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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 23, 2008

Evening Update

- We're going to be updating this throughout the next six days, but the weather in Orlando for WrestleMania on Sunday night appears to be improving. Weather Channel's prediction for rain is down to 30 percent from 60 percent, with isolated thunderstorms in the forecast. Friday and Saturday look better, as Friday is expected to be mostly sunny and Saturday is predicted for partly cloudy.

- ROH Notes: ROH has negotiated with NOAH to bring in Morishima, Marufuji, and Go Shiozaki to the May 9 and 10 weekend shows in Manassas, Va. and New York City, respectively. Morishima and Marufuji have been off ROH shows for five months. Opponents have not been named yet. ... ROH is claiming that tickets for the May 10 show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City are their hottest-selling ticket in company history, while front row seats have been sold for the Virginia show.

***

Morning Update

- Jim Ross posted a new blog on jrsbarbq.com discussing WrestleMania 24 and 25. He hints that Steve Austin might have that "one last match" in him for WrestleMania 25 in Houston, which could coincide with a possible Hall of a Fame induction. Related to this year's Mania, Ross vents about some wrestlers approaching it as just another day at the office. "If any performer is approaching March 29-30 as simply another weekend, please do me a favor and practice your apathy around others and not me," he said. Ross also has some stories about Gordon Solie, who he hopes will be the final inductee into this year's Hall of Fame. Blog link.

- Blackjack Mulligan is interviewed by Mike Mooneyham in his Sunday column. It's a very...well...interesting interview about Ric Flair. Stories of debauchery, bad business decisions, and more debauchery are brought up by Mulligan. He said about Flair possibly leaving the business: "I really, really worry about Ric. ... When I left the business it didn’t matter. I was a survivor. I could leave and do things. I tripped up a little and got confused a little bit like other guys do. I made some mistakes. But it’s a horrible, terrible feeling when you leave the business." Mulligan added that Flair has a very trusting personality, which has opened him up to some significant financial losses in the past. Article link.

- WWE Smackdown on Friday night averaged a 2.4 rating up against the NCAA Tournament on CBS. WWE was affected more by tournament coverage than TNA, whose ratings were about average against the Tournament on Thursday night. In the adults 18-49 demographic, CBS doubled its weekly average with a 3.1 demo rating, which certainly affected Smackdown.

***

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Top Stories of the Day

- The Orlando Sentinel published a significant article by Brian Fritz with comments from TNA president Dixie Carter, Kurt Angle, ROH owner Cary Silkin, and ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky on WrestleMania weekend. Dixie Carter claimed that TNA has generated between $15 and $20 million each of the last three years while running shows in Orlando. ... Surprise of the day is Kurt Angle offering his thoughts on challenging WWE. "TNA is now going to be a competitor of the WWE," he said. "I think Vince McMahon knows that." He added that TNA is here to stay for good and they just need increase TV ratings. He said, "We're going to have a ratings war."

On the ROH front, Cary Silkin said in the article that ROH is focused more on making their product a sport; not all showbiz. "It's action-packed," he said. "If you like wrestling just a little bit, come see us because you will enjoy what we are doing." ... Gabe Sapolsky said it's a real competition for everyone involved to have the best show WrestleMania weekend. "Everyone wants to go to Orlando and say that was the best show, the show of the weekend," he said. "That's bragging rights, and that's going to push everyone to put on better shows." Article link.

- Ric Flair is interviewed in today's edition of the Miami Herald on a number of subjects, including his history in Japan and where the "whoo" came from. On Gary Hart, he told Scott Fishman, "I have a lot of respect for Gary for what he did as a person who respected me and as a talent. He was a very innovative guy and very smart. I haven't seen Gary for so long, and we haven't probably talked for 10 years. He was a guy that was not afraid of the crowd for the kind of job he had, which was great.''

Flair commented on who his son, Reid, is handling the pro wrestling training at WWE's developmental territory in Florida. "I think [Reid] is feeling more pressure than he's letting on,'' Flair said. He has had such a phenomenal amateur career. His confidence is good. I just think he is a little bit overwhelmed because all this is happening to me now. I think he feels like it's pressure on him, but it's not. In this case, it's a good thing. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be able to pull it off.'' Interview link.

