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TORCH NEWS TICKER 2/24: The Rock at the Oscars, WrestleMania process detailed, ROH makes NYC venue change, new PWG champ
Feb 24, 2008 - 11:15:58 PM |
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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. Keep it open in a new tab and bookmark it every Monday! Promoters and readers: Send in news, upcoming events, interview highlights, or wrestling-related information to the Torch News email address, Wade Keller, and James Caldwell for inclusion on the constantly-updated Ticker. Contact link.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
11:00 p.m.
- At tonight's Academy Awards ceremony in California, Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) was a sole presenter for the Best Visual Effects category. John Stewart, who hosted the Oscars, introduced him simply as Dwayne Johnson, but not before making a joke about a steel chair to the back.
- At tonight's PWG show in Reseda, Calif., Human Tornado won a three-way PWG Title match in the main event to win the vacant PWG Title. He pinned Necro Butcher when Roderick Strong was too late making the save to break up a pin. ... Jimmy Wang Yang was in attendance at the show, and Frankie Kazarian from TNA wrestled on the show, losing to Karl Anderson.
- Tammy Sytch (formerly Sunny) has signed for ROH's WrestleMania weekend shows in Orlando. She was involved in an angle with Austin Aries and the Age of the Fall over the weekend in New York.
10:00 a.m.
- The Orlando Sentinel has a great article on the WrestleMania bidding process, starting with Orlando city officials and the mayor of Orlando visiting WWE's office in Connecticut to make the proposal. WWE originally wanted Mania to be held at Orlando's basketball arena, Amway Center, but when they settled on Orlando for the host city, they wanted to follow the Ford Field model from last year of holding Mania in a football-sized stadium. Article link.
- Last night in New York City, Nigel McGuinness retained the ROH Title over Bryan Danielson, Rocky Romero & Davey Richards retained the ROH Tag Titles, and Roderick Strong retained the FIP Title. We're looking for reports from last night's show, as well as TNA's show in Elmira.
***
Saturday, February 23, 2008
10:00 p.m.
- ROH has put tickets on sale for May 10 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, which holds about 3,000 fans for a show. Tonight's ROH show in New York City was at the Manhattan Center, which holds about 1,300 fans. It's expected that ROH will have a stacked line-up on May 10 to bring in a significant number of more fans they usually draw in New York City.
3:00 p.m.
Plenty of big events and shows tonight in the wrestling world. We're looking for reports from the events, as well as last night's TNA and ROH shows.
- WWE: Their Internet-only Slammys awards show chronicles the top 10 moments in Slammys history. The show is on WWE's website beginning at 7 p.m. EST.
- TNA: After two big nights in New York state, TNA closes its three-night tour with a show in Elmira, N.Y. at the same venue WWE had 4,000 in attendance on January 7.
- ROH: The six-year anniversary show is tonight in New York City. ROH is expected to take things up a notch for the big party, and there will be more incentive for a big show with several wrestlers missing last night's show in Deer Park.
- FCW: WWE's developmental territory has a show tonight in Port Richey, Fla. with special guest Kofi Kingston. They will also be crowning the first FCW tag champions. New FCW champion Jake Hager will be putting the title on the line against T.J. Wilson.
1:00 p.m.
- WWE Smackdown from last night averaged a 2.8 rating, which is right in line with past weeks. The show finished last on the night, but took fourth in the first hour, ahead of a "Grey's Anatomy" re-run on ABC. The show averaged a 1.4 rating with adults 18-49. Ratings break down.
- Jim Ross has a new blog today commenting on everything in the news the past week or so. Ross talked about having a drink with Eric Bischoff, where the topic of the Hogan/Bischoff wrestling project came up. Ross writes, "It surrounded what I thought was more of a reality TV show than starting up a company that produces a weekly TV show and then tours."
Regarding the comments made by Mark Cuban a few days ago about partnering with the McMahons for an MMA promotion, Ross writes, "This is all new news to me, but I could certainly see a significant and marketable dynamic between the two entities, if it were to occur. MMA fans should stay tuned on this matter. It may be simply speculation but one never knows these days." Blog entry link.
12:00 p.m.
