A couple of other people want to know who the ring announcer is on Impact Wrestling. It's former WWE Diva Search winner and Playboy model Christy Hemme. Jeremy Borash does the main events.
Chyna's run with TNA is believed to be over, but this isn't 100% confirmed. What is confirmed however, is that she'll be returning to the adult film business.
A handgun was found in Randy Savage's car during his accident, but was believed to be for target practice and was properly registered. His funeral went as per his wishes.
Slam! has a piece on the change to "Impact Wrestling" featuring comments from TNA performers and executives. They should indeed go with what draws ratings, but everyone involved also needs to think long-term. Guys like Flair, Hogan, and Sting might draw numbers now, but they can't be in every segment and won't be around forever. They need to utilize the people who do draw ratings with people who have the potential to draw ratings if used properly. It's not easy, and it can't be done overnight, but it's necessary for a company to succeed long-term. Take Alberto Del Rio for example. Here's someone who was virtually unknown to the WWE audience before his debut, but they treated him as a big deal and used him with established draws like Edge and Rey Mysterio. Granted, Del Rio's a great talent and could get over on his own to a degree, but it certainly helped him to be paired with (and treated as close than/equal to) multiple-time former World Champions. The aforementioned Flair, Hogan, and Sting didn't just start drawing numbers overnight; promotions took chances with them. They tested the waters with them going up against established names, and had those established names help them get over. Will it work with every talent? No. Some talents can be pushed too soon or too much. They have to be able to get over on their own at some point, gaining the skills necessary to do so. But TNA could certainly help them out by going out of their comfort zone a bit and giving them the rub.
PWInsider.com has some new questions up.
1. This was asked before but they had a different answer to it. I didn't even think of it in that way last time. Yes, if Charlotte rolled out the red carpet for WWE, they'd probably consider holding WrestleMania in the arena where the Panthers
More answers and news after the break, starting with if WWE can top a million buys for WM28.
2. Not if they don't promote it right and/or book the parties involved poorly. Either of those matches has potential to bring in a good deal of money, however. Of the two, I think I'd go with Lesnar. He's an established draw in the MMA world and a pretty mainstream star, whereas Sting has been out of the spotlight to some degree. At least compared to the marketing machines of WWE and UFC.
3. I'm usually fine with there only being 2 announcers as long as they mesh well, as there can be too much chatter going on. The easy answer here is "because they didn't/don't want to". C.M. Punk's currently wrestling and might not be there much longer, but I would certainly not mind Striker or Regal getting a chance on one of the main shows/PPVs. You're not alone in not being fond of some of the "Bookerisms" we've gotten on commentary lately.
4. Orton's one of WWE's top stars, so putting the title on him is hardly "out of touch". Out of touch would be putting it on Brodus Clay. I wanted Christian's title run to be longer, too, but it makes sense in a way to put it on one of their most over superstars.
I don't have anything to add to #5. They summed it up nicely.
If you're looking for some older Randy Savage interviews, PWInsider.com has you covered.
Lance Hoyt, known in WWE as Vance Archer, was interviewed recently. I liked him alright, but I'm not exactly aching for him to return.
Bound For Glory is believed to be taken on the road this year. There is talk of putting Impact Wrestling on the road more this fall as well. Good. I think that's the biggest thing they can do to get the product more over.
Mickie James will be singing at the CMA Festival in Nashville.
WWE has canceled an event in Portland, OR due to scheduling conflicts.
Kurt Angle says that there will be a reality show documenting his training for the 2012 Olympics. No word on when or where. That could certainly be interesting.
Hernandez has a mostly in-character interview with Slam!
WWE's developmental territory was profiled by a local news station. Spot the WWE and NXT cameos (and former TNA wrestler Alex Koslov).
Eric Bischoff had some things to say recently which will surely be talked about. I mostly agree about ROH's purchase.
Hulk Hogan was also profiled. No mention of TNA.
For those wanting to know what Stacy Keibler is up to, head to RingPosts.
Here's Randy Savage's official obituary.
John Cena was interviewed about WWE All-Stars recently. It's somewhat interesting.
The Miz also has an interview. It's pretty cool.
Never thought I'd post this: The one and only Robocop made a return to wrestling over the weekend.
An order for arresting Ric Flair was put out as the result of his issues with Highspots.com. He has been ruled in contempt of court. They should do whatever needs to be done to settle this, jail time included if necessary.
Finally, here are the new matches made official for TNA Slammiversary:
Sting vs. Mr. Anderson for the World Championship
Mickie James vs. Angelina Love for the Knockouts' Championship
Samoa Joe vs. Crimson
Matt Morgan vs. Scott Steiner
That's not a bad card on paper, storyline wise.
That's all for today's news. More to come tomorrow.
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