THE EAST COAST INDY WRESTLING UPDATE #8, by John (Friday, September 19, 2003)

Table of Contents:

- SOURCES
- EAST COAST INDY WRESTLING IN JAPAN NEEWS
- EAST COAST INDY WRESTLING TIDBITS
> - UPCOMING EAST COAST INDY WRESTLING EVVENT SHILLS
- COMBAT ZONE WRESTLING (CZW) NEWS
- IWA MID-SOUTH HARDCORE WRESTLING (IWAA-MS) NEWS
- MAJOR LEAGUE WRESTLING (MLW) NEWS
> - NWA - TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION (NWA-TNA) 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, DVDR, IWAMidSouthWrestling.com, JAPW.net, Jason Powell's VIP section in the Pro Wrestling Torch, Jeremy Borash, Kevin Malton, Masanori Horie, MLW.com, NWATNA.com, NWA-Wildside.com, PuroresuFan.com, PWTorch, RajahWWF.com, ROHWrestling.com, Wrestling Observer

EAST COAST INDY WRESTLERS IN JAPAN NEWS

- ZERO-ONE will have a three show long tour named "H (Hardcore) - Episode1" on 9/19 (at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo), 9/20 (at TwinMesse Shizuoka in Shizuoka City), and 9/21 (at the SunShineCity Building in Ikebukuro, Tokyo) that will feature CZW'ers Homicide, Nick Gage, and John Zandig. Homicide won't make the 9/21 show, since he'll be working on the All Japan show that night, but in additon to working the 9/19 and 9/20 shows, he'll work on the 9/8 - 9/17 shows, also.
- Los Maximos/The S.A.T. (Joel Maximo && Jose Maximo) will work on the 9/20 - 9/30 World Japan tour under the alias of, "Six Point Four." IPW Hardcore's Lex Lovett and Steve Madison will also work on the tour.
- In the main event of the 9/29 IWA Jappan 10th Anniversary Show at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall, MLW star "Dr. Death" Steve Williams will wrestle Tiger Jeet Singh.
- Former-WWE performer and current NWA--TNA star D'Lo Brown will be working on an upcoming All Japan tour.

EAST COAST INDY WRESTLING TIDBITS:

- According to 1Wrestling.com, "NWA-TNA and ROH valet Alexis Laree has signed a developmental deal with WWE and will be reporting shortly to Ohio Valley Wrestling. Laree had worked several dark matches for WWE in recent months.
- The Daily Southtown newspaper of Illinois has published an article at http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/swest/296swyt2.htm that announces the intention of Illinois to pass new pro wrestling-related safety legislation.
- Dover, DE - home of CZW's Racks &; Billiards event venue - has enacted legislation that has banned CZW from running there again in the future.
- The Cincinatti, OH-based Heartland Wrrestling Association is currently seeking unpaid interns for the fall, spring, and summer semesters/quarters. For more info, check out HWAOnline.com. In other HWA news, current co-Tag Team Champion Chet "The Jet" Jablonski will wrestle on an upcoming tour in Puerto Rico. His final HWA show before the tour will be the Tuesday Night Showcase on 9/23.
- The Daily Nonpariel has published an obituary for former-East Coast indy wrestler Paul "Chip Douglas" Mason at http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10194767&BRD=2554&PAG=461&dept_id=507134&rfi=6 .
- Although this isn't directly East Coaast-related, I must let it be known - UK sensation and former-FWA, CZW, PWF, and ROH performer JODY FLEISCH has announced his retirement from pro wrestling. Fleisch - along with The Amazing Red - was hailed by many as the next Rey Mysterio Jr. and has had classic matches with Doug Williams, Low Ki, Christopher Daniels, Trent Acid, and especially his ultimate rival, Jonny Storm. No reason for his retirement is known yet, but I will release more info on this news in the future.