- The Winnipeg Sun published a story on Maria's Playboy cover. Maria said she initially turned down the current opportunity when Playboy approached her, and it wasn't until WWE came to her two weeks later and said it would be a good career move. Regarding her in-ring performance, Maria said she's still learning. "I'm getting more and more confident each time out there," she said. Article link.

- Tickets go on-sale this morning for WWE's return tour to Canada during the first week of May. Shows are May 2 in Montreal, May 3 in New Brunswick and Hamilton, Ontario, May 4 in Barrie, Ontario, and two shows in New Brunswick, and May 5 with Raw TV in Toronto. Tickets for the New Brunswick shows are already available, as they went on-sale in February.

***

Friday, March 21, 2008

Top stories of the Day

- Shawn Michaels was interviewed by Kevin Eck of the Baltimore Sun about the significance of his match against Ric Flair at WrestleMania, and other topics. Michaels said he's taking the match very seriously because of their friendship and Flair hand-picking him for the potential retirement match. "I take it so seriously and so personally because of what he’s meant to me in the past and what he means to me now as a friend, and what he’s created in this industry," Michael said. "This is the first time that I’m visibly shaken. Can I honor him? Can I do what I really believe he deserves, and can I make it happen for him? Because I want to."

Michaels also commented on last year's WrestleMania. He said that before Triple H was injured and he took Hunter's slot in the Mania main event against John Cena, there were two ideas being thought of. One was for him to wrestle against King Booker or the other idea was for him to be inserted into the Donald Trump storyline. Michaels said the one match he would like to have is against Vince McMahon. Interview link.

- Ric Flair was interviewed in the Long Island Press about WrestleMania and his new finance company, among other topics. Flair told Josh Stewart in the interview conducted earlier this week that facing Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania is "one of the biggest things if not the biggest thing in my life, that in connection with the Hall of Fame." He added, "I can't tell you anything different than that. It's huge."

Flair commented that it's difficult to generate business for the Ric Flair finance company because search engines on the Internet pull up wrestling-related information before anything about the finance company pops up. Since the business is Internet-based, Flair said he's going to wait until his wrestling career quiets down before he pumps money into the finance company. "Rather than battle whatever good is being generated from wrestling ... I'm just not going to put the money into it (the finance company) until the wrestling thing calms down," he said. Full interview link.

- Flair was also interviewed in the Fayetteville Observer (N.C.) about Tuesday night's SD/ECW taping in Fayetteville, with it possibly being his final WWE TV appearance as a wrestler. Asked if he thinks this will be his final appearance in North Carolina, Flair said, "I don’t think so. I hope it won’t be my last time in the ring in Fayetteville; I’ve been wrestling there since 1974. ... I used to wrestle twice a month for like 15 years in Fayetteville. There’s a lot of history for me there. Coming up, those were some wild days. We wrestled 365 days a year and twice on Saturday and Sunday."

Flair gave the politically correct answer that being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame is one of the things he's most proud of in his career. He added that facing Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania is a huge opportunity for him. "I have everything to gain and nothing to lose," he said. "But if I lose, then I lose to one of the greatest at one of the biggest sports events in the world. It’ll be the biggest stage and the best way possible for me to go out." Interview link.

- Investment bank Utendahl Capital Partners initiated coverage on WWE stock this week. The Hollywood Reporter published a story with information from an Utendahl analyst, Alden Mahabir, who predicts WWE's stock will reach $21 per share. WWE is currently trading around $18.50 per share, after reaching a new 52-week high of $19.19 earlier this week.

Mahabir said that WWE having more than a dozen business segments to generate revenue makes WWE a rare company in the entertainment industry that offers an attractive dividend and solid growth. He's predicting 22 percent return for shareholders and 12 percent annual earnings growth over the next few years. Article link.

