THE EAST COAST INDY WRESTLING UPDATE #11, by John (Saturday, October 25, 2003)

Table of Contents:

- SOURCES
- EAST COAST INDY WRESTLERS IN INTERNATTIONAL INDIES NEWS
- MISC. EAST COAST INDY TIDBITS
- UPCOMING EAST COAST INDY EVENT SHILLSS
- COMBAT ZONE WRESTLING (CZW) NEWS
- IWA MID-SOUTH HARDCORE WRESTLING (IWAA-MS) NEWS
- MAJOR LEAGUE WRESTLING (MLW) NEWS
> - NWA-TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION (NWA-TNA) NEEWS
- NWA WILDSIDE NEWS
- RING OF HONOR (ROH) NEWS
- XTREME PRO WRESTLING (XPW) NEWS
- MULTIMEDIA OF THE WEEK
- SHILLS OF THE WEEK

SOURCES

1Wrestling.com, Bob Barnett, CZWWrestling.com, Evan Ginzberg, Gerweck.net, IWAMidSouthWrestling.com, JAPW.net, Jeremy Borash, Masanori Horie, TheSmartMarks.com, MLW.com, NWATNA.com, NWA-Wildside.com, PuroresuFan.com, PWBTS.com, PWTorch, ROHWrestling.com, Wade Keller, Wrestling Observer, XPWTV.com

EAST COAST INDY WRESTLERS IN INTERNATIONAL INDIES NEWS

- D'Lo Brown, Mike "The Gladiator" Awesome, Jeremy Lopez, Malice (a.k.a. Gigantes), Bull Buchanan, and international stars Dr. Wagner Jr. and Silver King are all currently touring with All Japan. Jimmy Yang was scheduled to work on the tour, but his appearances were cancelled due to his recent signing of a WWE developmental deal..
- IWA-MS' Ace Steel will debut in Pro WWrestling NOAH later this year.
- On the 9/19 All Star Promotions mini--show in Aylesbury, Germany, Chris Hero defeated Mikey Whiplash and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson lost to New York Street Fighter. Jonny Storm was also on the card and wrestled two matches, first teaming with Dean 2Xtreme to beat Brooklyn Brawler (no, not Steve Lombardi!) & Phil Powers and later on winning a Battle Royal.
- Heartland Wrestling Alliance star Cheet "The Jet" Jablonski is currently touring with IWA Puerto Rico, as is David Flair.
- Hulk Hogan will return to Japan on 1//4/04 when he competes against a yet-to-be-named opponent on the NJPW "WRESTLING WORLD 2004 Tour" show at the Tokyo Dome.
- The S.A.T. (Joel Maximo & Jose Maaximo) and NWA Florida stars Steve Madison and Lex Lovelett (working as Lex Meyer in Japan) are currently touring with World Japan Wrestling.
- England's XWrestling recently announcced that it had signed CZW tag team Nick Berk & Z-Barr to compete on its "Revolution" show in April 2004. This will be both wrestlers' debuts in England. Berk told XWrestling that "It's a pleasure to finally get to wrestle in England. I'm looking forward to showing my talents to a new country." Also on the Revolution show will be Road Warrior Animal (Road Warrior Hawk was scheduled to appear on the show, but won't due to his recent death), Ted DiBiase, Big Vito, Reckless Youth a.k.a. Tom Carter, and many others.
- IWA-MS' 2 Tuff Tony & Madman Ponddo continue touring with Big Japan, while Super Crazy is working on a series of New Japan shows. Juventud Guerrera, meanwhile, is competing in Pro Wrestling NOAH.
- CZW will hold its debut show outside of the U.S. TONIGHT in Pistoia, Italy. It will be entited, "Shockwave," and for the full card and more info, please scroll down to the CZW News section. Also, John Zandig and several other CZW workers will return to ZER-ONE in December.

MISC. EAST COAST INDY TIDBITS:

- According to Evan Ginzberg, California-based independent filmmaker Dwayne Walker's documentary about the U.S. indy wrestling scene is in the final stages of editing and will be released soon. The documentary includes appearances by Ginzberg, Louie Ramos, Homicide, Nikolai Volkoff, Nikita Breznikov, Don Arnold, Kid USA, Frankie Starz, LXW co-owner and XPW executive Slash, Mambo King, Steve the Teacher, Tiger Khan and more.
- OhioValleyWrestling.com was hit with the "SoBig" hacker/worm a few times in the past few weeks, but according to webmaster Clark Patterson, the web site is back to normal and is running properly.
- A new independent wrestling promotionn called the Eastern Wrestling Alliance has formed in Baltimore, MD. In addition to running shows in the area, it owns a wrestling training school. Free tryouts for the school are being offered Monday thru Thursday from 6 - 7 pm. For more information, call 443-858-2755 and check out the promotion's web site at EWAMD.com.
- Altar Boy Luke sprained his ankle andd tore ligaments in it during his match vs. Justice Pain on the 9/27 Lucha Xtreme Wrestling (LuchaXtremeWrestling.com) debut show in Jamaica, Queens, NY. The injury occurred when he attempted a moonsault out to ringside and his ankle gave way. Luke, however, is expected to work through the pain, as he is scheduled to appear on tomorrow's NWA Wildside show.
- Raven's new official web site has beeen launched and can be viewed at TheRavenEffect.com. Jimmy Rave has also lauched a new web site, which can be found at JimmyRave.8m.ru .
- NON-EAST COAST INDY WRESTLING TIDBIT:: On the 10/22 Ultimate Pro Wrestling Possession show in Santa Ana, CA, several MAJOR names were added to the upcoming UPW 5th Anniversary Show that is scheduled to occur on 12/17/03. Firstly Sylvester "The Predator" Turkay said that he wanted to do something special for the 12/17 show, so he challenged Ken Shamrock to a match on it. Shamrock came out and cut a promo, saying that he accepted the match.

