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News from yesterday

Neal Jones sent in the following recap:

Dr. Tom Prichard was the first guest this week on www.inyourheadonline.com. Which can be heard live every Wednesday at 6:00 PM with Jack, OneInchBiceps and Barbie Richards, along with our full archive of interviews.

The hosts welcomed Tom to IYH, and mentioned the upcoming Capitol Legend's Fanfest August 11th to the 13th in Rockville, MD. The huge event will feature 30 Wrestling legends including Rockin Robin, The Patriot, Masked Superstar, Jim Cornette, Bret Hart, Midnight Express, Nick Bockwinkel, Tony Atlas, Stan Hansen, Ernie Ladd, Ricky Morton, Angelo Mosca, Jim Niedhardt, Rocky Johnson, Robert Gibson, Ivan Koloff, Nickolai Volkoff, Baby Doll, Dr. Tom Pritchard, Rick Martel, Superstar Billy Graham and many more. For more information please visit www.capitollegends.com.

Tom is looking forward to seeing Cornette and Stan Lane again, along with being in Washington DC. Tom says the fans at the Fanfests are like he was when he was younger, fans who respect and appreciate what the wrestlers do.

Tom says he always wanted to wrestle, it was what he always wanted to do. He didn't set out to be a legend, he hoped he would. Tom says he was pegged not to live to be 30, so he is happy just to be invited to these Legends shows.

OIB asks where Tom would rank the Moondogs in the top tag teams. Tom says he would rank them in the top 5, they were over huge in Memphis. Tom says their matches didn't last long, and you couldn't have them for a long run. Tom says they were hardcore before there was the term hardcore.

Jack asks what team does Tom get remembered as the most. Tom says a lot of people don't even know he was a Bodydonna when the fans meet him. He usually gets fans remembering the Heavenly Bodies gimmick. Tom talks about being Zip, and having his hair cut. Tom says it was scary not being able to hide behind the hair. Jack asks what Tom thinks of guys like Kazarian and The Naturals not wanting to get a hair cut for a push. Tom says he wishes he knew then what he does now, he has a new prospective on what it takes to make it in wrestling. There is a lot of politics. Tom says unless you own the company you are obligated to follow the rules. When Tom was asked to get his hair cut he originally said no, and then WWE told him he wouldn't have a job so he did it. Tom says on the other side he doesn't blame guys wanting to get hair cuts, wrestlers are too cookie cutter now. Tom doesn't believe in the idea wrestlers need to look corporate.

Tom talks about the Rock N Roll Express. Tom says they are a great team to work with and great guys. Tom will be wrestling Ricky Morton this week. Tom says R&R Express is a team guys could learn from by watching tapes. When watching tapes, you need to study the psychology not just watch as a fan. Tom says Ricky Morton was the best seller in his era, he could emote so well. Tom says it's missing today, there's too much acting and scripts to remmber not reacting. Tom discusses scripted promos, unless you are Rock, Austin or HHH you don't get much say in your promos. What gets guys over is being yourself and not reading what someone else wrote and manufactured for you. Tom and Jack talk about Mick Foley's promos being the highlight of RAW recently. Tom says the best characters are the real guy turned up, you don't know when they are working or shooting.

OIB asks who the stiffest worker Tom ever wrestled was. Tom says he was trained by the Iron Sheik, who stretched him for a long time in training.

Jack asks if the Welness Program is good for wrestling. Tom says it is if they catch health problems early. Tom says when he wrestled they partied hard, they took pills, drank etc. Tom says guys he partied with like Ric Rude, Eddie Gilbert and the Von Erichs died from drug overdoses. Tom says if they had it before Eddie Guerrero passed away maybe it could have been avoided if they knew he has a heart problem.

Jack asks if the deaths ever scared Tom away from drugs. Tom says he partied with guys like Gino Hernandez, Eddie Gilbert etc and when they died it didnt really scare him. Tom didn't care at the time. In 2001 he was sent to rehab, along with Eddie Guerrero. Both messed up after they were out of rehab. Tom says people who aren't drug addicts don't understand how hard it is to stop. Tom says Chris Candido died after he was clean from a blood clot, Tom looks at it like when it's your time it's your time to go. You have to face it.

