Headline Posted by Ryan Clark on 2:49:31 PM Jun 28, 2010

As noted earlier here on the website, former WWE Diva Mickie James was interviewed by Alez Marvez of Scrippsnews.com last week and spoke at length about her wrestling and country music careers. James has spent the last year and a half working on her debut country music CD, “Strangers and Angels.” I have compiled some more highlights of what Mickie James said:

Her Country Music Career: “Wrestling has kind of taken a back seat right now,. This is a new passion of mine. I’m a very competitive person and very much a perfectionist. When I want something that badly, I’m willing to make sacrifices and do whatever it takes to make it happen.”

Getting Released By WWE: “It broke my heart. I admit it,” said James, who initially landed a WWE developmental contract in 2003 after spending four years on the independent circuit and in TNA Wrestling. “I had given so much of my life to this and sacrificed so much. I missed weddings, birthdays, my nieces being born. I starved on the road when I first tried to make it. I slept at rest stops because I didn’t have the money for a hotel. I wanted it that bad.

“When you get that call that you’re hired, it’s the greatest call in the world. It’s even better when you get the call that you’re coming to TV (tapings) and debuting. But when you get the call saying you’re gone … What bothers me is, I could see if I didn’t get a good reaction, but I would get the largest reaction of any female on the roster no matter who I was on the bill with. I still don’t understand why, but that’s life.”

Her Future in Wrestling: “For a while, I was going to say I didn’t want to wrestle at all because I’m still heartbroken (about WWE),” James said. “But I do love it so much. I intend to wrestle here and there and do the shows I really want to do, especially if it’s with someone who’s a friend of mine or someone I never got a chance to work with.”

The **REAL REASON** Mickie James Was Fired – John Cena *DEMANDED* She Be Fired!

(WWE) Mickie James Doesn’t Understand Why She Was Fired By WWE – TWNPNews.com Headline

Some know him as Sgt. Muldoon of the New York City Police Department.

Without his uniform, handcuffs and nightstick, though, most people recognize him as John Callahan, a Milford native and Franklin resident who wrestled professionally for 20 years.

Callahan recently got word that he will be inducted into the New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.

"My initial reaction was, 'It's about time,"' he said with a chuckle.

From 1979 to 1999, Callahan wrestled with the World Wrestling Federation and other organizations in both the United States and Canada.

Even at a young age, Callahan said he knew wrestling was in his future.

"I wanted (to wrestle) since I was 10 years old," Callahan said. "I remember watching a match between George Steele and Manuel Soto and thinking, 'Wow, they can do that and get away with it."'

Callahan's backyard was a perfect setting for makeshift wresting rings, he said, and he and his friends would hold their own matches.

The real ring, though, would come soon after high school. In 1979, Callahan began training with the famous Walter "Killer" Kowalski at the Salem YMCA. Just a few months after training, Callahan joined the World Wrestling Federation.

While wrestling is certainly athletic, Callahan said, it is also entertainment.

"You've got to listen to the audience and know where your limits are," Callahan said. "You want to work the audience so that at the end of the night, they know they saw something they want to come back and see again."

And while some wrestlers take the path of the "good guy," Callahan he said he preferred the villain persona.

The Sgt. Muldoon character, Callahan said, was part of his wrestling stint in Quebec, Canada. The rest of the time he was known by his real name.

His first big match, which took place in April 1981, is a moment Callahan remembers clearly. The fight was against Hulk Hogan in the Boston Garden, and he lost.

"All I saw was the heads (of the crowd) silhouetted by the lights," Callahan said.

The nerves, he said, melted away as soon as he got into character.

"Once you start doing what you do, you forget there are 22,000 people watching," he said.

But the day Callahan saw his name on the list to fight WWF World Champion The Iron Sheik is his most memorable.

The match, in which only lasted only three minutes, took place in Allentown, Pa., as a promotional event for The Iron Sheik, who was set to fight Hulk Hogan two weeks later.

Other claims to fame for Callahan include holding the New England heavyweight title twice, from June 1994 to November 1995. He also held the New England tag team title along with fellow wrestler Big City Mike from November 1993 to July 1995.

The hardest part to his career as a wrestler, though, were the injuries. Day in and day out, Callahan battled dislocated joints and broken bones.