Later on in the show, a three-man match between Frankie Kazarian (UPW Lightweight Champion), Mikey Henderson, and LOW KI (making his UPW debut and only his second West Coast appearance EVER [at least to my knowledge; his first two were vs. Super Dragon in MPW and four matches at the 2001 APW King of the Indies Tournament] for the UPW Lightweight Title. That match will also occur on the anniversary show.

After the show's main event ended, a match for the anniversary show was booked betweek Tom Howard and none other than STING for Howard's UPW Heavyweight Title. So, on the 12/17 show, Sting will return to the California territory in which he began his legendary career.

Evan Marriott a.k.a. Joe Millionaire also made his return to UPW on the 10/22 show and cut a promo and participated in a runin after the main event.

UPCOMING EAST COAST INDY EVENT SHILLS

- The second Lucha Xtreme Wrestling (LXWrestling.com) show in Jamaica, Queens, NY on 11/5 will feature: Shark Boy (debuting in LXW) vs. Zokre; Scorpio Jr. vs. Justin Credible; "The Hardcore Homo" Angel vs. Justice Pain; Mexico's Most Wanted (Damien 666/Halloween) vs. The Aerial Express (QuickSilver/Scorpio Sky); a one-night, eight-man, single-elimination tournament to crown the inaugural LXW Heavyweight Champion, with "100% Guapo" Shocker vs. Ultimo Guerrero already announced(!); appearances by "Vicious" Vic Grimes (debuting in LXW), Phoenix Star, TARO, Supreme, Smoke Dawg (formerly Smokey Charmichael), All Money Is Legal, Los Lunatics, Grimm Reefer (debuting), AWC (debuting), The Solution, Chi Chi Cruz, and others!
- Also on 11/15, several East Coast inddy stars will compete on the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla "An Inch Longer Than Average" show in LA, CA: *M-Dogg 20 (a.k.a. Matt Cross)* vs. Jardi Frantz; Non-Title Match - Hardkore Kidd vs. ROH World Heavyweight Champion *Samoa Joe*; Adam Pearce vs. *Colt Cabana*; Heavyweight Title - *Frankie Kazarian* (c) vs. ROH star American Dragon (a.k.a. Bryan Danielson) (making his So-Cal return).
- Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling (3PW) (11/22; Viking Hall in South Philly, PA): TLC Match(!) for the 3PW Heavyweight Title - Justin Credible (c) vs. Sabu; Ian Rotten vs. Juggalo Championsh*t Wrestling's Rudeboy (debuting in 3PW); Homicide vs. Xavier; appearances by "Pitbull" Gary Wolfe, Jasmin St. Claire and Tod Gordon, Roadkill, The Blue Meanie, Rob Eckos, Striker, Monsta Mack, Nick Berk, Damian Adams, Ricky Vega, Josh Daniels, and CJ O' Doyle.
- The Sixth Anniversary Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW.net) show will occur on Saturday, 11/8 in Secaucus, NJ. The show will feature: No DQ/Countout Match - Raven (taking the place of Terry Funk, who was originally scheduled to team with Sabu, but had to pull himself from the show due to "a scheduling conflict" [JAPW.net])/Sabu vs. Homicide/Dan(ny) "Mafia" Maff; JAPW Heavyweight Title - Al Snow (c) vs. Jerry Lawler, w/ none other than MICK FOLEY as the Special Guest Referee(!!!); Tag Team Titles - April Hunter/Slyk Wagner Brown (c) vs. The Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz vs. H Effect; County Whippin' Match for the Television Title - Crazy Ivan (c) vs. Jay Lethal; Light Heavyweight Title - Azrieal (c) vs. Insane Dragon; Six-Man Best of the Light Heavyweights Match - CZW's Ruckus vs. NWA Florida's Roderick Strong vs. Neo Spirit Pro Wrestling (Canada)'s Derek Wylde vs. three other participants who will be announced soon.
- Maximum Pro Wrestling (MXPW) (11/4; BBroward Community College in Coconut Creek, FL): Texas Bullrope Match - Dusty Rhodes vs. Barry Windham; Heavyweight Title - D'Lo Brown (c) vs. Raven vs. Shane Douglas; B.G. James vs. Glenn Gilberti; Tag Team Titles - Simon Diamond/Johnny Swinger (c) vs. Konnan/Norman Smiley; Hardcore Match - Mideon (Dennis Knight) vs. New Jack vs. The Sandman; Television Title - AJ Styles (c) vs. Chris Sabin; Chaz (Headbanger Mosh)/Julio Dinero vs. David Johnson/Vampire Warrior (Gangrel); Scoot Andrews vs. Michael Shane; Antonio Banks vs. Hack Myers.
- Tonight's NWA Florida show that was sscheduled to occur in St. Petersburg, FL has been cancelled. According to NWA-Florida.com, the event was supposed to be a fundraiser for Lealman Intermediate School, but NWA Florida management was recently contacted by the Superintendent of schools, who told them that the show wouldn't take place because of new procedures being implemented by the school board. A new venue for the event is currently being searched for. Also, NWA Florida is preparing for a show in November, more info on which will be released soon.