Jack asks if the Wellness Program will be good for business. Jack brings up the DDP IYH interview where DDP said business will be down if all the guys were off steroids. Tom says he has a point because people want to see larger than life characters. If business goes down we might see the guys slowly get big again. Tom says Vince is 61 and wants something to accomplish, he thinks maybe this is Vince's next challenge. Tom says the low morale is something WWE needs to address. Tom says talent relations needs to be able to work better with the workers.

OIB asks whatever happened to Jimmy Delray. Tom says the last he heard was Jimmy was in Florida. Tom says Jimmy thought he was "The Gigolo". Tom says they were 2 different people, they worked well in the ring together, but not outside the ring.

Tom talks about road trips with Jim Cornette. Tom says every trip with Jim is a story. Jim is so animated, and he is not a character he is Cornette 24/7.

Tom discusses OVW. Tom says it was perfect when Jim and Danny Davis were running it. When it ran in a real crappy building, you could weed out the guys who really didnt have a passion for wrestling. Jim came from the Bill Watts school of running things. Jim would yell at guys to motivate them to do better, WWE corporate didn't like that and it has been bad for OVW with out Jim running things. Tom says Paul Heyman was also very good, his biggest strength is hiding the weaknesses of the talent and showcasing the strengths. Paul took OVW TV to a new level. Both Jim and Paul did a great job motivating the wrestlers, with 2 different techniques. Jack asks if both Paul Heyman and Cornette should have more creative input in wrestling now. Tom says he does because he is a wrestling fan. Vince knows wrestling fans will always watch but he wants to bring the masses in. Jim Cornette likes old school wrestling with excitement etc, Paul likes a similar product with an edge.

OIB asks if there was ever any plans of Tom tagging with Chris Candido in ECW. Tom says no there was never any plans, at that time Tom wasn't having fun anymore. He was hurting and feeling all the bumps. Jack asks what Tom thinks when he sees younger guys now taking so many bumps. Tom says they will be hurting but at the same time people want excitement. Tom says guys need to sell more, to get more out of the moves. Do the big moves when they mean something not just for the sake of doing them. Tom says it's hard to go backwards, WWE tried to slow down the product but the fans are conditioned to the crazy moves and WWE slowly stopped trying to slow down the matches. Plus guys need to stand out to be noticed.

Jack asks what Tom looked for in a wrestler when he was a talent scout. He looked for guys who could work, the size and mainly at talent and attitude. Tom talks about Mike Mondo (Mikey from the Spirit Squad), Mike moved just to be part of OVW hoping to get to WWE. Tom and Cornette used him a lot on TV because they knew he had talent, even though WWE talent relations didn't think he would ever make it. Tom says size isn't the only thing to look at, look at Eddie Guerrero, Benoit Rey Mysterio etc. Tom says he misses it at time, but it's not the same business he grew up in. When Jim Ross was in charge of talent relations it was better because they were both old school and looked for the same thing. Tom says Steve Bradley and Bobby Roode were 2 guys he always thought deserved a shot in WWE, and he is happy to see Bobby doing well in TNA. Tom still scouts talent on the Indy's, and if people ask for advice he will help them out.

Tom opened up a wrestling school last summer. Tom says the thing is anyone can buy a ring and start a show now. Tom says it's not really worth it.

Jack asks if Tom ever had any talks with TNA. Tom tried out for backstage interviewer, but it didn't pan out. Tom doesn't know if has the special talent to be a commentator or interviewer.

Brad Dykens from www.obsessedwithwrestling.com asks what TNA needs to do to compete with WWE. Tom says you can't compete, TNA doesn't have the production values or intangibles. TNA does have Dave Sahadi which is major plus. Vince does this 24/7, if anyone beats him it wont be for long. Tom would like to see TNA compete but they can't do it from Orlando. Jack asks if it is a mistake for TNA to even try and compete. Tom says no, it's good to have a goal to succeed. The problems are there is no bottomless pit, TNA doesn't have endless money. If a star gets over WWE could offer them more money and pick them up. Tom doesn't see anyone able to compete with Vince at this time.