UPCOMING EAST COAST INDY WRESTLING EVENT SHILLS

- The final card for tonight's MLW WAR GAMES card in Fort Lauderdale, FL is: Mikey Whipwreck vs. Norman Smiley; Juventud Guerrera & Super Dragon vs. Los Maximos (a.k.a. The S.A.T. [Joel Maximo & Jose Maximo]);. CM Punk vs. Mystery Opponent; Raven vs. Nosawa; Fans Bring the Weapons Match - Monsta Mack & Mystery Partner vs. The Samoan Island Tribe (Samu & Ekmo [formerly Jamal of WWE's Three-Minute Warning]); J-Cup USA Tournament to crown the inaugural MLW Junior Heavyweight Champion, w/ Bracket A featuring Christopher Daniels vs. Super Dragon and Jimmy Yang vs. Juventud Guerrera and Bracket B showcasing Jerry Lynn vs. Eddie Colón and Sonjay Dutt vs. Tony Mamaluke; Joe Seanoa (Samoa Joe) will make his MLW debut vs. Mike Awesome; War Games Steel Cage Match - The Extreme Horsemen (Captain: Steve Corino, CW Anderson, Simon Diamond, & Mystery Partner) vs. The Funkin' Army (Captain: Terry Funk, The Sandman, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, & Mystery Partner); " Michael Shane (w/ Francine Fournier), The Sinister Minister, Bill Alfonso, PJ Friedman, MANA, and Richard Criado will also be on the show. Check out MLW.com for more info. Los Maximos' originally scheduled opponents, Mexico's Most Wanted (Damien 666 & Halloween), were pulled from the show. The reason for that will be revealed in the coming days.
- The final card for tomorrow's Ring of Honor Glory By Honor II show in South Philadelphia, PA is: ROH World Heavyweight Title Match - Samoa Joe (c) vs. Christopher Daniels (w/ Allison Danger); Terry Funk (handpicked by Raven to be Punk's opponent) debuts in ROH and wrestles CM Punk; Steve Corino (handpicked by CM Punk to be Raven's opponent) vs. Raven; Tag Team Gauntlet Series to crown new ROH Tag Team Champions - featuring The Carnage Crew, two Special K duos, The Briscoe Brothers, The Backseat Boyz, and Dunn & Marcos; Four Corners Survival Match - Colt Cabana vs. Chris Sabin vs. AJ Sttyles vs. Matt Stryker; Field of Honor - Xavier vs. An Opponent to be Announced (John Walters is injured, so he will be replaced) and BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Rave; Special Attraction Match - Canada sensations Teddy Hart of the Hart Family and TJ Wilson (who has worked for All Japan) wrestle each other; a Farwell Ceremony for WWE-bound Alexis Laree; also on the show will be Julius Smokes (who will be bringing in "The Rottweilers"), while the showcase card will consist of: Jimmy Jacobs vs. Alex Shelley vs. the debuting NWA Florida Unified Cruiserweight Champion (he holds the NWA-FL Cruiserweight and X Titles) "The Master of the Backbreaker" Roderick Strong vs. Josh Daniels; Joey Matthews; Slyk Wagner Brown & April Hunter; and more. Check out ROHWrestling.com for more info.
- Tomorrow, NWA Wildside will run at thhe NWA Arena in Cornelia, GA featuring: NWA Wildside Champion Hottstuff Hernandez returns from All Japan; Altar Boy Luke (returning) vs. Azrael; Newly-crowned NWA-WS Junior Champion Ray Gordy defends vs. former-champion "Kool" Seth DeLay; NWA-WS TV Champion Rainman defends vs. Caprice Coleman; Tag Team Turmoil Match (for a shot at Bulldog Raine & Tank's NWA-WS Tag Team Titles); more in the war between Onyx, Mikal Adryan, Slim J, and Murder One; Iceberg, among others, will also be on the show. Check out NWA-Wildside.com for more info.
- National Wrestling Superstars will hold it's "The Show Will Go On" event tomorrow in Sayreville, NJ, despite high winds and heavy downpours. The most intriguing match on the card will feature NWS Junior Heavyweight Champion Mike "Kid" Kruel defending his title vs. both Matt Stryker and Rob Eckos in a three-way match. The Patriot, meanwhile, will compete in the main event. Check out NWSWrestling.com for more info.