However, for those fans who planned on attending tonight's NWA Florida show in St. Petersburg, have no fear! Instead, you can attend Full Impact Pro Wrestling's show tonight, which will also occur in St. Petersburg! That show will feature: TLC Match - NEW JACK/BALLS MAHONEY vs. The Hellraizers; Joshua Masters/Fetish vs. Ralph Mosca/Mystery Partner; Paddle On A Pole Match - Phi Delta Slam vs. The Davis Boys; Kahagus vs. Brian "The Blade" Gamble (Barred From Ringside - Ryze); Vampire Warrior a.k.a. Gangrel (w/ Luna) vs. Cyborg; Robbie Chance/Shan Hill vs. The Hardliners; Aaron Epic vs. Kid Lethal; and appearances by The Black Knight, Lady Luck, Jaison Moore, Dagon Briggs, Scott Davis & Antonio Banks! Check out FullImpactPro.com for more info.
- Ohio Valley Wrestling (TONIGHT; Beechh Grove, IN). Check out OhioValleyWrestling.com for more info.
- MadMar Entertainment (MadMar.net) &quuot;A Nightmare on Walnut Street" (TONIGHT; Titusville, PA): Inaugural hardcore Suicide MadMar Title Tournament that will feature tables, thumbtacks, and more(!); IWC's Devil's Advocates vs. Simply Fabulous; special NECW tag team match; "Luscious" Rocky Reynolds defends his Pennsylvania Title; appearances by DJ Phil Close, Silent Warrior Valik, the undefeated Guardian Angel Lexis Wine, and more; color commentary by John Bieda, American JackAss, and Tim Chizmar.
- United Wrestling Association "Haalloween Horror" (TONIGHT; Blaine, TN): six great matches will occur, including Jason Voorhees vs. Micheal Myers (?), an Indian Strap Match, a First Blood Match, and a Double Casket Match (The Thunder Valley Express [Jason Thunder/Chris Gorgeous] vs. The Creeper/The Nightcrawler) as the main event; also on the card will be Buckwyld, James Benoit, Nelsonizer, Talis Blackrose, The Crazy Connection, Jamie Northstar, Ghostrider Kenny, The Pack, The Boss, Freak, Jerry Thunder, Morgue, Mental Madness, Matt "Knuckles" Talent, The Creeper, The Nightcrawler, Steel, and more.
- New York Wrestling Connection (MONDAYY; Deer Park, NY): Commissioner Curse/Dan Barry vs. Mason Raige/Light Heavyweight Champion Johnny Ova; Heavyweight Title - Tyler Payne (c) vs. Dickie Rodz vs. Mikey Whipwreck; Interstate Title - Ru Star (c) vs. Wayne; Southern Vinny Stylin' vs. Tony Burma; Mayhem vs. Mike Tobin; Grim Reefer vs. Iceberg; Matt Hype vs. Dynasty Dan Dubois; Nuke vs. Joey Braggiol; Silvaman vs. J-Silva; Ken Scampi/Spyder vs. Damien Dragon/Armand DeMuerto; Prince Charles' guest in the Prince's Palace segment will be Dan Barry; and more. Also, according to the NYWC web site, "starting this week NYWC will be airing on Public Access in most of Suffolk on Sunday nights at 8pm and on Mondays at 12:30am. (CH 20) and will also be airing in Western Suffolk and Nassau on Tuesday nights at 5pm and again Mondays at 4:30 am.(CH 20)."
- Please note that the upcoming events of promotions with their own news section in this column (CZW, IWA-MS, MLW, NWA Wildside, NWA-TNA, and ROH) will not be posted in this section, but rather below in the section of that respective promotion.
- The IWA promotion of Puerto Rico began running live shows in Florida this month (October). The shows fetured Apollo, Rey Gonzalez, Vampiro, Dutch Mantel, and others.

COMBAT ZONE WRESTLING (CZW) NEWS

- CZW's debut show outside of the U.S. - entited "Shockwave" - will occur TONIGHT at the Palasport Arena in Pistoia, Italy, and will feature: World Heavyweight Title - The Messiah (c) vs. John Zandig; Tables Match - Nate Hatred vs. Nick Gage; Ironman Title - Trent Acid (c) vs. Ruckus; Ladder Match - B-Boy vs. Sonjay Dutt. From 4:00 pm - 6 pm the night of the show, at the Palasport Arena, there will be an autograph session with CZW wrestlers that will be available for fans in Italy. This event will occur a few hours before Shockwave begins. For more info, check out CZWWrestling.it or NUWrestling.com.
- John Zandig and several other CZW worrkers will return to ZER-ONE in December.
- England's XWrestling recently announcced that it had signed CZW tag team Nick Berk & Z-Barr to compete on its "Revolution" show in April 2004. This will be both wrestlers' debuts in England. Berk told XWrestling that "It's a pleasure to finally get to wrestle in England. I'm looking forward to showing my talents to a new country." Also on the Revolution show will be Road Warrior Animal (Road Warrior Hawk was scheduled to appear on the show, but won't due to his recent death), Ted DiBiase, Big Vito, Reckless Youth a.k.a. Tom Carter, and many others.

