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Updated throughout the day, the Torch News Ticker delivers a constant stream of news and information from WWE, TNA, ROH, Japan, the independents, and whatever else pops up. 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, March 16, 2008

- We're looking for live reports from this weekend's WWE house shows in Texas and Louisiana. Also, we're looking for reports from last night's ROH show in Dover, N.J. and tonight's PPV taping in Philadelphia.

- ROH has posted a line-up for tonight's PPV taping with one of the top matches featuring two of the best wrestlers in pro wrestling: Austin Aries vs. Bryan Danielson. Opening the show is four corner survival, with the winner facing Nigel McGuinness for the ROH Title later in the show. Hey, if the Georgia Bulldogs can win two games in one day in the SEC tournament, we could see a new champion tonight. Claudio Castagnoli, Go Shiozaki, Delirious, and Tyler Black will be the participants in that four corner survival match. Full card.

- Orlando Sentinel published a story on the massive work being at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando to have the outdoor football stadium prepared for WrestleMania. They are building a steel roof over the ring to protect the wrestlers in case of rain. Also, they will have a giant structure covering the ring entrances that will go from the locker room to the ring. A giant video board will hang from the steel structure over the ring, and there will be several custom-made videoboards installed so everyone can see the action inside the stadium. Article link.

- Mike Mooneyham writes more about Don Curtis in his Sunday column. He also comments on Jeff Hardy's suspension and John Cena's interview with Men's Fitness published earlier this week. Article link.

***

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Top Stories of the Day

- Jim Ross posted a blog today on Jeff Hardy's tough week, including thoughts on Jeff's house burning down on Friday night. Ross wrote: "Jeff Hardy can rebuild his home, hopefully he can somehow replace his beloved dog, I know that won’t be easy, but can he rebuild the trust with the WWE that allows Jeff to be provided with more opportunities to be the star that we all know that he can be? No one has this answer today. Only time will tell but I will say that my opinion is that it can be done but it certainly won’t be easy." Blog link.

- WWE Smackdown from last night averaged a 2.7 rating to finish last on the night. The show was right in line with last week's numbers. The first hour of Smackdown actually finished fourth with a 2.6 rating, ahead of FOX's 2.3 rating. The second hour averaged a 2.8 rating for last place.

- Big thanks to Scott Schultz for covering Vince McMahon's Walk of Fame ceremony yesterday. His full report is available on the main listing. KNBC Ch. 4 had a report on the ceremony with quotes from Vince, Shane, and Triple H. Vince's exact heel promo was: "They're going to put this star on the sidewalk where people walk. You realize how many people in this world wanted to walk on me, how many wanted to step on me? Now they're going to step on my star. There are going to be people lined up around the block and take their heels and rub it on my star. And God forbid they're going to be walking a dog at the same time." Article link.

- CNN Money published an article looking at WWE's stock, trying to break down the numbers on WWE's business being too good to be true. Analysts have questioned how WWE can have such a great earnings per share ratio, while paying a high dividend. WWE spokesman Gary Davis said they have sufficient cash on hand to cover for any shortfall between earnings and their dividend payout. He added that WWE plans to increase the dividend over the next two years. Article link.

- LAX's Hernandez is interviewed in the Miami Herald about going from football to wrestling. Before coming to TNA in 2006, Hernandez said he was doing lucha-style wrestling, so it was difficult to adjust to the American style in TNA. He thanked Konnan and Homicide for helping him adjust, and added, "I prefer tag team wrestling better (than singles) with Homicide. He is a genius. He's been doing this over 10 years, and we clicked so well in the ring. I'd rather not do singles." Hernandez commented on Hispanics loving wrestling, but it's difficult for them to support it when there aren't a lot of Hispanics on TNA TV. "We want to take this over the top," he said. Article link.

***

Friday, March 14, 2008

Top stories of the Day

There were many events today, and as always, we're looking for live reports from shows.

- WWE's Raw brand will be in Waco, Tex. tonight at the Heart O' Texas Fair Coliseum. The arena's website has one match advertised: Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy. Unless Hardy is going to be on the suspension program where he still works dates, but doesn't get paid, I imagine that match will be changed. Show details.