- After several wrestlers missed last night's show in Deer Park, ROH's Gabe Sapolsky posted a message on the ROH message board assuring fans that all wrestlers scheduled to appear at tonight's show in New York City will be on the card. Tonight's line-up includes Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson for the ROH Title, Go Shiozaki vs. Austin Aries, Roderick Strong vs. Erick Stevens vs. Necro Butcher for the FIP Title, and Romero & Richards vs. Vulture Squad for the ROH Tag Titles. As always, we're looking for reports from tonight's important show at the Manhattan Center.
11:00 a.m.
We'll have this morning's news in the next hour. Right now, Videos of the Day...
- Yesterday's edition of TNA Today has footage from Thursday night's show at Webster Hall in New York City. It's good footage to put on an advertising video to show a rabid audience that's into the show. It's worth noting that when Borash asked the crowd if they came to see Samoa Joe, Christian, Cage or Kurt Angle, all three were booed with a mix of cheers. Video link.
- ROH's Video Wire for this week has one of the best training videos you'll ever see in this era when WWE and TNA, unfortunately, don't do training videos. The video is of Nigel McGuinness cutting a promo on Bryan Danielson ahead of tonight's ROH Title match, then Nigel doing a voice-over on what keeping the title means to him while they have footage of him shadowboxing in the ocean, running sprints on the beach, and doing laps in the pool. Mixed in is FIP footage, including Roderick Strong's FIP Title victory last weekend over Erick Stevens. ROH video link.
***
Friday, February 22, 2008
11:00 p.m.
- Several prominent ROH wrestlers missed tonight's show in Deer Park, N.Y. due to a severe snowstorm in the Northeast. ROH champion Nigel McGuinness was one of the wrestlers, along with Davey Richards, Brent Albright, Tyler Black, and Roderick Strong. ROH set up a one-night tournament to determine the #1 contender to the ROH Title. In the finals, Kevin Steen defeated the debuting Go Shiozaki. We're looking for a full report from tonight's show, including match reports featuring the wrestlers who were able to make the show.
6:00 p.m.
- Tickets for TNA's Midwest tour in March went on sale today. The shows run March 19 - 21 in Springfield, Evansville, and St. Louis. Ticket details.
- The Sentinel, a student paper at Ohio St., has a satire article on Hillary Clinton dropping out of the Democratic race so she can win the tag titles with her husband, Bill. Article link.
3:00 p.m.
- Some more information on the conference in D.C. that we detailed this morning comes from Jason Powell at ProWrestling.Net. WFAN radio host Mike Francesca reported today that Vince McMahon turned down an invitation to speak at the Congressional hearing scheduled for next Wednesday because his attorney would not be available that day to appear with him. McMahon reportedly said he would make himself available to the Committee at a later date when his attorney is available.
11:00 a.m.
- There is a major conference being held in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Feb. 27 to address the "health of athletes and undermining the integrity of competition". The Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection subcommittee has called this conference to explore the findings of the Mitchell Report and abuse of performance enhancing drugs at the professional, collegiate, and high school levels of sports. The press release states that Rep. Bobby Rush plans to introduce legislation to Congress upon gathering testimony.
The testimony will be coming from the top names in sports. George Mitchell is scheduled to testify, as well as Bud Selig and Donald Fehr from MLB, David Stern from the NBA, Roger Goodell and Gene Upshaw from the NFL, and Gary Bettman from the NHL. There will also be representatives from the U.S. Olympics, and Anti-Doping agency CEO Travis Tygart has been named. There is a pro wrestling connection that has yet to be disclosed publicly at this time.
- Wall Street Journal has high praise for WWE's stock following the strong earnings report last week and announcement of an increased stock dividend for shareholders. Article link.
10:00 a.m.
Let's check tonight's schedule. ROH's Gabe Sapolsky has promised a newsworthy show tonight with a little friendly competition from TNA in New York this weekend. As always, we're looking for results from tonight's shows.
- TNA: After a sell-out last night in New York City, TNA will be in Westbury, N.Y. at the North Fork Theater tonight. TNA claimed a sell-out last night on Impact, but they announced on their website that a handful of tickets were released this morning on Ticketmaster.
- ROH: The big six-year anniversary weekend starts tonight in Deer Park, N.Y. with three main event matches: Roderick Strong & Davey Richards vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico, ROH champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Brent Albright in a non-title match, and Bryan Danielson vs. Rocky Romero. The show also marks the U.S. debut of Go Shiozaki, who will be facing Erick Stevens. It's also first-time-ever between Austin Aries and Joey Matthews (formerly Mercury in WWE).