Also, Z-Barr is rumored to be working for NWA-TNA next month (November).
- Johnny Kashmere recently quit CZW. Thhis news item was originally reported by 1Wrestling.com on Sunday, 10/12. Although one source within CZW simply stated that Kashmere would be "take time away from CZW," many Internet sources insist that he is entirely done with the company. Kashmere currently co-holds the CZW Tag Team Title and - up until this past Thursday night - the ROH Tag Team Title with his Backseat Boyz partner, Trent Acid (who is also the current CZW Ironman Champion), and was not present at the CZW 10/11 show at Viking Hall, despite being promoted as appearing at it. Friends of Kashmere are stating that he actually quit the promotion a month ago after the 9/13 CZW show (also at Viking Hall) due to being discouraged about his role in CZW storylines. If this is in fact true, it makes CZW's mistake of hyping him as being on the 10/11 show all the more irresponsible, considering they apparently knew that he wouldn't be there for almost a month before that show. There is no word yet on what CZW is planning to do with the tag team titles, which Acid appears to be the sole holder of now that Kashmere is gone. Also, Kashmere's name has been removed from the "Roster" page on CZWWrestling.com. There is no news on what Kashmere's departure from CZW means for his future in ROH. For more information on Kashmere or Trent Acid, please visit BackseatWeb.com.
- CZW will return to Viking Hall in Souuth Philly on 11/15 for "Uprising," which will feature: Double Dog Collar Match w/ John Zandig as Special Guest Referee - Nick Gage/The Wifebeater (making his in-ring CZW return) vs. Nate Hatred/The Messiah; Sonjay Dutt/Ruckus vs. Derek Frazier/Rockin' Rebel; B-Boy vs. Jimmy Rave.
- The reason that Truth Martini missed his scheduled match vs. Sonjay Dutt last Saturday at the Viking Hall show was because he suffered a neck injury a few nights earlier at a show in Michigan.
- Rebel's Army stable member and originnal WWE Tough Enough participant Greg "Tough Enough" Matthews has been sidelined with an ankle injury for 3-6 weeks.
- Tickets for CZW Cage of Death V (scheeduled for Saturday, 12/13/03 at Viking Hall) can be reserved by going to http://www.czwwrestling.com/Tickets/cod5.html .
- You can download part 2 of the traileer of the upcoming "Nick Mondo: Unscarred" documentary on NickMondo.com.
- Dover, DE - home of CZW's Racks &; Billiards event venue - has enacted legislation that has banned CZW from running there anymore.

IWA MID-SOUTH HARDCORE WRESTLING (IWA-MS) NEWS

- Tonight, IWA-MS debuts at the National Guard Armory in North Vernon/Salem, IN with appearances by Ian Rotten, JC Bailey, Chris Hamrick, Tracy Smothers, The Lancasters (Jarod & Jason), Cash Flo, and more. For more info, please visit IWAMidSouthWrestling.com.

Then, on 11/27, IWA-MS will return to the National Guard Armory in North Vernon/Salem, IN with Danny Daniels defending his Heavyweight Title vs. the returning HOMICIDE, among other matches to be announced!
- The reason that Sabu no-showed his boooking vs. JC Bailey on yesterday's Salem, IN show was because his tour with Michinoku Pro in Japan was extended longer than scheduled.
- Rollin' Hard has been sidelined with a foot injury, which is what caused his in ability to compete on last Saturday's show in Ooltic, IN.
- 2 Tuff Tony and Madman Pondo continuee touring with Big Japan.
- Corporal Robinson recently got marrieed to a blone girl, according to IWAMidSouthWrestling.com.
- Repeats of the 2003 IWA-MS King of the Deathmatches Tournament are continuing to air on Samurai! TV in Japan.
- IWAMidSouthWrestling.com has created a new, easier-to-use (than it's previous board) message board for it's fans to interact. The new board can be found at www.iwamidsouth.proboards19.com . Registration (which is free) is required to post on the board, unlike with the previous board.
- The 24 participants in the second annnual IWA-MS "Ted Petty Invitational" Sweet Science Tournament (scheduled to occur on 11/7 and 11/8 in Salem, IN) have been announced as Colt Cabana, Chris Hero, Jimmy Jacobs, B-Boy, Chris Sabin, Jonny Storm, Michael Shane (replacing Trent Acid), AJ Styles, Danny Daniels, Sonjay Dutt, Nigel McGuinness, Truth Martini, Todd Sexton (replacing Matt Stryker due to "a booking conflict"), JC Bailey, Alex Shelley, Salvatore Rinauro (replacing Dino Bambino due to "deciding to take a hiatus from pro wrestling"), BJ Whitmer, Jimmy Rave, Nate Webb, Arik Cannon, M-Dogg 20, Josh Prohibition, Ken Anderson, and Jerry Lynn. Earlier today, the first non-tournament match on the show was announced - a women's match between Mickie Knuckles and the returning Rain. Like what was done at the 2003 KOTDM Tournament, a Q&A session with the IWA-MS stars will be held during the TPI weekend. For more info on the TPI show, please visit IWAMidSouthWrestling.com.
- IWA-MS recently announced that it willl return to Illinois as it makes its debut in the city of Lafatette the National Guard Armory on Saturday, November 22. More information on this show will be announced in the coming weeks.
- IWA-MS' Ace Steel will debut iin Pro Wrestling NOAH later this year.
- For info on Chris Hero's recent appeaarances in Europe, please scroll up to the EAST COAST INDY WRESTLERS IN INTERNATIONAL INDY INDIES NEWS section.

