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.

Weekend Update - June 21-22, 2008

- Jeff Hardy says he's going to tone down his in-ring style now that he's reached 30 years old and doesn't have as many years ahead of him in the ring. "Being 30, I don't jump around as much as I used to," Hardy said in an interview with Winnipeg Sun. "I know what I can and can't do. I go back to when I was watching wrestling as a kid. Macho Man, Hulk Hogan, and The Ultimate Warrior could have great matches by telling a story in the ring. They didn't have to do backflips."

Hardy also talked about losing his home, dog, and spot on the WrestleMania card in a short stretch. "I made two mistakes, the last one really bad," Hardy said about the 60-day suspension for a Wellness violation. "I lost my championship, my house, my dog, and a chance to be in WrestleMania. And it all kind of happened in the same week." He said Matt was there for him during the tough time, especially when he felt like he couldn't show his face in WWE again. "But I knew I had to come back and live for everything I'd lost," he said. Article link.

- In an interview with the New York Times, USA Network president Bonnie Hammer said one of the first things she asked for when she took the post in 2004 was to bring back to WWE programming. She said it was imperative for creating a brand identity for USA programming, which was described in market research as "a pair of beat-up clogs" before she took over. N.Y. Times article.

- Vince McMahon reiterated that he believes WWE doesn't compete against UFC in the competitive sports marketplace. "We don't compete," McMahon told Darren Rovell during CNBC's Power Lunch on Friday. "We're entertainment. They are boxing. They haven't hurt us at all." McMahon also said there isn't a timetable for how long the $1.0 million giveaway will take place. "Since I'm a billionaire, I can say when I want to do things and when I won't. No timetable," he said. CNBC article link.

- WWE Biz notes: Barron's published an article on WWE stock, calling it "too good to be ignored" due to the company's compelling dividend and strong growth prospects. Barron's offering praise for WWE stock should give investors another look at stock if they've over-looked the stock due to it being WWE. ... AP reported on WWE director Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. selling 3,000 shares of WWE stock for $15.45 per share. AP rarely reports on WWE executives selling shares of stock, but 3,000 shares was significant enough for the AP to pick up on it.

- The June 9 WWE Raw finished eight amongst sports programming for the week of June 9 - 15 with an average of 4.6 million viewers. NBA Finals, U.S. Open Golf featuring Tiger Woods, and a NASCAR race took the top spots ahead of Raw. The June 13 Smackdown also placed in the top 20, finishing 12th with 4.0 million viewers. Top 20 ratings.

- WWE's website posted a "yearbook" of WWE wrestlers when they were in high school. Very interesting to see how Jillian looks nothing like her high school photo, while Miz & Morrison look exactly as you would expect. Yearbook link.

***

Friday, June 20, 2008

Morning Update

- Jim Ross says he expects a major shake-up at the top of the WWE roster during the Draft on Monday. "I expect major movement among the top stars on the three WWE brands. I can’t see how the WWE could make the desired impact to what is hoped to be a huge TV audience and not really shake things up," Ross said in his latest blog on jrsbarbq.com. "USA Network is expecting big things Monday night and that seems to mean that some of the WWE’s biggest names will get new addresses." The mystery is the format of the Draft, with that unknown until Monday. Ross also discusses best moments in wrestling history, Dwayne Johnson in "Get Smart," Ashley's new tattoo work, and Hulk Hogan's family issues. Blog link.

- WWE is doing a promotion at the June 30 Raw in Oklahoma City where they will honor 30 wounded soldiers and veterans. Press release.

- Vince McMahon will be on CNBC's Power Lunch show this afternoon. The show airs from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. EST and McMahon will be discussing the $1.0 million giveaway.

- Ron Simmons says he is grateful to the McMahon family for helping him out with the rehabilitation program offered to any former or current WWE wrestlers. "If you have problems, you can ask for help and get it," Simmons told Alex Marvez for his weekly syndicated column. "That's been unheard of in this industry. Although they've been ridiculed in the press with some of the tragedies that have happened, I promise you that the McMahon family would do everything within their power to have prevented them from happening." Simmons talks mainly about his national college football Hall of Fame induction and what it means to him after his football and wrestling careers. Marvez column link.