Jack asks what guys TNA should build around. Jack brings up Samoa Joe, Tom says he's over and good but Joe doesn't have the look. From a business stand point you need someone who is a total package and looks the part and is in shape. Joe is a good guy to start with, Tom thinks Bobby Roode would be a good guy.

IYH fans Jobber asks for Tom's favorite rib story. Tom tells the infamous Mark Henry "sandwich" story. Tom says he was there and saw it and knows it is true, Mark was a loud mouth at the time. The guys watched him eat the sandwich bite by bite.

The IYH crew thanks Tom for coming on. Tom tells everyone to come and see him and all the Legends at the Capitol Legend's Fanfest August 11th through the 13th.

The In Your Head hosts will also be at the Capitol Legend's Fanfest. We will be conducting some interviews over the 3 day weekend. Please make it there if you can, come and see all the legends. Plus talk to the IYH Crew and be part of their special Fanfest edition show taped over the 3 days. For more information on how to save on hotel bookings, air fair and the special VIP pass please visit www.capitollegends.com.

We were also joined by Corporal Robinson of www.prowrestlingunplugged.com. To hear both the Robinson and the 40 minute Tom Prichard interviews please visit www.inyourheadonline.com. And join us next week for OVW Trainer Eric Langley at inyourheadonline.com starting at 6:00 PM Eastern.

Corporal Robinson was the 2nd guest this week on www.inyourheadonline.com with your hosts Jack, Barbie Richards and OneInchBiceps. IYH can be heard live every Wednesday at 6:00 PM Eastern, and all our archived interviews free at www.inyourheadonline.com.

The hosts welcome Corp. to the show. Robinson mentions the PWU show Fahrenheit August 19th at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pa. Robinson will be taking on Ian Rotten in a Taipei Death match. Robinson has done these matches numerous times. As an added bonus they are adding window panes in this one. Last time they used window panes wrapped in light tubes Robinson cut an artery and almost bled to death, for more information please visit www.prowrestlingunplugged.com.

Jack asks if the ECW Sci Fi show helps the hardcore Indy shows. Robinson thinks so, he finds the ECW show a disgrace to the people who built it. He says the ECW Sci Fi show is a WWE product, the Indy's bring the hardcore hard hitting. Robinson thinks the original ECW was the best promotion ever. It had it all, it wasn't half assed. Robinson believes he would be an ECW star now if ECW had kept going on.

Robinson talks about wrestling guys like Necrobutcher and Samoa Joe for PWU. The difference is Necro will punch you as hard as he can in the face, Joe will kick you as hard as he can in the face. Robinson says Necro is the toughest SOB he has ever seen. With Joe he wrestles a stiff match, with Necro they just hit each other with everything they have.

Robinson talks about the big King of Death Matches Tournament for IWA East Coast with Jun Kasai, Mad Man Pondo and the other "8 of the sickest guys in the business" in West Virginia. For more information please visit www.iwaeastcoast.com.

Robinson talks about the 2004 King of the Death Match tournament that he won.

OIB asks what's the craziest thing he ever got hit with. Robinson said the fans are crazy, they come at 9 am and bring in weapons and build things for the wrestlers to be put through. Robinson says last year these fans brought matchbox cars with thumbtacks stuck out of the top with rubbing alcohol poured on them. Robinson gets mad when the fans bring new playstations and DVD's because he wants to take them home. Robinson mentions light tubes, thumbtacks and mouse traps.

Jack asks if there's anything a fan brought that he wouldn't use. Robinson says last year a fan brought cement balls with 2 inch spikes sticking out. Robinson says yes he knows it's a death match but he doesn's want to actually kill himself in a match.