- TNA concludes its mid-week tour with a show in Pikeville, Ky. at the Eastern Kentucky Expo. The arena holds up to 7,000, so it will be interesting to see if TNA can fill the arena. Booker T is advertised for the show on the poster, but his PWA promotion is running a show tonight in Pasadena, Tex. Show details.

- ROH kicks off its three-show weekend tonight in Dover, N.J. for a unique show that will be part of the filming for "The Wrestler". The headline match tonight is The Briscoes vs. the Age of the Fall's Joey Matthews & Tyler Black. ... There will be two qualifying matches - Delirious vs. Necro Butcher and Go Shiozaki vs. Brent Albright - with the winners advancing to the #1 Contender match on Sunday's PPV taping. ... ROH champion Nigel McGuinness will be in a non-title four corner survival match against Claudio, Erick Stevens, and B.J. Whitmer.

- Booker T's PWA promotion has a show tonight in Pasadena, Tex. with special guests Team 3D and Roxxi LeVeaux from TNA. They are doing an angle where Team 3D is invading PWA. PWA website with tix information.

- WWE's Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania film will be debuting at Carmike Cinemas across the U.S. today. Ticket information and show times in each market can be found on Carmike's website here.

- Matt Hardy posted a "cryptic blog" on his myspace page earlier this week, which led to speculation that there were hidden messages about Jeff Hardy and Ashley Massaro in some of his comments. The comment in question was: "I know two people of different genders who are in a dilemma at this time." Matt posted a clarification blog yesterday to correct misinterpretations of the comment, which he said were not about Jeff and Ashley.

Matt wrote: "People have speculated that the male ... was my brother, Jeff Hardy, which isn’t true. As unfortunate as the situation is concerning Jeff, I’m not worried about his health or well-being in the slightest. I know my brother will be absolutely fine even though he has suffered a career setback. Jeff is one of the best human beings I know, regardless of the fact that he’s my brother. One of the names I saw circulating around as the female was Ashley Massaro, which is now obviously inaccurate as well." Hardy myspace page.

- KTLA in Los Angeles published a preview of Vince McMahon's Walk of Fame ceremony this morning in Hollywood. We're looking for details on the ceremony if anyone attended or caught local news coverage. Article link.

- The Sun Herald newspaper published an interview with C.M. Punk to hype the next Smackdown/ECW taping on Tuesday night in Biloxi, Mississippi. Punk gave the basic speech about WWE offering a little bit of everything - rock concert, carnival atmosphere, soap opera, and a whole lot of fighting - for fans of all ages, sizes, colors, and genders. Punk did the interview from his hometown of Chicago, and the paper noted from what Punk told them: "due to the WWE's brutal travel schedule, the evening prior to the interview was only Punk's second time this year to sleep in his own bed". Article link.

- WWE corporate news: VP of talent relations John Laurinaitis joined the list of executives cashing in their stock options this week. Documents filed with the SEC on Thursday indicate Laurinaitis sold 9,045 shares of WWE stock at $18.50 per share, giving him a gross of $167,332. He still has 49,818 shares remaining. ... WWE stock tumbled in Friday's trading to close at $18.16 per share. It was down 2.3 percent from Thursday's close. The price drop was probably affected by a decline in the overall stock market and WWE's stock price being watered down by so many WWE executives dumping shares this week.

- Starting April 5, the NWA Main Event TV show will be airing on Saturday mornings at 8:00 a.m. on the ION TV network (formerly known as PAX). The station is available in approximately 91 million homes in the U.S., representing 83 percent of TV households.

***

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Top stories of the Day

- WWE's appearance on Larry King Live was bumped from tonight's broadcast, meaning there won't be the first ever WWE vs. TNA vs. ROH three-way dance on TV tonight. Vince McMahon, John Cena, Chris Jericho, and Floyd Mayweather were scheduled to appear in Los Angeles for King's broadcast. The show will instead feature Dr. Laura to talk about former New York governor Eliot Spitzer's scandal. Never fear, CNN's website has replaced the plug for WWE's appearance with an animated video of King vs. McMahon. LKL website.

- Jim Ross posted a new blog on jrsbarbq.com commenting on the three-hour Raw, Jeff Hardy's suspension, and other pertinent topics. He firstly apologized for sounding "a little off" during the Raw broadcast, which was a result of him catching the flu over the weekend. Ross commented on Jeff Hardy's 60-day suspension that he's disappointed in Jeff and "these self inflicted wounds are especially distressing".

