Mania 24 venue, Roids in the news, RVD, J.R advice, Austin/fight scenes, Pride sale and lawsuit, more

By Art Shimko
shimko_7@hotmail.com

-- As reported here earlier today, Wrestlemania 24 takes place at Orlando's Citrus Bowl next March. Meanwhile, the Sports Illustrated steroids article involving 11 WWE wrestlers named has made the rounds in the press the last two days including Ken Doane/Dykstra defending the Fed while on a press tour in Canada for Mania. "If people want to look for substances, why don't they just look at bodybuilders? Look at those guys." Well this probe into the questionable acquisition of HGH and steroids by WWE wrestlers will lead to other major athletes in MLB, the NFL, etc. being investigated. It's really not a huge story in wrestling but rather the ramifications of this story in the mainstream will lead to other sports and its organizations finding how many of their athletes are on the gas.

-- On ECW TV this past Tuesday night Ed Farhat AKA The Sheik was named as the latest inductee into this year's Hall Of Fame.

-- An interview with RVD about life on the road, spending time with his wife, training and how there's too much music in the world (?)...

-- WrestleMag.com has an interview with Chris Benoit.

-- Steve Austin on fight scenes in The Condemned: "People always say, 'Well, Steve, doing the fight scenes, wasn't that easy for you because that's what you did for a living?' And I stress to people, 'No, that's not what I did for a living. I was a professional wrestler.' And contrary to what many people think, you don't just rehearse and choreograph a wrestling match. ... In a ring, in an arena, say, a normal ring is, like, 20,000 people, [and] you're playing to the absolutely last row there. ... So everything is big. Of course, when you're talking [filming], you go in tight. Everything is very precise and very controlled. So there's a lot of differences." more at www.scifi.com.

-- J.R.'s latest blog which features this interesting bit: Please do not believe every word written on every wrestling website. Whoever wrote that The Undertaker was retiring in the summer of 2008 is either making it up or is really, really gullible. I communicate with Taker frequently and that subject has never been discussed. Unless injuries take their toll, Taker will be around in at least a part time role for years to come. Frankly this is the first I've heard of this, there's talk on and off regarding when Taker will hang up his boots and this could've been something written on a message board and most entries posted on those forums are to be taken with a grain of salt to begin with.

-- Good Guy at School, Bad Guy in Ring

-- Well the future on WSX on MTV is pretty much falls between in-limbo and dead in the water yet is seems that MTV2 and MTV Tr3s are airing the episodes. You'll have to check your TV listings for times on MTV2 as those airings seem to be kept under wraps for some reason, MTV Tr3s airs the show on Wednesdays at 5:30PM so the final episode may air but who knows at this point.

-- Is PRIDE sold? Will UFC buy the company? Or K-1? Sherdog.com reported on Monday that PRIDE was possibly being bought by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, the owners of Zuffa for an estimated $65 million. MMAWeekly.com also posted a report although their sources stated an agreement had been made yet not finalized while Sherdog's sources say an announcement could be made next week of the sale being a done deal. The only person who has responded to these reports/rumors was PRIDE USA Vice President Jerry Millen making a statement to GracieFighter.com: "It's bullshit. You can't beleive [sic] what you read on the internet and as a matter of fact I just got off the phone with Japan and Pride has not been sold and is not being sold to anyone, especially to Zuffa. We are in the process of making some ground breaking deals that will be bringing in large sums of revenue to the company and making it stronger than ever." We'll see how this one turns out as the fate of PRIDE get more mysterious every week.

-- In more PRIDE DRAMA®, Ed Fishman (PRIDE'S US President) filed a breach-of-contract suit with Dream Stage Entertainment (parent company of PRIDE) on Monday claiming the company had not paid him the agreed 10% of ticket sales from both the 11/21/06 and 2/24/07 Las Vegas shows. This was part of a three-year contract in which Fishman would recieve $200,000 a year for three years with the option to extend it to five years, then 10% of US tickets sales would go to Fishman. In the end Fishman's seeking $10 million from DSE: $1 million for based on the $200,000 consulting fee for 5 years; and $9 million based on DSE CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara's US live event projections for 6 PRIDE US events with $3-4 million for live gates, thus factoring approximately $1.8 million a year for five years (based on the 10% from live gates that would be owed to Fishman). More info can be read at www.fightopinion.com and www.sherdog.com.

