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        Usual Thursday with the TNA go-home show.  Among the things on the show:
*Mick Foley name drops Trina Michaels
*Earl Hebner attempts to wrangle a legal settlement out of Jeff Jarrett
*A.J. Styles & Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Jarrett & Mick Foley vs. Kurt Angle & Sting with the keys to the castle at stake.  I don't know what keys and what castle.  Maybe it's the keys to White Castle after hours so hungry wrestlers won't shot put a boulder threw the window and wind up in a Waukesha prison
*Raven vs. Jethro Holliday in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match.  I hope it's fun because I have to watch it either way.  Clockwork Orange House of No Fun match isn't as enticing
*The man with no first name, Daniels, faces Amazing Red
*Matt Morgan pretends he's The Miz in Monday night's Battle Royal
*Taylor Wilde & Awesome Kong vs. Angelina Love & Daffney
*Beer Money & Team 3-D vs. Lethal Consequences & Motor City Machine Guns
 
        Superstars is on WGN at 8 p.m.
 
        Unleashed from 7-9 p.m. has:
*Forrest Griffin pounding The King of Rock and Rumble, which sounds like they got Jerry Lawler to dance in a horrible rap video produced by Verne Gagne in the 80s
*David Terrell gets in the cage without suffering an injury in training two weeks for the fight, but probably wishes that he did as the late Evan Tanner pulverizes him
*Jeff Monson attempts to spray paint antigovernment messages on the back of Brandon Lee Hinkle
*Tim Sylvia tries to avoid crapping in his pants as Cabbage Correira spends two rounds as a heavy punching bag but refuses to fall down
*Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic
*Demian Maia goes through Ed Herman like a hot knife through butter
*Chuck Liddell faces Rashad Evans, and everyone here has seen how that turns out even if you hate UFC with a passion, since it is the first shot in a video game commercial.

        We have another double issue of the Observer coming on Monday with part one of a two part feature on the life of Mitsuharu Misawa, the heyday of All Japan Pro Wrestling, the formation of Pro Wrestling NOAH, the end of the glory days of Japanese wrestling and a lot more.

        We also look at the WWE with Donald Trump as a new character in the show, the gimmick of the commercial free Raw, the next PPV, some funny stories about what went on at the show and full coverage of a PPV level edition of Raw.

        We also have notes on the Tim Sylvia-Ray Mercer debacle, the UFC Mirko Cro Cop debacle, how things went down, as well as a look at the business of UFC 99 and full coverage of the show.

        We also look at the lawsuit filed by Nancy Benoit's parents, TripleMania and what happened the next night, Ring of Honor leaving PPV, Dragon Gate getting PPV and what is the same and what is different about the deals, the Ric Flair-ROH situation that went down on Saturday night, the lawsuit against Big Show and WWE on breach of contract and the latest boxing legend to do a stint in pro wrestling.

        The issue is available right now for web site subscribers, and you can get a mail subscription to the Observer with information below.

        A look back at the life and the tragic death of Mitsuharu Misawa is our lead story, as we look back first at one of the biggest pro wrestling events ever held, the beginning of Japanese pro wrestling and how it has changed.  We look at the death of Giant Baba, the ascension of Misawa as the top star in All Japan, the last few months of Misawa's life, his all-time business record, why he won the title for the final time, what had and hadn't been talked about regarding him retiring, as well as his last match and the aftermath.

        We look at what exactly happened, the decision to keep the tour going and what happened at the next few shows, coverage of the death and how it varied, Jun Akiyama's vacating the GHC title, the ascension of Go Shiozaki, Misawa in ROH, the end of the glory days of All Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as how Misawa first got into the business.

        We also look at what was covered after his death as his most famous match, the background of the match and the match itself, his days as Tiger Mask, the beginnings of Pro Wrestling NOAH and the first two nights.  We look at the height of the Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion and the two biggest shows in its history.

        We also look back at the Misawa vs. Kawada story, their final match and the last great emotional match of Misawa's career.

          The Wrestling Observer ranges from 25,000 to 40,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA all over the world.
 
        Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sites
and has the most complete look at the business as a whole anywhere.