- WWE's WrestleMania Fan Axxess tour is in Miami this weekend at Dolphin Mall in the Ramblas Plaza. Scheduled to appear tonight and tomorrow afternoon are Gene Okerlund, Jimmy Hart, Layla, and Hillbilly Jim. Details in Miami Herald.

- Booker T's pro wrestling radio show in Houston could be revived now that his co-host, Carl Dukes, is back on the air. Dukes was replaced on 790 AM in September, and signed this week with 97.5 FM for a one-hour weekday slot. Booker's next PWA show is Saturday, April 19 in Pasadena, Tex. with Team 3D and Robert Roode booked as special guests.

- Konnan has reportedly filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against TNA. He also claims to have witnessed drug use by higher-ups in TNA management. Konnan is being represented by Cary Ichter, who also represents Michael Benoit. Jason Powell at prowrestling.NET has full details on the suit. .NET article link.

- TNA Notes: Sting is being advertised for the live Impact next Thursday night. TNA sent a text message to Mobile subscribers on Thursday that hinted Sting will be the fourth member of Christian's team in the Lethal Lockdown match. ... TNA added three new house shows in May for Vermont and New York state. May 8 and 9 will be in Barre and Derby, Vt., respectively. May 10 will be in Plattsburgh, N.Y. ... For the Lockdown PPV on April 13, TNA has added B.G. James vs. Kip James and Awesome Kong & Raisha Saeed vs. Gail Kim & ODB. ...

- ROH and B.J. Whitmer have parted ways after Whitmer decided to walk away from the company, according to ROH's website. "He was a credit to the locker room, a performer who gave his all to the fans, and is a quality person." Article link.

***

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Top Stories of the Day

- WWE announced today that developmental wrestler Afa Anoa'i, Jr. has been suspended for 30 days for his first violation of WWE's Wellness policy. Afa is the son of legendary wrestler Afa Anoa'i, who was part of the Wild Samoans tag team that was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last year. Press release.

- Matt Hardy posted a very emotional blog on his myspace page talking about his brother, Jeff, losing his home in North Carolina last weekend. Matt said that Jeff and his girlfriend, Beth, were at Shannon Moore's tattoo shop at the time of the fire. "When Jeff and Beth finally got there, the shock of reality truly set in on them," Matt said. "I have never felt so bad and helpless and powerless for two people before." Matt added that they believe the fire was caused by electrical wires underneath Jeff's home that were unknowingly damaged.

Since Jeff and Beth lost virtually everything they owned in the fire, Matt is asking for people to send in any items of value that can help Jeff rebuild his home and life after the fire. The mailing address is: "Jeff Hardy c/o Matt Hardy, P.O. Box 713, Vass, NC 28394". Read Matt Hardy's blog for more info.

- The U.K. Sun published an interview with Floyd Mayweather today where Mayweather commented on the $20 million payoff figure. Mayweather said that he deserves it because he's been filling arenas and breaking records. "This is a billion dollar industry, why is it too much to give me $20 million?"

Mayweather said about his reception backstage in WWE: "When I arrived in the WWE I'm not sure the wrestlers liked me too much, because they thought I was trying to take over what they've been doing for years. But I'm just trying to entertain and help wrestling do numbers they've never done before. And once they got the chance to know me, they all liked me." He claimed to be a true fan of wrestling, ever before he set foot in a WWE ring. Mayweather said among his favorites growing up were Hulk Hogan, Paul Orndorff, and Jake Roberts. Article link.

- Main Event Radio issued a press release that Floyd Mayweather and Maria will be special guests on their radio show Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. EST. Mayweather will be interviewed on the $20 million figure, boxing vs. wrestling, and whether he will be continuing with WWE after WrestleMania. The interview will be on maineventradio.com.

- Let's try this a third time. WWE has been scheduled for Larry King Live on Thursday, March 27. King's show airs at 9:00 p.m. EST, which would put WWE's appearance up against the first hour of TNA Impact's live broadcast. CNN's website previews WWE's appearance: "Global smackdown! It's a spectacle in 100 countries around the world. We pull back the curtain with WWE ringmaster Vince McMahon, and superstars John Cena, Chris Jericho, Floyd Mayweather, Big Show, and Triple H."