During one match, Callahan recalls going through a 10-minute match with a dislocated knee. Another time, he said he remembers fighting even after his nose was shattered. The fight ended when he could no longer breathe.

"People come in (to the matches) looking to believe everything they see, so you might as well make it believable," Callahan said.

It was during a match in 1999, though, when Callahan limped out of the ring for the last time – he had dislocated his hip. A doctor determined he needed a hip replacement.

"I decided if I wasn't going to be able to put on a show anymore and really entertain, it wasn't worth doing," Callahan said.

At that point, Callahan fell out of the spotlight. An eight-year hiatus from the wrestling world kept him away from even watching the matches.

Callahan works as a plant salesman at Cavicchio Greenhouses in Sudbury and is a former circulation manager for the Daily News.

Despite the rough nature of the business, Callahan said he'd go back and do it all over again if he could, perhaps, though, with some help from steroids and a "more vicious attitude."

"It went by too fast," he said. "In the blink of an eye 30 years were gone."

Melanie Graham can be reached at 508-634-7582 or mgraham@cnc.com.

Former pro wrestler says he’d do it all over again – Franklin, MA – Wicked Local Franklin

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The widow of a World Wrestling Entertainment performer who died in a televised 1999 stunt filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Connecticut-based company and its leaders, including Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon.

Martha Hart said she learned two months ago that McMahon, who stepped down as WWE chief executive in the fall to run for Senate, and her husband, Vince, the current chairman, for years have used the image of her late husband, Owen Hart, in at least 37 videos and other materials without her knowledge and permission, and despite her objections to his likeness being associated with the pro-wrestling company.

“They’d have to be living under a rock if they didn’t get that I don’t want any association with them whatsoever or Owen to be associated with them whatsoever,” said Martha Hart, who lives in Calgary, Alberta, with the couple’s two children, now 18 and 14.

“I believe it is morally, ethically and legally wrong for the WWE to seek profit from Owen’s death,” she told reporters at a news conference held at a hotel in downtown Hartford. The WWE is based in Stamford.

Jerry McDevitt, an attorney for the WWE, called the lawsuit “a political stunt” coming as McMahon campaigns. Martha Hart’s request for an injunction from a Canadian court in March to stop a video featuring Owen Hart — a request that was denied — was the first time the company had heard from the widow since she legally settled with it in 2000, he said.

WWE said it paid $10 million to Martha Hart, $3 million to each of her children and $1 million to each of Owen Hart’s parents.

McDevitt also pointed out that Linda McMahon wasn’t the CEO of the company when the video was released earlier this year, but Martha Hart said McMahon was in charge when the WWE decided to use his images in other videos.

“I don’t think you’d see what happened today if Linda wasn’t running for Senate,” McDevitt said. Martha Hart denied her case had anything to do with the campaign but said voters in Connecticut should question Linda McMahon’s moral character.

McMahon recently won the endorsement of the Republican Party to seek retiring Democrat Christopher Dodd’s seat. She faces a primary challenge from Weston businessman Peter Schiff, and Republican former Rep. Rob Simmons has not removed his name from the Aug. 10 primary ballot.

McMahon, who has pledged to spend up to $50 million of her own money on the race, trails the Democratic candidate, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, in public opinion polls on hypothetical general election matchups.

“The death of Owen Hart was a tragic accident and this claim is nothing more than pure political orchestration,” said Robert Zimmerman, a spokesman for the WWE.

“For Vince and I and the WWE and fans of the WWE, our hearts and souls went out to Martha and her two young children,” McMahon told WFSB-TV in an interview taped Tuesday. “It was our desire to make sure Martha and their children were cared for for the rest of their lives.

“This particular suit is a copyright issue, a contract issue that the WWE will be dealing with.”

McDevitt, the WWE attorney, argued that the company has the right to use its copyrighted material featuring Owen Hart. The publicly traded company released the video in April called “Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology,” which features Owen Hart and other wrestlers in the Hart family, some of whom still perform for the WWE.

Martha Hart then learned about the other videos made over the years while she was reading court documents the WWE filed over the injunction.

“Martha Hart does not have some exclusive right to the story of her husband; it’s just that simple,” McDevitt said.