- WWE: Both crews have the weekend off after a two-week international tour, then a PPV and TV this week.
***
Thursday, February 21, 2008
10:00 p.m.
- WWE's website has added more details to Monday's press conference in Los Angeles. It will be like the pre-PPV press conferences they used to do until some reporters started asked tough questions. Along with Floyd Mayweather and Big Show, the other participants at the press conference will be Orton, Hunter, and Cena to promote their WWE Title match, Undertaker and Edge to promote their World Hvt. Title match, and Candice and Maria to promote Maria's Playboy spread.
- TNA Notes: There will be a ladder match next week on Impact. No, there isn't anything that happened on tonight's show that warrants a ladder match, nor was a ladder match even hyped, but the match is Eric Young vs. James Storm for the drinking title belt. ... Other matches will be Nash vs. Angle, which was hyped, and Awesome Kong vs. Angelina Love.
- TNA's updated Destination X card: Angle & Styles & Tomko vs. Joe & Nash & Christian, Jay Lethal vs. Petey Williams for the X Division Title, Booker T. vs. Robert Roode, and Rhino vs. James Storm in Elevation X.
- After Maria appeared at a Peoria (Ill.) Rivermen hockey game last week, the team is bringing in WWE Hall of Famers George "the Animal" Steele, Sgt. Slaughter, and Nikolai Volkoff for an autograph signing on March 1. Game details.
5:00 p.m.
- WWE sent a press release this afternoon that they will be holding a press conference next Monday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to formally announce Floyd Mayweather's participation at WrestleMania. The release states: "It is speculated that Mayweather will confirm a proposed match with 7 foot 425 lb Paul Wight, better known as Big Show." The press conference, to be held at 3:00 p.m. EST, will be streamed on WWE's website. Press release.
- After some confusion in the corporate world on WWE's increased stock dividend, WWE sent a press release today confirming that the quarterly dividend has increased from $0.24 cents per share to $0.36 per share. Shareholders as of March 14 will be in line for the dividend that will be paid out on March 25. Press release.
- TNA's Robert Roode is interviewed by Jim Varsallone in the Miami Herald on his start in the business. A good read on Roode's roots. Interview link.
3:00 p.m.
- Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley have been signed for two ROH shows in April, presumably to face the Briscoes. As of right now, the April 18 and 19 shows in Detroit and Chicago, respectively, will be a one-weekend-only return for Sabin and Shelley. They are contractually obligated to TNA, which grants permission for wrestlers to appear on shows for other promotions that compete against TNA in the PPV and video marketplace.
1:00 p.m.
- The latest on the Hogan/Bischoff "promotion" is that they're trying to get a TV deal signed for a reality TV show based on celebrities training to become wrestlers, according to PWInsider.com. There wouldn't be an actual promotion, as Hogan claimed in the U.K. Sun last week.
- In the top 15 ratings for last week, the Feb. 11 Raw grabbed the fifth and seventh spots. As we reported yesterday, TNT's All-Star game coverage bumped Raw down a few notches, while "Monk" and "Psych" on USA Network grabbed the other top spots. Top 15 listings.
11:00 a.m.
- Hermie Sadler has an interview with Josh Stewart in the Long Island (N.Y.) Press on the working relationship between TNA and NASCAR. Sadler, who owns the UWF promotion in the Carolinas, said TNA is looking to have spot shows at NASCAR events to cross-promote wrestling and car racing. Sadler told Stewart that TNA has held meetings with FOX and Speed for cross-promoting on TV, and met with track officials at racing sites to run live events when those tracks are hosting NASCAR events. Article link.
- Financial news site Motley Fool has a take on Jakks's financial report from yesterday, focusing on WWE's licensing deal helping the company realize a 20 percent increase in revenue and 48 percent increase in profit. The article also looks at Jakks losing WWE's licensing deal in 2010 before picking up the TNA deal, while WWE has the new deal with Mattel. From the article: "I'd say Mattel's getting a gift of JAKKS' years of marketing here, but I wouldn't underestimate JAKKS' ability to help TNA grow." Report link.
10:00 a.m.
- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was interviewed in the Edmonton Sun about working with WWE and the McMahons on the MMA promotion he's partnered with. Cuban said: "We are looking to partner where we can, do our own promotions where it makes sense. We think the future is built around the fighters and their personalities. No one else has this focus and partnership approach. We think it's a winner." Article link.