- Sarah Fuhrmann, who won $2 in the McMoney giveaway the first week, says the "prize" might affect her future viewing of WWE's shows. "It was an experience," Fuhrmann told the Keller Citizen (Tex.) about traveling to New York City for the WWE press conference last week. "It kind of felt like one of broken promises though. I don’t know how much more we’re going to watch WWE events." She said Triple H gave her an additional $3 to round up her winnings to a cool $5. Sarah said she was happy for the experience in New York, but she still wanted to slap Vince McMahon when she met him. Article link.

- TNA Notes: Tickets go on-sale today for TNA's tour of Corpus Christi and Laredo, Tex. the first weekend in August. ... TNA announced the Hard Justice PPV will be held in Trenton, N.J. at the Sovereign Bank Arena on August 10. Tickets go on-sale next Friday. ... Fans who want to participate in the LAX vs. Roode & Storm "Fan's Revenge match" at Victory Road have to submit a video to TNA on why they hate Roode and Storm. Winners will be flown to Houston and handed a strap for the match. Contest details.

- ROH Notes: ROH's second show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City will feature Go Shiozaki vs. Marufuji in a first-time-ever match and Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley. The show takes place August 2. ... ROH debuts in Montreal, Canada on November 7 at Centre Jean-Claude Malepar. Tickets go on-sale June 24. ...

***

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Evening Update

- WWE sent out a press release announcing 68,000 tickets sold for the seven-night tour of Australia and New Zealand this past week. It was WWE's longest tour through the region to date. Press release.

- Vince McMahon accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Promax/BDA conference in New York City today. Never one to differentiate between his TV and real-life personality, McMahon said he truly deserved the award for helping create a media juggernaut. "As a model, WWE could be the greatest and biggest marketing juggernaut in the world," McMahon told the audience at the conference. "And I say that humbly." He said the Kiss My Ass Club was an idea spurned by 10 executives lining up to kiss his rear end every day at the office and the $1.0 million giveaway is the definition of insanity. WWE website article link.

- Some more details on the Houston press conference on Tuesday. WWE is expected to announce the on-sale date for WrestleMania 25 tickets next April at Reliant Stadium.

- A.J. Styles says expectations are pretty high for the first TNA video game due out in September, but they feel it will top WWE's recent offerings. "I think the expectations for this game are definitely higher than maybe we'll be able to get to," Styles admitted to videogamer.com in a recent interview. "But I still think it's a great game. I think that people are going to want to play this game just to have fun. That's what it's all about. I know they're as sick as I am about the WWE games and how they suck."

Even though the first edition of TNA's video game hasn't been released yet, Midway plans to start working on TNA 2 at the beginning of 2009. Samoa Joe says one of the top priorities is inserting a Lockdown cage feature, which they weren't able to incorporate in the first release. Videogamer.com article link.

- The Mirror in the U.K. published a story on NOAH debuting in the U.K. on Saturday at the Skydome Arena in Coventry. Nigel McGuinness and Doug Williams will be on the show alongside the top Japanese stars from NOAH. Mirror's article sums up the difference between NOAH and WWE: "Renowned for putting on shows featuring a strong style that is justifiably proud of its psychologically-tight storytelling, audience members new to NOAH will be surprised by the lack of over-the-top, cartoonish characters that remain the first association with professional wrestling." Article link.

- Dwayne Johnson's starring role in "Get Smart," which will be out in theaters tomorrow, prompted boxofficeprophets.com to publish an article on the top wrestling actor roles of all-time. Andre the Giant in "Princess Bride" and Jerry Lawler in "Man on the Moon" were among the notable movies featuring wrestlers. Fun read. Article link.

Morning Update

- After appearing on the SD/ECW tour in Australia this past week, Shane McMahon was in Japan to christen the latest WWE international office opening in Tokyo. McMahon was featured in newspapers, including Tokyo Sports, after meeting with Japanese TV personality Mr. Kusano. WWE article.

- WWE is hosting a major WrestleMania press conference at the Toyota Center in Houston next Tuesday at noon. In their press release, WWE lists Vince McMahon, Triple H, John Cena, C.M. Punk, Edge, and Batista as the featured attendees. WWE tapes Smackdown and ECW later that night at 6:30 p.m.

- WWE returns to Las Cruces, New Mexico for the first time in six years with a Raw brand house show on Friday night. Local officials say they've already sold 8,000 tickets and expect to sell 9,000 for the non-TV show. The advertised card has Hunter vs. Cena vs. Umaga in the main event, plus Shawn Michaels and Jeff Hardy also booked for the show. Article link.