- Jim Ross posted a new blog on jrsbarbq.com breaking down the WrestleMania line-up and what the match order should be. He predicts the three-way WWE Title match will close the show. On Mayweather vs. Big Show, Ross wrote, "This physical mismatch could be a train-wreck, a riot, a 'what the hell have I gotten myself into' matter." Ross is hopeful that his personal lobbying efforts for Gordon Solie will make him the final inductee into this year's WWE Hall of Fame. Blog entry link.

- In his weekly interview with Jeff Wilen of the Daytona Beach News-Journal newspaper, Jim Ross comments on the celebrities scheduled for Mania, Jesse Ventura running for president, and the potential for an international WrestleMania. Ross predicts there will be a Global WrestleMania some day, most likely in a football stadium in the U.K. first. He also commented on the Mayweather vs. Big Show match, which he called "a potential train wreck and could evolve into one of the biggest incidents in WrestleMania history." Article link.

- ROH Notes: The ROH Title will be defended this Saturday night at the FIP show in Crystal River, Fla., when Nigel McGuinness defends against Larry Sweeney. The storyline is that Sweeney used his business acumen to acquire an open contract to compete in FIP, and he hopes to change to face of ROH as champion. Also on the card is Roderick Strong vs. Austin Aries for the FIP Title. ... Tonight is the last airing of ROH's "Rising Above" PPV on inDemand cable system. ... ROH Newswire.

***

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Top Stories of the Day

- Updating the earlier report on Gary Hart's death, the AP has published additional details on the cause of death. The AP report states that Hart "died of heart disease Sunday in a Bedford (Texas) hospital, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office." The story on Hart's death was one of the top stories on the Houston Chronicle's home page throughout the day. AP report on Chronicle website.

- The Fort Worth (Tex.) Star-Telegram published an article this morning on Gary Hart's death last Sunday. The author, Jack Douglas, Jr., added some details that Hart died from a sudden illness after returning home from the weekend autograph convention in Pennsylvania. Hart's estranged wife, Gloria Elaine Williams, told Douglas, Jr. that Hart "was a wonderful human being. He was a great dad. He was very loving, caring -- all of the above." Article link.

- Floyd Mayweather spoke to reporters in a press conference earlier today about his WrestleMania appearance. Mayweather, talking "in character", said he's been training so hard for Mania that his physical trainer has a physical trainer. Mayweather said money isn't a driving factor for him. "I'm set for life," Mayweather said. "The thing I'm doing now is record breaking. It's not really the money. We're looking just to break records and show versatility."

Asked whether he's nervous about facing Big Show at Mania, Mayweather said he's nervous because it's a new endeavor, but he added that he's confident. "If I wasn't confident then I wouldn't get in there," he said. Article link from Canadian Press.

- WWE's appearance on Larry King Live scheduled for tonight was bumped a second time. According to CNN's website, King will instead have coverage on the five-year anniversary of the U.S.'s War in Iraq.

- Ric Flair will be receiving a key to the city of Columbia, S.C. on Monday afternoon prior to the Raw TV taping. "Ric Flair is a legend with thousands of fans in the Columbia area. He is a great friend of Columbia, and he generates a lot of business within our city. We are proud to honor him," Mayor Bob Coble said in a press release. Flair commented that Columbia holds a special place in his heart. Article link.

- USA Network won last week's prime time cable ratings for the eleventh consecutive week, on the strength of three hours of Raw. The third hour of Raw had the top audience on ad-supported cable last week with 5.6 million average viewers. USA was tops in total viewers and adults 25-54, but is slipping in the 18-49 demographic. Media Week article.

- TNA sent a text message to subscribers that Consequences Creed will make his TNA Impact debut on April 10. He was signed to a TNA contract after Bound for Glory last year.