- After news broke yesterday on Lockdown being confirmed for the Boston area, TNA posted details on the April PPV. Tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 29 at the Tsongas Arena box office. They'll also have a fan-access that weekend before the PPV. TNA's details.
- Jim Ross has a new blog entry on jrsbarbq.com discussing this past weekend in Vegas, and Monday in Anaheim. An entertaining read, with commentary on Flair's Hall of Fame induction and crowd reactions to Mayweather. Blog link.
- Ross's series of interviews in the Daytona News-Journal to hype WrestleMania includes commentary on the Georgia Senate bill today. Ross said: "This Georgia issue seems to be a knee-jerk type reaction stemming from the Benoit tragedy of 2007 because it was and seemingly still is to some degree topical in Georgia due to the exhausting coverage from the Atlanta media. ... The WWE has the infrastructure in place, including an ever-evolving and enhanced Wellness Program that all their Superstars must adhere to, which should be enough for the state of Georgia as it is for the other states." Article link.
***
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
6:00 p.m.
- The Boston Herald has an article that TNA's April PPV Lockdown will be held at Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Mass. on April 13. The article also includes an interview with A.J. Styles on the Lockdown cage and his current storyline involvement with Karen Angle. Article link.
5:00 p.m.
- MediaWeek has a look at last week's cable ratings, with USA Network winning the ratings for the seventh consecutive week on the strength of Raw, Psych, and Monk. For the first time during the streak, though, USA didn't win the 18-49 adults demographic, as TNT's NBA All-star game coverage averaged more adults than USA's offerings. USA did win the 25-54 demographic with an average of 1.41 million viewers. Ratings report.
- Variety has a report on the ratings for last week, with demographic info on Raw. The Feb. 11 show averaged a 1.9 rating for adults 18-49, which is right in line with past numbers. The show averaged close to 5.0 million in total viewers, but Monk on Friday night had the most viewers of a USA Network show. Something to file away for possible future reference is that MyNetworkTV's highest rated shows are doing between 1.2 and 1.7 million viewers. Variety article.
- TNA Notes: TNA is claiming a sell-out for tomorrow night's show at Webster Hall in New York City. They're claiming a near-sell-out for Friday night in Westbury, with limited tickets available. Saturday's show in Elmira has decent seats still available, but TNA claims those tickets are moving quickly.
1:00 p.m.
- The official shooting schedule for WWE Films's "12 Rounds" in New Orleans is Feb. 25 through May 12. The movie, starring John Cena, is currently in pre-production. Resumes are being accepted for extras roles in the film. Article link (scroll down).
11:00 a.m.
- The IWF promotion and training school in West Paterson, N.J. was featured on New York's CW11 morning broadcast, as reporter Larry Hoff interviewed head trainer Kevin Knight and got some work in the ring for his report. Video of the segment is available on IWF's website. Their next shows are WrestleMania weekend at their IWF Centre in New Jersey.
10:00 a.m.
- Stories on the Mayweather and Big Show angle are slowly trickling out from mainstream papers and websites. There was a mention by Jim Rome on his ESPN yesterday, but otherwise, it's been a few newspaper stories here and there, but not the big surge WWE was looking for. This morning's articles come from boxing website SecondsOut.com and the Daily Mail in the U.K..
- Jakks Pacific reported a sharp rise in fourth quarter profit this morning. The financial report was strengthened by sales of WWE and Pokemon action figures according to their COO. In two years, those strong earnings will presumably be replaced by a thank-you to TNA action figures. Earnings report.
- A paper in Scotland has a story on a 16-year-old named Josh Monro looking to move to the U.S. to follow in the footsteps of Hulk Hogan and become a superstar pro wrestler. Article link.
***
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
11:00 p.m.
- ROH Notes: Roderick Strong captured the FIP Title from Erick Stevens last Saturday, so now he will defend the title against Stevens and Necro Butcher in a No DQ three-way match on Saturday's ROH show in New York City. ... Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black vs. BxB Hulk & Shingo has been added to the March 28 ROH show in Orlando. ... Go Shiozaki makes his U.S. debut against Erick Stevens this Friday night in Long Island, N.Y. ROH Newswire.