Besides stopping the WWE from using Owen Hart’s images, Gregg Rubenstein, a Boston-based attorney for Martha Hart, said his client, as the personal representative of her late husband’s estate, is seeking any profits due from his appearances in the videos and other materials that would be due under his contract with the WWE. The WWE attorney said it will be up to a court to decide whether the estate is owed any money from the sale of the videos.

Owen Hart died May 23, 1999, after falling from an apparatus about 80 feet high into the wrestling ring before a crowd of 16,500 people at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. Hart, who was making an aerial descent into the ring, fell after the device that connected his body harness to the rigging malfunctioned, McDevitt said.

Both McDevitt and Rubenstein agree there is nothing in a wrongful-death settlement that WWE reached with Martha Hart in 2000 addressing the company’s use of Owen Hart’s image.

Rather, Rubenstein points to a provision in Owen Hart’s 1996 booking contract with Titan Sports — a former name of the wrestling company — that says control of “original intellectual property,” such as his legal name, ring name, likeness, personality, character, caricatures, voice, gimmicks and routines, reverts to the wrestler after the contract is terminated.

Rubenstein said that the contract was terminated when Owen Hart died and that Martha Hart and Owen Hart’s estate control his likeness, name and celebrity.

The same contract, which was signed by Linda McMahon, says the promoter, its licensees and sublicensees “may continue to exploit materials, goods, merchandise and other items incorporating any original intellectual property made before such termination until all such materials, goods and merchandise are sold off.”

Wrestler’s widow suing WWE, Conn. Senate candidate

Headline Posted by Ryan Clark on 12:44:26 PM Jun 28, 2010

— Jim Ross wrote the following on Twitter yesterday concerning Bryan Danielson: “Daniel bryan became relevant in 13 wks which is a big win. Sure hope wwe gives Bryan a 2nd chance some day. The kid has ‘it.’ Size non issue.”

– As noted earler, Bryan Danielson returned to action at Saturday night’s CHIKARA Pro event in Taylor, Michigan, defeating Eddie Kingston with a roll-up. Following the bout, Danielson spoke on the microphone to discuss his future. The transcript of his speech is as follows: “I just want you guys to know – I can’t say a lot about what’s going on right now – but, when I came through that curtain and all of you people cheered and all of you people cared and all of you people cared enough to bring ties, it made me feel good,” Danielson said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with my career, but for the next little while while I’m on the independents, I have one goal and one goal in mind – to bring more people to independent wrestling. Let me tell you about PG wrestling. CHIKARA does it at its very best. I kicked Eddie Kingston as long as I possibly could and that was PG. People came out here and mat wrestled as hard as they could and that was PG. When guys come out here and wrestle as hard as they can, that is still PG.” We posted the video here on the website yesterday.

DIRECT LINK: Stacy Keibler In TIGHT SPANDEX PANTS – **NEW LOOK** Pics From YESTERDAY!!

(WWE) Jim Ross Praises Bryan Danielson + More Danielson News Inside – TWNPNews.com Headline

By Daniel Emery Technology reporter, BBC News

One of the more unusual titles at E3, the worlds largest video games exhibition held each year in Los Angeles, is Konami's Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring.

The action sports game, based on Mexican 'Lucha Libre' style wrestling, sees players compete in arenas used by official administrative body the AAA (Asistencia Asesoría y Administración) and other traditional Mexican settings.

Traditional Mexican wrestling is a fast-paced sport, with competitors donning colourful costumes, masks and make up.

Popular in Mexico for more than 100 years, the sport has expanded into the United States and has started to gain fans across the globe.

Players of the video game have 30 wrestling characters to choose from.

Play to win

As is the case in real life wrestling, the aim of the game is both to win and to avoid humiliation – in the Mask vs. Hair contest the loser either has their head shaved on stage or forfeits their trademark wrestling mask for life; the ultimate symbol of pride for many real Lucha Libre wrestlers.

To mark the launch, Hispanic publisher Slang staged a real life Lucha Libre event in the middle of E3. The winner was Dr. Wagner Jr, and his prize was to become the main image on the game's packaging.

Due for release in August this year on all console and hand-held formats, the game will ship with a single player campaign that will let players customise and improve their character, coupled with an online match-up that sees users enter forfeit matches, such as Mask vs. Hair.

