Updated throughout the day, it's the Torch News Ticker with all the news and info that's not fit for print. 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 9, 2008

10:00 a.m.

- We're looking for live reports from last night's WWE shows in Oshkosh and Madison, Wis., as well as tonight's shows in Green Bay, Wis. and Dubuque, Iowa.

- The Northwestern has a story on last night's Raw house show in Oshkosh where everyone came to see Hornswoggle. They drew about 3,000 for the show. Article link.

- Orlando Sentinel continues its road to WrestleMania coverage with a story on the Championship Wrestling from Florida territory. They have quotes from Dusty Rhodes, J.J. Dillon, and Sir Oliver Humperdink. Article link.

***

Saturday, March 8, 2008

8:00 p.m.

- Jim Ross has a new blog on jrsbarbq.com commenting on the death of Don Curtis, who he called "a bona fide credit to the business and if wrestling had more men in it like Don Curtis it would be much better off." He also comments on Bobby Lashley using TNA for MMA leverage, the Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show weigh-in coming up on Raw, and Reggie Bush possibly joining the celebrity list at Mania. Blog entry link.

- TNA Notes: TNA sent a message to Mobile subscribers that Sting is looking to return to the ring soon. ... TNA has footage of Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley's appearance on MTV's "Made" show that aired this afternoon. Video link.

12:00 p.m.

- WWE Smackdown ratings: Smackdown rebounded from last week's 2.6 rating to the 2.8 rating they had been doing in previous week. The show averaged a 2.7 first hour in and 2.9 second hour. The rating for adults 18-49 increased to 1.5.

- There's an odd story circulating on Dwayne Johnson being desperate to land a macho action role, such as the lead villain in a James Bond film. Article link.

- Pre-sale tickets went on-sale this morning for XPW's one-night-only return show on May 24. They have several packages for individual tickets and fan fest tickets. XPW tix details.

11:00 a.m.

- Multichannel News has all the details on WWE's marketing campaign for WrestleMania in an attempt to surpass last year's buyrate. They're even renting a plot of land near the Orlando airport to put the WWE logo on the land so incoming planes see the logo. Fascinating story. Article link.

- Brian Fritz has a column in the Orlando Sentinel on Ric Flair, with quotes from Jerry Lawler, Tully Blanchard, Jim Ross, and Mick Foley. Basics on his passion and contributions to the wrestling business. Article link.

- PWG results: At last night's PWG show in Reseda, Calif., Human Tornado retained the PWG Title over Jack Evans in front of 225. Also on the card, Claudio Castagnoli beat Roderick Strong, Eddie Kingston beat Necro Butcher in a wild brawl (of course), and Joey Ryan & Scott Lost beat the Briscoes via the cast of thousands interference to retain the PWG Tag Titles. Next show is March 21.

***

Friday, March 7, 2008

Top stories of the Day

- Multichannel News has a report on WWE spending $12 million to upgrade its video tape filing system. With the change to HD, they are also upgrading the way they store Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and PPV broadcasts to move away from the standard definition tape-based system they used forever. WWE also disclosed on its yearly report today that they will be expanding the TV facility in Stamford, Ct. at a cost of $65-70 million over the course of three years. Article link.

- TNA Notes: TNA sent a text message to Mobile subscribers that Judas Mesias is expected to finish up with TNA. What we've told about Judas's situation with TNA is that he was looking for half of the TV dates so he could keep a full-time schedule in Mexico, where he's making good money. When push came to shove, it didn't work out for both sides on the terms of a new deal ... TNA has posted the stipulations for the matches on Sunday's PPV. Yes, it's become that complicated. Article link.

- The final card for TNA's Destination X PPV on Sunday is as follows: Kurt Angle & A.J. Styles & Tomko vs. Christian Cage & Kevin Nash & Samoa Joe, Robert Roode vs. Booker T in a strap match, Rhino vs. James Storm in Elevation X, Jay Lethal vs. Petey Williams for the X Division Title, Awesome Kong vs. ODB vs. Gail Kim for the Knockouts Title, Team 3D vs. Shark Boy & Curry Man in a Fishy street fight (if 3D makes weight), and Kaz & Eric Young vs. Black Reign & Rellik, LAX vs. Sabin & Shelley vs. Hoyt & Rave in a #1 Contender match for the tag titles.

- Media Life Magazine has a list of TV shows that advertisers are avoiding, based on a survey of media planners and buyers. At the top of the list is "wrestling" following Jerry Springer. Last year, the term "WWE" was near the top of the list. In 2001, "wrestling" was at the very top of the list. Article link.

