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Updated daily, the Torch News Ticker delivers a 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 Ticker. Contact link.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Evening Update

- TNA PPV Preview: We'll be covering tonight's TNA Hard Justice PPV from Trenton, N.J. on the main listing. We're looking for your thoughts on the PPV, which has a line-up of: Samoa Joe vs. Booker T for the TNA Title, A.J. Styles vs. Kurt Angle, LAX vs. Beer Money for the TNA Tag Titles, Christian Cage & Rhino vs. Team 3D, Petey Williams vs. Creed for the X Division Title, Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt, Taylor & Gail & ODB vs. Kong & Beautiful People. Petey vs. Creed is expected to open the PPV.

- REPORTS WANTED: We're looking for reports from this weekend's WWE house shows, including Raw tonight in Salisbury, Md. and SD/ECW in Binghamton, N.Y.

- Mr. Kennedy posted on his official website that he could be out of action for a few weeks or four-to-six months, depending on how the immediate rehab of his shoulder turns out. "I have a torn labrum," Kennedy said. "I'm going to spend the next two weeks in Pensacola doing two-a-day rehab sessions. ... After two weeks, (Dr. James) Andrews will assess my progress and determine if I have to have surgery or not. If not, I'll have an additional 2-4 weeks before I can return to the ring. If surgery is required, I'll be out for 4-6 months." Website message link.

- Ric Flair says he parted ways with WWE on the best of terms to have new opportunities to earn money outside of the ring without having to clear appearance opportunities with WWE. "I just can't leave the money on the table anymore," Flair said in Mike Mooneyham's weekly column. "I'm 59 years old and I’ve never stood on own two feet without wrestling. I need to find out if I can. Vince can’t prop me up forever." Flair has signed on with the Gillespie Agency, which has spent the last year studying the wrestling business to understand how to best utilize Flair's talents and charisma.

Everyone is saying the right things about WWE's role in Flair's departure. "I want everybody in the world to know that I love and respect the WWE," Flair said. "They’ve helped me through so much of my life and have made me a better person. They recognized me and my family at WrestleMania, and have propped me up and helped me as long as they can." Said Flair's agent, Elaine Gillespie: "We are also very grateful for the time we had working closely with the WWE. The training that they provided us over the past year has given us insight into how the industry works and allows us to hit the ground running now." Mooneyham column link.

***

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Evening Update

- RESULTS WANTED: We're looking for reports from last night's WWE house show in Wildwood, N.J., and tonight's WWE shows in Syracuse, N.Y., and Newark, Del. We're also looking for notes from WWE's Summerfest at Venice Beach, Calif. from this afternoon.

- WWE is having its annual summer house-cleaning with more releases in addition to Braden Walker (f/k/a Chris Harris). Nunzio, James Curtis, Shannon Moore, Domino, Big Daddy V, and referee Nick Patrick were also cut. It's always odd seeing WWE come to "terms of release" with independent contractors.

- WWE Smackdown held up pretty well last night in the broadcast ratings despite the Olympic opening ceremony picking up a gargantuan viewing audience. Smackdown on CW finished third for the night, with an average of 3.77 million viewers. CW was second in adults 18-49, only trailing NBC's 10.3 rating. Very good showing for Smackdown. Ratings info.

- TNA is currently working on HD capabilities in Nashville, according to engadgetHD. TNA is building a TNAtv production facility to house broadcast, DVD, on-air graphics, and commercial capabilities in HD to match WWE's recent upgrades. It's doubtful they're spending $100 million on expanding TV capabilities, as WWE has earmarked, but it's a potentially significant step for TNA. Article link.

- Ahead of tonight's big UFC fight, Brock Lesnar told SI.com he felt empty inside as a pro wrestler, and UFC allows him to let loose with the competitive juices. "For any athlete, when the whistle blows, it's competition," Lesnar said. "That's what an athlete lives for. For me, all I ever knew was competing. Then I was entertaining for four years, and I felt really empty inside."

Lesnar also commented on whether MMA and pro wrestling can mix in the competitive fighting marketplace. "I think you don't cross that line," he said. "You have pro wrestling and you have fighting, and as soon as you try to mix the two, I think it would dissolve both of them. ... People watch both of them for entertainment, but once people feel they've been cheated, they might not come back. They know what they're getting with pro wrestling. You don't want to do that. And I like it real." Sports Illustrated article link.

- Jim Ross looks at Ric Flair and Brett Favre in latest blog on jrsbarbq.com. Ross says Flair and WWE mutually agreed to part ways, with Flair believing he can market himself as his own brand name. "From what I understand it was amicable," Ross said of the split. "However, Ric seems to have a mindset these days and a business plan to do brand building, utilizing himself as his own brand. In order to do this Ric had to be an independent business man not tied to any company or that company’s existing business arrangements or schedule." Ross blog link.

