by James Caldwell, Assistant editor

WEEKEND EVENTS

-- Friday: WWE Raw/ECW brand in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
-- Saturday: Raw/ECW brand in Lake Charles, La. and Smackdown brand in Tyler, Tex.
-- Sunday: Raw/ECW brand in Baton Rouge, La. and Smackdown brand in Bossier City, La.
-- Monday: Raw TV live in New Orleans

Torch readers: If you attended one of this weekend's house shows, be sure to send in a report to pwtorch@gmail.com.

RESULTS

1/5 WWE Raw from New Orleans, La.: (1) Melina & Goldust beat Women's champion Beth Phoenix & Santino Marella ... (2) C.M. Punk beat IC champion William Regal (w/Layla) via DQ; Regal retains Intercontinental Title ... (3) World tag team champions The Miz & John Morrison beat Rey Mysterio & Kofi Kingston in a non-title match. ... (4) Kelly Kelly beat Jillian Hall ... (5) Sim Snuka & Cody Rhodes beat Cryme Tyme (JTG & Shad Gaspar) ... (6) World Hvt. champion John Cena & Shawn Michaels beat Randy Orton & Chris Jericho.

NEWS

WWE News: The Vince McMahon Congressional Interview III -- Vince McMahon details his complete role in WWE

Speaking to the U.S. government's Committee on Oversight and Government in December 2007, WWE chairman Vince McMahon provided a detailed description of his role in the company - on-air talent, head of the creative team, and overseer of the entire business operations.

"I'm the chairman of the board, so I would think I would have some oversight over everything that we do as the chairman of the board," McMahon said.

McMahon described his role as "general oversight" with emphasis on the storylines involving top-level talent. "I will be very much involved in the development of that talent, of the storyline," McMahon said. "Top talent means to me that the people that are drawing the money and people with popularity of them coming into the arena."

McMahon said he works closely with the creative team to determine which wrestlers receive top billing on TV. Asked whether the topic of steroids has come up from other staff members when making top-billing decisions, McMahon said he is "not aware" of any such conversations.

McMahon also said "no" to three specific questions on whether he has ever told a WWE talent that he/she needed to (a) gain weight, (b) be bigger to be more successful, or (c) more muscular.

Related to wrestlers being in violation of the Wellness Policy, McMahon said he is removed from hearing about the results. "As a matter of fact, Dr. Black notifies our legal department, who then notifies our Talent Relations, and action is taken there. I really am removed," he said.

However, McMahon is subsequently notified about the test results, as he has to make creative decisions on how to remove talent from TV storylines if they are suspended.

"And once we started this whole Wellness Policy with Dr. Black I explained that to him; hey, look, someone may test positive here, but I need to get those test results back and have a number of days to be able to conclude what that storyline is," McMahon said. "So that's what we did. That still exists today."

McMahon added that he takes personal responsibility for the health of WWE wrestlers through the Wellness Policy.

"What I am concerned with, however, is the present, which is why we have this Wellness Policy, to make certain that our talent, while they're under contract to us, have good habits and can perform at their highest level and be well," McMahon said. "That to me is my responsibility, and I don't take it lightly."

Asked to explain the entire process of bringing a WWE talent onto TV, McMahon said he has no input in the developmental aspect of the company's training system in Florida. He only comes in contact with talent when they are brought onto the main roster and the writers create a storyline introduction for the talent.

However, the talent must clear WWE's Wellness Policy prior to even being brought on board in WWE's system.

"Generally speaking, if they failed any sort of test, there is no reason to bring them on," McMahon said. "I mean, there is a proliferation of prospective talent out there. If they failed anything, whether it is a heart problem or whatever it may be, we wish them luck and bring in somebody else. So, right away, we test talent before they even sign with us."

Link: Committee website with documents, including McMahon testimony.

***

WWE News: In addition to C.M. Punk vs. William Regal, three additional matches announced for Raw tonight

On last week's episode of WWE Raw, WWE announced a title match for the first episode of Raw in 2009, which will be Intercontinental champion William Regal defending his title against C.M. Punk on tonight's show.

In addition to the IC Title match, WWE has booked the World tag team champions up against Rey Mysterio & Kofi Kingston. WWE has not made it official whether the belts will be on the line.

Also up against the Texas vs. Ohio State college football game tonight, WWE has Kelly Kelly vs. Jillian and the team of Santino Marella & Women's champion Beth Phoenix against Goldust & Melina.

***

TNA News: TNA heavily discounting tickets for Sunday's PPV with three ticket offers

TNA is strongly encouraging fans in the Charlotte, N.C. area to attend Sunday night's "Genesis" PPV at the Bojangles Coliseum, to the point of publicizing three special discount ticket offers to see Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett in-person.

Considering WWE just ran house shows after the Christmas break in Charlotte and Greensboro, TNA has to fight for those last remaining entertainment dollars from Carolina wrestling fans.

One of TNA's ticket offers is targeted for kids, where an adult can buy a full-price ticket and children under the age of 12 will pay $5 per ticket.