MAJOR LEAGUE WRESTLING (MLW) NEWS

- MLW's "Hybrid Horror Show" event - which was scheduled for yesterday in Jacksonville, FL, has been postponed and - according to MLW.com - will be rescheduled for a later date. The web site also has information on how to obtain ticket refunds for the Hybrid Horror Show.

Originally scheduled to occur on tonight's show was an MLW World Heavyweight Title Match between champion Terry Funk and challenger Steve Corino, Barry Windham's MLW in-ring debut, "Justin Credible" PJ Walker vs. "Dr. Death" Steve Williams in a Taped Fist Match, Homicide vs. Jerry Lynn in a Loser Leaves MLW For 90 Days Match, and more. There is no word yet on what matches will occur on the rescheduled version of the show and how identical they will be to the original card.

Check out MLW.com for more info on MLW.
- The following info contained within tthe "*"s are courtesy of 1Wrestling.com:

*Mike Awesome and Los Maximos (a.k.a. The S.A.T. of Joel & Jose Maximo) have both left MLW. Apparently, after his match vs. Joe Sea (Samoa Joe), Awesome - the consistency of whose in-ring work MLW has not been impressed too with - stormed backstage and was continually complaining about the match. After this incident, MLW has stopped booking Awesome.

Los Maximos have also stopped being booked by MLW after gaining disfavor with management for failing to commit to scheduling for the production of their appearances on MLW Underground TV, leading to several instances where MLW was forced to reschedule production meetings and allocate excessive money towards post-production of its TV show. Until their recent departure, Los Maximos were receiving a major tag team push in the promotion.

Former-WWF/E backstage interviewer and commentator Kevin Kelly began working for MLW this past week in the studio by assisting in the production of the most recent MLW Underground TV episode. Kelly will make his first on-camera appearance in MLW on 10/24 at the Hybrid Horror Show, where he will act as a locker room correspondent (a role that he will continue holding on future MLW TV shows).*

- Straight edge MLW referee Chasyn Rance wrestled Less Fortunate for the No Name Wrestling Featherweight Title on last Sunday's NNW show in Poinciana, FL.
- MLW has come to terms with Low Ki, whho - according to MLW.com - will debut in the promotion after he completes his current tour with Japan's ZERO-ONE.
- Info regarding the 11/21 King of Kinggs 2 show will be released soon.
- An official MLW Fan Club will be estaablished soon.
- Tickets for the 12/29 MLW WrestleFestt 2003 show can be ordered at http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/886544 .
- Taiyo Kea is scheduled to return to MMLW in 1/04 after recovering from a torn ACL and plans are for him to team with "Samoa" Joe Sea. The two will likely team together in MLW's second annual tag team tournament (titled the "GTC Carnival"), which is also scheduled for 1/04. More info regarding that event will be released in the future.
- Matt Rite (a.k.a. NY-based indy star Matt Striker) was coughing up blood after his six-man tag team match a few weeks ago at WAR GAMES, but was said to be alright and will apparently become a regular in MLW. Rite, by the way, will now be using the alias of "Marvelous" Matt Martel while in MLW.
- MLW hopes to begin running shows outside of Florida in November. One of those shows will most likely be in Dallas, TX and for that show, MLW is rumored to be bringing in a six-sided, Toryumon-style ring.

NWA-TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION (NWA-TNA) NEWS

- Next Wednesday's PPV (10/29) will feature: Jeff Jarrett vs. former-protege of Jimmy Hart (w/ Jimmy Hart); Gallows of Retribution/Hangman's Horrors Match (Four dog collars and chains will be attached in the ring, and the object is to hang your opponent over the top until his passes out!) - Raven vs. Vampiro; TNA X Division Title - Michael Shane (c) vs. Sonjay Dutt; America's Most Wanted vs. Glenn Gilberti/David Young; Kid Kash vs. Abyss; Redshirt Security vs. Don Harris/Director of Authority Erik Watts. Check out NWATNA.com for more info.
- The 10/30 "Bound For Glory"; mega PPV was postponed earlier this week, as many of you readers already probably know. TNA officials learned that Hulk Hogan - who was scheduled to wrestle Jeff Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Title on the show - would be undergoing knee surgery on 10/31 after apparently re-injuring his knee during his 10/13 match vs. Masahiro Chono in NJPW. The event - if it does end up occurring - will probably not happen until sometime next year. Many Internet sources are even suspicious of whether or not Hogan's "re-injury" is legitimate, saying that it's quite possible that he just didn't want to go through with the TNA appearance because he was sure that the PPV would fail miserably, due to a lack of promotion. In the mean time, TNA officials will apparently be looking to obtain a promotional license to run shows in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they are interested in holding the event, if it does end up transpring.