***

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Afternoon Update

- TNA Impact preview: The final show before Sunday's Bound for Glory PPV will feature the 8-man tables match with Christian & Rhino & LAX vs. Team 3D & Beer Money. In addition to that, TNA will have a 10-man weapons gauntlet match centered on Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles, and Booker T. ... Other matches: Kong vs. Salinas, Roxxi vs. Jacqueline, Sonjay Dutt vs. Curry Man, and Sabin & Shelley vs. Lethal & Creed.

- WWE announced the addition of three executives to its corporate Board of Directors to replace Robert Bowman, who resigned. From in-house, Kevin Dunn has been added to the Board. From outside of WWe, Frank Riddick and Jeffrey Speed have been added. Riddick works for a private equity firm based in New York and he will head up the audit committee. Speed is CFO for the parent company of the Six Flags theme park.

WWE is quickly addressing excessive spending with the additons. Vince McMahon spoke on the goals to be achieved by the addition of Dunn, Riddick, and Speed to the Board. "These three outstanding executives bring extensive operating experience and financial acumen to our expanded Board of Directors," said McMahon. "With their addition, we enhance our ability to meet the challenges of continued global expansion and to capitalize on the future opportunities for our company and brand." Press release.

- Vancouver-based Insight Films has reportedly signed on with Steve Austin to produce a second action movie. Vancouver Sun reports film preparations will begin shortly and representatives from Insight Films will be meeting with WWE officials to pitch a series of action movies based on WWE characters with Insight handling the financing. Stay tuned. Article link.

- The final hour of WWE Raw from July 28 was the third-most watched show on cable TV for last week. The show finished sixth in households, but pulled in 5.52 million live viewers to finish behind The Closer on TNT and NASCAR racing on ESPN. TV rankings.

- Following up on yesterday's story about Jerry Lawler providing the cover art to Michael Kingston's latest comic book, the book is available for pre-sale until August 27 before the October release. It's recommended to order the book online because it may not be available in retailers. Visionarycomics.com has the order details with the pre-sale code being AUG083662. Press release.

- Edmonton Sun published a story on physical fitness, with Trish Stratus interviewed on her approach. Take note. "You just have to start with a tiny goal," she advises. "One week say, 'I am going to go without Coke,' and soon you realize that a) it is achievable and b) it's not as hard as we think. It's a matter of taking charge of your life." Article link.

***

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Evening Update

- The word from Monday night's house show in Macon, Ga. is that Mr. Kennedy dislocated his shoulder and will miss some in-ring time, adding yet another injury to his resume. WWE's website currently does not have any coverage, which means it only took one day to undercut COO Michael Sileck's comments in yesterday's conference call with investors.

"As we had stated before, we noted that fans were going elsewhere to get rumors and other news related to the world of wrestling," Sileck said. "We want to capture all of that interest and all those eyeballs." Until WWE decides whether its website will be a dedicated news site, WWE will always run into the problem of what to cover and what not to cover. IGN.com article on Kennedy.

- Jim Ross has the coverage on his blog, stating that Mr. Kennedy will need an MRI on his shoulder and should be out at least a few weeks. Ross also commented on Ric Flair leaving WWE, which WWE has not covered either. Ross said he was surprised by the news. "Ric’s schedule with the WWE had been somewhat ambitious in Ric’s view as Ric was one the road as much or more than he had been with his wrestling schedule in his later career," Ross said on jrsbarbq.com. "I do know that Ric had apparently received several offers to do numerous outside projects that were beyond the parameters of the WWE and that he seemed keenly interested in doing."

Ross also commented on the announcing situation after sitting down with Todd Grisham and Matt Striker on Tuesday to go over some pointers prior to the ECW broadcast. Said Ross on Striker: "Striker is a natural fit at the announce desk or as a wrestling manager and considering that wrestling managers don’t seem to be in vogue at this time then Striker’s skills are best utilized as we saw Tuesday Night on ECW." JR's BBQ blog link.

- Jerry Lawler has signed on with Michael Kingston, author of the "Headlocked" comic book series, to provide the cover art for a series of comics from Kingston. “I’m a huge comic book fan and I’ve wanted to do some comic book work for a while now and what better way to get my start than with a wrestling comic?" Lawler said in a press release. "So when Mike Kingston asked me if I would be interested in doing a cover, I jumped at the chance.”