- Tomorrow, IPW Hardcore and NWA Floridda will present "Last Man Standing" in Davie, FL featuring: Last Man Standing Match - David Babylon vs. Mikey Tenderfoot vs. Rod Steel vs. Justice vs. Johnny Vandal vs. Jerrelle Clark; South Florida Street Fight - Suicidal Tendencies vs. New Jack & Chaos; Mideon vs. Punisher (w/ Abudadein); Respect Match - Antonio Banks vs. "Blackheart" Dave Johnson; Heavyweight Contenders Match - Danny Doring vs. Agent Steele; The Vandalz vs. Double Deuce; Comic Book Guy Anderson vs. Pretty Fly; Billy Fives will also be on the show. Check out IPWHardcore.tv, IPW-Hardcore.com, or NWAFlorida.com for more info.
- Tomorrow's NWA Main Event show in Collumbia, TN will feature - among other highlights - an NWA Mid-American Heavyweight Title Match, Jeff Daniels, Justin Sane, and Gypsy Joe. For more info, check out NWAME.com.
- Tomorrow, the Union of Independent Prrofessional Wrestlers will run at the Brookside Community Center in Pennsylvania as it presents "Southern Discomfort." The show will feature Chris Hamrick vs. Matt "M-Dogg 20" Cross, Josh Prohibition, Sebastian Dark, Shirley Doe, Sterling James Keenan, Adam Cage, "Union Boss" Kingdom James, the UIPW debut of Eric Xtasy, and more. Also, UIPW's October "Wrestlestock" will feature none other than Jerry Lynn, among many others. Check out KingdomJames.com for more info.
- On 9/21 (Sunday), the Frontier Wrestlling Alliance will run at the Broxbourne Civic Hall in England as it presents "Hotwired." Jonny Storm has accepted Chris Hamrick's challenge for the XPW/FWA European Title. Jack Xavier will wrestle former-ECW, WCW, NWA-TNA, and ROH star EZ Money, the replacement of the injured Jody Fleisch. Check out FrontierWrestling.com for more info.
- On 9/27 (Saturday), Terry Funk will bbe holding a wrestling clinic in Rahway, NJ, right before the JAPW show scheduled for that night. On the show, he'll wrestle Homicide. For more info, check out JAPW.net. Also, watch WWE SummerSlam this coming Sunday for free with JAPW staff and La Familia at Karen's Philadelphia Cheese Steaks, located on 820 Broadway in Bayonne, NJ on a 50 inch screen TV with a Surround sound system. Due to this being a private party there will be beer for fans 21 and over. There is limited space, so reserve your spot now by emailing [email protected].
- Also on 9/27, the debuting Lucha Xtreeme Wrestling will run in Queens, NYat the Amazura Ballroom with what looks to be the most intriguing indy show this year. Featured will be potential dream matches between Mexico's Shocker and the U.S.' Jerry Lynn, So-Cal sensations The Aerial Express (Quicksilver & Scorpio Sky) vs. XPW World Tag Team Champions Youthanazia (Josh Prohibition & Matt "M-Dogg 20" Cross) in a non-title match, Justin Credible and La Parka, So-Cal rivals Super Dragon and Jardi Frantz, and - in the first round of the LXW Suicidal Title Tournament - an XPW grudge match between "The Hardcore Homo" Angel and "The Human Horror Film" Supreme and an IWA-MS grudge match between Corporal Robinson and The Necro Butcher! Justin Credible will be accompanied to the ring by none other than former-XPW beauty Veronica Caine (making her return to pro wrestling, and by his former-ECW manager) Jason Knight. If you're in the area, you really need to check out this show. Go to LXWrestling.com for more info.
- The IWA promotion of Puerto Rico begiins running live shows in Florida in October. The shows will feature Apollo, Rey Gonzalez, Vampiro, Dutch Mantell, and others.
- The Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) of ROH will wrestle a dream match vs. B-Boy & Super Dragon on the Saturday, 10/4 PWG "Are You Adequately Prepared To Rock?" show in Los Angeles, CA. For more info, check out ProWrestlingGuerrilla.com.