- ROH PPV #5 "Rising Above" debuts tonight. Top match is the much-talked about Nigel McGuiness vs. Austin Aries ROH Title match. This is the match where Nigel bumped his head on the guardrail, prompting the speculation of a legit concussion. ... Also on the card: Bryan Danielson vs. Morishima, Briscoes vs. Romero & Strong, Claudio vs. Hero, and Erick Stevens vs. Davey Richards.

- PWG "Scared Straight" is tonight in Reseda, Calif. featuring new PWG champion Human Tornado's first title defense. He will be facing Jack Evans, who is coming off major face surgery. Also on the card, Scott Lost & Joey "don't call me a local jobber to the Big Show" Ryan defend the PWG Tag Titles against the Briscoes. Top singles matches are Claudio vs. Roderick Strong and Necro Butcher vs. Eddie Kingston.

Daily Hogan Fix: Nick Hogan's attorney, Kevin Hayslett, released photos of Nick after the August car crash, claiming Nick did not have blood shot eyes. The police report indicated Nick had "blood shot eyes" when they questioned him after crash, which prompted the blood test. Hayslette is trying to punch holes in the police department's case against Nick. "It appears that Officer Milne and/or the Clearwater police department recognized they did not possess probable cause to obtain a lawful blood draw and this was a weak attempt to justify their actions after the fact," Hayslett said. Article link.

- Pro Wrestling Ohio cancelled Saturday's show in Lakewood, Ohio due to weather problems. They're expecting two feet of snow, so they called off the show. Tickets will be honored for the Saturday, April 12 show in Lakewood. They do have a new episode of PWO TV on Sunday night at 11:00 p.m. on Sports Time Ohio.


- Bruno Sammartino is interviewed by Eric Gargiulo on phillyburbs.com regarding his stance against WWE, leaving WWE two decades ago because of the changes under Vince Jr., and why he wants no part of the Hall of Fame. Pretty in-depth interview on the usual subjects. Article link.

- The Journal News in New York has a story on the other boxer vs. wrestler match between Larry Sweeney and Larry Barnes taking place on April 5 at New Rochelle high school. The "match" will feature ten 3-minute rounds with three judges. Also booked for the show is Brother Devon. Article link.

***

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Top stories of the Day

- WWE will be on Larry King Live next Thursday, March 13 to talk about WrestleMania, with Vince McMahon, John Cena, Chris Jericho, and Floyd Mayweather scheduled to appear on the show. Follow this link to submit a question for King's show. Be intelligent with your questions to counteract the expected softballs to promote Mania.

- Jim Ross has a new blog on Jrsbarbq.com discussing pertinent issues of the day. Ross comments on Bobby Heenan, who he says is rehabbing in Florida after two jaw surgeries. Heenan is unable to eat solid foods, but Ross says he's getting stronger by the day. ... Ross said he spent several hours on Tuesday offering his insight into Curt Hennig and Ric Flair future DVD releases. Both DVDs are expected to be released at the end of the year.

Ross also comments on the Floyd Mayweather build-up, recognizing that Mayweather is best-suited as a heel: "I can say somewhat conclusively that I have yet to be in an arena where Floyd Mayweather, Jr. hasn’t been booed and for the life of me I don’t see that changing. Nor do I see that as a bad thing. The hotter Floyd gets as an antagonist the more, one would assume, fans will want to pay to see Floyd humbled." Blog link.

- Mediapost has a story on CW and MyNet's struggles to increase viewership a few years after WB and UPN combined to form CW. They note that CW and MyNet are just barely doing more viewership numbers combined than WB in its dying days.

Also of note is that MyNet convinced the local affiliates that were left out of the merger to join MyNetwork by allocating them nine minutes of their own advertising so the local stations could generate revenue of their own. Now, MyNet is looking to get two of those minutes back for their national ads when Smackdown starts in the fall. Article link.

- WWE is in Oshkosh, Wis. this weekend for a Raw brand house. A WWE spokesman told the local media outlet that Hornswoggle (real name Dylan Postl) is suffering from injuries, casting doubt on whether the storyline will prevent the hometown local favorite from appearing on the show. Finlay said he's wrestling JBL on the house show and he expects Hornswoggle to be there for an appearance. Article link.

