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WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER
Monday June 1, 2009
 
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Wrestling Globe Newsletter by Mike Aldren – All the latest professional wrestling news and analysis direct to your mailbox. WGN is read by industry power players, many top wrestlers and thousands of fans from all around the world.

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WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

5/31 Smackdown house show results from Bowling Green, KY: Great Khali over Dolph Ziggler; Drew McIntyre over Jimmy Wang Yang; Evan Bourne over Tyson Kidd; John Morrison over Chris Jericho; Christian & Tommy Dreamer over Jack Swagger & Mark Henry; Melina & Gail Kim over Natalya & Alicia Fox; C.M. Punk over Umaga; and Edge over Jeff Hardy. The show drew an estimated 3000.

Raw is live tonight from Birmingham, AL with MVP vs. Kofi Kingston in a babyface match for the United States title. The Smackdown/ECW taping is Tuesday in Memphis which includes a dark tag team cage match of Rey Mysterio & Jeff Hardy vs. Edge & Chris Jericho with Jerry Lawler as referee. PPV comes around way too fast these days — these are the go home shows to Extreme Rules on Sunday. We’re looking for reader reports from both shows to [email protected].

***

Ric Flair is expected to sign a new WWE contract this week. I don’t know for sure but the deal would presumably allow him to honor the bookings he has already taken for the rest of 2009 including autograph signings and some overseas wrestling gigs. At least that is the impresson he has given promoters.

Jeff Hardy & R-Truth vs. Chris Jericho & Dolph Ziggler is on the booking sheet for tonight’s Superstars taping at Raw. Hardy was on an off day and was called this morning and told that they needed him to come to the show.

Rumor has it that John Cena got married to his long time girlfriend Liz Huberdeau this past weekend: http://tinyurl.com/kjhkma

Former WWE wrestler Mr. Kennedy (Ken Anderson) has already made enquiries about wrestling in Japan.

A fun interview with John Cena at http://tinyurl.com/mouugz.  I swear I am not making this up. He says his favorite music is now country, his best friend in WWE is Santino Marella, and on his off days he likes to go fishing and play with his mini schnauzer.

Cena is throwing out first pitch at the Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field on 6/20.

The Miami Herald at http://tinyurl.com/m83lyl has a story on Shad Gaspard of Cryme Tyme. He talks about how he only uses rental cars that he can play video games in, and sometimes cops pull him over to ask about all the electrical equipment in the car.

The Chicago Tribune at http://tinyurl.com/mbk36e has a story on MVP taking Sherri Shepperd from The View to her prom. The story noted that he flew in from Mexico on Saturday, picked up his tuxedo, and then took a limo with Shepherd to the dance. When they arrived the DJ played his entrance music.

Jennifer Hudson announced she is seven months pregnant. Hudson is engaged to David Otunga who is training to wrestle in WWE developmental.

 

TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING NEWS

TNA are back on the road this coming week. They run the Idaho Center in
Nampa, ID on Tuesday; Toyota Center in Kennewick, WA on Wednesday;
ShoWare Center in Kent, WA on Thursday; Abbottsford Arena in
Abbottsford, BC on Friday; and the South Okanagan Centre in Pentiction,
BC on Saturday. We’re looking for reports from all these shows to
[email protected]. They haven’t announced any cards and at one
of the buildings they haven’t even sold any tickets yet. Booked on this
tour is Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Team 3D, Daniels, Beer
Money, Inc., Matt Morgan, Suicide, Sheik Abdul Bashir, Eric Young,
Angelina Love and Taylor Wilde.

Another flu-outbreak has hit the roster. Alex Shelley, Abyss and
Consequences Creed were all sick this past weekend.

Team 3D vs. Beer Money, Inc. for the tag titles was officially added to
Slammiversary.

TNA announced the next UK tour will be 1/23 to 1/30 but no venues
confirmed as yet.

Awesome Kong and Doug Williams will be appearing for Real Deal
Promotions in Hull, England on 7/5.

The company is planning to launch a new social networking website which
will be their version of the WWE Universe.

OTHER WRESTLING NEWS

The Los Angeles Times at http://tinyurl.com/ktcol2 ran an obituary on
John Tolos.

I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here with Torrie Wilson premieres
tonight on NBC with a 2-hour special.

Stacy Keibler recently shot some TV pilots with Touchstone TV, an ABC
sister studio, and is waiting to find out if the network is picking them
up. She was also offered a part in Legally Blonde which is playing on
Broadway, but turned it down as she didn’t want to tour.

The Slam Wrestling website at http://tinyurl.com/l6tyjw has a report
from the IWS 10th Anniversary show from this past weekend in Montreal
that featured Kevin Nash vs. Pierre-Carl Ouellet. The show drew 679 with
PCO winning via submission, so I guess Nash still has the last laugh and
wasn’t pinned clean.