Mexican wrestlers have appeared in video games such as Tekken and Street Fighter IV before, but this is the first time that a game dedicated to Lucha Libra has been released.

The developers say that future editions are already in the works.

Lucha Libre spices up games fair

The Little Dogs Football Camp, for those between age 3 and fifthgrade, is set for July 19-21; the Dogs Football Camp, for thoseentering grades 6-8, is slated for July 26-29 and the Dogs FootballCamp for those going into grades 9-12, is scheduled for July26-30.

All will be held at the Gene Fogarty Complex on the East MiddleSchool grounds.

The Little Dogs Football Camp will be held noon to 1:30 p.m. eachday. The cost is $25 per camper, or $40 for two or more from thesame family. The grades 6-8 camp costs $50 per participant or $90for two or more, and is set for 6 to 8 p.m. daily.

The grades 9-12 camp will go 9 a.m. to noon each day, and alsocosts $50 for one camper, $90 for two or more in the family.

Contact Butte High head football coach Arie Grey at 270-2270 or565-5197 for more information. Brochures are available at ButteHigh and at the Universal Athletic Services store.

• The 2010 Lady Digger Hoops Camp is slated for July 19-22 at theMontana Tech HPER Complex. 

It is for girls age 8-16. It will go 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and8 a.m. drop-offs are OK with the camp staff.

The cost is $125 per participant. The fee includes lunch, camp teeshirt and a basketball. Kerie DePell, Montana Tech head women’sbasketball coach, is the director. Instruction will be by MontanaTech coaches and players.

For more information, contact DePell at 496-4288.

• The Montana Western volleyball camp is scheduled for Aug. 1-4in Dillon and will be divided into middle school and high schoolcamps. 

The middle school camp is for girls entering grades 6-8 in thefall. The high school camp is for girls entering grades 9-12.

Camp highlights include three solid days of outstanding competitionand quality instruction featuring fundamentals and development.Each camper receives a free camp T-shirt. Each team plays leaguegames together throughout the week. All sessions will be held inthe P.E. Complex on the Montana Western campus.

Montana Western players and coaches will provide instruction.

For more information, call camp director Katie Howells at 683-7444or by e-mail at k_howells@umwestern.edu.

n The Oredigger Youth Basketball Camp, open to boys and girls, willbe held June 28-July 1 for those of ages 5-9, and July 12-15 for10-14-year-olds.

The camp will be held at the Montana Tech HPER Complex and will bedirected by new men’s head basketball coach Aaron Woliczko,assisted by Nate Harris. Basic fundamentals will be emphasized. Thecamp for the 5-9-year-olds will go 9 a.m. to noon each day, and theone for the older kids will go 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Fees are$60 per camper in the younger age group, $85 in the older.

Registration will start at 8:30 a.m. on June 28 for the youngercampers, 8:30 a.m. on July 12 for the 10-14-year-olds. ContactHarris at 370-8163 or 496-4711 or by e-mail atnharris@mtech.edu.

• Carroll College head women’s basketball coach Shawn Nelson hasannounced that there are still openings for both weeks of the 38thAnnual Carroll College Girls’s Basketball School. There are twoidentical weeks for girls entering grades 5-12. The weeks are June28-July 2 and July 5-9. Camp participants have the option of anon-campus or off-campus package. For more information, call447-4489 or 447-4480
• Drummond High School basketball coaches are holding a camp forboys entering grades three through eight on June 28-30. The campwill include a 3-on-3 league, a 5-on-5 league and shootingcompetitions, as well as a hot dog barbeque with awards.For moreinformation, contact Tim 

Anderson at 288-3281, ext. 233 or emialtanderson@blackfoot.net.

Summer Camp Roundup

Mike Cheesman, head coach for the Mt. Carmel High School GoldenAces wrestling team, has announced the second of two youthwrestling camps for this summer.

The camp is scheduled for July 12-15.

The camp, the “Junior Cheesehead Wrestling Camp,” is for any childbetween Kindergarten and 8th Grade.

This camp will be held in MCHS’ Gym II.

Kindergarten to 2nd-grade campers will meet from 8-9 a.m. Those in3rd- through 5th-grade will meet from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Those in 6th-through 8th-grade will meet from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

The cost is $25 and includes a T-shirt.