- New Zealand Herald has a story on WWE's upcoming live event tour in June. Smackdown will have a show on June 11 in Auckland and June 12 in Christchurch. Tickets go on-sale April 4. Article link.

- TNA Notes: The episode of "Made" on MTV featuring Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley airs on Saturday at noon EST. Sabin & Shelley will be TNA's featured guest on the monthly conference call with the wrestling media today at 2:00 p.m. EST. ... Tickets go on-sale this Friday on TNA's website for the Lockdown PPV Fan Fest on Saturday, April 12 at the Doubletree Hotel in Lowell, Mass. Tickets will set you back $40 online, or $50 at the door. ... TNA knockout Velvet Sky is featured in the latest edition of Fighting Spirit magazine. ...

- Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin were the guests on TNA's monthly conference call with the media today. Some of the highlights: Shelley said about the TNA house shows that the wrestlers are given "complete wrestling freedom" and he'd like to see more wrestling incorporated into the TV shows. Sabin said the club atmosphere at the house shows has created a good vibe for the live product, and it would be neat to see a TV taping from one of the live events with an intimate setting. ...

Regarding the upcoming live TV show at the end of March, Sabin said they've done live PPV for years, so it won't be any different than doing a regular TV taping. ... They each commented on Jim Cornette coaching them on their tag team style, and Cornette gave them a huge stack of Midnight Express DVDs to watch and study. ... On the MTV deal, they said it was a "hectic, brutal schedule" for taping with several early morning filming sessions. The deal came about when MTV approached TNA, and Sabin and Shelley were natural fits for the role after one phone conference call. There will be appearances by other TNA wrestlers on the show, so it won't just be Shelley & Sabin.

- A local paper in Michigan has a story on the high school student who was taught how to wrestle by Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley for the "Made" episode airing on MTV this Saturday. The student, Chris Hendricks, trained in Canada and downed the Petey special of protein shakes every day. Camera crews followed Chris, Sabin, and Shelley for six weeks at the high school until Sabin and Shelley became fixtures at the school, leading to a six-man tag match as the high point of the program. Good article. Article link.

- Matt Morgan was offered a contract from NBC to be on the next season of American Gladiators as one of the gladiators. TNA says Morgan will continue to be part of TNA while taping episodes in Los Angeles if he passes the gladiator boot camp. "Wrestling is in my blood and TNA will always be my home - and the chance to appear on both TNA and American Gladiators is a major personal accomplishment," Morgan said. Article link.

- ROH Notes: The Larry Sweeney rape angle from ROH's Sixth Anniversary show is back on the DVD. ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky commented on the ROH message board that he decided to add the angle back on the DVD after putting it together on Tuesday night. "I felt that this segment needed to go on so you could judge it for yourself," he wrote. "I stand by my apology and once again apologize if you were offended. Our goal in ROH is not to be controversial or offensive like some promotions. Our goal is to give you an enjoyable wrestling product. I still maintain that you will not see anything like this from ROH again."

- Austin Aries is interviewed about coming back to ROH in Alex Marvez's weekly syndicated column. Aries said he's glad to be back in ROH after the Austin Starr gimmick in TNA ran its course. "There are so many things that factor into why things didn't work out for me," Aries said about leaving TNA. "Maybe the timing was not right. I've analyzed it 100 times in my head. It's time to move on."

Related to his current ROH run, Aries said he's glad to be in a place where he feels appreciated. ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky said, "Austin is the kind of guy that wants you to put the company on his back. When you do, he more than carries it." Aries, who is in the headline match against Nigel McGuinness on tomorrow's ROH PPV, said everyone in ROH is working together to build something important. Article link.

- Hollywood Reporter has a story on the next season of Hogan Knows Best being titled "Brooke Hogan Knows Best". VH-1 ordered 10 half-hour episodes for the new season. The show will follow Brooke as she moves to Miami to "start a new life of her own". Hulk and Linda will be on the show "from time to time". Basically, it's a vehicle to promote Brooke and her singing career. Article link.

- Hulk Hogan is quoted in the Daytona Beach News-Journal on the future of his wrestling concept with Eric Bischoff: "We've got some stuff going on -- we're definitely moving in that genre," he told Jeff Wilen. "We want to raise the bar. (Other wrestling) is pretty boring right now. The network will make the announcement." Wilen said Hogan wouldn't say what network he's talking to.

Hogan also commented on his family situation: "It's been a couple of tough months. It's been rough on everybody. There's a lot more to the story (than what's out there). Things are better for everybody. And things are better every day with Nick, too." Article link.