The Observer is now in its 27th year of being the leading insider pro wrestling publication in the world. The biggest and most influential names in the pro wrestling industry as well as the MMA industry, from bookers, to promoters to Hall of Fame wrestlers and fighters to the biggest current names, both on camera, and behind the scenes, along with thousands of readers in all 50 states and 30 countries subscribe.  Many have subscribed as long as 20 years or more straight. They get the most detailed and inside coverage of what is going on all over the world and an accuracy from having the most inside sources that can't be found on the web.  Everyone from Wall Street to the major offices to the TV networks in U.S. and Japan turn to the Observer for what is going on in the business. If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today. Just send your Visa or Master Card order with your name, address, phone number, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or you can order by faxing that information to 408-244-3402. You can also subscribe via paypal at www.paypal.com and using the This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it address or subscribe via check, cash or money order, as well as credit card, by mail, by sending to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228.

        We also look at the return of Donald Trump, The Bash PPV, the Sylvia-Mercer deal, a look at what is and isn't in the lawsuit filed by the family of Nancy Benoit, as well as what was said about the steroids by Dr. Gary Wadler as well as the letter Dr. Phil Astin gave to authorities after Benoit's death.

        We also look at TripleMania, the AAA vs. WWE battle, the arrest of three AAA personalities and coverage of the show.

        We also look at an update on Ric Flair in ROH, where it stands, the future of the relationship and what happened on Saturday night.

        We also look behind the Big Show being sued, Big Show's boxing career, why it never happened, as well as coverage of the finals of the 2009 Super Junior tournament.

        We have an update on Gerald Brisco, WWE's new ideas regarding PPV, more on the releasing of Umaga, an update on the Rey Mysterio front, a house show match people were raving about, more on the farewell of Vickie Guerrero, best selling DVDs, background of two more third generation wrestlers in WWE and notes on the weekend house shows.    

       We also have our usual weekly features including ratings for all the major national shows, broken down with demo numbers, as well
as results from the major league arena events held around the world, and the major TV show reviews.
 
        Also in this week's issue:
 
--More on CMLL's tournament of champions

--Next big New Japan show

--A look at the death of ref Ted Tanabe

--Some upcoming legends matches

--Hulk Hogan lives his life in court and on the Bubba the Love Sponge show

--Hogan divorce getting uglier

--The oldest feud in wrestling, still going strong after almost 35 years

--A look back at the 1970s and how the FCC changed how matches were being promoted

--How changes in TV ended regional wrestling

--Notes on funeral of John Tolos

--Legends of the arena update

--Longest woman's match in history

--Newcomer to ROH

--Future of Sting as a pro wrestler

--World X Cup 2009 talks

--Victoria talks leaving WWE and going to TNA

--TNA TV tapings and house show news

--Business advances for the upcoming major UFC events

--Plans for the annual year-end show

--Official sales figures of the UFC video game are in

--UFC injuries

--Masato's career closing

--More on Gina Carano vs Cris Cyborg

--Jake Shields challenges Frank Shamrock

--Update on the two proposed biggest boxing matches this year

--Daughter of pro wrestler starts MMA career

        New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major story (ies) of the past 11 years you are most interested in
and we'll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We've got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular,
every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major
star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most
controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue. Our most requested issues in our history are:
 
*November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series
plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)
 
*December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you'll know exactly what was said--the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but
everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)
 
*August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article
and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)
 
*March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)
 
*October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)
*July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)
 
*February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)
 
*May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our
history)
 
*January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)
 
*February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)
 
*March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)
 
*April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk
Hogan)
 
*May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth, and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)
 
*June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)
 
*June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)
 
*July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the
night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)
 
*August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as
historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)
 
*September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s,
Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)
 
*October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)
 
*January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)
 
*February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)
 
*February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy's win over Brock Lesnar)
 
*March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)
 
*March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and
Wrestlemania history books)
 
*July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair's book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)
 
*July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair's book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)
 
*August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)
 
*August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund,
Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez--this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered
separately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)
 
*October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men world
wide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)
 
*November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the
history of TNA)
 
*January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)
 
*March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at their Hall of Fame)
 
*May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)
 
*June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and
behind the scenes of both shows)
 
*July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings,
Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
 
*August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)
 
*September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)
 
*October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)
 
*November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)
 
*December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on its own, $7 overseas)
 
*January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year's Eve 2005 coverage)
 
*January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)
 
*April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby--many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)
 
*April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)
 
*July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling--the most unreal story ever in wrestling)
 
*September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working
in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)
 
*October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him
tick as his real objectives)
 
*November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff's book and how the industry was changed forever)
 
*November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)
 
*November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart
signing with WCW and why it didn't click)
 
*December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride's offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why
there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)
 
*January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
 
*February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bam Bigelow)
 
*March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)
 
*March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)
 
*March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)
 
*April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage--which many are
calling one of the best issues in history)
 
*July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
 
*July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
 
*July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
 
*July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)
 
*July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)
 
*July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)
 
*August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)
 
*October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original
Strangler Lewis)
 
*November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women's wrestling) .
 