IYH fan Liger Mark asks what Robinson thinks of Abdullah the Butcher. Robinson says he is the godfather of hardcore wrestling. He's the inspiration for guys like him, Mad Man Pondo, Ian Rotten and Necro Butcher. The IYH crew and Robinson talk about taking a trip to Abby's House of Ribs.

Jack asks if Robinson has any good rib stories. Robinson tells a story about some wrestlers begging for some "pills". Pondo gives this kid some water pills, that are meant to make you urinate. The wrestlers acts all messed up and keeps getting more, even though they were just water pills.

OIB asks if Robinson ever had a thumb tack stuck in his scrotum. Robinson says Pondo tries that all the time, but he tried to keep that area safe. It's the only place he isn't scarred. Robinson said the barefoot thumbtack match he did with Pondo was crazy, if he ever does another one he will want a lot of money.

OIB asks what the highest thing Robinson ever jumped off of. Robinson said 19 feet in Milwaukee. He did a leg drop off a coliseum that was 19 or 20 feet. Robinson says the worst injury he ever got was the artery slice where he almost died. The blood squirted out and covered the fans. He was then double ddt'd in a pile of salt. The hospital he went to just stitched it shut, they didn't clean out the wound. He got a bad infection from all the glass and salt that was still in the wound that wasn't cleaned.

IYH fan asks how much blood Robinson has lost. Robinson says he could keep Red Cross in business for 20 years.

Jack asks what Robinson tells people who ask about his scars. Robinson says he tells people they caught a deer and it came back to life in the car and attacked him.

Robinson talks about the ECW Arena Show August 19th where he will fight ian Rotten in the Taipei Death Match. The fans don't want to just read about it online, they need to come see it. For more information on tickets and the rest of the packed line up please visit www.prowrestlingunplugged.com.

We were also joined by Dr. Tom Prichard. To hear both the Robinson and the 40 minute Tom Prichard interviews please visit www.inyourheadonline.com. And join us next week for OVW Trainer Eric Langley at inyourheadonline.com starting at 6:00 PM Eastern

Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling sent in the following:

CAPW NEWSLINE: JULY 26, 2006

MAIN EVENT FOR CAPW’s SEPTEMBER TURNER’s HALL EVENT CONFIRMED!

CAPW management are wasting no time in signing major marquee match-ups for upcoming CAPW shows. With our next live event, “August Onslaught”, still a little over one week away, set for Sunday afternoon August 6, Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling is set to announce the main event for our Sunday afternoon, September 10 event to take place at Turner’s Hall.

On September 10, we’ll see the return to Cleveland of the 6’8” 350 lb.Weapon of Mass Destruction, “The Monster” ABYSS! Abyss has spent years terrorizing anyone who has crossed his path in TNA, and now Abyss brings that same tunnel vision of violence back to Turner’s Hall. Last time Abyss stepped foot in a CAPW ring, he created so much carnage, it resulted in a CAPW championship being declared vacant. What havoc will the master of the Black Hole Slam cause this time?

Signed as Abyss’ opponent is another TNA powerhouse, another unstoppable force, and a man making his CAPW debut…none other than the man who has played in 2 Super Bowls and the master of the “Pounce”, “The Alpha Male” MONTY BROWN! The Alpha Male has made it clear in recent weeks, he’s out to re-establish his dominance in what he calls “The Serengetti”, and is out to establish a win streak that will surpass all who have come before him. However, he’ll have his work cut out for him if he wants that streak to continue past September 10.

Will the Alpha Male experience Doomsday or will The Monster be Pounced period? Two of the most intimidating men to ever step foot in Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling will collide September 10.

CHRIS HAMRICK OFFICIALLY NAMED #1 CONTENDER TO CAPW’s TOP PRIZE

This past February, long-time CAPW Unified Heavyweight Champion CHRIS HAMRICK lost his championship in a Triple Threat Match also involving ADAM CAGE and current champion “Double C” CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI. Hamrick has not been seen in the Cleveland area since that night, going into a lengthy exile from CAPW competition to prepare and petition for the inevitable rematch. After six months of appealing to CAPW management, Hamrick’s request has been granted and on Sunday afternoon, August 6, we will finally see the return bout for the CAPW Unified Heavyweight Title as former champion Chris Hamrick challenges Claudio Castagnoli in his attempt to reclaim the prize he lost earlier this year. For more information on this stellar card, check out the updated line-up for “August Onslaught” later in this Newsline!