Listeners to the John Boy & Billy morning radio show on 99.7 FM or NASCAR Hard Card holders can pick up $10 off a full-price ticket, with floor seats still available in the JBB offer on ticketmaster.com.

Link: TNA's ticket offer details.

***

TNA News: TV Ratings for the New Year's Day edition of TNA Impact show odd trends

TNA aired a "Best of 2008" edition of TNA Impact last Thursday night on New Year's Day and the audience level was predictably down.

Despite the critically-acclaimed format and presentation, the Impact broadcast lost 7.7 percent of its audience from the Christmas Day episode with a 0.95 overall rating and an average viewing audience of 1.3 million.

The actual Impact broadcast started about two or three minutes past the top of the 9:00 p.m. EST hour with a CSI episode running into the start time, which could help explain the first quarter hour of the show averaging a 1.15 rating.

The quarter-hour ratings never passed 1.00 the remainder of the show. There was actually a drop from the seventh quarter hour, which featured a re-broadcast of Sting vs. A.J. Styles from the November PPV, to the eighth quarter hour, which featured the only first-run match of the show between Beer Money, Inc. and LAX.

Adults and adult-male demographic numbers were also predictable down across the board against the BCS college football game airing on FOX.

***

WWE News: The Vince McMahon Congressional Interview II -- The original reason why the Wellness Policy was implemented

The generally accepted answer to why WWE implemented a Wellness Policy in early 2006 was a public relations response to Eddie Guerrero's sudden death in November 2005.

Vince McMahon confirmed the public relations aspect related to offering health and counseling to former WWE stars in need during in his testimony before the U.S. government's Committee on Oversight and Government, but McMahon said the general Wellness Policy was being developed on prior to Eddie's death.

In Vince McMahon's testimony, he said the original idea for a Wellness Policy came from a proliferation of WWE talent falling asleep at live events when they shouldn't have.

"The original idea was that we felt that the abuse of prescription drugs was the problem that we had; so naturally we went out and had a program put together by professionals," McMahon said. "There were a number of incidents in which, in the past, people have fallen asleep when they shouldn't, which would indicate that they were taking too many pain killers, things of that nature."

McMahon said WWE begun developing the Wellness Policy prior to Eddie's "untimely demise," as he put it, and McMahon believes Dr. Black was engaged in the "formulating strategy" phase of the policy prior to Eddie's death.

McMahon said Dr. Black's subsequent recommendation when implementing the plan was to also include testing for abuse of steroids. "Dr. Black suggested that any program put together by professionals should include steroids, so we included steroids," McMahon said.

***

WWE News: The Vince McMahon Congressional Interview Part I -- Summary and general overview of McMahon vs. Congress

On Friday, December 14, 2007, WWE chairman Vince McMahon and his lead attorney, Jerry McDevitt, sat down with the U.S. government's Committee on Oversight and Government reform mainly to discuss WWE's current Wellness Policy and how the company has addressed the health of its wrestlers.

Reading through the 122-page transcript, it was apparent the near-three-hour interview was very tense, especially with McMahon and McDevitt peeved by the line of questioning from various committee members, especially Mr. David Leviss, senior investigative counsel.

McMahon's key line of defense to questions about the company's policy of handling abuse of steroids and prescription drugs was to describe WWE as a fun, publicly-traded company trying to put smiles on people's faces.

"I'm a businessman. I'm a good businessman. I do things legally," McMahon said in defense of the current Wellness Policy's implementation. "We're a public company. We put smiles on people's faces all over the word. That's what we do. This is a fun business. So it seems to me that this inquiry is some sort of witch hunt in which I guess someone is trying to penalize me or suggest that what goes on at our company is not proper."

One of the ongoing defenses in the first-half of the interview was McMahon deflecting questions about the specifics of steroid and prescription drug abuse with the claim of being a "layman" and not educated with a scientific background to answer questions on the health ramifications of excessive use of the substances.

Meanwhile, attorney Jerry McDevitt repeatedly criticized and critiqued - to put it nicely - the government's senior counsel, David Leviss, for his line of questioning to McMahon. One exchange in particular regarding WWE wrestlers appearing on the Signature Pharmacy list for purchases of steroids and prescription drugs stood out to characterize McDevitt's approach.

Mr. Leviss: Mr. McMahon, did WWE testing identify these 11 wrestlers prior to the Albany DA identifying --

Mr. McDevitt: That does not establish a foundation of knowledge. Do you not know how to do that?

Mr. Leviss: Are you instructing your witness not to answer that question?

Mr. McDevitt: No, I'm asking you to do the right thing for a change.

Caldwell's Analysis: There is plenty to unpack from this major news story of a public transcript of McMahon commenting - with much prodding - on steroids, wrestlers as role models, and countless other topics related to the health of WWE talent. I'll present more of my thoughts and analysis in separate news stories detailing this very important piece of instant wrestling history.

***

WWE News: December ratings information for Smackdown and Raw shows two major successes

Although CW topped MyNetworkTV in ratings for 2008 mainly due to Smackdown being on CW for nine months, the story probably won't be the same this year.