*December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)
 
*January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
 
*March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)
 
*March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)
 
*April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair's meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double
issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)
 
*August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)
 
*September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)
 
*September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)
 
*September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)
 
You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.
 
Rates are:
 
For the United States, it is $12 for 4 issues, $29 for 12, $55 for 24, $91 for 40 and $118 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $13.50 for
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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
 
We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more
about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk,
Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods. To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best
Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The
book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $10 for shipping costs to Canada and $12 for shipping costs outside North
America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.
 

--Today would have been the 47th birthday of Mitsuharu Misawa.
 
--At some point today we will have a special Wrestling Observer radio show with Georges St. Pierre.  We've got shows scheduled for Saturday night after UFC, Sunday night after Slammiversary and Monday night after a commercial free Raw.  So if I snap and say something stupid like Chris Jericho could never main event because my 17-year-old son would easily kick his ass (I don't have a 17 year son, and if I did, he wouldn't be training at the School of Karate and Magic Dancing Shoes Academy under master Ernest "The Cat" Miller), please forgive me.  And yes, that was a real quote from a real live guy running what not that many months earlier was the most successful pro wrestling company in the world.
 
--Which brings me to this, go to http://www.tnawrestling.com and find the Spin Cycle (it's somewhere in those news notes) and click on because the first 9 minutes or so are funny as hell.     
 
--In the irony of the week, WWE canceled Monday's house show in Valparaiso, IN on five days notice because they want all talent at Raw that night in Green Bay.  They will be running the show later this year.  I wonder if that means at the next Valpo baseball game, they'll spend 20 minutes with some guy from the drama club pretending to be Vince McMahon getting mocked by the chancellor of the college for disrespecting every student in the university as well as every baseball fan in America.
 
--USA Network realized they put their feet in their mouth and had to send out a press release today saying that the press release on Tuesday that referred to Raw being purchased by Donald Trump was not the case.  "There is no such actual sale.  We apologize for any confusion."  
 
--Sports Illustrated.com has reported that Mirko Cro Cop will face Mighty Mo on the 7/20 Dream show at the Saitama Super Arena.  Amazing how that happened just days after Cro Cop claimed he had not signed a contract.  
 
--UFC sent out a press release with the full UFC 100 card.  
*Matt Grice tries to avoid a bogus ref stoppage against Shannon Gugerty
*C.B. Dollaway tries to make it a clean sweep for ASU wrestling by freight training Tom "The King" Lawlor
*Dong Hyun Kim faces last minute replacement T.J. Grant, since Jonathan "Rene" Goulet, who was to face Dong, and Rory Markham, who was to face General Grant, were both injured earlier this week.  Goulet suffered a dislocated shoulder in training.
*Johnny "Bones" Jones has been studying his wrestling and Roller Derby tapes to come out with new high spots to try with Jake O'Brien in a match of the world's most exciting wrestler against the world's most boring
*Mac Danzig refuses to eat meat in preparation for being subbed by Jim Miller
*Mark Coleman refuses to show any fear from the ravages of oxygen deprivation while Stephan Bonnar takes time out from banging porn star looking women to attempt to stand upright for 15 minutes
*Yoshihiro Akiyama hopefully will do the single greatest ring entrance in UFC history or I'm throwing spit wads at Dana White and getting kicked out of the press section at the biggest show of the year.  Then he'll see if the combination of Vaseline and skin lotion is enough to try and avoid being Kang'd by Alan "The Talent" Belcher.  Maybe they can import the fans in Saitama to boo him out of the universe.
*Paulo Thiago attempts to see if lightning really can strike twice 9 million miles apart when he faces Jon Fitch
*Dan Henderson attempts to make Michael Bisping his personal douche bag
*Georges St. Pierre attempts to pound 30 pounds of water weight gain in less than one day out of Thiago Alves
*Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir end 18 months of fans arguing on message boards on whether Steve Mazzagatti saved Mir's ass or that Lesnar is an untalented oaf that any real fighter under the age of 44, that doesn't have an Olympic silver medal, nor wear a cowboy hat, would beat with ease and send him back to his home in the snow in the Middle of Nowhere, Minnesota to watch the three hunting channels that his television with rabbit ears can pick up.  An interesting trivia note here is that this is the first heavyweight title fight in UFC history where not only are both men going to be new fathers right before fight time, but that in both cases, their wives cut better promos than they do.  I guess we'll find out who is the one getting sleepless nights changing diapers and who is hiding in the basement to get a decent night of sleep.
 