NEW EVENT SCHEDULED: CAPW RETURNS TO GARGANO’S!

With Cleveland All-Pro wrestling growing and expanding each and every month, its only natural that more live events become added to the CAPW schedule. CAPW will make its return at Gargano’s Pizza located at 3486 West 25th Street in Cleveland, on Sunday afternoon September 3, with a scheduled 4:00 pm belltime. Already signed for the show are the current “Master of the Paparazzi Cam” ALEX SHELLEY, as well as WWE legend and “Master of the 5 Count” KING KONG BUNDY! Two newsworthy names in addition to all your favorite CAPW stars will be on hand at Gargano’s Sunday September 3, with tickets only $10. Log on to www.capw.net today for more details on this and all other CAPW live events.

CAPW TELEVISION PREMIERE DATE CONFIRMED!

We at Newsline have just learned that Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling‘s inaugural broadcast on Sports Time Ohio are set to begin on Friday night Septembet 1st!

Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling will officially begin airing weekly one-hour broadcasts on Sports Time Ohio, with first-run episodes scheduled for Friday nights, and a variety of replays scheduled throughout the week.

SportsTime Ohio is an innovative TV network designed to offer a variety of sports programming, with its initial venture being the largest television package in Indians team history (158 games to be broadcast in 2006). The schedule calls for SportsTime Ohio to air 130 regular season games and eight spring training games on cable and satellite television. SportsTime Ohio will also broadcast an additional 20 games on WKYC-TV (Cleveland) and other over-the-air local television stations in key Indians television markets. Plans are being developed to offer additional programming, geared specifically toward Ohio-area sports fans and the passion that makes the region a great sports community, to complement this expanded baseball schedule throughout the year. Sports Time Ohio is currently available in 2.8 million homes throughout Ohio. For more information please check your local listings or visit www.sportstimeohio.com

UPDATED CARD FOR “AUGUST ONSLAUGHT”: AUGUST 6, 2006

AUGUST ONSLAUGHT Turners Hall 7325 Guthrie, Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio Doors open at 3:00 with a 4:00 Belltime

**CAPW Heavyweight Championship**
Claudio Castagnoli (c) vs. Chris Hamrick

**CAPW Television Championship**
Bane (c) vs. Rhino

**CAPW Jr. Heavyweight Championship**
Matt Stryker (c) Phil Atlas

**CAPW Tag Team Championship**
JT Lightning, Chris Cronus, with Krystal Frost (c) vs. Canadian Bad Boy & The Bouncer

Alex Shelley vs. Johnny Gargano

Super Oprah & Carlton Kaz vs. Zak Vincent & Chris Kahn

Da Munchies vs. Luis Diamante & Billy Taylor

Kenny Hendrix vs. The Aftermath

DARK MATCHES BEGIN AT 3:30

Barry Saggitarious vs. Tiger Young Action
Dan Spade vs. Michael Hellborn

For more information on purchasing tickets, please visit www.CAPW.net or stop in and visit one of the fine ticket outlets listed below.

CAPW DVDs ON SALE NOW

Each and every CAPW live event is filmed for official DVD release and contains over two solid hours of CAPW action for just $15. To order any CAPW DVDs, send an email to pro_wrestling_rampage@yahoo.com or head to the “Store” section of www.CAPW.net for more information and a complete list of available titles. Some of our newer and more preferred titles in stock now include:

May 7, 2006: Heavyweight Championship: Adam Cage (C) vs Sterling James Keenan; Hardcore As Hell: Necro Butcher vs Michael Hellborn; Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Ala Hussein; Johnny Gargano, Matt Stryker, Chris Kole vs M-Dogg 20, Dios Salvador, & Nigel McGuinness and much more!