- Dwayne Johnson was the featured guest on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night. The interview focused on the "Get Smart" movie coming out on Friday and his transition from The Rock to strictly going by his given name. He listed his three favorite TV shows: America's Most Wanted, Extreme Home Makeover, and Family Guy. Apparently Johnson has stopped watching Raw along with a significant number of other viewers.

- To promote the "Get Smart" movie, Johnson is interviewed in the Edmonton Sun about dropping The Rock name and his post-wrestling physique. "There was no need for me to carry all that weight," he said. "I played football for 10 years and wrestled for an additional five, so a lot of weight was still there out of that. But I changed my training and eventually trimmed down a little bit." Johnson said he became interested in doing movies in 2000 when the opportunity arose despite not having any connections to the industry. "I loved movies and thought I had good instincts and loved performing in the world that I came from," he said. Article link.

- Chris Bell's "Bigger, Stronger, Faster" documentary will be playing for only one week in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. at the Regal Theater starting this Friday. Bell is also taking the movie to Europe, as he's traveling to Germany and Czechoslovakia this week to promote the film. Theater listings.

- Booker T. will be hosting a TNA/PWA autograph session this Saturday in Pasadena, Tex. Hernandez of LAX, Lance Hoyt, and local wrestlers from PWA are expected to join Booker at the Pasadena Town Square Mall from noon to 2:00 p.m. for the session. PWA's next show is Friday, June 27 featuring LAX vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley. Autograph and show details.

***

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Morning Update

- Jim Ross says the McMahon money giveaway was presented better this week than last week, but the giveaway is still coming at the expense of wrestling. "Call me crazy but I still think fans tune in on Monday night’s to see people compete against each other, whip some ass, have some compelling, wrestling bouts, and do things athletically that can’t be seen on any other program on TV," Ross said on his latest blog on jrsbarbq.com. "I like to see lovely ladies in bikinis as much as the next guy... but was Monday night the right place for the out-of-the-blue 'fashion show?'"

Ross said inserting Lance Cade into the main event picture is philosophically correct to give a new wrestler a chance to sink or swim, and it's the only way to develop tomorrow's stars. Ross also comments on the Draft, injury angles, and upcoming Legends Roundtable taping for WWE 24/7. Blog link.

- MVP provided more background on how he went from convicted felon to pro wrestler in an interview with the Brisbane Times in Australia. He said he was put on "work release" where he could only eat, work odd jobs, and work out in the gym. MVP met two independent wrestlers who set him on the wrestling career path, which took from bouncing at nightclubs to wrestling full-time.

"You send a guy to prison, you put that black mark on him and he gets out - he can't live anywhere, can't work anywhere, and his options are extremely limited," MVP said about currently mentoring to former felons. "I'd like to show people your options are limited but you need to have the resolve within to overcome." Related to his wrestling character, MVP said people that can't speak English still come up to him and tell him he sucks. Interview link.

- The June 9 edition of Raw finished second and third on all of cable TV last week. Coming in behind a NASCAR race on TNT, Raw averaged 4.6 million viewers for the live broadcast. It will be interesting to see whether adding in the DVR viewership will push the total close to the barometer of 5.0 million viewers.

- Rey Mysterio is in the U.K. today promoting the Night of Champions PPV next Sunday. Sky Sports is doing a promotion where viewers can email questions for Rey to answer on the Sky Sports News show this afternoon. Article link.

***

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Evening Update

- Los Angeles Times published a story on Dwayne Johnson ahead of this weekend's release of "Get Smart" where he's getting top billing with Steve Carell. Johnson says the transition from The Rock to his real name was a natural transition. "I wanted the transition to happen naturally," Johnson said. "Ten years ago, I didn't want to make an announcement or a statement, 'From this day forward, I'm an actor.' I didn't want to make a big deal about it. There was just a natural and easy way for the transition to happen." He said he's fine with still being called The Rock, as it sounds better than cupcake. Johnson also said he's modeling his film career after Tom Hanks and Will Smith as everymen who appeal to a wide audience. LA Times article link.

- Triple H responded to Scott Steiner's negative comments toward himself, Ric Flair, and Shawn Michaels in an interview with Kevin Eck of the Baltimore Sun last week. Hunter might as well have been talking about TNA. "When you are no longer in the limelight, you need to talk about people who are in the limelight to keep yourself current," Triple H said. Baltimore Sun article.

- Mickie James vs. Katie Lea is official for Night of Champions with Mickie defending the Women's Title. To promote PPV buys, U.K. Sun published an article encouraging fans to buy the PPV to see Katie try to become the first British female to win the World Women's Title. Article link.