Ross said it will take time for WWE to rebuild trust in Hardy, and he drew a comparison to Shawn Michaels fighting similar issues for years before getting cleaned up. "Jeff is still a young man and can still be a big time player in the WWE if Jeff so chooses," Ross wrote. "Interesting days lie ahead for Jeff Hardy and I for one hope he is able to address his issues, take responsibility for his actions, and get back on the road to happiness and success."

Ross also talked about the Mayweather vs. Big Show angle. He claimed Mayweather's posse tried to impose their will during the segment, which did not sit well with the wrestlers. Ross said the posse kept to themselves backstage before Raw, creating a tense atmosphere throughout the day. Ross added, "I still have no idea exactly what sort of stipulations the Mayweather-Big Show contest will feature. ... My guess is that we will likely not know the exact nature of the bout until WM24." Jim Ross blog entry.

- Jim Ross commented on a variety of subjects in his weekly interview with Jeff Wilen of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, including tonight's Larry King interview. Ross said the focus will mainly be on WrestleMania 24, but he expects King to bring up the topic of the recent congressional hearings with Roger Clemens. Asked about who will induct Ric Flair into the Hall of Fame, Ross said Triple H's name has been mentioned, but it will be Flair's call at the end of the day. Article link.

- In an interview with phillyburbs.com, Melina said she was surprised to read so much about her relationship with Batista in Batista's recent autobiography. "I was surprised to see it but knowing him, he wears his heart; he'll tell people how he feels," she told Eric Garguilo. "He doesn’t hide anything, and he didn’t say as much as he would have said." Melina also commented that it's tough to have a relationship while constantly on the road. She said it's like being on-call where WWE will ask her to make appearances on short notice. "You have to go, you have no other choice," she said. "I can’t plan things because in our business, you just can’t plan things. It just happens at the moment." Interview link.

- WWE corporate news: With WWE's stock price reaching a 52-week high point, several WWE executives cashed in stock options this week, while adding new shares of stock at half-price. The notable transaction involves Kevin Dunn, who exercised existing stock options on Wednesday by selling 24,166 shares of Class A common stock at an average price of $18.70. That's an approximate gross of $451,759 before selling expenses and taxes.

- WWE COO Michael Sileck is scheduled to give a presentation at Citi's conference for small and mid-sized publicly traded companies on Tuesday, March 18. The conference will be held in Las Vegas and Sileck will be presenting at 5:25 p.m. EST.

- TNA started its mid-week tour in Aiken, S.C. last night. The main event was TNA Hvt. champion Kurt Angle defeating Samoa Joe, and X Division champion Jay Lethal defeated A.J. Styles earlier in the card. Tonight, TNA will be in Salem, Va., and Friday night they will be in Pikeville, Ky. We're looking for live reports from all three shows.

- McDuffie Mirror published a story on an eight-year old boy who TNA picked up in a limo for last night's show in Aiken. The story is that he's in a special education class in school, and he earned student of the month by showing dramatic improvements in his behavior. He was the assistant to the ring announcer at the TNA show. Nice story. Article link.

- ROH Notes: The "Rising Above" PPV replays tonight at 9:00 p.m. EST, and ROH is promoting it as a one-night-only Thursday night war against TNA Impact. ... ROH will be using a bigger stage at two shows this weekend in Dover, N.J. as part of the filming for "The Wrestler". They claim it will allow for better production value as part of "two of the most unique shows ever".

- NWA Southeast Championship Wrestling is running weekly shows on Tuesday nights at the Nashville Fairgrounds. In the main event of the March 11 show, Jerry Lynn won a #1 contender match to the NWA Mid-America Hvt. Title.

***

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Top stories of the Day

- Men's Fitness published an interview with John Cena on his bodybuilding background, training methods, and steroids. Details are on the main listing under WWE News. Interview link.