Kingston says the theme behind the "Headlocked" series is wrestling, but it's also a coming-of-age story about giving up a comfortable existence to pursue a dream, which just so happens to be pro wrestling. Kingston's series of comics will follow the storyline from the original "Work of Art" comic that drew critical acclimation. The second book will be available for pre-order this month. Article and comic previews.

- Bloggingstocks.com has a tough look at WWE's recent financial report, specifically at the investment in the movie division. WWE can't afford to have another box office bomb like "The Condemned" if investors are going to remain committed to WWE stock with the significant amount of expenditures related to the WWE Studios (f/k/a Films) division. Article link.

Afternoon Update

- The price of WWE shares has dropped again today, fluctuating around the $15.40 price per share with a 1-2 percent drop from yesterday's close. It's tough to keep up consistently good quarters every three months, and WWE is feeling a temporary squeeze when earnings came in below expectations.

- WWE will be hosting a block party from 4-7 p.m. on Friday ahead of the Raw house show in Wildwood, N.J. Event will take place at Fox Park across from the Wildwoods Convention Center, and is sponsored by local 103.7 FM. Block party details.

- Medialife Magazine published an interesting look at summer viewing habits across TV networks, with more adults than younger viewers watching TV this summer. CW has fallen off 17 percent this summer, mainly due to Smackdown being the only original programming they've been offering. Article link.

- ROH Notes: Go Shiozaki will challenge Brent Albright for the NWA Title at ROH's August 16 show in Chicago. ... The first match has been signed for ROH's 9th PPV taping on Sept. 19 in Boston. El Generico & Kevin Steen will get a tag title shot against the tag champs following Jacobs & Black vs. Briscoes in Tokyo. ...

- TNA Notes: A.J. Styles and Rhino will be in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon signing autographs at the Best Buy on 2300 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd. ... Tickets go on-sale this Thursday for a new U.K. tour event added to the January 2009 tour. TNA will be in Dublin, Ireland at National Stadium on Jan. 16. ...

- TNA has officially launched its mobile video game on Verizon Wireless handheld devices. The game features a strategy game, customizable characters, special gimmick matches, and the main TNA stars. Download details.

- Abyss is officially a great man. In an interview with IGN.com, Abyss said he played Tecmo Bowl growing-up and always played with the Raiders. He also talked about the TNA Impact video game and how realistic he looks on screen. Interview link.

***

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Evening Update

- WWE stock closed at $15.59 per share after Tuesday's trading, which made for an 8.08 percent drop from Monday's close. Investors did not look favorably on WWE's first below-average quarter in several quarters. The stock price dipped as low as $15 on the day before climbing to mid-$15 by the end of the day.

- Dividend.com offered its analysis of WWE stock that the company disappointed financial analysts with a 16 percent drop in live and televised entertainment and a 50 percent increase in expenses. They give the stock a 3.6 out of 5 rating for whether to buy. Article link.

- Seekingalpha.com published a full transcript of Linda McMahon's conference call with investors earlier today. Transcript link.

- JBL's wife, Meredith Whitney, has been the subject of various articles today after Fortune did a major story on her for its latest issue. Fortune's editor-at-large, Patricia Sellers, then chimed in with commentary on JBL promoting the magazine on Raw last night. From her blog: "Did you see WWE Raw Monday night? I did. First time ever. Why? (Good question!) Because Fortune was front and center. Big John Bradshaw Layfield, known as JBL to pro wrestling fans, was hawking our new issue for one reason: His wife, Meredith Whitney, is on the cover." Blog link.

- If you're looking for an in-depth look into the video game business, THQ CEO Brian Farrell provides plenty of good material in an interview with CrunchGear. Specifically related to WWE, Farrell talks about keeping the WWE video game brand fresh each year by investing in new concepts. Good interview. Interview link.

- Ted DiBiase has a speaking engagement on Sunday at NorthStar Community Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. to give his testimony as an extension of his autobiography. It's a stirring testament even if you've heard it several times before. Also, A.J. Styles will be appearing at "Rock the Universe," which takes place Sept. 5 and 6 in Orlando. Styles will give his testimony as part of the annual Christian rock music extravaganza that has a stacked line-up of Christian bands scheduled to perform. Miami Herald article link.

Morning Update

- WWE's second quarter earnings report missed expectations by 2 cents, as analysts were expecting Earnings-per-share of $0.12 and WWE reported $0.10. WWE's quarterly revenue came in ahead of analyst expectations, though. WWE reported $129.7 million in revenue, above the $125.54 million expectation. Streetinsider article link.