“We have created this camp to enhance, or introduce, wrestling toour young athletes,” said Coach Cheesman. “We want to makewrestling a high priority sport in our area, and wrestling needs tobe started at a young age. This camp is about showing how much funwrestling can be, yet preparing kids to become better studentathletes.”

For further information, contact Coach Cheesman at 263-2571, or bye-mail at mpcheesman@hotmail.com.

Daily Republican Register: Local Sports – Second wrestling camp scheduled for July 12-15

Mainstream women’s professional wrestling is at an all time low.

Several very talented B/R contributors have crafted pieces that spoke volumes about what various companies could do to salvage their respective women’s division. 

With methods ranging from giving women wrestlers their own show, to allowing them to actually wrestle, folks have plenty of great things to say about this mess.

Unfortunately, these changes—as wonderful as they are—mean nothing in the long run if we continue to view women’s matches as bathroom breaks.

In order for any women’s division to get better, the fans must change their perspective of the product. 

Once we view women’s wrestling in a similar light as we do their counterparts’ efforts, the companies will respond with a product that will sell tickets, merchandise, and pay- per-views.

Changing one’s perspective of the product, however, is not an easy task that happens immediately overnight. 

What we fail to acknowledge or even realize is that there are several factors that mold our minds to believe that women wrestlers are inferior to the males. 

Some of these factors are subconsciously forced upon us, while others are borne out of our own paternalistic life experiences.

If there is any hope in saving or resurrecting a Knockout or Diva, and if we are desperately searching for the proper method of resuscitating women’s pro wrestling, the power is in our hands to scrutinize the factors that may have shaped how we view the stellar female athletes in the business.

Commentary

In a given wrestling match, the announcers usually concentrate on a laundry list of topics outside of the match taking place in the ring. Sometimes, they may hype an upcoming pay-per-view while at other times, they may discuss a heated feud between two high profile superstars.

This banter typically happens no matter who is wrestling in the ring. Male or female.

Depending on how well the match is going, the announcers will adapt accordingly with their banter. If there is a heated and epic encounter between superstars taking place in the ring, the announcers will stay focused on the in-ring action more than anything else.

If the match is filler, a squash, or has a presumably predictable outcome, fans can expect the announcers to bicker between one another or talk about everything under the sun except the match.

The latter occurred during the Divas Championship bout between Eve Torres and Maryse at the WWE’s recent Over the Limit pay-per-view.

For the viewers at home, whom we can safely assume outnumber those in attendance at the shows, this chatter chips away at the quality of the match and subconsciously coerces fans to place more stock in whatever the announcers are talking about.

When speaking of women’s wrestling, it is particularly frustrating to hear such palavering during a women’s match that is actually good.

Let’s return to the aforementioned battle between Eve Torres and Maryse.

While far from a five star classic, Eve and Maryse put together a decent match by any given standard. The announcers spent most of the time arguing with each other and laughing at the Divas, which pissed me off in particular.

How are fans expected to care about the Divas when the announcers aren’t even focused on the match?

Here is another example. On the May 27 edition of TNA iMPACT, The Beautiful People faced Sarita and Taylor Wilde for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles. 

Joining Mike Tenay and Taz in the booth was “Puppet, the Psycho Dwarf,” star of the reality show Half Pint Brawlers, a show about midget wrestlers that now airs on Spike TV, with replays right after TNA iMPACT.

Tenay, Taz, and Psycho Dwarf spent most of the match prattling on and on about Half Pint Brawlers, Psycho Dwarf’s insane lifestyle, and a few sexual innuendos that I would have preferred to not hear come from Taz, Tenay, or a man named Puppet.

The match that took place in the ring, however, received about eight or nine references from all three of these men within the two minutes and twenty four seconds it lasted.

The match was decent, but the highlight of this championship match ended up being Lacey Von Erich making out with Puppet in the middle of the ring.

Taz’s response at the conclusion of the match. “Get some rubbers.”

In a nutshell, the Knockouts Division—a division that was well-respected by pro wrestling fans around the world for allowing women wrestlers to actually wrestle—has been reduced to this?