- Mattel had a business conference call with investors today. Only a brief mention by CEO Robert Eckert of adding the WWE toy license to the portfolio in 2010.

- Matthew Randazzo, author of the "Ring of Hell" book, says he wanted to focus on his version of the real story behind Chris Benoit's death. "I very quickly realized that the real story of Chris Benoit's meltdown was nothing close to what was being published either in the mainstream press (who blamed steroids) or the insider wrestling press (who acted as if it was an arbitrary fluke that could have happened anywhere)," Randazzo said in an interview with UGO.com. "The real story was very different: Chris Benoit's sadomasochistic drive to succeed in pro wrestling lead him to pursue a lifestyle that, in countless ways, caused his deadly physical and mental decline." Without citing any specific "insider wrestling press" stories, his claim falls short, as the tone of the insider press coverage was very much focused on what Randazzo claims he set out to prove.

Randazzo also goes into social commentary on why wrestling fans continue to support the wrestling business. "I think most fans are defensive because wrestling is held in such contempt by mainstream society -- largely due to its abysmal writing, manifestly hokey and goofy slapstick violence, and lowest common denominator shock humor -- that they feel socially self-conscious watching it," Randazzo said. "No one likes to be told they are outcast." Interview link.

Afternoon Update

- ECW preview: Well, there isn't one. WWE didn't even bother to plug ECW on the Raw broadcast last night, and WWE's website doesn't have any matches advertised despite the show already being taped last week.

- The May 26 Memorial Day edition of Raw pulled in a significant number of DVR viewers. The numbers show that 9.0 percent of WWE's total viewing audience for that episode came after the show aired live. Total viewership was 4.5 million with an average of 360,000 viewers via DVR. Raw was fourth and fifth for the week of May 26 in overall DVR viewing on cable. Top 20 DVR viewing numbers.

- Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles took shots at WWE's video game series, while promoting their yet-to-be-released TNA Impact video game title due out this summer. "The last WWE games I really played were back when it was WWF; when it was good," A.J. Styles told video game website T3 in the U.K. He said the TNA video game experience is much more realistic.

Samoa Joe said the motion capture used by Midway for the TNA game makes a huge difference. "I've always felt so detached from the Raw vs Smackdown games and I'm not just saying that because they're the competition," he said. Article link.

- ROH responded to Jim Ross's comments last week about Bryan Danielson being a wrestler WWE should be looking at and WWE subsidizing ROH as a viable "farm system" for WWE. From the latest ROH Newswire: "Hey Mr. Ross, thank you for the kind words. Just a little correction. It is simply 'ROH' and is not 'the ROH.'" ROH Newswire.

- Matthew Randazzo V says he isn't worried about any controversies or what WWE might say about his "Ring of Hell" book that is critical of the wrestling business. "I'm the son of two corporate attorneys, and I know what I can write and what I can't write," Randazzo told the Peninsula Daily News in Washington.

He also commented on a crime novel he's working on that has the Mafia more concerned than WWE ever would be about his wrestling book. Randazzo details the book-publishing process with a strong of rejection letters and postage costs submitting his manuscript to publishers. Interesting interview for background on the author. Article link.

- Virginian-Pilot newspaper published a story on the 15-year-old teenager, Denzel Parker, who won $125,000 in the McMoney giveaway last night. Basic story, but WWE continues to get local press for the winners.

***

Monday, June 16, 2008

Evening Update

- Maria a homewrecker? IGN.com posed the question to Maria after her recent kisses on camera have come to Snoop Dogg and Charlie Haas, who are both married. "No, definitely not a homewrecker, because you could ask the same thing of anyone from Sex in the City or any other show," Maria said in a recent interview with IGN. "We're all part of the entertainment industry, and I have a boyfriend, too, and I don't bring anyone else home!" Maria also listed the following ambitions now that she's posed for Playboy. (1) Become Women's champion. (2) Movies with WWE. (3) Do something in the music industry. (4) Ideas for a clothing line with Mickie James.

Maria said she likes working with every diva in the ring because they all present challenges to her. She added she enjoys watching Shawn Michaels the most on the men's side. The worst part of being in WWE is the travel, Maria says. Southwest Airlines and United both lost her luggage on recent trips. Interview link.