- The U.K. Sun published comments from Kurt Angle on a recent edition of their WrestleCast podcast. Angle commented that when he first arrived in TNA, he saw a bunch of wrestlers flying around who didn't have a personality. "When I stepped in, what I saw were a bunch of good wrestlers flying around the ring," Angle said. "Nobody really cared about them. That’s the philosophy and psychology I’ve been trying to teach these wrestlers. We need to build characters." He also talked about proposing a program for him to wrestle Awesome Kong, but Angle claimed Jeff Jarrett shot the idea down because they don't want to push Kong that way. Angle said he would let Kong get in a ton of offense, but he would win in the end.

Angle also commented on Chris Benoit, saying Benoit told him he was ready to snap a year before the murders. "They (WWE) were kind of running him ragged," Angle said, "and he pulled me aside and said: ‘Listen, I’m ready to snap.’ ... He was looking at me real intense like he was going to kill me." Angle continued that Benoit got time off, but when he returned, WWE ran him too hard again. "He ended up getting concussion brain damage and somewhere along the line he did snap," Angle said. "But everybody wants to blame it on WWE and Vince McMahon – and it’s really not their fault." Article link.

- The Georgia state Senate passed bill 413 yesterday on a vote of 49-6. The bill was revised on Tuesday morning prior to being voted on, but there were no apparent changes to the "pro wrestling section" that we reported on last week. The bill will now go to the House for final review before it is enacted as law. The final version of the bill is online, with "pro wrestling section" at the very end. Full text of Senate bill.

- Gather.com is reporting that CMT will be airing Hulk Hogan's reality TV wrestling show. The show, being produced by the joint venture of Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey, is titled "Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Wrestling". The first season, which is expected to air this fall, will have eight episodes with a live 2-hour finale. Filming begins this summer in Los Angeles, and they have put out a casting call for "adventurous celebrities" who will train to be wrestlers and settle issues in the ring. Article link.

- USA Network won last week's cable TV ratings for the tenth consecutive week on the strength of the March 3 Raw. The most-watched cable show was the Duke vs. North Carolina college basketball game on Saturday night, which averaged 5.61 million viewers. "Project Runway" on Bravo came in second, then Raw grabbed third and fourth with 5.09 million viewers for both hours. Multichannel News story.

- Drew McIntyre, who has been off and on WWE TV lately, is interviewed by the Daily Record in the U.K. about moving to the U.S. to pursue a WWE career. At only 22 years old, he already has eight years of wrestling experience, and has a college degree in criminology to fall back on. McIntyre had an interesting comment about cutting down on his partying after moving the U.S. "I’ve not been out much here, but it’s a very different nightlife - I miss the Scottish madness, going out and getting bevvied up and hitting the clubs," he said. "Obviously these days the drinking’s a no go - just on the rare occasion, not like university days." McIntyre said he doesn't expect to be on the WrestleMania card in Orlando, but he'd like to be there to experience it live. Article link.

- Great Khali's every step is monitored closely in his home country of India. So much so that his ten second victory over Stevie Richards last night generated headlines. Merinews.com reported on Khali's bounce-back victory after he was eliminated in the Elimination Chamber match at the No Way Out PPV. Also involved is an Indian wrestler named Amit Swami, who has apparently assigned himself as the personal spokesman for Khali. He said wins and losses don't matter, as long as Khali is in the ring. Article link.

- Charlie Haas and Jackie Gayda are expecting their second child in September. The news came about when Jackie was interviewed on a potential return to the ring, and Jackie said she'll leave the wrestling to Charlie since she's pregnant. Article link.

- Nashvillescene.com recommends the WrestleMania Fan Axxess tour in Nashville on Saturday and Sunday. Deuce, Domino, Cherry, and Val Venis are scheduled to appear. The WrestleMania tour stop will be at the Opry Mills Mall Entertainment Court, with activities for eight hours on Saturday and seven hours on Sunday. Article link (scroll down).

- Relish Now out of North Carolina published a story on the top five leprechauns of all-time. Hornswoggle made their list as number five. Their write-up: "Played by a 4-foot-4-inch wrestler, he was first spotted in 2006 living under the wrestling ring, and was revealed in 2007 to be the illegitimate son of WWE producer Vince McMahon. Now why, exactly, don't people take wrestling seriously as a sport?" Because it's not a sport. Article link.

- The Miami Herald has a comprehensive look at ROH's WrestleMania weekend events in Orlando. Scheduled to appear at the fan fest at the Orlando Jai-Alai are ROH champion Nigel McGuinness, Jay and Mark Briscoe, Austin Aries, Delirious, the Age of the Fall, Larry Sweeney, and Erick Stevens. Article link.