COMBAT ZONE WRESTLING (CZW) NEWS

- For the full scoop on several CZW'ers working on an upcoming ZERO-ONE tour, scroll up to the EAST COAST INDY WRESTLERS IN JAPAN NEWS topic.
- Sonjay Dutt will be on tonight's MLW show in Fort Lauderdale, FL as a participant in the J-Cup USA Tournament (which will crown the inaugural MLW Junior Heavyweight Champion).
- You can download a trailer of the upccoming "Unscarred" documentary about Nick Mondo on NickMondo.com.
- According to CZWWrestling.com, ";In conjunction with the Nu-Wrestling Federation, Zandig will be heading to Italy on September 27, 2003 to promote the up-coming live event at the Palasport Arena in Pistoia, Italy on October 25, 2003.  Zandig will address the media and foreign press, lead instructional wrestling clinics to evaluate some European talent, and discuss future plans in Europe."
- 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

- Courtesy of the IWAMidSouthWrestling.com:

IWA Mid-South Hardcore Wrestling returns to the National Guard Armory, located at 1100 N. Shelby Street, in Salem, IN on Thursday night, October 2nd for "The Huss Man Cometh." Bell time is 7:30pm Central. All tickets are just $8 and will be available at the door.

Signed thus far for 10/2 in Salem...

- IWA World Heavyweight Title/Two out of Three Falls: DANNY DANIELS (c) vs. "Barbaric Berzerker" JIMMY JACOBS- IWA Light Heavyweight Title/Tables & Ladders & Chairs Match: SONJAY DUTT (c) vs. JC BAILEY
- Intergender Challenge Match: MICKIE KKNUCKLES vs. CASH FLO
- TRACY SMOTHERS vs. HY-ZAYA
- "Classic" COLT CABANA vs. AALEX SHELLEY
- CORPORAL ROBINSON vs. "Metalheadd" STEVE STONE
- BRAD BRADLEY vs. "Britney Spearss' Boyfriend" CHUCKIE SMOOTH

Plus: IAN ROTTEN, CHRIS HERO, "Spyder" NATE WEBB, CHRIS SABIN, TRUTH MARTINI, and more of your IWA favorites.

We return to the Oolitic Gym in Oolitic, IN for the first time since 1999 on Saturday night, October 11th. Further details will be made available soon.

IWA Mid-South will make its debut at the Lincoln Center, located at 2450 Lincoln Street, in Highland, IN (just outside of Chicago) on Friday night, October 24th. Bell time is 7:30pm Central. Tickets are $20, $15, and $12, and will be available at the door. Tickets for this event will go on sale at the venue on Monday, September 29th.

Already signed for 10/24 in Highland...

- JC BAILEY vs. SABU
- "Classic" COLT CABANA vs. &"Barbaric Berzerker" JIMMY JACOBS
- CHRIS HAMRICK vs. ALEX SHELLEY

Also on the card: DANNY DANIELS, TRACY SMOTHERS, CORPORAL ROBINSON, RYAN BOZ, BRAD BRADLEY, DYSFUNCTION, CHUCKIE SMOOTH, THE NECRO BUTCHER, "Spyder" NATE WEBB, BJ WHITMER, MATT STRYKER, CHRIS SABIN, TRUTH MARTINI, STEVE STONE, HY-ZAYA, and more.

Then IWA will return to the National Guard Armory in Tell City, IN for the first time in a long time on Saturday night, November 1st."