- Fans can expect an interpromotional agreement between TNA and the Mexico-based AAA or EMLL promotions to be announced soon. AAA owner Antonio Penã has had several meetings meetings with TNA officials and appearances on TNA PPVs as of recent, while Paco Alfonso - owner of AAA's primary rival, EMLL - was scheduled to attend this past Wednesday's TNA PPV, but no-showed. He will apparently be attending one of the future TNA PPVs, though, in order to advance a possible working agreement between EMLL and TNA.

According to the PWTorch, Konnan was seen returning to Penã the AAA title belt that he had refused to give back after jumping (along with several other famous luchadores) from AAA to EMLL in the early '90's. That incident is considered one of the most historic ever in Lucha Libre history and created tension between Konnan and Penã that somewhat resembles the heat that Bret Hart and Vince McMahon once had with each other. The Wrestling Observer reports that Jerry Jarrett was worried about the two doing Spanish commentary together on the PPV a week and a half ago, but was happy with the way they got along. They apparently seem to be putting aside their past differences and attempting to renew the former relationship that allowed them to work together to form AAA a decade ago. Plus, Konnan is looking to obtain some Mexican bookings, so he is working extra diligently in the ring so as to hopefully impress Penã.

- Tiger Mask IV of New Japan Pro Wrestling will be flown into the U.S. to compete on the 11/30 TNA PPV. This appearance is being credited to the recent interpromotional discussion between TNA and NJPW regarding each promotion's use of Hulk Hogan. Tiger's appearance in TNA is expected to further the growing relationship between TNA and NJPW.

Besides Tiger's involvement, the only other match being discussed (and only tentatively, mind you; it's not confirmed yet) for the 11/30 show is a second Ultimate X Match that features AJ Styles, Chris Sabin, and Michael Shane. According to the Wrestling Observer, the tentative venue for the 11/30 event is the Nashville Fairgrounds. Other possibilities that have been looked into include The Orleans in Las Vegas, NV and The Nashville Auditorium. Apparently, Hulk Hogan opposes the idea of running at the Fairgrounds, however, as he apparently views it as too small an arena for what is likely to be a major event. TNA executives are looking into bringing back Sting and Roddy Piper for the 11/30 event, but have not solidifed an appearance by either man.
- Slash of the New Church will team witth Azrael vs. Altar Boy Luke and Gabriel on tonight's "NWA Wildside Fright Night" show in Cornelia, GA. For the complete card of that show, please scroll down to the NWA Wildside News section.
- CZW wrestler Z-Barr is rumored to be working for TNA next month (November).
- TNA has recently been contacting Marcc Mero in hopes of possibly obtaining his services for some matches.
- A Dallas, TX newspaper published an aarticle on 10/12 about TNA's growing rise to prominence in the wrestling industry. The article also mentions the recent hirings of Dutch Mantel and Hulk Hogan.
- The group that accompanies Chris Daniiels to the ring for his matches includes indy wrestlers "Spyder" Nate Webb (IWA-MS), "Devilish" Lee Handsome (formerly XPW's GQ Money), and Delirous (NWA Wildside).
- As is suggested by his recent on-air personality, one can expect Jerry Lynn to turn heel by developping a "bitter, old veteran"-type gimmick.
- TNA commentator Don West has been hirred as the brand-new afternoon talk show host on Nashville's Sports Talk 560 Monday thru Friday from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm.
- TNA recently announced the release off three special DVDs: Best of NWA-TNA Title Matches, Best of the X Division Matches, and Best of Bloodiest Brawls. The Title Matches DVD will be available the week of October 13, while the others will follow soon thereafter (all in time for this year's holiday season). The matches featured on the DVDs are all complete and uncut and each DVD will also contain bonus footage and interviews with TNA performers. Check out NWATNA.com for a complete match listing of each DVD.
- The TNA Volume 2 theme song CD is avaailable for pre-order on NWATNA.com. A full track listing is also available for view on the TNA web site.

The following tidbits are courtesy of the PWTorch:

- After his WWE contract expires next summer, Rob Van Dam is rumored to be leaving the promotion due to frustration about his current storyline role and exploring several options, including returning to Japan to wrestle and joining TNA.
- AJ Styles is unhappy about his currennt push. There's no news on whether or not that's because he dropped the NWA title to Jeff Jarrett this past week on the PPV or if his frustration was present even while he held that title.
- America's Most Wanted continued theirr "boo boo facing" reputation on the PPV a week and a half ago, and this time it wasn't even about their own match. They complained to management after learning that their interference would lead to Simon Diamond & Johnny Swinger retaining their NWA tag titles from Danny Doring & Roadkill. According to one wrestler, nothing gets one heat from veterans like boo boo facing does.
- Jimmy Hart has helped obtain former-WWCW ring announcer David Penzer the part-time duty of attaining non-TNA indy bookings for TNA talent. Apparently, each wrestler who is interested informs Penzer of their asking price and Penzer in turn relays that info to the promoter who wants to book the wrestler. Hart appeared on this past week's TNA PPV and will also appear on next Wednesday's PPV on 10/29.
- Two of the members of the 3 Live Kru stable were said to be unhappy upon learning that they weren't booked on the past PPV. BG James did not attend the show after being informed that he wasn't booked. Ron Killings did come to the show, but made it clear that he was unhappy about not being booked. He has been frustrated about his role in TNA for a few weeks now. Konnan - the third member of the stable - did make the trip and was one of those who performed the Spanish commentating duties.
- Don Harris returned to TNA a few weekks ago, but the rumor going around the locker room is that his brother, Ron, is done with TNA and - believe it or not - is traveling with Randy Savage to help arrange the appearances related to his new rap music career.
- Another rumor going around the TNA loocker room is that the reason that the Red Shirt Security smashed the "tape" that featured Roddy Piper's shoot interview was because producer Jeremy Borash couldn't produce enough quality footage to air due to the incoherency of Piper's membling in the interview.

NWA WILDSIDE NEWS

- TONIGHT at the NWA Arena in Cornelia, GA, Wildside will hold its annual "Fright Night" supercard. The show will feature: The Chamber of Horrors (a steel cage match w/ weapons of mutilation and destruction) - Iceberg vs. Wildside Heavyweight Champion Hotstuff Hernandez (non-title match); Altar Boy Luke/Gabriel vs. Azrael/NWA-TNA's Slash; Wildside Tag Team Titles - newly crowned champs Jeremy V/Brandon P defend vs. Todd Sexton/Masada; Best 2/3 Falls - Slim J vs. Murder 1; Wildside Jr. Heavyweight Title - Ray Gordy (c) vs. "Kool" Seth DeLay Tank/Bulldog Raines vs. The Dobbin Brothers (the match came about when Tank/Raines challenged the Dobbins); (Salvatore Rinauro is rumored to make his prescence felt in this match); Onyx vs. Mikay Adryan; Tank/Bulldog Raines vs. The Dobbin Brothers (the match came about when Tank/Raines challenged the Dobbins).

AJ Styles was scheduled to return to Wildside and defend his NWA World Heavyweight Title vs. Wildside TV Champion Rain Man, but with his dropping that title to Jeff Jarrett on this past week's NWA-TNA PPV, there is some controversy surrounding this situation. The Wildside storyline insists that the new champ, Jarrett, is scheduled to appear on the Fright Night show and take Styles' place by defending the title vs. Rain Man, but that there is doubt about whether or not he will fulfill his obligations and make the appearance. So, whether or not the NWA title match will occur on the show remains uncertain. However, what IS a defnite is that AJ STYLES - although he won't defend the NWA title - will make his long-awaited HOMECOMING to Wildside on tonight's Fright Night show! According to NWA-Wildside.com, he will be facing Rain Man, one way or another, regardless of whether or not Jarrett tries to steal his spotlight on the show!
- Two Wildside stars have been entered into the IWA-MS "Ted Petty Invitational" Sweet Science Tournament that will occur on 11/7 and 11/8. Todd Sexton will replace Matt Stryker and Salvatore Rinauro will replace Michael Shane.
- Former-co-NAWA Ring Champions Tag Teaam Champion Jay Fury will compete on this week's NWA Wildside TV taping.
- NWA Wildside's Caprice Coleman will wwork on a match before the WWE RAW show in Fayetteville, NC this coming Monday. Oynx, meanwhile, will work a match the very next night before the SmackDown! taping in Georgia.
- NWA Florida's Jerelle Clark will workk on the 11/1 Wildside show.

RING OF HONOR (ROH) NEWS

- TONIGHT, ROH will debut in Spencerport, NY (West of Rochester) with the following card: No Holds Barred Match - Samoa Joe vs. Homicide; Steve Corino vs. CM Punk; Chris Daniels vs. John Walters; Field of Honor Tournament - Chris Sabin vs. Xavier (Please note that Sabin may be unable to compete due to a recent injury he suffered on another indy show a few weeks ago.) and Dan Maff vs. BJ Whitmer; ROH Tag Team Titles - Special K of Izzy/Dixie (c) vs. The Carnage Crew (HC Loc/Tony DeVito); Scramble Match - Special K vs. Jimmy Jacobs/Alex Shelley vs. Fast Eddie/Don Juan vs. Kevin Dunn/Marcos; Four Corner Survival Match - Justin Credible vs. Colt Cabana vs. JJimmy Rave vs. Mystery Opponent; Slyk Wagner Brown vs. Special K's Hydro.

According to ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky, Canadian standouts Jack Evans and Teddy Hart will be unable to fulfill their scheduled appearances on this show. Both were planning on staying in the U.S. after their match yesterday for MLW, but that MLW show was postponed (please scroll up to the MLW News section above for more info on that matter) and Evans therefore won't be able to afford to pay for his own flight to the ROH show (MLW was planning on flying him in, apparently). With Hart, he must miss the ROH show due to having to attend the funeral of his family member, the recently departed Stu Hart. Please visit ROHWrestling.com or RFVideo.com for more info on tonight's show.