***

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Top stories of the Day

- Newsday published an article on WWE's announcement that Jeff Hardy has been suspended for a Wellness violation. WWE spokesman Gary Davis would not comment on the specifics of the violation, nor the drugs that were involved. Article link.

- We have a full recap of Linda McMahon's appearance on "Mad Money" with Jim Cramer on the main listing under WWE News. Jim Cramer has a Q&A on his website where he complimented Linda McMahon for her work as WWE CEO. "The reason I can have Walls of Shame and be Darth Vader is because of the Linda McMahon’s of the world, of WWE, who make money for us," he wrote. "I like to run an ‘even book.’ We celebrate the good and we trash the bad." Article link.

- The mainstream coverage of last night's Raw comes from the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press, which has been covering every development in the Mayweather vs. Big Show angle. They have a story attempting to sell the angle as legit when Big Show tossed Mayweather to the floor and Mayweather "immediately complained of an elbow injury".
Article link.

- There is some press on the actual angle, as the Philadelphia Daily News has a column from Bernard Fernandez, who says Mayweather's WrestleMania appearance cheapens boxing. Fernandez sticks to the $20 million figure as fact and asks how pro wrestling "has become so quasi-respectable that it can hurl the contents of a bank vault at legitimate athletes still at the top of their games." He points to four decades ago when boxing greats turned to pro wrestling to make ends meet at the tail-end of their boxing careers. Fernandez also says bookies in the U.K. have placed odds on the next celebrity to appear in WWE. Article link.

- USA Today picked up the AP story on WWE's press conference at the International Hotel and Towers in Chicago today. Floyd Mayweather had his arm wrapped to sell last night's injury. Mayweather's manager, Leonard Ellerbe said Mayweather "wasn't seriously hurt" and what happened on Raw wasn't supposed to happen. Mayweather backed up Elerbe's comments to hype the program. "Last night was a little wild," Mayweather said. "I hurt my elbow but only the strongest survive. I will be back. In 19 days I'll come back better than ever." USA Today article.

- Today on ESPN's PTI show, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon discussed last night's Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather angle while clips of Big Show press-slamming Mayweather over the top rope aired. Kornheiser apparently missed the numbers on the weigh-in, as he said Big Show weighs 420 lbs. and Mayweather weighs 140 lbs. Kornheiser also mused it's better to be the tosser (Show) rather than the tossee (Mayweather). He said Mayweather could get hurt, but Wilbon made fun of the way Mayweather sold the injury. Video clip on AOL.com.

- WWE Films is actually putting a "movie" into theaters this weekend. Starting on Friday, select Carmike Cinemas across the U.S. will be airing the "Greatest Super Stars of WrestleMania". Tickets can be bought online. Check the link for what markets are showing the movie. Tix details.

- Carlito told phillyburbs.com that he asked for his WWE release and was set on leaving until issued were resolved. In an interview with Eric Gargiulo, Carlito said about stories of him asking for his release, "Those weren’t rumors, it was all true. I was going in a different direction than what I wanted to. ... We were having a falling out but the problems got resolved, hopefully. We’ll just take it from there." The interview also focuses on whether he feels pressure to succeed from Puerto Rico fans and from being the son of Carlos Colon. Article link.

- WWE TV notes: The handicap steel cage match scheduled for Smackdown has been changed to a three-on-two match with Shawn Michaels now joining Ric Flair against Edge & Hawkins & Ryder. ... ECW tonight has the Extreme Rules tag title match with Dreamer & Delaney challenging Miz & Morrison for the belts. The other scheduled match is C.M. Punk in a Money in the Bank qualifying match against Big Daddy V. WWE's preview indicates an announcement will be made regarding ECW's involvement in WrestleMania.

- Midway Games had their quarterly conference call with investors on March 6, and Midway's CEO David Zucker commented on the TNA video game during the call. Zucker said TNA "has been diverting fans and talent away from the WWE since its debut in 2002". He added that Midway recently hosted a video game tour in Europe with Kurt Angle. "Buzz is very strong for this game," he said, "and we’re already building up an impressive number of presales even though the game is not scheduled to launch until summer."