*Note from the contributor: We can never badmouth the WWE for shoving Hornswoggle down our throats ever again now that TNA has chosen to focus our attention towards an entire show about pint-sized wrestlers, rather than highlight their highest rated division and segment in the company. 

The fans watching at home greatly outnumber the fans watching live, but the fans in the arena have the benefit of watching the match without being coerced one way or the other by ringside commentators.

On a given televised night, the WWE can expect 14,000 people in the arena to enjoy a women’s wrestling match without limitations, while the four million people watching at home are manipulated by the commentators to either leave the room or stay tuned for the outcome of the match.

This isn’t to say that either company does this habitually during a woman’s match. But I can assure you there aren’t too many John Cena or Sting matches where the commentators spend most of it giggling like anime school girls.

History

Today’s women wrestlers have lofty shoes to fill when it comes to their in-ring performance, presence, mic skills, and charisma.

More often than not, we recall the days of Trish Stratus, Chyna and Lita when discussing the current state of the WWE’s product. 

These women pioneered the Divas division, and because of this, we tend to hold today’s Divas to incredibly high standards that cannot, and will not, be met easily.

For starters, we tend to only think about the middle or end of these women’s careers in the WWE.  Rarely will I hear anyone mention that Trish started out as the voluptuous manager for the appropriately named tag team “T&A.”

I’ve yet to hear anyone mention that Lita started her WWE career as “Bella Twin Arm Candy” for Mexican superstar Essa Rios. 

I’ll do you one even better. My earliest exposure to Lita came from the original ECW, where as “Miss Congeniality” she clipped her toenails during a Danny Doring/Amish Roadkill backstage promo.

I won’t insult your intelligence by talking about where Chyna started out with the WWE.

What’s even more shocking is that most folks will rarely talk about all the other WWE Divas that have graced our television screens.

Torrie, Sable, Molly Holly, Candice Michelle, Melina, Torrie Wilson, Cherry, Stacy Keibler, Maria, Nivea, B.B., Nicole Bass, Ivory, Ryan Shamrock, Jazz, Jacqueline, Ashley Massaro, Stephanie McMahon (yes, she counts as a Diva), Marlena, Miss Kitty, Sunny, Luna Vachon, Alundra Blayze, and Bull Nakano just to name a few.

Fans seem to only recall the glory days of Trish, Chyna, and Lita in particular, and are quick to compare the divas today to those particular divas during the height of their respective careers.

In other words, we’ve already set today’s divas up to fail before they’ve even had their first match.

If fans fail to recount the humble beginnings of the WWE’s more famous women’s wrestlers, they really can’t appreciate the direction of today’s women’s wrestlers. 

Trish, Lita, Chyna and all the other divas were trained to wrestle the WWE’s style, and when the time was right for them to showcase their skills they ignited our love for women’s wrestling.

Not all of their matches were top quality, either. Trish’s best match (in my opinion) was at Wrestlemania 22 against Mickie James, four months before she retired. 

We must keep in mind that Trish’s career spanned six years

Fans must also remember these divas participated in the most asinine matches and storylines ever conceived by any wrestling promotion. 

How many times has Trish been involved in a match that involved gravy, mud, sexy costumes, or pillows?

One of Chyna’s greatest claims to fame was becoming the first and only woman to hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship (twice at that). 

Do you remember how she won the title in the first place? Here’s a nifty little reminder for you.

A well-rounded perspective on the history of women’s wrestling in a particular company will enable fans to view today’s female grapplers in an entirely different light. 

Their matches today are not all that awe-inspiring. But the WWE hasn’t allowed female wrestlers to really wrestle since the days of Alundra Blayze and Bull Nakano.

Today’s women’s wrestling in the WWE is not really as bad as it use to be. At least Eve didn’t have to face Maryse in pool to win the Divas Championship.

Blatant Neglect

It wasn‘t long ago that TNA took pride in its Knockouts Division. To this day, the Knockouts provide the company with the highest rated segments during a given iMPACT broadcast.

TNA’s ability to showcase women wrestlers instead of models-turned-wrestlers made the division sought after by fans all over. TNA successfully combined wrestlers with sex appeal, brute strength, and hardcore tendencies to create a unique and popular women’s division.

All of that got flushed down the toilet the minute TNA attempted to compete with the WWE.