--Saturday's UFC show in Las Vegas has
Prelim matches
Cameron Dollar vs. Jason Dent
Frank Lester vs. Nick Osipczak
Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Thomas Drwal
Edgar Garcia vs. Brad Blackburn
Gleison Tibau vs. Melvin Guillard
 
Live matches on Spike
Chris Lytle vs. Kevin Burns
Joe Stevenson vs. Nate Diaz
Ross Pearson vs. Andre Winner for the TUF lightweight tournament
Damarques Johnson vs. James Wilks for the TUF middleweight tournament
Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida
 
--Affliction announced its complete lineup for 8/1 in Anaheim
Dark matches
Jessie Gibbs vs. Rob Broughton
Lucio Linhares vs. Giv Santana
HDNet live
Chris Horodecki vs., Dan Lauzon
Ben Rothwell vs. Chase Gormley
Devidas Taurosevicius vs. Brett Cooper
PPV matches
Jay Hieron vs. Paul Daley
Paul Buentello vs. someone other than Tim Sylvia
Vitor Belfort vs. Jorge Santiago
Renato Sobral vs. Gegard Mousasi
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett in a five round fight for the WAMMA heavyweight title
 
--Dragon Gate USA on 7/25 in Philadelphia announced Naruki  Doi, the Open the Dream Gate champion, in a non-title match with Shingo Takagi.  They also announced Bryan Danielson and Davey Richards for the 9/6 show in Chicago
 

--Melina defends the WWE women's title against Michelle McCool at the 6/28 Bash PPV in Sacramento  

--WWE is releasing a 10th anniversay Smackdown DVD in the fall with the conjunction of the 10th annivesary special.  The listing includes a TLC match where Chris Benoit was a prime participant (and in fact, it was likely where he suffered his neck injury that required surgery and kept him out of action for one year).

--Pure Wrestling Alliance on Saturday night in Guelph, ONT at the Shelldale Community Center features Pure Wrestling champion and one-time UFC fighter Geza "Big Dog" Kalman against Warhed
 
--AWF Shockwave on 7/5 at 2 p.m. in Whitby, ONT at the  Class Act Dinner Theater featuring Shockwave the Robot from Zero-One Wrestling.
 
--WWE tapes TV for the first time in five years in Hamilton, ONT, with a 9/15 Smackdown taping at the Copps Coliseum.  Pre-sale starts today through Ticketmaster using the code word CHAMP (thanks to Devin Cutting)
 
--Former pro wrestler Dwayne Johnson is listed in People Magazine as one of the hottest bachelors of 2009.  See, divorce isn't that bad.  Well, unless you're Ric Flair's accountant.  Does that mean Dwayne gets to go on The Dating Game?  Too bad they didn't have the dating game when Ric Flair was young.  Okay, they did, but he was always married.  Then again.
 
--The 2009 U.S. Grappling World Team Trials, which usually features several MMA fighters, takes place at the Phoenix Convention Center from 10/22 to 10/24.  The winners represent the U.S. at the world championships, held on 12/12 and 12/13 in Fort Lauderdale.
 
--Chris Jericho appears on Disney XD on Aaron Stone on a show that airs at 9 p.m. on Monday night, head up with Raw.  
 
--Joseph Benavidez vs. Dominick Cruz at bantamweight has been added to the 8/9 WEC show in Las Vegas
 
--What to you think is the real main event for the Bash
No way there's a PPV next week 43.9%
C.M. Punk vs. Jeff Hardy 43.9%
Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho 21.0%
HHH vs. Randy Orton 5.8%
ECW Scramble match 2.2%
 
--Who is No. 1 pound for pound in the world
Georges St. Pierre 33.1%
Fedor Emelianenko 27.9%
Anderson Silva 12.1%
Lyoto Machida 10.9%
Brock Lesnar 8.4%
Miguel Torres 3.5%
B.J. Penn 1.2%
Mike Brown 1.2%
Shinya Aoki 1.0%
Frank Mir 0.5%
Gegard Mousasi 0.2%
 
--CZW is back on 7/11 at the CZW Arena in Philadelphia.  Maybe they can slice a guy half to death and threaten to set him on fire.  Oh yeah, they already did that.
 