-- Rising MMA star Henderson ready for more

-- Is Ratner Boxing Clever?

-- Randy "The Natural" Couture Live at Solis on Market, San Francisco on March 29th 2007

-- The 'arts' are a hit in New Jersey

-- K-1 HERO'S American Debut Taking Shape
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Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or referencing commentary from this site please include a link to meanfilipine.blogspot.com as opposed to "Strong Style Shimko", "From The Mean Filipine Blog" or derivatives. Thank you!

"Good Ol' J.R." Previews WrestleMania, Shoots On His Critics, Talks TNA, & More (3/15 MNM)

The voice of WWE's Monday Night RAW, Jim Ross, was a guest on a special mid-week edition of Monday Night Mayhem (3/15/07), which can be heard in streaming audio every week (and live at 9PM ET/8PM CT every Monday night) exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.ObsessedWithWrestling.com, www.ProWrestlingPress.com, www.AllWNYRadio.com, www.Showdown.net, & www.AudioWrestling.com -- your official home of "The Spring Break Incident" Video-On-Demand, featuring former WWE Diva, Stacy Keibler).

J.R.'s long-awaited Mayhem interview is now available for FREE in Real Audio!

Here are some of the highlights from the interview, provided by www.AudioWrestling.com & www.Showdown.net.

*Jim Ross talked in detail about the WrestleMania card. Ross feels like The Undertaker.Batista match should be the last match of the night, however he feels that the John Cena/Shawn Michaels match could be the show stealer.

*Jim Ross is happy with the WWE product lately, however sometimes he scratches his head when he sees bad reviews for RAW on weeks he thought the show was great, and then good reviews for the shows Ross didn't personally like as much.

*Several talent rumors were addressed, and J.R. explained his current role with the WWE is only as an announcer with less responsibility working behind the scenes with the talent than it was several years ago. J.R. says that although he is not backstage as much personally, he laughs at rumors that Melina is a problem backstage. J.R. says the rumors that are seen online normally should not be taken seriously (**On a side note, Candice Michelle was on the show right after Ross, and she said Melina is a problem backstage and that she is sick of putting up with Melina's sh*t on the road, and that WWE.com refused to post her latest blog bad-mouthing Melina because WWE.com didn't want it to detract from Melina's on-air feud with Ashley. Whether Candice was working an angle or not is unknown, but she sounded really upset as you can hear in the audio archive of this show.**). J.R. talked about a rumor that Michael Cole will be replacing him on RAW. He likes Cole, but no one in the WWE has ever discussed such a change with him.

*Jim Ross feels like he will eventually get to do an edition of Monday Night RAW from Russia with all of the expansions the WWE is quickly making.

*J.R. discussed several of the recent deaths in wrestling including Arnold Skaaland & "The Big Cat" Ernie Ladd. J.R. says he was really good friends with Ladd and back in the day he would play dominoes with Ladd until 4AM. He said Ladd is in heaven right now playing dominoes, and that he will be missed.

*Jim Ross talked about TNA and says "he hopes they make it." He says he watches their show, but does not watch it religiously. J.R. says sometimes they have too much content in their one-hour show. J.R. says if you are a WWE wrestler & your contract is coming to an end it would not be very bright of those wrestlers to not at least see what TNA would be willing to offer for their services -- and the same being true of current TNA stars looking to take offers from the WWE. J.R. says if TNA develops their stars they could be big in several years, and he hopes it is not at the expense of his paycheck. J.R. continues to put over TNA by saying there are lots of good people working down there.

*Jim Ross said he really likes Kurt Angle and that he was the one that recruited Angle back in the WWE. J.R. thinks Angle should stay focused on TNA and not get too side tracked in the MMA world.

*J.R. puts over WWE 24/7 and says it is a very good product. He watches it at his home and looks forward to showing many features to his grandchildren.

*J.R. says he calls this the "March McMadness" period in the WWE with all the big things happening heading to WrestleMania.

*J.R. is asked about potentially making the WWE Hall Of Fame one day, and he says it would be an honor and he hopes it happens...although he will be very intimidated being included with the likes of many guys he cannot fill the shoes of.