- TNA's website published a hype interview with Joel Anderson, who mixed it up with Team 3D at the Destination X PPV on Sunday. Anderson has an amateur wrestling background and is training to become a pro wrestler in TNA. "I would love TNA Wrestling to be a part of my life," he said. "I’ve always wanted to be a professional athlete in some capacity. I think this is right up my alley." Article link.

- Financial website seekingalpha.com has a hypothetical story on WWE getting involved in MMA. The author, J.P. Hannan, looks at what would happen if WWE grabbed a fledgling MMA promotion in the fragmented MMA market and applied its marketing prowess to the promotion. He reasons that it would benefit WWE as they need a "major new product announcement that will transform it from being perennially a wrestling company into a diversified sports entertainment holding company." Article link.

- TMZ.com has an article on Jake Roberts about to finish rehab for the third time, with it being the first time WWE has paid for treatment. They include a jab about Jeff Hardy apparently not getting the memo. Article link.

- ROH Notes: ROH is strongly pushing its fifth PPV, "Rising Above" with prime-time airings this week on InDemand. They have the prime time PPV slot tonight, Thursday night, and the all-important Sunday night timeslot at 8:00 p.m. EST. ... Bell time for ROH's sixth PPV taping on Sunday in Philadelphia is 5:00 p.m. EST. They'll be taping every match for the PPV except for an ROH Tag Title match that will be taped in Orlando. ... Dragon Gate wrestlers will be at the fan fest in Orlando on March 29. ROH Newswire.

- Today was do-or-die for the Georgia Senate bill 413 that would essentially give the Georgia Athletic Commission power to regulate pro wrestling in the state. We reported last week on the revisions to the proposed regulations that were passed by the Regulated Industries Committee and now rests on the Senate floor. Today is the deadline for outstanding bills to be voted on in the Senate if they are to become law.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution has an article on how many other bills are facing do-or-die status today. They write that "SB 413 would put professional wrestling under the purview of the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission, commonly called the Boxing Commission. As a result, WWE performers would be subject to random drug testing and physical examinations before matches." Article link.

- Blogcritics.com has a story on album releases today, which includes Snoop Dogg's ninth CD. They note that Snoop is doing whatever it takes to promote the album by appearing at WrestleMania as the MC for the BunnyMania match. The author claims all of the divas in the match have posed for Playboy. Good luck finding Beth and Melina's issues.

- Here's the story on how Finlay's new theme music came about. A WWE music coordinator contacted a Boston-area Irish folk/punk band the "Swaggerin’ Growlers" on myspace to see if they would be interested in composing a new track. Lead singer Jonny Swagger told the Boston Herald they recorded the track working at the eleventh hour on a "nine-ounce flask of whiskey". Quite the story. Article link.

***

Monday, March 10, 2008

Top stories of the Day

- WWE Raw house show notes: Some notable items from this weekend's WWE Raw house shows in Wisconsin. Saturday's Raw house show in Madison had a main event of Randy Orton defeating Chris Jericho to retain the WWE Title. They did the text voting for what kind of match, and they claimed a street fight won. They also claimed street fighting won for the re-match in Green Bay on Sunday. ... Jeff Hardy was not on the weekend house shows, so Jericho sent everyone home happy with a post-match beating on Orton. ...

Hunter & HBK beat Cade & Murdoch on Saturday in the pre-intermission match. On Sunday, they defeated Umaga & Snitsky in the semi-main event. ... Mr. Kennedy was the babyface on Sunday, since they were in his hometown of Green Bay. Santino Marella cut a local promo and purposely botched Bret Favre's name, which brought out Kennedy to defeat Santino in a match. ... D.H. Smith wrestled as a heel against Val Venis on Saturday and against Brian Kendrick on Sunday. He lost both matches.

- WWE Smackdown house show notes: Some notable items from this weekend's WWE Smackdown house shows in Oshkosh, Wis. and Dubuque, Iowa. Matt Hardy made his in-ring return on Saturday's show and defeated Kevin Thorn, who has a new gimmick and was being managed by Matt Striker ... MVP defeated Noble in a Money in the Bank qualifying match in Oshkosh. It remains to be seen if that's recognized on TV, or if he simply wins a televised MITB qualifier on Smackdown and they pretend like the house show match never happened. ...

