are that his (Benoit's) brain damage was the strongest factor in the event." Article link.

- Last week, USA Network was the top-rated cable channel with adults 18-49 and total viewers. USA was strengthened by the Jan. 28 Raw's 2.2 rating among a18-49 and 5.73 million viewers. Variety article (scroll to bottom).

- Draw your own conclusions on an article about Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. being haunted by Owen Hart's ghost. From the article: "In the years since his death, there have been multiple reports of sightings of (the ghost of) Owen Hart. Employees have claimed to have seen him in the rafters wearing the costume he was wearing for his gimmick as well as the cable before he began the descent." Article link.

4:00 p.m.

- TNA Impact from Jan. 31 averaged a 1.22 overall rating with 1.7 million viewers, which TNA claims was the highest average audience ever. The show started with a 1.2 first quarter-hour, and then fluctuated between 1.2 and 1.1 all the way until the final quarter hour, which closed with a 1.0 rating. In the key demographics, the show had its second-highest rating of the season in the Males 18-49 demo.

3:00 p.m.

- The Edmonton Sun has a sneak peek at the results of a CBC documentary, airing Wednesday, that will look at the condition of Chris Benoit's brain at the time of his death. Nothing new that he had the brain of an 85-year-old man with dementia, but there is a strong conclusion from doctors interviewed for the piece: "Doctors interviewed by the CBC say Benoit’s brain was so damaged from repeated concussions that he couldn’t be held responsible for his actions." Article link.

- THQ reported third quarter earnings today. WWE's video game series is basically holding the company up these days. One of the highlights: "During the quarter, THQ shipped more than 5 million units of WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008, bringing total lifetime WWE franchise net sales to more than $1 billion." Brian Farrell, THQ's president and CEO, said they were pleased with the "record performance of WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008". Farrell gave a rosy outlook for fiscal 2009 thanks to their licensing agreements with WWE, UFC, Disney/Pixar, and Nickelodeon. Press release.

10:00 a.m.

- Triple H had a family emergency that prevented him from making the trip to Raw for last night's double TV taping. Hunter is still scheduled for the Elimination Chamber match at the No Way Out PPV, but his status for Raw's tour of Alaska and Japan starting tomorrow night is unknown.

3:00 a.m.

- Bobby Lashley has officially been released by WWE. The company posted a message on its website: "WWE has come to terms on the release of Bobby Lashley as of today. We wish Bobby the best in all future endeavors."

- Raw Notes: Triple H did not appear on camera or in front of the audience at any point during the Raw taping in Austin last night. ... Matches for the Feb. 11 Raw: Jeff Hardy vs. Shawn Michaels, JBL vs. Chris Jericho, and Mr. McMahon vs. Hornswoggle in a No DQ match. Also, the "incest" couple of Paul Burchill and his "sister" will debut next week.

- WWE released some developmental talent on Monday. The list includes former TNA wrestler Cassidy Riley, Ace Steele, ECW original Roadkill, Robert Anthony, Shawn McGrath, and George Murdoch.

- In two weeks, Paul Heyman launches his new business venture on the U.K. Sun. He's doing a video blog of sorts - the "Heyman Hustle" - starting on Feb. 18 that Heyman claims will "break ground" in the digital media world. Heyman also has a very detailed interview on what led to his departure from WWE in December 2005, why he turned down an OVW position in 2007, and what he hopes to accomplish with the Heyman Hustle. Article link.

***

Monday, February 4, 2008

3:00 p.m.

- Raw preview: WWE champion Randy Orton and John Cena will kick off the show with an official contract signing for their WWE Title match at No Way Out. ... Hornswoggle will be forced to join Mr. McMahon's "Kiss My Ass" club tonight. ... No matches have been announced yet.

- Some notes from the latest WWE Magazine with Jeff Hardy on the cover: the Steve Austin DVD set for release on Feb. 12 will feature 20 matches from WWE, WCW, and ECW, a documentary portion with Austin commenting on his career, and behind-the-scenes footage from past matches. At F.Y.E., they're doing a promotional offer where the previous Austin DVD will be included free with purchase of the new DVD ... The new WWE Kids magazine will debut in April. It's a bi-monthly magazine aimed at kids from ages 6-14. Naturally, Rey Mysterio's likeness is all over the advertising.

2:00 p.m.

- The Georgia athletic commission has scheduled a February 12 meeting to reveal the results of their research into pro wrestling and announce whether the proposed regulations on pro wrestling will be passed. TNA's bookings director Bill Behrens has informed the Georgia athletic commission that he will be representing the Georgia Promoters Advisory Committee at the meeting to hear the results. Behrens wrote to the Commission that there is concern over the Committee's plan of action since there has not been dialogue between the the two sides following the December meeting that resulted in a delay of judgment.

- ROH Notes: Jack Evans recently had surgery to repair broken bones in his face. He is expected to make a full recovery. Jack recently posted photos on his myspace page after the facial injury and it was difficult to even recognize him. Jack has not been given a return date from his doctors, with the earliest estimate being two months ... Larry Sweeney has been granted his own talk show, beginning with the February shows in New York ... The WrestleMania weekend shows in Orlando will feature ROH vs. Dragon Gate matches on March 28 and a traditional ROH show on March 29. ROH Newswire.

- Hulk Hogan has signed on with FLW Outdoors to be a spokesman for the professional fishing league and a new FLW fantasy fishing game. Press release.

11:00 a.m.

- Torch columnist James Caldwell will be at Raw tonight covering both TV tapings, starting at 6:00 p.m. Central time. He'll have regular updates live on the Torch VIP main listing throughout the night.

- Tonight's Raw TV taping is previewed by the local Austin American-Statesman newspaper and Univ. of Texas student newspaper. Basic information on the show tonight and current TV storylines. Of note is that it has been four years since WWE brought Raw to the Erwin Center in Austin, mainly due to slow ticket sales for prior events. Statesman article. UT article.

- The attorney for Chris Benoit's former personal doctor, Dr. Phil Astin, is seeking a delay in the court trial of Dr. Astin for overprescribing medication, according to the Prince George (Ga.) Citizen. The court case is unrelated to Benoit, but when FBI agents dug through Dr. Astin's records because of the Benoit murders, they found multiple cases of Dr. Astin overprescribing medication to patients. Dr. Astin has a new attorney, Natasha Silas, after his former attorney flew the coup when Dr. Astin went bankrupt and could not pay attorney fees. Silas filed a motion on Friday indicating she needs more time to research the case. Article link.

- TNA has posted the complete PPV line-up for the Against All Odds PPV on Sunday. PPV line-up.

- On Wednesday night at 10:00 p.m. EST, WWE divas will be appearing on Bravo's "Project Runway" show.

- Al Snow is hosting a training seminar on Sunday, March 9 in Lima, Ohio. The seminar at the Global Wrestling Alliance training facility is open to current pro wrestlers for in-ring training and a Q&A session with Snow. Seminar details.

***

Scroll down a few inches for the link to last week's Torch News Ticker with all the headlines and news.

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