*J.R. is opening his first BBQ restaurant in mid-May with a chance to franchise. It will be a family restaurant. J.R. also promoted his beef jerky & other business ventures he is involved with. Make sure you check out more info about Jim Ross & his BBQ products (BBQ sauce, beef jerky, & autographed merchandise) at www.jrsbarbq.com.

*J.R. puts over the Money In The Bank Ladder Match & all of the participants and said it should have a lot of spectacular moments in front of the 70,000 fans at "The Showcase Of The Immortals." To get all of the information regarding the WWE & WrestleMania 23, make sure you check out www.wwe.com.

*That was the end of the hour-long Jim Ross interview. But The Mayhem was not done yet...because as soon JR was finished up, WWE Diva/Playboy centerfold/Go Daddy Girl, Candice Michelle, called in for more WWE discussion and to do a shoot against Melina that WWE.com would not post, because of Melina's feud with Ashley. That interview is also available in the archived edition of the March 15th show now playing The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network!

*Don't forget to check out MNM's official MySpace at:
www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem.

*Make sure you listen to MNM's live special from Detroit, MI (from The Hilton Garden Inn) on WrestleMania Sunday, which kicks off the 13 hours of audio coverage on www.AudioWrestling.com & www.Showdown.net, starting at 11AM ET/10AM CT on April 1st. The program will feature legendary WWE manager, Percy "Paul Bearer" Pringle, former ECW World Tag Team Champion/WWE Intercontinental Champion, Lance Storm, former WWE Intercontinental/European Champion, D-Lo Brown, Gerweck.net's Michael T, The Monster Factory's Jim Molineaux/Ed Atlas, & the aforementioned Scott Hudson. A stacked lineup brought to you exclusively by "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio."

*We invite you fans to call into The Mayhem Line (presented by The Monster Factory) with your pre-recorded questions/comments for upcoming guests (including Danny Doring's first post-WWE interview, Lanny "The Genius" Poffo) at (866) Mayhem-7...that's (866) 629-4367 Option #4. E-mail the program at MondayNightMayhem@hotmail.com, take part in the interactive chat room & The Mayhem Message Board (both located at www.MondayNightMayhem.com), as well as visiting The Mayhem on MySpace (at www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem) if you wish to interact with The Mayhem Crew as well.

*All new & old Mayhem listeners can still check out the archived programs/shows of "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio" (including TNA President, Dixie Carter, "The Mouth Of The South" Jimmy Hart, & many others) -- available on www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.ObsessedWithWrestling.com, www.Showdown.net, & www.AudioWrestling.com. And remember, you can feel The Mayhem (live & worldwide) each & every Monday night on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network, beginning at 9PM ET/8PM CT.

"The Road To WrestleMania" goes through "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio."

J.R.'s Blog 2/25/07

The Next Big Thing.. Cruisers.. Sting.. Personal Issues.. Sonny’s BBQ.. Honkytonk Man.. Personal Issues.. Harley.. WCW Returning.. Lita.. Snuka/Muraco.. J.R. Lost His Smile.. Adrian Peterson