April 9, 2006: Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Matt Stryker vs. Zack Storm; Heavyweight Championship: Adam Cage vs. Chris Kole; Sumie Sakai vs. Portia Perez; Rhino vs. Samoa Joe; Abduallah the Butcher vs. Michael Hellborn and much more!

March 12, 2006: Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Matt Stryker (C) vs. N8 Mattson; JT Lightning & Tracy Smothers vs. Da Munchies; Nigel McGuinness vs. "CK3" Conrad Kennedy III; Heavyweight Championship: Adam Cage (C) vs. Chad Collyer and much more!

CAPW NOW ON MYSPACE!

Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling has joined the ever-growing community of MySpace.com, with an official page dedicated to all the news, personalities, and happenings of Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/capw to befriend the hottest promotion in the state of Ohio today!

TO PURCHASE CAPW LIVE EVENT TICKETS PLEASE VISIT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING TICKET OUTLETS

Tickets for any and all CAPW live events are available at the following outlets…

Black's Health World, 11934 Lorain, Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. 216-252-1695

Casamel's Pizza, 5589 Broadview, Rd, Parma, Ohio. 216-661-9700

Lucha Appliances, West 54th Street & Lorain Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. 216-326-7526

West Side Metals Corp. 6400 Stock Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. 216-961-7297

Pit Stop Donuts, 4411 Clark Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. 216-631-3284

Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling has been the premiere brand of professional wrestling in the state of Ohio throughout it’s over-thirteen year existence. CAPW utilizes a blend of the most talented and exciting local and national attractions today for a unique fan experience, featuring names such as Claudio Castagnoli, M-Dogg 20, Chris Cronus, Chris Kole, Nigel McGuiness, Rhino, JT Lightning, Matt Stryker, Jason Bane, and many more. Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling can be seen weekly on Sports Time Ohio in nearly 3 million homes starting this September. For more information please visit www.CAPW.net.

-Last night's edition of WWE SmackDown! on UPN did a fast national rating of 2.3. WrestleView will have the final rating for you when it becomes available. Because of pre-emptions, some weeks the fast national rating is considerably off. However, this week the only pre-emption was in New York, so the final number should be close to 2.3.

-With Bobby Lashley being cleared to wrestle again, it has caused more confusion with the SmackDown brand. The question now is what the plans will be for Fit Finlay. WWE was under the impression that Lashley would be out for a considerable amount of time, so they had begun to plan for a Fit Finlay face turn. Time will only tell if plans on SmackDown will again have to be re-arranged.

Wanted to let all know that I attended the Smackdown/ECW show in Detroit and exclusive mail order forms for WrestleMania 23 were handed out to those attending the show. The forms allow you to purchase before the Nov 11 on sale date to the general public up to 4 platinum ringside or up to 8 seats in the other areas. Best thing about this is no INFLATED Ticketmaster fees. Each form has a serial # and no copies will be accepted. Forms must be recieved by WWE no later than Aug 11th! (Not too much time). I have seen a few listed on eBAY.

Erin Hayes sent word that Stacy Keibler's name is still being listed on the WWE Divas section of WWE.com, but that an error is shown when you click on her name.

John Woodworth passed on a link to an interview with Travis Hafner of the Cleveland Indians talking about being a big wrestling fan at this link.

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Todays news

WWE.com has an article up about Sylvester Terkay's debut on Smackdown this past Friday night at this link.

white_mage2003 sent word that Paul Burchill's profile has been removed off the "Smackdown Superstars" page on WWE.com. As of now, Burchill is still under contract with WWE.

Devin Cutting sent this in: The Score in Canada has added a third airing of WWE Raw to it's schedule. As previously announced, The Score will air WWE Raw on Monday nights at 10 PM and Tuesday mornings at 12:30 AM. According to The Score's website, WWE Raw will also air on Tuesday afternoons at 3:30 PM. To check out The Score's webpage for WWE Raw, click here.