- Rob Conway is interviewed on Inside Pulse about working in the NWA as co-host for their weekly TV show. He said about the differences between WWE and NWA: "WWE is a lot different than the NWA because you are under contract and have signed a legal agreement to do whatever they need you to do without much creative control. ... NWA is more professional wrestling and WWE is more sports entertainment. Both companies are great to work with and have been very successful." Conway said he would consider an offer from WWE or TNA for limited dates, but he's happy with the current schedule in the NWA. Interview link.

- Lita's band, the Luchagors is featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on trying to build popularity on the underground, rather than trying to use WWE for publicity and financial backing. Lita with a great quote, showing that she gets it: "We started this band before I retired, and could have used a lot of connections with the WWE to get more corporate backing," she told the paper. "But my whole thing, too, as far as leaving the WWE, was not feeling so owned. I didn't want to transfer what I was doing to music from wrestling. I wanted it to be a completely different experience, or what's the point in changing?" Article link.

***

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Top stories of the Day

- WWE issued a press release on the celebrity involvement at WrestleMania. They confirmed John Legend signing "America the Beautiful" to start Mania, Snoop Dogg will be the ring announcer for BunnyMania, actress Raven-Symone (from "That's So Raven") will be participating in the Sunday morning charity event, and Red Hot Chili Peppers will be performing the theme to this year's Mania. They did not announce 50 Cent will be participating, although he is expected to accompany Floyd Mayweather to the ring for his match. Press release.

- Mediatakeout.com has a story on 50 Cent bringing the entire G-Unit crew to WrestleMania to accompany Floyd Mayweather to the ring. They also have a "quote" from someone in WWE that 50 Cent will have more of a role than just walking Mayweather to the ring. This is the same site that floated the Eminem rumor several weeks ago, so take it as a grain of salt for now. Article link.

- USA Network won the prime time cable ratings last week for the ninth consecutive week. With Monk and Psych on a seasonal break, the Feb. 25 edition of WWE Raw carried USA to win overall and in the adults 25-54 demographic. Raw averaged 5.03 million viewers last week, which was good for third place among ad-supported cable. Only MSNBC topped Raw with its exclusive coverage of the Clinton vs. Obama debate on Feb. 26. Ratings breakdown.

- WWE Films notes: WWE Films is currently working on movie projects to follow the completion of "12 Rounds", starring John Cena, with the movie currently in post-production and set for release in 2009. ... The "Journey of Death" movie that WWE has been working on for a few years will star Triple H in a modern-day Western that is also scheduled for release in 2009. ... WWE has now begun working on a movie called "A Chance for Both Barrels" that does not have a WWE star named as the lead actor yet. The plot is: "A mercenary wants to bring a killer to justice." Very early stages, obviously. It's also listed for a 2009 release.

- WWE's involvement in the THQ-Jakks video game war is getting messier. Videogamemedia.com is reporting that WWE has tried to sue the THQ-Jakks partnership many times before for breach of contract, and the contract for game licensing could be held up for many years. It means Jakks could have TNA's toy contract in 2010, while still obligated to work with THQ on WWE's future video games. Article link.

- Here's the press release of the day. WWE is teaming with Ethoca, a company that works in fraud management. WWE is apparently tired of people buying merchandise on their website with fake credit cards, as the deal will help WWE reduce losses from accepting orders from customers who can't pay the bill. Press release.

- WWE issued a press release that they're expanding a business relationship with Ascent Media to film video segments for their syndicated programming (probably for the overseas market) at Ascent's production studio in exchange for Ascent providing new HD-capable fiber optics cables for WWE's expanded TV studio facility. Article link.

- WWE is advertising Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy and DX vs. Umaga & Mr. Kennedy at the Raw brand house show in Madison, Wisc. on Saturday. John Cena is not scheduled for this weekend, as he's filming "12 Rounds" in New Orleans. Story link.

- TNA's Tomko is interviewed in the Miami Herald by Jim Varsallone about creative input into his TV character in TNA. The standard answer that WWE stifles creativity, while TNA brings it out: "I've been able to come into TNA and make more decisions on me based on what I want to do, rather than what I'm told to do," Tomko said. "When you don't stifle someone's creative ability, it ends up being a better product. I feel more comfortable now. It's real for me, and I make it real, and that's what's going to make the product ultimately the No. 1 product in the business.