As promised, here’s a few of your questions answered before I have to high tail it to the OKC Airport to head to Fresno.
Phil- Who is the next new WWE Superstar? It could be one or more of several individuals. There are many who have potential, but will hopefully not use the tired, lame excuse of the company or other circumstances beyond their control are the only things standing between them and super stardom. To earmark 1-2 stars would put unfair pressure on them and until I see many of the developmental talents in person, I will withhold my guesses.
Steve - I have made it abundantly clear that I am a wrestling fan, therefore I like Cruiserweights the same as the other weights. That’s just me.
Tex - Will Sting ever go into the WWE Hall of Fame? It would not surprise me one bit somewhere down the road. Steve Borden is a wonderful human being.
Azam - “You guys?” You been paying attention? I can’t “bring back” Chris Jericho anymore than you can. It’s not a bad idea though.
Cameron - I have always liked the Honkytonk Man because he is a talented, old school wrestler and he is a survivor. I won’t “knock him” for mortal fear of being put on his “ass whipping list”….again!
Bobby - I don’t think the entire Wrestlemania card is completed and if it is, I have not seen it, so I don’t know who Melina is going to wrestle or if she will wrestle on April 1. Stay tuned.
Alex - Rivalries are akin to personal issues and personal issues have always sold more tickets than simply a “cold” title match.
Sean - I don’t know how you can compare Lashley’s wrestling with Chris Masters. I mean you can, but I can’t see it. There is no comparison, considering Lashley’s background.
Craig - I have absolutely eaten at “Sonny’s BBQ,” especially when I used to travel the Carolinas back in the day. I fondly remember good food at that time at Sonny’s, who seemed to have a bunch of locales.
Ramone - Not only was Harley Race an absolute natural in the ring, made a great team with Larry “The Ax” Hennig,” but as NWA Champion Harley, had no equals. Not to mention that out of the ring, Harley was one bad hombre. An old school badass.
Tonnie - I do not remember, off the top of my head, a wrestler by the name of Michelle Star. Any help out there?
HOF ‘07 - I think it is too early to induct Austin and The Rock in the WWE Hall of Fame, but they are locks down the road.
Anthony - Only my opinion, but I don’t see the WCW brand returning. It would seem to me, with 3 brands, the WWE has all it can say grace over.
Frank - I have heard of Torrie Wilson’s divorce from Billy Kidman. I have a feeling the lovely Idaho lass won’t have too many lonely nights.
Will DX reunite when HHH gets healthy? I hope so, but that’s up to HBK and HHH.
Mark - I remember a manager named Nikita Mulkovich back in the day, but no details.
Starkman - I assume Sylvester Terkay is better suited for MMA competition, than the sports entertainment world, as it would seem. Whatever makes one comfortable. Sylvester always treated me respectfully, as I did him. Sylvester is a great athlete who may need to work on his “killer instinct.” But not with me!
J-Roc - I think I came up with a proposal to do a Legends Video Game before I left the corporate world of the WWE. It may be on the drawing board or out in some form. I am not too video game savvy.
Mike - If I never see another Brawl for All, it will be too soon. It may have been great for some fans, but for those of us who had to care for the injured talents, it was not a great experience.
Jamie/UK - Every arena has something about it that makes it stand out, or at least they do to me. DavyBoy may have had a different perspective, but each arena has its own personality.
Shawn - The Rock ‘n Roll Express still tag on occasion. Robert Gibson is doing some training in the WWE developmental areas. I can’t imagine Ricky w/o Robert or visa versa. This was one of the top 5 teams….EVER!
Steve - Was I nervous in 1993 when I went to the WWE and debuted at Wrestlemania 9 wearing a toga. Absolutely. Can’t B.S. you on that. It was a much different emotion than being cut loose from my job nine months later, while healing from my first bout of Bell’s Palsy.
Ron - The Extreme Expose might not be for everyone. I look at it like an NBA Dance Team performing during a time out. I can tolerate looking at nice looking ladies for a minute or two with no problem.
Giovanni - I can definitely see the WWE doing a Bruiser Brody DVD someday. I also can’t wait to read the book on Brody, written by Frank’s widow and Larry Mataysik, comong out soon. Abdullah “retire?” You have to be kidding me! It will never happen.
Matt - I have NO IDEA what is going on with Bob Backlund in Orlando and his long walks to and from the hotel looking for and finding loose change on the ground. Bobby is a different, not bad understand, and unique human.
Kevin - Fink still does the occasional ring announcing, but usually not on TV. He’s still the best.
Ric - I am not overly familiar with Mistico, other than some I have spoken to that say he is talented. Whether the WWE attempts to sign Mistico or not is not my call, but if he is that good, the WWE should sign him up.