- WWE is doing medical updates on Hornswoggle to promote the storyline development from Raw last night when he took a beating from JBL inside the steel cage. They're essentially hinting that Hornswoggle will be off TV for at least week, with the storyline explanation being that his brain damage can be more closely monitored to assess the "long-term neurological damage after the swelling improves." WWE's Hornswoggle update.
8:00 p.m.
- For what it's worth, the U.K. Sun has a story on WWE wrestlers talking to Lindsay Lohan last night at Raw about her being involved in WrestleMania. They have a quote from someone in WWE about Lohan hitting it off with John Cena and Rey Mysterio, who both tried to convince her to appear at Mania. Article link.
6:00 p.m.
- Access Hollywood has a story on Lindsay Lohan's backstage appearance on Raw last night. The story is that a 14-year-old boy from Canada was there to meet WWE wrestlers on behalf of the Sunshine Foundation, which aims to give kids with severe disabilities a dream come true. The Foundation has been working with WWE since 1987, and Lohan happened to be there to give Brandon and his sister a bonus memory. Good story. Article link.
3:00 p.m.
- TNA Notes: The three-hour Global Impact DVD documentary will be released next week on Feb. 25. ... TNA has added a three-night tour of the Midwest to a busy March house show schedule. They have shows booked on Wednesday, March 19 in Springfield, Mo., Thursday, March 20 in Evansville, Ind., and Friday, March 21 in St. Louis, Mo. at the Family Arena where they held the Lockdown PPV last April.
2:00 p.m.
- Take a deep breath. Hulk Hogan told MTV.com that now he wants part of WrestleMania to face Ric Flair in Flair's expected retirement match. This comes a few days after he claimed to be starting a new promotion and said he's not in contact with Vince McMahon and doesn't care what McMahon thinks of his supposed new promotion. Hogan said WWE still has a lot of tickets to sell, and he'd like to be in a headline match against Flair, and suggested Vince McMahon play special referee.
- In other Hogan news, a court judge in Florida has ordered a pretrial look into Nick Hogan's family life after Nick's much-publicized vehicle accident last summer, which was classified as a felony for reckless driving. The court request will be used to gather information on Nick to determine his eventual punishment and potential for a plea agreement. Nick's attorney says Nick is looking to do community service as part of his punishment. The next court date for Nick has been set for April 14. Florida newspaper story.
12:00 p.m.
- WWE CFO Frank Serpe is scheduled to speak at the OC Growth Stock Conference in San Diego at 3:30 p.m. EST today. A webcast is available on WWE's Corporate website.
- Sacred Heart University in Connecticut issued a press release on their new sports and entertainment education program. The idea is for corporations in the sports and entertainment field to interact with college students to advance their education. WWE is participating with executives Eric Fleischer, who is director of market research, and Geof Rochester, who is executive VP of marketing. Former WWE executive and current Harlem Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider is also participating. Press release.
- CZW issued a press release that they have teamed with Locomotive Vision for domestic and international distribution of their DVDs. The first DVDs will be released this summer. CZW founder John Zandig said: "This deal will enable us to reach many more fans throughout the country and around the world. It will help CZW grow as a whole. As DVDs sell, we will increase our market which, in turn, will allow us to expand our live events."
9:00 a.m.
- WWE will declare a 50 percent increase in Class A common stock for shareholders, pending a a favorable tax ruling by the IRS. (It also helps that they have $14.8 million in free cash flow floating on their books.) Vince McMahon said in the press release: "The plan for a dividend increase underscores our commitment to the Company's public shareholders. The decision was supported by WWE's strong financial performance and demonstrates our confidence in the Company's future. We believe that we can continue to pursue our long-term growth initiatives while at the same time providing a very generous dividend, which should keep us on the right path toward building value for our shareholders."
- TMZ picked up on the story of Lindsay Lohan backstage at Raw last night. Article link.
- There is a new wrestling documentary entitled "Bloodstained Memoirs" that has interviews with Chris Jericho, RVD, Mick Foley, Roddy Piper, Christian Cage, and others that will be coming out on DVD in the coming months. The first screening is March 15 in London. To get an invite to the screening, visit the movie's Facebook page.
***
Monday, February 18, 2008
11:00 p.m.