- The 2003 IWA-MS King of the Deathmatches Tournament will air on Samurai! TV in Japan on Monday, 9/22 from 10:00 - 11:00 pm. It will be then replayed the next day from 7:00 - 8:00 pm, Sunday, 9/28 from 3:00 - 4:00 pm, and two more times in October.
- 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 .
- 19 of the 24 participants in the secoond annual IWA-MS Ted Petty Invitational Tournament (scheduled to occur on 11/8 and 11/9) have been announced as B-Boy, Colt Cabana, Chris Hero, Jimmy Jacobs, Chris Sabin, Jonny Storm, Trent Acid, AJ Styles, Danny Daniels, Sonjay Dutt, Nigel McGuinness, Truth Martini, Matt Stryker, JC Bailey, Alex Shelley, Dino Bambino, BJ Whitmer, Jimmy Rave, and Jerry Lynn. The other 10 will be announced sometime in the next week.
- Also next week, an announcement will be made about IWA-MS' return to Illinois in November.
- IWA-MS recently announced that it willl debut in Lafayette, IN at the National Guard Armory on Saturday, November 22. More information on this show will be announced in the coming weeks.

MAJOR LEAGUE WRESTLING (MLW) NEWS

- For the final card for tonight's WAR GAMES in Fort Lauderdale, FL, check out the UPCOMING INDY WRESTLING EVENT SHILLS section above.
- MLW Underground TV will be debbuting in a new market shortly. It could be yours so stay tuned!
- In the October 15 Baseball Magazine Sha and October 17 Weekly Gong Magazine, there will be extensive coverage of MLW's September 26 RELOAD event from New York City including 4 color pages in each publication! Also, the Mexican publication Super Luchas recently covered the promotion and so did the highly circulated Japanese magazine Weekly Fights. MLW will also be featured in a soon-to-be-published Japanese book about wrestling.
- MLW hopes to begin running shows outsside of Florida in November.
- PJ Friedman will be featured iin the upcoming CKY DVD.

NATIONAL WRESTLING ALLIANCE - TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION (NWA-TNA) NEWS

- For info about Alexis Laree signing a developmental deal with WWE, check out the EAST COAST INDY WRESTLING TIDBITS section.
- Next Wendesday's TNA PPV will featuree: Raven vows to get retribution on James Mitchell, Shane Douglas, and Vampiro; Don Callis will make a statement to Jeff Jarrett regarding his career face-to-face with him; Dusty Rhodes will deliver a message to NWA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles; NWA World Tag Team Titles Match - Simon Diamond & Johnny Swinger (c) vs. Three Live Kru (BG James & Ron Killings); Kid Kash vs. Terry Taylor; #1 Contendership for the NWA-TNA X Division Title Elimination Match - Chris Sabin vs. Nosawa vs. Juventud GGuerrera vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Frankie Kazarian (Antonio Pena - owner of Mexico's AAA - will be on hand to scout the competitors); Highlights from the sitdown interview that Mike Tenay conducted with Rowdy Roddy Piper on Thursday morning will air; Jeff Jarrett, America's Most Wanted, Christopher Daniels, and others will also be on the show. Check out NWATNA.com for more info.
- During his appearance on the Bubba Spponge Show on Thursday morning, Hulk Hogan said that he met with the Jarretts two days before about possibly participating in NWA-TNA. Hogan is also in negotiations to work in New Japan next month.
- According to Dave Meltzer's Wrestlingg Observer, Puerto Rico's Dutch Mantel will begin working for TNA as a booker on Monday.
- TNA Xplosion will air late tomorrow nnight in Minneapolis, MN on channel 45. Check your local listings for exact airtimes. This weekend's Xplosion episode will feature Elix Skipper, Christopher Daniels, Erik Watts, The Gathering (CM Punk & Julio Dinero), and IPW Hardcore/NWA Florida's Justice and Jerelle Clark.
- D'Lo Brown will be working on an upcooming All Japan tour.
- Vince Russo and Glenn Gilberti (formeerly Disco Inferno) are apparently responsible for writing most of the content on the recent NWA-TNA events, with Jeff Jarrett supervising their booking. Scott D'Amore - who is known as the promoter of Border City Wrestling in Cananda - has also been contributing ideas recently.
- GAORA (Channel 302 on Satellite SkyPeerfectTV in Japan) - which televises AJPW, Michinoku Pro, Toryumon, K-Dojo, GAEA, and JD Star - is negotiating with NWA-TNA to purchase the rights to air its program in Japan.
- Several TNA stars, including Jeff Jarrrett and America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris & James Storm), will be in Myrtle Beach at the Convention Center for a big, nearly sold out, show.