Tomko also talks about his background as a bodyguard and working with legit judo experts in Japan to help him develop his in-ring style. ''Wrestling in Japan helped me tremendously,'' he said. "Most of the wrestlers in Japan are Olympic trainees of judo, wrestling and different types of martial arts. They wrestled in a dojo there and been learning the craft, and it's impressive to become a professional wrestler in Japan." He also talked about training with A.J. Styles in OVW way back in the day, then following Christian Cage to TNA. Article link.

- Hogan news: The good news for Hulk Hogan is that NBC has renewed the "American Gladiators" series for a second season, with the show picking up again on May 12. It will remain in the 8:00 p.m. EST timeslot on Monday nights.

The messy news for Hogan is that his soon-to-be-ex-wife Linda has filed paperwork in Florida court complaining about Hulk sticking Nick in the middle of their divorce proceedings "as a means of delivering messages" to Linda when she won't answer his calls. Linda also claims Hulk told Nick to tell Linda to sell the family house in Florida so they can pay legal bills related to Nick's car crash in August. She claimed Nick has become "withdrawn and conflicted" as a result. Court proceedings to settle the divorce have been postponed until June. Article link.

***

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Top stories of the Day

- MTV.com has a story on rapper 50 Cent accompanying Floyd Mayweather to the ring for his WrestleMania match against Big Show. Mayweather asked 50 Cent over the weekend on Power 105.1 in New York, and 50 Cent agreed to be there. Article link.

- Add the name John Legend to the list of stars from the hip-hop community who will be participating at WrestleMania 24. Legend will be signing "America the Beautiful" to kick off the show. The line-up is now Snoop Dogg as MC for the BunnyMania match, 50 Cent as Floyd Mayweather's ringside manager, and Legend as the opening act. Article link.

- WrestleMania 25 is scheduled for Reliant Stadium in Houston next year, as reported by PWInsider.com. It would be a significant undertaking to transfer Reliant Stadium from the Houston Rodeo, which wraps up at the end of March, to a full set for WrestleMania, but it can be done.

One of the top wrestling PPVs of all-time took place next door at the Houston Astrodome in 2001. For years, there have been all kinds of reports locally about what to do with the Dome. The story that keeps popping up is turning it into a luxury hotel, which hasn't been decided on, but may have played a part in the city of Houston's pitch to WWE to host WrestleMania next year. That remains to be seen.

- A joint press release between WWE and Mattel was issued today to announce that "the greatest force in sports entertainment" and the "undisputed champion of the toy industry" will begin development of WWE toys to cover the entire globe beginning in 2010. The first product lines will be out the same year the license deal kicks in. Press release.

- ROH will be adding the Briscoes vs. Marufuji & Takashi Suguira match for the GHC Tag Titles from this past weekend's NOAH show to a future DVD release ... ROH's fifth PPV debuts on Friday across cable and satellite providers. ROH is calling it their best PPV to date with eight quality match-ups packed into two hours, including a MOTY contender on paper between Nigel McGuinness and Austin Aries ... Signed for the March 15 show in Dover, N.J. is Kevin Steen vs. Joey Matthews. ... Roderick Strong vs. Erick Stevens has been signed for the Saturday, March 29 show in Orlando. ROH Newswire.

- TNA wrestlers will be barnstorming in Norfolk, Virginia this weekend to drum up interest for the Destination X PPV on Sunday. James Storm will be downing drinks at Hooters on 1160 North Military Highway this Thursday during an Impact viewing party. On Friday, Tomko will be at Tidewater Collectibles in Newport News signing autographs. Saturday will be Storm, Traci Brooks, and Eric Young at the Fort Lee Post Exchange to visit troops. Weekend details.

- The former Los Angeles-based XPW promotion is coming back for a one-night-only show on May 24 in Redondo Beach, Calif. The West Coast's answer to ECW shut down in 2004 after XPW owner Rob Black was sent to jail. Big Vision Entertainment is financing the return show after pushing out XPW DVDs to major retailers the past few years. BVE's press release touts wrestlers such as Sabu, Sandman, Raven, Vampiro, and other So Cal hardcore wrestlers are lined up for the return show.

- TMZ has a story on Hulk Hogan's alleged mistress and former friend of Brooke Hogan. Article link.