The next issue of WWE Magazine will feature an article with Randy Orton discussing his 90 day suspension from WWE. In the article, Orton reveals what was considered the "last straw" by WWE officials before he was given his lengthy suspension.

"My problems came to a head when I decided to smoke a joint and someone smelled it and stooged me off," said Orton. "You know who you are, so if you are reading this, thanks. But I've also had a few outbursts of anger on the road. I get loud and verbally abusive. But I've nipped that part of me in the bud."

Orton also discusses an incident where he ruined an expensive Louis Vuitton bag owned by a former unnamed Diva Search contestant that later landed a job with WWE (believed to be Amy Weber) by pouring various things in it such as ointment, Flexall and tanning lotion inside. He denies rumors that he left fecal matter in the bag. "The reality is the company brought in this Diva and she couldn't walk without falling over her own two feet. She had no respect for the business. She'd say, "I'm here to help your show, it's not doing too good. She would call people by the wrong name and rub us the wrong way. I took it upon myself to mess with her my own way."

On the relaunch of ECW: "It was all thanks to the fans.

The Rise And Fall Of ECW DVD is constantly flipping with WrestleMania 20 as the No1 selling DVD in wrestling history.

Take those sales and add the phenomenal buy rate for ECW One Night Stand last year and the fact that in this tiny little Hammerstein Ballroom - which only holds 2,800 people - they took almost $500,000 and everything we were touching was going through the roof. There was obviously this huge audience clamouring for this product.

And the decision was made that if the audience was demanding it then we were compelled to make this thing go full time again.

Internally, what originally happened was Rob Van Dam said to Vince McMahon: "This thing can sustain."

Vince took it under advisement but then as the public was clamouring for it, it became a corporate tidal wave.

ECW wasn't meant to be as big as it is right now. This was going to come back as an Internet-only show.

It was going to be this tiny little spin-off, almost like a boutique promotion to satisfy the niche.

Then as we started going down that path, the enormous response to the rumours that ECW was coming back opened the floodgates.

All of a sudden we heard there was network television interest and worldwide syndicated television interest in this. People in Japan, Italy, Germany, Australia, South Africa and the UK were saying they wanted it on their TVs.

We realised it was a lot bigger than we thought and instead of this Internet-only show, ECW was going to be a prime time cable network television programme."




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On the subject of ECW's first show on Sci Fi being panned: "We were all disappointed with how the first TV show went. But that was to be expected going in.

We were taking a concept that revolutionised the entire industry in the 1990s and had achieved the status of urban myth.

Now you're bringing ECW fast-forward into 2006, with only two shows since its collapse at the beginning of 2001 and the rebirth in June 2006.

So that's five and a half years with only two shows and not enough time for anyone to adjust to the new concepts and direction of ECW.

This is beyond the old expressions of "growing pains" or "a work in progress", this was a dramatically different concept.

Of course coming out of the gate we were going to stumble on that first night, because even those with a clear vision of it had so much baggage attached it makes things very difficult.

Any other television show would take a year just to put a pilot on the air.

And we went from being an Internet concept to a big television show in under two months.

So we lacked that time to adjust."

There is no date yet for the next edition of Saturday Night's Main Event. The latest one on July 15 did just a 2.7 rating and all involved knew it was a horrid number. Although one source would rather have this problem because being on broadcast television gives WWE more exposure. WWE was rumored to have two Saturday Night's Main Event specials a year in their deal with NBC Universal but it is highly unlikely that NBC will give them another prime time slot. Don't expect the next SNME until next year.


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WWE is starting to realize that they have a problem with Mark Henry. In the past he has been injury prone and in fact was returning from an injury during this last stint on Smackdown. To be fair, Henry, is said to be a great guy backstage and was honestly making the best of his main event push on Smackdown when he fractured his patella and tore his patella tendon at Saturday Night's Main Event. With Henry's contract to expire next month, WWE will have to weigh whether or not Henry can stay healthy if they bring him back.


