By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

-- We don't have a Raw TV rating for Monday's show yet, as the Martin Luther King holiday on Monday delayed ratings information. We do know that a Nickelodeon show aimed at the young-end of WWE's audience drew over 11.0 million viewers on Monday night, which could impact the ratings.

-- Earlier today, I watched the much-praised Bryan Danielson vs. Davey Richards match from ROH's Sept. 25 show in Boston that was part of the Bryan Danielson Final Countdown tour. I thought it was one of the best wrestling matches I've seen the last nine months, but also a very concerning match that needs to be put in a broader context looking at pro wrestling's current landscape. I'll have a full take on the match and some broader issues in-play today or tomorrow.

-- Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon's Senate campaign has been advertising a "big announcement" today. If it's newsworthy, we'll have a story on the main listing. Otherwise, the announcement will be made on McMahon's Twitter page.

-- USA Network won the cable TV ratings battle last week on the strength of WWE Raw's strong showing on January 11. USA averaged 2.62 million viewers in prime time to beat out Fox News with 2.41 million viewers. Fox was heavy on Haiti news coverage in prime time last week.

-- Jim Cornette talked to the U.K. Sun about a lot of the subjects we cover on a regular basis related to "occupational health" concerns from the last 20-25 years in pro wrestling. Cornette talked about the vicious cycle of wrestlers taking steroids to get noticed (which Mr. Kennedy has admitted to), taking pills to deal with pain to keep a main event spot (which Rey Mysterio has admitted to), then becoming depressed if they're off national TV after being a big TV star when they can't get that "pop" from a live crowd (which "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson referenced on David Letterman last night).

"Wrestlers's careers are so much shorter because there is no territory system and they're on national television every week. Many more get burnt out. Guys get depressed when all of a sudden, after being stars for three or four years, they can't get a job because there is no place else to work. That then leads to a drug problem," he said. "So it's all of these things - fewer places to work, change in the style and Vince's hiring practices and who he pushes. All of those have lead to early deaths from heart attacks and drug and steroid related problems." Link: Cornette's complete interview.

Wrestling author Irv Muchnick posted a blog in response to Cornette's interview looking at the 2010 application of the vicious cycle. Muchnick blog.

-- WWE has Part 1 of an interview with "Dangerous" Dan Spivey focused on his early wrestling career as part of the Skyscrapers with Sid Vicious and "taking years off his life" wrestling in All-Japan Pro Wrestling during the late '80s. Part 2 is the failed Waylon Mercy gimmick during the cartoony mid-1990s in WWF.

-- "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson was on Good Day LA in Los Angeles this morning promoting the "Tooth Fairy" movie. He talked up Saturday Night Live, saying "When I was trying to make the transition (from wrestling to acting) ten years ago, that show opened up a lot of eyes and opportunities for me."

Johnson's movie received its first negative review with heavy emphasis on Johnson's acting. The Broward New Times in Florida said, "you can’t escape the suspicion that Johnson seems perfectly happy coasting through bland mediocrities." The reviewer added: "It used to be that his former career as a wrestler was his biggest obstacle to becoming a Hollywood star - now, it appears to be laziness." Johnson on Good Day LA is below.

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