David - Mark Henry is back in the ring and trying to get over his last injury, patella surgery. Mark is a wonderful young man, but he must be able to stay healthy or he must move to the next phase of his life. Having surgery every year or two is not the way to live.
Michael - So you have spent over $2,000 for Wrestlemania. I applaud you and suggest you will not be disappointed. ‘Mania has never been about one person, nor should it be. I think the two main events and the hair match, not to mention Money in the Bank, are the nucleus of a great card. My instincts tell me you will be happy with your investment.
Shane - “One has to Kiss Ass to be in the Hall of Fame.” Come on Shane, that’s not fair or intelligent. I know many wrestlers in the Hall who kiss no one’s ass. If this is all about Savage, again, please let it go.
Kevin - The Undertaker losing at ‘Mania is a distinct possibility, but my money is on the Demon of Death Valley.
BBD - I never heard that Snuka and Muraco had serious out of ring issues. I don’t think there is anything to that rumor.
Mark - Khali is in the WWE because he is an “attraction” and the business has had attractions in it for generations. The Swedish Angel, The Elephant Boy, Haystacks Calhoun, The McGwire Twins, Andre, etc.
Shawn - I felt Lita’s departure from the WWE was a little underwhelming to say the least. Lita deserved more, in my opinion, and I miss seeing her every Monday. She has a wonderful soul and has great passion and I wish her nothing but great health and success. She was one of my hires and I am still a huge fan of her, as a woman and as a wrestler. Who knows, maybe someday she will be back.
So many have asked about HHH being at Wrestlemania 23. I assume The Game will attend, but I can’t see how he can be physically involved with his quad in the midst of healing. But then again……
Jarid - I don’t think I have ever been snowed in or missed a booking due to weather related issues. I even broadcast a Great American Bash in Baltimore one year that was lowlighted by an ill-advised Scaffold Match after a kidney stone had fragmented, and I was passing particles of it during the live PPV. I am not sure what was the most painful, the horribly executed PPV or the kidney stone. I was in the emergency room at a local “medical facility” within 30 minutes of the show ending.
Jon - The Waylon Mercy character was akin to Robert DeNiro’s role in “Cape Fear.” Dan Spivey was perfect in the role and if Dan had been healthier, at the time, he would have been headlining major WWE events, in my opinion.
Yes, I communicate with Dr. Death virtually every week. His new book is available and I sincerely hope you will order it. It is not only a great story of courage and faith, but it will help the Good Doctor tremendously.
Gordon Solie in the WWE Hall of Fame? Oh, hell yeah. Without a doubt “The Dean” is a hall of famer. As I am not on the Hall of Fame committee or involved in the selection process (see the hundreds of Randy Savage comments I have tried to make), I can’t say when, but Gordon Solie is definitely a Hall of Fame announcer WAY ahead of the rest of us. Lance Russell and Bob Caudle deserve the honor too.
Will Bill Watts ever be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame? I would say “maybe,” but at this time it might be more of a long shot than at the head of the class. I do know the WWE will be inducting more and more wrestlers as the years move forward, or so I hear, that were not WWE branded much like Verne Gagne last year.
I heard a little rumor about the next WWE HOFer to be announced Monday night in Fresno and all I will say is it made me smile. OK, I smiled as best as my Bell’s Palsy would allow. Yes, I know, I remember the sign on TV that said “J.R. Has Lost His Smile.” Very nice. Thank you very little for that particular sign, whoever you were.
Adrian Peterson will be the # 3 or 4 pick in the draft at worst and the former OU running back, who I got to know his first week on campus, is NFL ready without a doubt. The King, a huge Browns fan, is hoping AD will be a Brown. For King’s sake, I concur, even though the Houston Texans would look like brilliant marketers if they could some how snag the Texas native, who runs in the high 4.3s at around 220 pounds. I cherish my signed AD stuff, which will be on display when our Bar-B-Q place opens in Norman in the spring.
Enjoy Raw Monday night! Take care everybody.
J.R.
P.S. Our store is open. Hint. Hint.

ProWrestlingPress.com: Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler to be Inducted into Hall of Fame

By Nate Stein

Big News at ProWrestlingPress.com:

* From our source at the WWE, Jim Ross & Jerry "The King" Lawler will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame's Class of '07. JR & The King join Dusty Rhodes as this year's Hall of Fame inductees.

* WWE's WrestleMania 23 Breaks Record, Tops $5 Million in Ticket Sales.

* Also, catch Ashley Massaro's Playboy cover

Stay in tuned with all the latest at ProWrestlingPress.com.
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Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or referencing commentary from this site please include a link to meanfilipine.blogspot.com as opposed to "Strong Style Shimko", "From The Mean Filipine Blog" or derivatives. Thank you!