- ROH Notes: Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley's opponents for the April 18 show in Detroit have been signed: Tyler Black & Jimmy Jacobs. Sabin and Shelley already signed to face the Briscoes on April 19 in Chicago as part of their special weekend appearance. ... ROH is traveling south for a show in Manassas, Va. on May 9, with tickets going on sale this Friday night. Wrestlers from NOAH will be appearing on the show. ... Jack Evans makes his ROH return on the already-loaded April 11 show in Boston where he will team with Ruckus against the Briscoes. ROH Newswire.

***

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Top stories of the Day

- Candice Michelle is believed to have re-injured her clavicle that caused her to be out of action for several months, according to WWE's website. WWE trainers said she separated the scar tissue that was still healing from the original injury. Candice will have her upper shoulder and clavicle re-evaluated later in the week to determine the severity of the re-injury. Candice said she still plans on being part of WrestleMania. Considering it will be one of the biggest paydays of her career, she'll probably do everything she can to participate in the BunnyMania match.

- Crave Online published an interview today with Steve Austin that was conducted Feb. 12 where Austin went in-depth into a number of subjects from his career and legacy. Good interview on how Austin viewed his career and legacy at a time when he was promoting the Steve Austin DVD. Topical for today's debate on heels vs. faces is Austin's comments on being a "shades of gray" character during the Attitude era.

Austin said: "I want to be remembered as that guy who brought all the gray area to a [black and white business of good and bad], who was the bad guy that everybody ended up loving. Transitioning opponents, never saying I was a good guy, turn him into the biggest baby face that's ever been in the business, but a guy that stood for something.

"Who knows what he stood for other than Stone Cold Steve Austin? He did a lot of things that could be construed as very heel-like but for some reason, maybe as society was going, ended up loving the guy. I want to be remembered as that guy, not the guy that goes out there and just does this lighthearted stuff these days." Article link.

- WWE Raw from last week was the top-rated show on cable TV. The second and third hours of the Mar. 10 show averaged 5.6 million viewers to take the top two spots, while the first hour finished in 11th place with 3.8 million viewers. The rest of the top 20 spots were Nickelodeon and Disney shows. Top 20 ratings.

- AdWeek published a story on WWE's marketing campaign for WrestleMania, as it relates to WWE partnering with Habbo to create a "virtual environment" for online users to interact with WWE content. It's similar to what they did for the Royal Rumble with Habbo. They acknowledged expanding their marketing to social websites, such as Facebook, to reach more people.

WWE's director of interactive marketing Tom Boland said: "We understand that our fans and the usage patterns of how fans are consuming and enjoying wrestling are changing. We wanted to be able to let our fans access our content in a variety of different ways. And by setting up profiles on popular social networks, we know who our fans are and we want to bring our content to them." Story link.

- The Southern Pines Pilot newspaper in N.C. published a brief story on Jeff Hardy's home burning down last weekend. They didn't have any new details, but the investigation is still ongoing. Article link.

- The Lancashire Evening Post (U.K.) published a story on Steve Austin visiting boxing star Ricky Hatton. The article includes information on Floyd Mayweather appearing for WWE, and Hatton talking about selling 45,000 tickets overnight for his boxing match at Manchester Stadium this May. (Thanks to Stephen Lyon for the correction.) Article link.

- The latest story on the Hogans is that Brooke has reportedly forgiven Hulk for cheating on Linda with Brooke's former best friend. Story link.

- MSN India published a story on Great Khali appearing in an upcoming Bollywood movie, "Ramaa-The Saviour," which is aimed at kids. He's also in the "Get Smart" movie alongside Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) that opens June 20 in the U.S. Artice link.

- Spike TV issued its April TV highlights for the media. Notable for TNA Impact is that two of the Saturday replays will be pre-empted - April 5 and 12. Full listings.

***

Monday, March 17, 2008

Top stories of the Day

- Our condolences go out to Gary Hart's family after Gary died Sunday afternoon. We have a report on the main listing from Pat McNeill with the early details.