Somewhere along the way, even before the bright and promising dawn of the Hogan/Russo Era, TNA began to let go of several Knockouts that brought prominence to the division and ratings to the company. 

Point being, the Knockouts are a far cry from what they once were and what the division stood for. While the company spent ample time carbo-loading its roster with male superstars, the women’s division suffered devastating loses and lackluster character and creative development.

Even with three championships and eight women actively participating in five minute televised matches, the Knockouts still remain top ratings producers for TNA while languishing in rampant neglect and blatant disregard on part of the creative team.

In TNA’s defense, the company no longer prides itself on the Knockouts Division.TNA has been conditioned to believe that sex appeal is the only thing that draws fans’ attention towards women‘s wrestling.

So we end up with a product that is focused heavily on the current iteration of the most sexually appealing women (The Beautiful People) in the company.

The same thing has happened in the WWE, who are thoroughly convinced they can transform models into wrestlers instead of placing their women wrestlers into quality feuds and rivalries with one another.

Both companies are simply providing fans with what we’ve already asked for.  I’m a firm believer in the notion that both companies are responding to what the vast majority of fans say they want to see.  John Cena is still pushed as a fan favorite face because that’s what most of the fans are paying for.

Similarly, we get pretty women in short, lackluster matches because in a way that’s what most of the fans are paying to see. 

If the WWE knew that fans wanted to see Beth Phoenix and Natalya fight to the death over the Women’s Championship, then it would have happened.

When that match-up actually happened, the fans remained firmly seated on their hands for the most part.

TNA’s cardinal sin in this manner, however, is their complacency in allowing their prized Knockouts Division to become a hobo’s WWE Diva fantasy.

Just look at the awesome talent that has been released or let go from the company: Gail Kim, Alissa “Raisha Saeed” Flash, Traci Brooks, Awesome Kong, Tara, ODB, and Roxxi (the one Knockout that has the dubious honor of being released from the company multiple times). 

Each and every one of these Knockouts was renowned for their talents and in-ring abilities.

Now take a gander at the female wrestlers that remain on TNA’s roster: Hamada, Angelina Love, Sarita, Rosie Lottalove, Taylor Wilde, Velvet Sky, Lacey Von Erich, Daffney, and Madison Rayne. 

Out of the nine listed women, only three of them appear or compete with the company on a regular weekly televised basis:  Velvet Sky, Lacey Von Erich, and Madison Rayne.

What have we done to voice our displeasure with these things? 

 As far as I know, not much has transpired in the way of getting TNA to reconsider doing whatever it takes to get these women back in the company.

We’ve created and signed petitions to get the WWE to give Matt Hardy a decent singles push and we’ve even gotten John Cena to sign a petition to get the WWE to immediately rehire Bryan Danielson.

But there seems to be very little pomp and circumstance for the released Knockouts mentioned above. 

For the most part, we’ve only prayed to the wrestling gods that the WWE will change its business model and hire these women and give them the money and time to shine that they didn’t get from TNA.

To an extent, that’s about as feasible as expecting TNA to pick up Bryan Danielson and use him to his fullest potential (if they can’t do it with Nigel McGuinness, then they definitely won’t do it with Danielson).

To sum it all up, women’s wrestling won’t see a definite change unless we change our perception of their work and abilities, and respond accordingly to the things we see that we don’t agree with.

The WWE continues to place its female wrestlers in filler matches that we use as opportunities to retreat to the bathroom or concession stands. 

We constantly point out all of their “botches,” but rarely do we compliment the women’s matches that are actually good and rarely do we speak highly of the growth of some of the women’s in ring abilities and skills.

TNA continues to pay their women wrestlers substandard wages and book them in three minute matches that do a little less than keep them fresh in the minds of the fans. 

We sit back and watch as these talented women waltz out of the company, and are content to complain about what TNA should do as opposed to what we can do to get them back in the company and in the spotlight. 

After all, TNA is a company that is hailed for “listening to its fans,” right?

The state of women’s wrestling in TNA and the WWE will not change unless our perception of it changes. 

Those perceptions cannot change unless we come to really understand how we’re led to look at women’s wrestling as secondary to everything else, including Hornswoggle and Half Pint Brawlers.