Bob Sapp talks Bobby Lashley at http://tinyurl.com/nbekgo.

www.mondaynightmayhem.com has an audio interview up with Sean “X-Pac”
Waltman. He talks about going to rehab on the WWE’s dollar, wrestling in
Mexico, the chances of him coming back to WWE/TNA, and more.

Scott Hall and Terry Funk have been added to Justin Credible’s Icon of
Wrestling fanfest in August. More info at www.prowrestlingicons.net.

www.wrestlingepicenter.com interviewed former WWE wrestler Kevin Thorn.
He told the story about how Vince told him to stop wearing red and stop
dying his hair, and then a few weeks later he got in trouble because
Vince thought he looked too much like Undertaker.

The Tampa Tribune at http://tinyurl.com/n7dpdr ran a story about Fred
Jung who was arrested on kidnapping charges last week in Clearwater.
Jung is a former wrestling promoter from Calgary who was producing a TV
show with Brian Knobs called Trailer Court Justice.

Hulk Hogan is putting his name to supplement products at
www.hulkhogan.com.

Season Two of Brooke Knows Best premieres on 6/7 on VH-1. The first
episode is the deal where Brooke dates another women and then decides
that she isn’t gay. You can read the press release at
http://tinyurl.com/mfz2tm.

Our friends at Diva-Dirt.com are running their annual poll of the 50
Sexiest Divas at http://www.diva-dirt.com/50sexiestdivas2009 where you
can cast your vote.

Diva-Dirt.com presents WGN’s Diva of the Day, Eve Torres at
http://www.diva-dirt.com/divaoftheday/

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MIKE LANO REMEMBERS JOHN TOLOS

I ran his fan club in the 60’s and 70’s and any of us who stayed close
to him all those years to current are devastated by this. Last time we
spoke about three weeks back, he sounded very weak on the phone. You
could make out everything he said, but he was tired. And no doubt in a
bit of a funk since in the last few years his near 100 year old beloved
mom and brother Chris died (who he named his son after). Then the stroke
that cruelly took away one of his many gifts- his speaking and promo
skills; but he fought hard ala Bret to regain the speech and won.

Losing Buddy Rogers, Lou Thesz, Classy Freddie Blassie, The Sheik,
Killer Kowalski-all long, long friends of his really hit hard too. At
his last Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion he lamented losing so many good
friends like Monsoon, etc and it was very poignant. His favorite
promoter of all time to work for was Paul Boesch, where he took several
trips away from Lebell and enjoyed himself he said for the first time in
a long time, with a promoter.

John passed away at Valley Kaiser Center reportedly from kidney failure.
But I think at such a young age, only 78; IMO it was a broken heart.  
He was one of the very last who’d never break kayfabe on my radio show;
never. He loved and defended the biz and well, he was around it since
’49, but didn’t have his first match until ’51 or ’52 he said.

He and Classy Freddie Blassie WERE Los Angeles wrestling. John’s promos
were state of the art and ahead of their time back then, commenting on
current events, etc. No one came close, save the incredible Curtis
Iaukea.

I’m driving the 8 hours as his 60’s and then 70’s Int’l Tolos Brothers
Fan Club president to say a few words at his funeral Thursday where
we’re hoping for a record crowd for this class act. The Golden Greek. He
encouraged me to write and shoot for the magazines–“you’re good kid.”

Ladies man, bon vivant, everyman. The guy was amazing whether he was in
with one of his peers like a Thesz, Gagne, Kowalski, Monsoon, Johnny
Valentine, Bastien, Pepper Gomez or carrying someone talented far
younger like a Mil Mascaras. Or even the greenest of young kids at the
time to what felt like a great match: Ruben Juarez, Alex Wright’s dad
Steve in ’73, Raul Mata, Ruben Juarez, Cowboy Frankie Layne, Mando
Lopez.  And even non-talents like LA Rams active player Duane Allen who
was horrid with anyone else, but John made the guy look like a million
bucks and took pride in that.

The feuds besides the greatest feud and angle of all time with Blassie
were incredible: Mascaras, Buddy Austin, Don Carson, Bearcat Wright,
Bobo Brazil, Earl Maynard, Dory Dixon; in the PNWest Don Leo Jonathon,
Gene Kiniski, Dutch Savage, Shag Thomas, Luthor Lindsey;  in Houston: J
Valentine, Jose Lothario, Red Bastien and in Dallas with Fritz Von
Erich. John wrestled them all, and wrestled everywhere.

His matches with Baba and Inoki (and teaming with Baba) in SoCal were
amazing. And he wowed them on his many tours of Japan, later becoming a
mainstay for Inoki.

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