- Jim Ross posted a blog on jrsbarbq.com this afternoon on Gary Hart's death. Ross said Hart was arguably one of the top three managers of all-time behind Bobby Heenan and Jim Cornette. Ross published a very poignant email from "Cowboy" Bill Watts, who received the news from former World Class manager Skandar Akbar. Watts wrote in his email that Akbar "is a man of iron… a true ’stud’ of our business… you could tell was really hit by Gary’s death, as he had just been with him on a ‘fan memory trip’ and spent time with him." Ross blog link.

- WWE.com reported late Monday night that Candice Michelle injured her left shoulder during the divas tag match on Raw. The injury is in the same area where she injured her clavicle in a match against Beth Phoenix last year that put her out of action for five months. Candice was sent to a Lafayette-area hospital for x-rays to determine the severity of the injury.

- WWE today announced the hiring of George Barrios as new CFO (chief financial officer). Barrios, the former VP and Treasurer of the New York Times, will be replacing Frank Serpe, who is retiring after 21 years with WWE. Barrios will take the position effective March 24. Press release.

- The Fayetteville Observer (N.C.) reported this morning that it took five hours to put out the fire that engulfed Jeff Hardy's home in Cameron. They reported that a local resident saw smoke a few miles away and thought it was a woods fire. When the person investigated and found a structure fire, he called firefighters. Depending on how long it took the resident to arrive at the scene, the home must have been destroyed quickly, as the resident told investigators that "it was basically on the ground when we arrived on scene." Four fire stations in the area responded to the call. The cause of the fire has not been determined yet. Story link.

- Steve Austin was interviewed in the U.K. Sun today, as he's overseas doing promotion for the U.K. DVD debut of "The Condemned" on March 24. Austin met with pro boxer Ricky Hatton to get some boxing tips and discuss fighting techniques. The Sun's report claimed Hatton was offered a similar wrestling deal that Floyd Mayweather received, but Hatton turned it down. He said about Mayweather's WWE deal: "I think it’s a good move for Floyd. He is a bubbly character, with lots of charisma, who is never short of things to say." Article link.

- Bloggingstocks.com published an article on WWE's stock weathering the U.S. financial mess from the end of last week and this morning, with the stock being a safe pick in the fluctuating economic situation. Shares of WWE stock closed at $18.30 at the end of today's trading, which was up 14 cents from Friday's close. Article link.

- Maria was interviewed on phillyburbs.com regarding the Playboy appearance and her WWE career thus far. Asked by Eric Gargiulo on whether her life has changed after the magazine came out, Maria said, "I have been traveling so much that I don’t even know what’s changed because I have been from here to there to wherever. I’m busier right now, but the WWE keeps you pretty busy anyway so not a whole lot." She also commented on Trish Stratus knocking a filling out of her tooth once, kissing Ric Flair and John Cena (in separate angles), and recently beating Beth Phoenix. Good interview covering a number of subjects. Interview link.

- WWE's official home video distributor, Genius Products, reported its quarterly and year-end earnings this morning. They realized 144 percent growth in quarterly revenue over the previous year quarter, with $40.6 million of the $185 million total revenue being attributed to licensing deals with WWE, Sesame Street, and Classic Media.

- Stereo Vision Entertainment, Inc. issued a press release today that Hulk Hogan has signed on for one of the leading roles in a new 3D movie titled "Kung Fu U 3D". It's a one-picture deal for Hogan to team with StereoVision, but there is potential down the road for Hogan to appear in future 3D films depending on how the initial project turns out. They're filming in Louisiana to take advantage of a 25 percent rebate plan, with the movie expected to be released this time next year. Press release.

- ROH Notes: ROH will be distributing one DVD with all 14 matches from the two Dover, N.J. shows this past weekend. ... Matches confirmed for the Supercard of Honor III show on the Saturday of WrestleMania weekend include a re-match between Nigel McGuinness and Austin Aries for the ROH Title, Richards & Romero defending the tag titles against Jigsaw & Ruckus, and Go Shiozaki vs. Delirious. ... The last prime time replay of ROH's fifth PPV on InDemand is Thursday night at 8 p.m. EST. There are other mid-day replays including tonight at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday at 3:00 p.m., and Friday at 3:30 p.m. ROH Newswire.

***

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