--Lance Storm comes to Camrose, Alberta on Saturday night at the Max McLean Arena in the guise of special referee.  For more you can go to http://www.stormwrestling.com/news.html
 
--3XW on 6/26 in Des Moines at the Social Club.  Some day I want them to have an event at the Antisocial Club
 
--Monday night in Puebla:  Ares & Espiritu Maligno & Siki Osama b Black Tiger & Blue Center & Centella de Oro, Pequeno Black Warrior & Pierrothito & Universito 2000 b Bam Bam & Pequeno Olimpico & Shockercito, Blue Panther & Sagrado & Shocker b El Texano Jr. (subbing for Dos Caras Jr. who is gone) & Tetsuya Naito & Yujiro, Hector Garza & La Sombra & Volador Jr. b Felino & Negro Casas & Mr. Niebla, Ultimo Guerrero b Averno-DQ
 
--Tuesday night in Guadalajara:  Rey Trueno b Palacio Negro, Gallo & Metatron b Mascara Magica & El Satanico-DQ, Dark Angel & Lady Apache & Zeuxis b Amapola & Princesa Blanca & Princesa Sugei, Hector Garza & Maximo b Atlantis (subbing for Dos Caras Jr.) & Mephisto
 
--Sunday in Nuevo Laredo:  Drakon & Guerrero Especial b Brillante Star & Latino Star, Black Fenix & Kendor & Kendor Jr. b Ave Celestial & Mortal & Street Boy, Psycho Circus b Jaque Mate & Sobredosis & Violento, Dark Cuervo & Dark Escoria & Dark Ozz b Hombre sin Miedo & Sangre Chicana & Killer Clown, Charly Manson & Dr. Wagner Jr. b Black Abyss & Dark Escoria & Konnan-DQ.  Mesias was supposed to be on the show but was arrested earlier that day.
 
--There is a benefit for Jerry Estrada, one of the most underrated workers of the past 30 years (an early opponent of Misawa) on 6/26 in Muzuiz with L.A. Park & Super Parka & Olimpico vs. Perro Aguayo Jr. & Damian 666 & Halloween on top
 
--Juventud Guerrera has two main events tonight, facing Dr. Cerebro in Naucalpan and teaming with Porky & Dr. Wagner Jr. against Aguayo Jr. & Damian 666 & Halloween in Torre
 
FUN FACT from Tuesday's ECW TV show
WWE beats Facebook
 
WWEUniverse.com consistently ranks higher than Facebook in terms of Average Time Spent per Visit
 
MORE FUN FACTS
WWEUniverse.com isn't even ranked in the top 100,000 web sites
 
MORE FUN FACTS
Facebook obliterates WWE.com in every conceivable category, including average time spent on the site per visit
 
AND EVEN MORE FUN FACTS
In the meaningless statistic of average time spent on the site per visit, Wrestlingobserver.com consistently beats WWE.com
 
--Matt Serra, Tracy Brooks, Demolition, Ted DiBiase Sr., Jerry Lawler and Lou Ferrigno will be at the Wizard World Philadelphia convention this weekend at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.  Lawler will be appearing with Headlocked writer and creator Mike Kingston to sign autograph copies of the comic book
 
--The note yesterday on a Big Time Wrestling show tomorrow night in the Braintree National Guard Armory with Roddy Piper, is actually in the National Guard Armory in nearby Quincy, MA
 
--Wild Bill's Fight Night next show is 7/24 in Duluth, GA at Wild Bill's.
 
--Osaka Pro Wrestling is having a huge show tomorrow to pay tribute to referee Ted Tanabe, who passed away over the weekend.  Wrestlers from Osaka Pro, Big Japan, Joshi Pro Wrestling (women), K-Dojo, Kageki, 666 and more will be appearing with Daisuke Sekimoto & Jaki Numazawa vs. Shadow WX & Yuichi Taniguchi on top
 
--Reportedly the $7 tickets for TNA Slammiversary in Detroit are now sold out   
 
--Pro wrestler Matt Riviera is a cast member of a VH-1 reality show called Megan Wants a Millionaire that will air in August.  Hopefully he'll represent pro wrestling in the same fine manner Chyna has on VH-1 reality shows.
 
--Brew City Wrestling tomorrow night in Club Velvet in Waukesha, WI is headlined by Jim Neidhart, who hopefully won't be hungry at about 1 a.m. after the show.    
 
--Mark Kerr fights at King of the Cage Canada in Edmonton at the Rexall Place on 7/18 against Nick Penner ___________________