- Raw Notes: Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. John Cena is the Raw main event at WrestleMania for the WWE Title ... Right now, Mayweather vs. Big Show is a singles match, but it depends on Rey's injury if it will be a tag match. They left the door open for that after further evaluation of the injury. ... Jeff Hardy and Mr. Kennedy have qualified for Money in the Bank, which will have eight men in the match this year. ... WWE's website has photos of Lindsay Lohan backstage at Raw before the show. God bless her, but she appears to be in rough shape in some of the photos, and normal in other photos. Photo link.
- Los Angeles Times has an article on the hot toys for the annual Toy Fair in New York City this year. WWE's line of toys is a top item for boys, as the theme this year is role-playing. Article link.
5:00 p.m.
- Raw notes: Floyd Mayweather will be at Raw tonight ... The only match announced for tonight is Hornswoggle vs. Mr. McMahon in a steel cage match. ... There will be the first Money in the Bank qualifying match between unnamed opponents, and they will announce the first inductee into the 2008 Hall of Fame. ... Also, Santino will give Maria her ultimatum on Playboy.
- RVD has an interview with thecheappop.com on the launch of his RVD TV show on the Internet a few weeks ago. New episodes debut on RVD's website every Friday, with the idea to showcase RVD interacting with wrestlers, celebrities, and neighbors in LA. "Basically the inspiration behind it is more of my personal inspiration and the path I’m on right now, which is taking a turn off [being] a wrestler," RVD says. "I chose not to resign with WWE in favor of taking a break." Lots of other good stories from RVD in the interview. Worth a look. Full interview.
2:00 p.m.
- Las Vegas Sun has an article on Mayweather's involvement in the PPV last night. Nothing new to the story, just a recap of past fighters who have become involved with WWE and the usual speculation on what Mayweather is getting mixed up in. Article link.
11:00 a.m.
- Hulk Hogan's nephew, David Bollea, is making his MMA debut on March 2 at the XFC "Salute to Arms 2" show at the St. Petersburg Times Forum in Tampa. Most of the fighters on the show are military personnel or come from military families. In a press release for the XFC show, David cut a promo about defending his family's legacy in the ring.
- Kynt and Vyxsin, who were on this season's Amazing Race TV show, made a radio appearance on 93.1 in Louisville, Ky. last night to talk about the show and pro wrestling. They talked about pro wrestling being the first reality TV show, and promoted appearances by Matt Hardy and Michelle McCool at the Carl Casper Custom Auto Show this coming weekend. (Thanks to Torch reader David Markwell.)
10:00 a.m.
- The Daily Press in Canada has an interview with Samoa Joe, who did a charity event in Timmins, Ontario on Saturday. Joe hinted at another Canada tour: "I think myself and a lot of other TNA athletes will be back in Timmins sooner than a lot of people think. I don't want to give anything away, but Timmins is a good town. The people are receptive here, so don't be surprised if you see a large TNA contingent returning." When asked whether he will return with a TNA championship, Joe said, "You know what, most likely I will. Barring a natural disaster or being struck by lightning, yes." Interview link.
- Idealo in the U.K. has a look at TNA's first video game set for release in a few months. The game will have 25 wrestlers to choose from, create-a-wrestler, and the usual wrestling game features. Article link.
- NWA notes: Adam Pearce retained the NWA Title over Damien Wayne in Saluda, Va. on Saturday night. He was DQ'ed for using a chain during the match, but kept the title. Former WWE diva Sunny was on-hand as special timekeeper. Dave Hebner was in attendance signing autographs.
9:00 a.m.
- New York Daily News has a story on the Floyd Mayweather angle last night, including quotes from the involved participants. Everyone is playing it up like a shoot to build more intrigue for Mayweather's involvement at WrestleMania. Shane McMahon: "There is always some type of interaction between the wrestlers and the celebrities, but you just don't cross that barrier. Big Show did instigate it, but it got carried away."
Mayweather's adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, said things got out of hand, but Big Show deserved it. He added: "Floyd's one of the biggest names in entertainment. We're using boxing as a platform to expand Floyd's fan base. We want to think outside the box. He wants to generate revenue outside the sport. You can only become so big in boxing." Article link.
- Scanning the headlines this morning, there are about the same number of stories on Mayweather's appearance at the PPV last night stories as there are on Eminem's publicist denying the rapper's involvement in WWE.
- Today is the debut of Paul Heyman's "Heyman Hustle" video blog on the U.K. Sun. The link is here: Hustle.
***
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