Only a few months after switching from CW to MyNet, WWE Smackdown helped carry MyNetworkTV to a December ratings victory over CW, reports Variety.

In December, Smackdown averaged 3.7 million viewers over four episodes, which was up from the 3.5 million average overall since the show moved to MyNet on October 3.

On the cable side, USA Network matched ESPN and its Monday Night Football franchise in the fourth quarter of 2008 thanks to the strength of WWE Raw, specifically John Cena's return to the show in December.

Variety reports that ESPN and USA tied for the key adult 18-49 demographic in the October - December period. During the fourth quarter, WWE averaged 4.7 million viewers, including a hefty 5.0 million viewers during the five weeks of TV in December.

Link: Variety.com ratings article.

***

Other News: Mickey Rourke, star of "The Wrestler," profiled on CBS News broadcast

Mickey Rourke was profiled on the "CBS News Sunday Morning" broadcast yesterday for a story about his comeback and the message behind "The Wrestler."

The significance of the story is another high-profile piece involving pro wrestling airing on national TV, with the made-for-the-masses profile of Rourke as a former washed-up actor who re-discovered himself filming "The Wrestler" movie.

Rourke said in the interview he has many regrets about the decisions he made in his past and wishes he didn't need 15 years to get back into major acting.

"Man, I'd do it all different. I have many regrets. If I knew it was going to take me 15 years to get back in the saddle, I would have changed and done everything differently," Rourke told CBS's Serena Altschul for the broadcast. "I don't wanna go back to that dark space for a decade and not know how to get out."

Rourke also detailed the now-famous first movie-related conversation with director Darren Aronofsky, who pointed his finger in Rourke's face and told him that if he wanted to do this movie, he would have to listen and essentially obey him.

"He's smart," Rourke recollected about the meeting. "I went, 'This is my kind of guy!'"

Link: CBS News story on Rourke.

***

WWE News: More details on new "Superstars" show airing on WGN in April

WWE and Tribune Company (parent company of WGN) issued an official press release this morning detailing most of what we reported earlier this morning about the new one-hour TV show that will air Thursday nights on WGN.

The additional information in WWE's press release is that the show will feature wrestlers and divas from all three brands, perhaps in a format heavy on video features and background stories to flesh out the characters seen on the Raw, Smackdown, and ECW brands.

Regardless, WWE believes the show will deliver strong TV ratings on Thursday nights. "We fully anticipate that WWE Superstars will be a ratings winner for WGN America," said WW VP Kevin Dunn in the press release.

Link: WWE and WGN press release.

***

WWE News: Divas champion Maryse personally updates her injury status; describes intense knee pain

Maryse, the new Divas champion on Smackdown, could have severely injured her right knee at last weekend's house show in Raleigh, N.C. when she suddenly went down with an injury during a tag match against the Bella Twins.

Maryse takes the blame for the injury, saying on her WWE Universe blog that she "hit a bad move," which caused the dislocation of her right knee cap.

Fortunately, WWE's quick on-site medical treatment limited the damage. She says that it took 35-40 minutes to replace her knee backstage, as it was "completely out."

"No surgery will be needed," Maryse said. "I would like to thank Doc. Martha Dodson and our special trainer Larry Heck to save my leg, they really did."

Maryse said she's doing fine now and rehabbing everyday in Los Angeles. "I'm recovering really fast," she said. With next week's Smackdown already taped, Maryse has another week to recover prior to the next Smackdown TV taping in Omaha, Neb. on January 13.

Link: Maryse's WWE Universe blog.

***

WWE News: Thursday Night War? Details on WWE's new TV deal to air "Superstars" on WGN

As if there wasn't enough TV wrestling during the week, WWE has made it official with Tribune Company's WGN cable TV station that a sixth hour of weekly WWE television will be added to Thursday nights.

Airing at 8:00 p.m. EST on WGN, "WWE Superstars" will debut in April - right around WrestleMania 25 - with a one-hour show focusing on wrestlers, divas, and storylines, reports Broadcasting & Cable.

The show will air one hour before TNA Impact on Spike TV, which could take away from TNA's wrestling audience on Thursday nights. A replay of "Superstars" will also air on Thursday nights at 11:00 p.m. EST, right after the conclusion of Impact.

The deal between WWE and Tribune Company is for two years and Tribune will pay a licensing fee to WWE, which is producing the show and its content. The exact format of whether it will be a "live arena show" or a Confidential-type studio show was not announced.

WGN previously threw its hat in the ring during negotiations for Smackdown when the CW opted not to re-new the deal. The rights eventually went to MyNetworkTV, but Tribune's broadcasting president says they wanted to get on board somehow, someway.

"It's one of those franchises that, when you have the opportunity to do something with it, you do it," Tribune's Ed Wilson said. "It's probably one of the most proven properties on cable TV. We take our hat off to WWE - we couldn't be more happy."

Link: Broadcasting & Cable report on WWE-WGN deal.

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