But if you find yourself content with the way things are, yet yearn for real in ring action from some of the best women wrestlers in the business, I suggest you invest in tons of SHIMMER DVDs and avoid watching the WWE and TNA for their glorified Wrestlicious women’s matches.

For Your Viewing Pleasure:Bull Nakano (c) v. Alundra Blayze for the WWF Women’s ChampionshipMonday Night RAW- April 3, 1995

Suggested Reading:1.  Why WWE Officials Are the Real Masters of Manipulationby JVCXV  

I’m Just Sayin’: A Dissenting View On the State Of Women’s Wrestling

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Give dad a Father’s Day gift he won’t soon forget – tickets to the WWE Monday Night RAW Live at Verizon Center.

The televised event, takes place on Monday, September 6th and brings back some of the WWE’s greatest superstars including John Cena, Edge, Randy Orton, Triple H and Chris Jericho.

This year’s reality television show meets wrestling ring story has the NXT Rookies continuing their assault on the WWE Universe while vying for positions as wrestlers for the WWE.  Like overgrown petulant toddlers, those NXT Rookies  – now known as the NXT 7 – are spitting, strangling and stomping on those that they see standing in the way of their turn as a WWE superstar.

Meet some of  wrestlers of NXT 7 getting dressed down by General Manager Brett Hart – the season promises to be filled with fun!  Also appearing R-Truth, John Morrison, Zack Ryder and The Miz, who proclaims himself as “Awesome!” in a Fatal Four Way match!

Remember folks, this is television serial and athletic entertainment at it its best.  It’s also the next best thing to a comic book come-to-life. And kids, its just for fun – so don’t try this at home.

WHO:      John Cena, Edge, Randy Orton, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Sheamus, Miz, R-Truth, John Morrison, Ted DiBiase, Mark Henry, the Divas & more!  *Wrestlers are subject to change.

WHAT:     WWE presents Monday Night RAW

WHEN:     Monday, September 6 - 8:15 p.m.                                            

WHERE:    Verizon Center                601 F Street, NW                Washington, DC 20004                202-661-5000                        

TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for WWE presents Monday Night RAW are $75.00, $60.00, $45.00, $30.00 and $20.00 (plus applicable service charges) and go on sale Saturday, June 19 at 10:00 a.m. There is an eight ticket limit for the first day of the public on sale only. Tickets will be available through all Ticketmaster outlets including the Verizon Center box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com and via Phonecharge at 703-573-SEAT, 202-397-SEAT and 410-547-SEAT. Accessible seating is available for patrons with disabilities by calling 202-661-5065. Please visit www.verizoncenter.com for more information.

Jacquie Kubin is a 15-year, award-winning veteran of travel and culinary writing. Today, Jacquie edits and directs a staff of writers for Donne Tempo Magazine, where you can read more of her entertainment, travel and culinary reviews. Jacquie is always looking for new talents who want to expand their horizons.

E-mail Jacquie with ideas, questions or to share your writing dreams.  Follow Donne Tempo on Twitter and Facebook.

Raw Live at Verizon Center Sept. 6th

Headline Posted by Ryan Clark on 3:18:33 PM Jun 23, 2010

— Former WWE star Charlie Haas has entered into a program with NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Peace. Peace recently cut a promo with Haas that lays the groundwork for a potential NWA Title match sometime down the line. Before that though he has two big title defenses, one against former WWE and TNA star Sean Waltman on June 26th and another against Bryan Danielson in August.

– Former WrestleMania headliner Lawrence Taylor was indicted today on rape charges. Taylor is being accused of raping a 16-year-old prostitute and, in addition to the rape charges, is also facing charges of patronizing a prostitute, endangering the welfare of a child, and sexual abuse and criminal sexual act in the third degree. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted. For more on this, check out Sports Illustrated’s story.

– New WWE NXT ring announcer Ashley Valence is a former co-host for the Memphis Grizzlies NBA franchise. The Grizzlies’ website has an article up on Valence debuting for WWE.

– An interview with Jack Swagger is up at http://www.theweekender.com/

DIRECT LINK: Maryse Wardrobe Malfunction At Fatal 4 Way PPV – HOT!!

(WWE) Haas Update, LT Indicted On Rape Charges, NXT Announcer – TWNPNews.com Headline