In Dubuque, MVP bragged about his MITB qualifying match victory the previous night, which brought out Matt Hardy for a match. Hardy won by DQ when MVP attacked him with a chair. ... They did the text message voting in Dubuque for the JBL vs. Finlay match. Not surprisingly, they claimed a street fight won. Finlay won the match with a shillelagh shot. ... The main event in Oshkosh was Edge defeating Batista by nefarious means. In Dubuque, it was Kane & Batista defeating Big Show & Edge. ...

- Just in time for WrestleMania, WWE and Columbia Records will be releasing WWE: the Music, Volume 8. The album drops on March 25 with themes from Saliva, Airbourne, and other bands. It's also clear why WWE changed Jeff Hardy's theme music to promote the new track on the album. Press release.

- The U.K. Sun is running a competition to give away 50 tickets to an exclusive private screening for WWE's "The Condemned" movie, starring Steve Austin. The screening is March 18 at the Charlotte Street Hotel in Central London. Austin is scheduled to appear at the screening to meet with fans. Contest details.

- ESPN's boxing website has a wacky story on the possibilities for how the Mayweather vs. Big Show match will go down at Mania. We'll start with former boxing champion Larry Holmes, who says it'll be a legit fight. "You know me; if something is fake, I tell it. But this is for real," he said. That's fine. But, things are out of control when Sam Simon, the co-creator of "The Simpsons", suggests Mike Tyson, Lawrence Taylor, Pete Rose, the ghost of Joe Louis, and Michael Vick's dogs will interfere in the match.

The one attempt to take this seriously comes from an attorney within the boxing industry who predicts there won't be a legit fight for legal reasons. "The WBC will go to court and get an injunction against it because Big Show is wrestling against a WBC champion but neither guy will pay a WBC sanctioning fee," the attorney said. Article link.

- SportingNews.com has a story on Speedo Guy from ESPN's 24/7 coverage of the Duke vs. North Carolina college basketball game on Saturday. The twist from the actual game was the new Speedo Guy did crotch chops to distract Carolina free-throw shooters, which play-by-play announcer Dan Schulman apologized for after-the-fact.

Sporting News points out that DX popularized the crotch chop, and now ESPN has issued a further apology: "It was an unfortunate mistake. It shouldn't have happened. We are sorry." We've been desensitized to it in wrestling, but if Jim Ross were instructed to apologize for every crotch chop over the years, they'd run out of air time. Article link.

- The Telegraph Herald in Dubuque, Iowa has a story on last night's WWE house show. Per the trend in the demo, they interviewed kids who brought their parents to the show. An interesting line from one kid who likes C.M. Punk: "I like that he's drug-free. He puts 'em all to sleep". The article doesn't explain that he's not actually trying to bore people with his gimmick, but that his finisher is the Go 2 Sleep. Article link.

- Tickets are on-sale now for TNA's U.K. tour in June. Ticket link.

ROH Notes: ROH is having a free fan fest at Orlando's Jai-Alai on Saturday, March 29. it will be an afternoon event from noon until 3:00 p.m. ... ROH announced matches for Kota Ibushi when he debuts in April. He will face Davey Richards on April 11, Austin Aries on April 12, El Generico on April 19, and be in tag action with a mystery partner against the Briscoes on April 18. ... Bushwhacker Luke will be wrestling Shane Hagadorn on the March 16 show in Philadelphia and make a special appearance WrestleMania weekend in Orlando. ROH Newswire.

- Ocala.com has a feature article on Dory Funk, Jr. after his retirement match in All-Japan earlier this month, which he called "a great night". Dory talks about the experience and his Funking Conservatory school in Florida. Article link.

- Stacy Keibler is working on a sitcom deal with ABC right now. Before that deal gets worked out, Keibler will be on "October Road" later this month on ABC. Article link.

- The Herald News in Massachusetts has a story on Jimmy Snuka. He claimed that younger wrestlers have a shaky hand when meeting him for the first time backstage at WWE events. He also claimed he made Roddy Piper famous with the coconut angle on Piper's Pit 25 years ago. Snuka said his body hurts every now, but that won't stop him from continuing to wrestle. Article link.

***

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