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Chris Benoit is still at home with his wife Nancy (Woman) selling the effects of Mark Henry "injuring" him on Smackdown in May. Benoit was scheduled to wrestle Dean Malenko at ECW One Night Stand but when they changed the format and decided against that, Benoit, wanted to take some time off to be with his wife and child. No word on when Chris Benoit will be at home although it is likely to be until the fall.

BREAKING NEWS: Jeff Hardy has been signed back to WWE, thuis signalling that the Hardy Boyz will come back! More on this later, but anyways here's some more news.

WWE is distributing a new "Vince Loves (picture of rooster/c**k)" t-shirt with a DX logo on the back at this link. The t-shirt won't be available until August 8.

Devin Cutting sent this in: WWE will be holding a tryout in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on September 19th, 2006. The application form is available online: click here.

Robert Cook sent word that profiles for Ariel, Kevin Thorn (the new name for Kevin "The Vampire" Fertig) and CM Punk are all up on ECW.com at this link.

According to the Live Events page on WWE's website, WWE will be holding 4 house shows on September 10th, with 2 Raw events happening almost simultaneously. The Raw house shows are in Lewiston, Maine at 5 PM and Trenton, New Jersey at 6 PM.

Lewiston info: click here
Trenton info: click here

WWE will be holding a special Sunday night TV taping of Smackdown & ECW in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 29th, 2006. For more, click here.

The live events section at WWE.com is divided up by country and a Smackdown event in Ottawa, Ontario (the capital of Canada) is listed on the United States page. Oops! To check it out, click here.

WWE.com is reporting that Hulk Hogan will be appearing on Monday Night Raw this coming week from Memphis, TN. The website notes that Hogan will be confronting Randy Orton after Orton mocked his family last week on Raw.

It is likely Hogan could get involved in the scheduled Randy Orton vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler match set for this Monday night.

The trailer for "The Marine" starring John Cena that was produced by WWE Films can now be viewed courtesy of Yahoo! Movies at this link.

The film is scheduled for an October release.

As of this week, here is the updated card for WWE SummerSlam (Raw/Smackdown) on Sunday, August 20, live and only on pay per view from Boston, Massachusetts:

- Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Orton.

WWE Championship Match
(WWE Title can change hands on disqualification)
- Edge (c) vs. John Cena.

- D-Generation X vs. Vince & Shane McMahon.

As always, WrestleView.com will be providing *live* coverage of WWE SummerSlam on Sunday, August 20 starting at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central.

Former WWE Superstar, Matt Morgan, was backstage at this past Tuesday's Impact Taping. He traveled there with Jim Cornette obviously with Cornette pushing TNA to sign him. Cornette has been high on Morgan's work and believes WWE missed the boat on him when they released him (Morgan has since worked for HUSTLE in Japan). For what it's worth there has been talk for awhile about TNA bringing Morgan in, no word yet on whether or not he will be signed.

Despite rumors to the contary, Jake Roberts is NOT coming into TNA as a booker. Although off television, Scott D'Amore, is still with TNA as their head booker. Jake Roberts is not headed to TNA.

Senshi has signed a TNA contract.

Tickets for October's Bound For Glory which will be the first ever TNA monthly pay per view to travel away from Orlando to Detroit will go on sale this Saturday, August 5.

Here is the schedule for the ECW brand this week:

* House Show in Poplar Bluff, MO on Saturday, August 5.

* House Show in Jackson, TN on Sunday, August 6.

* ECW on Sci Fi live in Nashville, TN on Tuesday, August 8.

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Here is the schedule for the Raw brand this week:

* House Show in Sydney, Australia tonight, August 4.

* House Show in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday, August 5.

* Raw live in Memphis, TN on Monday, August 7.

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Here is the schedule for the SmackDown brand this week:

* House Show in Mobile, AL on Saturday, August 5.

* House Show in Jackson, MS on Sunday, August 6.

* House Show in Tupelo, MS on Monday, August 7.

* Smackdown taping in Nashville, TN on Tuesday, August 8.

As always, if you attend any of these shows we would appreciate a report by clicking here or by clicking the "Send Us News" link on the main page.