- ABC Ch. 4 in Salt Lake City published a brief story on WWE's Raw taping tonight. Campy article with comments from a young fan who said his family "rents" every PPV each month. The article also claims top prize in the McMoney giveaway was $125,000, when it was actually $300,000. Also, a stunning revelation from the article: "Although the winner of the match is typically determined before the fight begins, one pro wrestler did share a little secret with ABC 4. He said that the rest is very real. When they get hit, it hurts!"

- TNA isn't wasting any time putting tickets on-sale for the January 2009 return tour to the U.K. for four major events. Tickets for the "Maximum Impact Tour" go on-sale Friday, June 27. More details in the coming days. TNA's official announcement.

- The toy store is a scary place for kids, claims an editorial in a local Canadian newspaper. The concerned writer points to WWE's line of action figures as a contributor. "Further along is the WWE collection of Ruthless Aggression and Deluxe Aggression figures. What, exactly, elevates a toy to Deluxe Aggression status?" asks the author. The author also points out that the packaging indicates the recommended age is 8+ on one side of the box and 12+ on the other side. "It doesn't matter anyway, because a boy no more than five is begging his father to buy it for him," the author writes. "For $12.99, you, too, could provide your kindergarten child with hostility in a box." Editorial link.

Morning Update

- WWE Raw preview: Besides Vince McMahon trying to avoid being Rick rolled again on national TV giving away $1.0 million, John Cena will face Umaga in a street fight.

- Larry Zbyszko says he would like to return to TNA and help out behind the scenes, but TNA is caught up trying to copy WWE in several aspects. "Everybody that works there is working real hard, but in my opinion, they just need a little help," Zbyszko told Kevin Eck of the Baltimore Sun in a great interview. "If you watch TNA, unfortunately they’re caught up in the wrestling mind-set that (Vince McMahon) Junior set up. TNA has got it in their mind that, 'Well, we’ve got a wrestling show. We’ve got to do all these stupid skits just like Vince does.' Hopefully, they’ll change. They have a chance. We’ll see what happens."

Zbyszko was interviewed to discuss his book, which he says he wrote himself as a "dream-come-true" story about success in the wrestling business. As a result, he said a film company has expressed interest in creating a movie based on the book. Zbyszko goes in-depth on the book, his history with Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan burying himself on TV, and Ric Flair being "an idiot." Zybszko interview link.

- WWE and Ten Sports in India announced the renewal of an exclusive TV rights deal to air WWE programming across India and Asia. The deal, which generated significant international press, will extend to 2014 and "gives Ten Sports exclusive broadcast rights to more than 450 hours of first run, WWE branded content" in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and more Southeast Asian countries. Press release.

- Vince McMahon will be joined by Jesse Jackson and Seth MacFarlane at the annual Promax/BDA conference at the Hilton New York this Friday. McMahon is receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the organization. Conference highlights.

- Continuing the theme of WWE's trip to Australia, MVP and Batista learned to play rugby with the Wests Tigers professional team in Sydney. Video clip.

- Jim Johnston, the man behind WWE's theme music, says there isn't much respect from the music industry for WWE's contribution to the music industry. "One of my frustrations is getting the word out about just how much music is used in our product," Johnston said in an article published by Reuters. "The labels will stumble over themselves to get on MTV, but no one's watching MTV."

WWE typically seeks out lesser-known-bands to provide theme songs for PPVs and TV specials. WWE doesn't pay for the bands, which are given a platform to gain exposure and promote a CD release. Johnston also commented on the success of past "WWE: The Music" CD releases and wrestlers, such as John Cena, recording their own tracks in the studio. "Radio won't play our stuff because their reasoning is that it's promotional," said Johnston. "I'm like, 'Aren't singles a promotion for someone's album?"' Article link.

- As announced by TNA president Dixie Carter at Sunday's U.K. show, TNA will return to the U.K. in January 2009. The stadium locations indicate a significant commitment to the market, with TNA booking venues with much larger capacity than the current tour. Dates include the MEN Arena in Manchester on Jan. 20, the NIA Arena in Birmingham on Jan. 21, the Braehead Arena in Glasgow on Jan. 22, and London's Wembley Arena on Jan. 24. Phil Lowe at OddsPreview in the U.K. looks at the venue sizes and TNA's chances of drawing. Article link.

- ROH announced two shows in Japan this year, with dates on Sept. 13 and 14 at Differ Ariake in Tokyo. The first show will feature wrestlers from Dragon Gate and the second show will feature NOAH wrestlers. The main ROH roster is expected to make the trip. Announcement link.

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