***

Monday, March 3, 2008

Top stories of the Day

- ESPN.com has published a feature-length piece on Floyd Mayweather appearing at WrestleMania. Don Stradley of boxing magazine, "The Ring", says Mayweather's appearance won't be remembered as a highpoint of his career. He goes into the history of boxers appearing on wrestling shows, most notably the Ali-Inoki fiasco in 1976. Stradley writes about the Mayweather story actually getting mainstream press and poses a scenario: "Either wrestling has raised its profile, or the mainstream has lowered its standards because 'sports entertainment' is no longer the nadir of show biz." Article link.

- Oscar De La Hoya has some quotes on boxingscene.com regarding turning down WWE's offer for a WrestleMania tag match. He says, "I don't want to get involved with (pro wrestling). I'm a fighter. My business is boxing. I know boxing. I don't know wrestling. I'm not a wrestler. I've never trained to be a wrestler. So I'm not going to go out there and think that I can wrestle. It was never in my plans." De La Hoya says Mayweather distracting himself from boxing should give him the advantage for their September re-match. Article link.

- Reuters has a report on CW facing financial difficulty. The network was affected by the writer's strike and waning popularity of original shows, leading to 25-30 staff cuts and elimination of the comedy division. The report indicates CW will be replacing Smackdown's timeslot this fall with reality TV programming they can acquire the rights to on the cheap. Article link.

- Mediapost has a story on network TV looking to grab the young male demographic on the cheap with prime time sports programming that costs significantly less than obtaining the rights to traditional scripted television. As far as advertising deals go, there has been a shift since WWE Smackdown arrived on UPN ten years ago. Back then, WWE sold the advertising when networks were doing safe deals for prime time sports programming.

Mediapost writes that now "networks would rather control advertising inventory ... especially if there's any likelihood of them becoming modest performers." They mention that CBS and MyNetwork are retaining the advertising time to collect revenue from sponsors and paying licensing fees to EliteXC and WWE, respectively. Article link.

- Matt Hardy made his return to the Smackdown brand over the weekend by doing a run-in against MVP during a house show match on Saturday night in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Hardy vs. MVP is expected to be a WrestleMania match after their program was put on hold in 2007. Hardy reportedly had elbow surgery while he was out of commission recovering from a burst appendix in November. He's expected to be 100 percent healthy for his return.

- John Cena's name appeared in the AP story on NASCAR driver Carl Edwards's victory in Las Vegas yesterday. After the race, Edwards held up a gold belt to signify his victory, and the AP linked him to his "good friend John Cena, the WWE champion". Except, that Randy Orton is WWE champion right now. It's one of those things where everyone is labeled a "WWE champion" in the mainstream if they've ever held any gold at any point in their career.

- The Calgary Herald has a story on WWE trying to push its form of soap opera drama into China. WWE's Carl DeMarco talks about the NBA creating a huge market in China with the success of Yao Ming on the Rockets. He says they would like to find a Chinese wrestler to become a superstar in the WWE that fans can follow in China.

"We think there is a great resource of talent here that we can make into worldwide stars, no different than what the NBA did with Yao Ming," DeMarco said. "That's what we like to do in our business. It would be great if 1.3 billion people have somebody of their own to root for in WWE and represent China in a very proud way." Article link.

- WWE is caught in the middle of a dispute between THQ and Jakks related to royalty payments for WWE-licensed video games as part of a THQ/Jakks joint venture. The deal is in arbitration to determine the royalty rate to be paid by THQ to Jakks for WWE video game sales. THQ claimed a favorable ruling on Monday afternoon in court proceedings in California. CNNMoney article.

- The Star Press has a story on WWE's house show in Muncie, Ill. over the weekend. Article link.

- CNNMoney.com published TNA's official press release on the live TV taping March 28 at Universal Studios in Orlando. TNA will also tape episodes for their April broadcasts on Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30. Trying not to sound like they're leeching off WrestleMania, TNA president Dixie Carter said, "Thousands of pro wrestling fans will visit Orlando, the home of Impact, at the end of March. We're celebrating by taking Impact live for the first time ever so that fans from across the globe can experience the best professional wrestling available today." Article link.

- The Daytona Beach News-Journal has a good piece on Kevin Nash, looking at his career from college basketball to the military to wrestling. Details under TNA News on the main listing. Article link.

- Takeshi Morishima captured the GHC Title from Mitsuharu Misawa in 23 minutes at NOAH's show yesterday at Budokan Hall in Tokyo. The main event title switch followed the Briscoes losing to Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura in 30:00 in a match for the GHC Tag Titles. ... Also on the show, Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli lost to Akira Taue & Jun Izumida in 11:00. Show results courtesy puroresupower.com.

***

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