- Midway Games, the developer of TNA Impact, reported a significant quarterly loss of $34.8 million, compared to $14.3 million in the similar quarter in 2007. They're banking on TNA Impact to help boost their next quarter when the game is released. Article link.

- Ric Flair made an appearance on FOX's "Got Game" broadcast in the Charlotte market on Sunday night to promote the NWA Legends fanfest in two weeks. Flair discussed the art of the promo, said he feels sorry for Brett Favre because he went through his own retirement recently, and still claimed to be part of the WWE as an ambassador. Classic Flair interview available on youtube. Video link.

- Nina Keathley, a 101-year-old woman, was at Raw last night after being given tickets by the local CBS affiliate in Knoxville, Tenn. She likes John Cena, but there are plenty of wrestlers she doesn't like. "Who is this? Cena isn't it? Yes, Cena. ...Well, he's cute, and he's nice." Article link.

- TMZ posted video of Hulk Hogan commenting on the Freddy Prinze, Jr. hire by WWE. After commenting on the divorce proceedings with Linda, Hogan said about Prinze: "I think he's probably just as qualified as everybody else up there that knows nothing about the art form of the business." Video link.

- Irv Muchnick published his take on John McCain and Barack Obama going for the "wrestling vote" in the upcoming presidential election. Article link.

***

Monday, August 4, 2008

Afternoon Update

- Jim Ross posted a new blog talking SNME, Michael Cole in the ring, financial planning for wrestlers, and college football. On C.M. Punk, Ross said, "Punk doesn’t get the credit yet that he has earned or deserves as the World’s Champion. Punk has some RVD-like qualities about him as it relates to having a loyal and vocal fan base. If Punk can continue to navigate choppy waters, he will hopefully establish residence on the 'next level' and stay there for the foreseeable future." JR's BBQ blog link.

- WWE declared a quarterly dividend of 36 cents per share for shareholders not in the McMahon family. WWE reports second quarter 2008 earnings tomorrow morning. The dividend will be paid out Sept. 25 for shareholders as of Sept. 15. Forbes article.

- Schaeffers Research published analysis of WWE stock ahead of the quarterly report, looking at short-sellers trying to make a quick profit on WWE stock. WWE will be affected depending on how their earnings report comes in. "A disappointing earnings report could motivate these bullish brokers to issue downgrades, which could place additional selling pressure on the shares," which would drive down the stock price. Article link.

Morning Update

- Raw Preview: As announced on Saturday Night's Main Event, tonight's show features Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes defending the tag titles against John Cena and Batista. Also scheduled is Shawn Michaels returning to confront Chris Jericho, presumably to set up another singles match at Summerslam. ... You have to appreciate WWE's preview, which calls Mike Adamle the "absent-minded ECW commentator." Not only do they call him absent-minded, but he was the play-by-play man, not the commentator.

- Knoxville News Sentinel published a brief preview of Raw in Knoxville, Tenn. tonight. C.M. Punk is interviewed about Summerslam, with the assumption made in the article that he'll have a match against John Cena at the PPV despite Cena facing Batista. Basic story. Article link.

- ROH Notes: Brent Albright's first NWA Title defense will be on August 16 in Chicago against an opponent to be named. ... On Aug. 15 in Cleveland, Nigel McGuinness will defend the ROH Title against El Generico and FIP champion Erick Stevens will defend against Claudio Castagnoli. ... Announced for ROH's Sept. 14 show in Tokyo, Japan is Nigel McGuinness vs. Jimmy Jacobs for the ROH Title, GHC Jr. Hvt. champion Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Bryan Danielson, Naomichi Marufuji & Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. KENTA & Kota Ibushi, and Roderick Strong vs. Kensuke Sasaki.

- Slam Wrestling published a brief interview with Brent Albright following his NWA Title victory on Saturday in New York. Article link.

- Angelina Love and Velvet Sky played up the superficial nature of the TNA women's division by commenting on what makes them all different. "None of us looks exactly the same. There's blonde hair, dark hair, red hair, no hair," Velvet Sky said in an interview with Jim Varsallone of the Miami Herald. "It sets us apart because we all look different. We all dress different. We all wrestle different, and we don't offer fluff-n-nutter that you see elsewhere. We're hard hitting."

Angelina Love says in-fighting is inevitable amongst the women in the company, but they have to remember they're on the same team. "Egos do not go away, but you have to learn when to bite your tongue," she said. "We all work for one company, and we all put on a show. There has to be boundaries. You have to be smart. You have to have a good business sense. You have to know when to say something and when to shut up." It's a pretty lengthy interview with Sky and Love also talking about their increased roles in the company and competing against the men in TNA. Interview Link.

***

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