Also in significant news, Low Ki has stated that he will be unable to fulfill his scheduled appearance on the 11/1 ROH show due to scheduling conflict. Sapolsky denies that he has heard any such news directly from Ki, but promises that he will inform the Internet indy wrestling community as soon as he receives a confirmation on whether or not Ki will appear on the show. If Ki is unable to appear on the show, BJ Whitmer will replace him in his scheduled match vs. Homicide, according to Sapolsky.
- ROH's debut show in Maryland was prevviewed in a Baltimore Sun article. It can be read online at http://www.sunspot.net/features/bal-to.honor16oct16,0,6328195.story?coll=bal-features-headlines .
- Carnage Crew member HC Loc recently rreceived the position of being ROH's first backstage agent. In addition to this new job, he will continue his duties of wrestling.
- After its successful debut show at thhe venue last Saturday, ROH will return to Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD on January 12.
- Also on last Saturday's show, it was announced by former-MCW promoter Dan McDevitt announced that ROH would continue the tradition of the recently folded MCW promotion by holding the annual Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup (a one-night, single-elimination tournament that resembles ECWA's Super 8 event) in July 2004.
- "American Dragon" Bryan Dannielson will attempt to win the PWG Heavyweight Title from Frankie Kazarian on the 11/5 Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (ProWrestlingGuerrilla.com) "An Inch Longer Than Average" show in Los Angeles, CA.
- ROH will return to Ohio on 1/10/04 inn Wilmington at the Roberts Centre on 123 Gano Road, which is right off I-71. The building is located about 30-40 minutes from Dayton, Cincinnatti and Columbus. Tickets for the show will go on sale next week.
- The 11/1 show - which will be the onlly upcoming ROH event with a Showcase card - will feature Special K, The Carnage Crew, Hart & a myster partner, the returning S.A.T., and The Backseat Boyz in a Tag Team Scramble Steel Cage Match. According to ROHWrestling.com, this match "will start with two teams in it. They will fight for three minutes. Then, every two minutes another team will enter. When all the teams are in the cage, the team that gets the first pinfall or submission will be the victor." Also, a battle between Low Ki and his trainer, Homicide, and the return of "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson to pro wrestling as he wrestles AJ Styles have been added to the 11/1 card. More matches for this show will be announced next week.
- Abdullah the Butcher will make his ROOH return and his first appearance in the Boston area in several years on the 11/29 show.
- ROH has moved its 12/27 Final Battle 2003 show to the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory on 2700 Southampton Road, Philadelphia, PA. The show was originally scheduled to occur at the Murphy Recreation Center in South Philly. As of now, this show is scheduled to feature the final round match of the Field of Honor tournament. For those confused about where the tournament stands, go to the main page of ROHWrestling.com and scroll down to view an update on those who have advanced and are still scheduled to compete in the event.
- ROH will hold a fan convention beforee its Elizabeth, NJ show on 3/13/04, the day before Wrestlemania. There will be special guests at the convention that won't be on the show. For dealer table info, e-mail [email protected].
- Tryouts for the the ROH Wrestling Traaining School in Langhorne, PA will begin in the third week of October and will cost $50. Serious 18 or older applicants only.
- Jim Cornette will return to ROH on 11/1 in NJ and will serve as the manager of ROH World Heavyweight Champion Samoa Joe.

MULTIMEDIA OF THE WEEK

- Shiny-Pants.com features a downloadable video tribute for the recently retired Jody Fleisch and a video preview of FWA British Uprising II, which occurred a few weeks ago. Both files are in .mpeg form.
- The Multimedia section of NickMondo.ccom - the official web site of CZW star "Sick" Nick Mondo - features various video clips of Mondo in action in CZW and even IWA-MS. Among the clips is a music video of CZW TOD2 and of a Mondo vs. Ric Blade match. NickMondo.com also features the second downloadable part of a trailer for the upcoming "Unscarred" documentary about Mondo's career.
- Be sure to check out the Video Clips section of Assault Championship Wrestling's web site, AssaultWrestling.com. The section, which can be found at http://www.assaultwrestling.com/clips.htm, features a variety of video clips in various formats pertaining to the history of ACW. AssaultWrestling.com also provides fans with the opportunity to view past and present ACW TV episodes. The current episode can be found at http://www.assaultwrestling.com/thisweek.htm , while past episodes are archived at http://www.assaultwrestling.com/tvarchives.htm .

SHILLS OF THE WEEK

- Check out the ONLY IWA Mid-South fansite, IWA Primetime, at http://www.freewebs.com/iwaprimetime/index.htm . It features news, wrestler bios, tape reviews, downloadable theme songs, info, polls, and more.
- The VHS versions of Best of XPW TV Voolume 1, the VHS and DVD versions of Best of XPW Deathmatches Volume 1, and the VHS and DVD versions of XPW New Year's Revolution 2002 are available for pre-order from Best Buy.
- Obsessed With Wrestling - your absoluute number one source for pro wrestler bios and information on the Web - has relaunched with a brand new LAYOUT and a new server. It can now be found at Combat-Honor.com or ObsessedWithWrestling.com. Check it out and enjoy!

Feedback, suggestions, etc. about this column may be sent to [email protected].