The below tidbits are courtesy of the Wrestling Observer:

- Teddy Hart's backstage reputation wasn't as bad as the reputation that preceded him, but didn't do himself any favors at the finish vs Juvi. Juvi used the juvi driver for the big pop and finish and right after 3 Hart nipped up and started walking around looking for cheers, instead of selling the finish. People were amazed by his lack of sense. He also got some negative feelings, because they thought he was kicking out of too many moves in the Guerrera match, but that wasn't his fault as the match was layed out by Guerrera. The feeling was that Hart had very impressive high spots and was a good worker, but due to the expense of flying him in from Calgary, it is questionable if he will be brought back.
- Nosawa has impressed TNA executives iin his first two PPV matches and it is therefore very likely that he will continue work for TNA when his schedule permits.
- Antonio Pena - owner of Mexico's AAA promotion - came to Nashville on 9/17 to try and close a talent trading deal. Also, one of the AAA wrestlers, Kato, wrestled a dark match before the 9/17 PPV and Jeremy Borash called his showing "impressive."
- TNA is hopeful to announce a video gaame deal soon. It is rumored to be with EA Sports. A deal for distribution of TNA dolls is also rumored to be in the works.
- Jeff Jarrett has received mostly cheeers, but isn't happy with the noticeable boos he has received on the 8/17 show. The company said the boos came from the heel section of fans that hasn't been around in several weeks, but came back because they thought Raven, who is their favorite, had to win the title this time. The company was unhappy with them in the past and Bob Ryder has spoken to them about their reactions. Dave has heard different versions of what he said, but the company's take is they set aside seats for the fans and had no problems, but about 6 weeks ago, Ryder told them the company is going in a different direction with strong face vs heel storylines and that he thought they should play into it. They complained and stopped coming, but a few started trickling back and most were back for 8/27. Jarrett, upset that they were booing him, as well as Harris and Storm, told Bert Prentice to tell them they weren't welcome at the shows. Storm was really upset, because he injured his neck, and they were taunting him as he was being helped backstage.
- Antonia Pena came to Nashville, TN onn 9/17 to try and close a talent trading deal.
- The TNA Volume 2 theme song CD is avaailable for pre-order on NWATNA.com. The track listing for the CD is:

1. My World Remix
2. 3 Live K feat. 3 Live Kru
3. Guilty
4. Down With The Brown
5. I Am Remix
6. KK Rocks
7. Yalla Never Forget feat. Elix
8. Funk With
9. Down In The Catacombs
10. Symphonic Anarchy
11. TNA Theme
12. Scream
13. Deep
14. Snap This
15. XXX Gonna Give It
16. FU System
17. Machine
18. Modern Oz
19. Skinn
20. Dodging Bullets feat. Goldylocks

The below tidbits are courtesy of Jason Powell's VIP section in the Pro Wrestling Torch:

- "WWE showed last minute interest in signing Johnny Swinger, Simon Diamond, and Trinity earlier this week. WWE quickly found out that Trinity had signed a TNA contract several months ago, so those discussions broke down quickly. The word in the TNA locker room is that the WWE official who contacted Swinger and Diamond wanted them to put off signing their TNA contracts so that they could negotiate with WWE. Swinger and Diamond told TNA wrestlers that they later received a phone call from a WWE official who informed them that the company would not be making an offer because Vince McMahon doesn't like to negotiate under deadlines."
- "There was a backstage incident between Raven and Jim "Sinister Minister" Mitchell after the Sept. 17 show relating to the rough shave Mitchell gave Raven following the hair vs. hair main event match. Before the show, Jeff Jarrett gave Raven and Mitchell instructions in front of several wrestlers in the locker room. One wrestler overheard Mitchell ask Jarrett if there was a certain way he should hold the clippers when he cut Raven's hair. Jarrett told him to simply press down until the hair started coming off. However, Mitchell held the clippers the wrong way and left Raven's scalp a bloody mess. When Raven got backstage, Mitchell approached him to apologize. Raven took a swing at Mitchell, although observers say it looked as if Raven thought better of punching Mitchell and actually pulled the punch as he would in an actual match. Raven yelled at Mitchell in front of the other wrestlers and went so far as to say that he doesn't want to work with Mitchell in the future because he makes too many mistakes. Mitchell tried to apologize later in the evening, but Raven wiped some blood from his own head and then pie-faced Mitchell with his bloody hand. Although Raven was very upset the night of the show, the latest word is that he and Mitchell have already made peace and will continue working their program in TNA. The backstage take on the Raven-Mitchell incident has been that while the wrestlers understand Raven was upset about his head being cut, he should not have lashed out at him in front of the rest of the locker room. Raven and Mitchell have been friends for a number of years dating back at least to the time both spent in WCW, so I don't expect much to come of this situation, especially since they've already kissed and made up."
- "In addition to his on-air dutiees, Terry Taylor has apparently taken on the role of TNA agent. More than one wrestler has praised Taylor for the way he gives wrestlers the finishes. Although fellow agent Scott D'Amore is popular with the wrestlers, the general opinion is that Taylor does a better job than D'Amore of giving out finishes because he is more specific with what he wants out of the wrestlers."
- "Roddy Piper spent more time in the main locker room on Wednesday night than he has been known to spend in the past. Wrestlers described him as "quiet" and "strange," but said he was at least a little more accessible this time around. However, Piper did not dress in the main locker room. Instead, he dressed in Jeff Jarrett's private locker room, which Sting, Sean Waltman, and other major names have done in the past. No word as to whether Piper is a TNA regular or not."
- "The wrestlers seem to understannd the reason for Jarrett having his own locker room, meaning there is no sign of the jealousy that existed when some top WCW wrestlers had their own locker rooms. The main reason seems to be that Jarrett is not just a wrestler, he also works in the office. Wrestlers also know that Jarrett also uses the locker room as an office to conduct private meetings with talent, and he and his father Jerry meet privately in the room prior to each show."
- "America's Most Wanted (Chris Haarris & James Storm) have the reputation for "boo boo facing" whenever they are scheduled to lose matches. Wrestlers say that was certainly the case on Wednesday night when they found out they would not be winning the three-way number one contender's match. One wrestler said the demeanor of Harris and Storm totally changed once they were told the finish of the match. There have been rumblings in the past that once Harris and Storm find out they are losing, their main interest goes from putting together the best match possible to making sure they get in all of their own spots. All of that said, there were no reports of Harris and Storm having problems when they were asked to put over Johnny Swinger and Simon Diamond for the NWA Tag Titles at the Aug. 27 show."

RING OF HONOR (ROH) NEWS

- For info about Alexis Laree signing a developmental deal with WWE, check out the EAST COAST INDY WRESTLING TIDBITS section. Laree's farewell show in ROH will be 9/20 in Philly.
- From now on - starting with the 9/20 show in Philly - ROH will use Ticketmaster as another outlet to by tickets to ROH events. Tickets will continue to be sold through RF Video's offices and ROHWrestling.com, also. For a direct link to the ticket info page for upcoming ROH shows on Ticketmaster.com, go to http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/883536/ .
- For the full card to tomorrow's Gloryy By Honor II show in South Philly, check out the UPCOMING EAST COAST INDY WRESTLING EVENT SHILLS section above.
- Due to The Amazing Red's recent knee injury, ROH has decided to strip Red & AJ Styles of the ROH World Tag Team Titles. Therefore, on 9/20 in Philly, the first-ever Tag Team Gauntlet Series will occur and help crown new champions. According to ROHWrestling.com, "A gauntlet series will begin with a straight tag match. The winner will immediately wrestle the next entry in a straight tag match. A series of consecutive straight tag team matches will occur with the winners advancing and the losers eliminated. After an intermission, the team that survived the gauntlet will wrestle the final team." The teams enrolled in the series so far are The Backseat Boyz, The S.A.T., The Carnage Crew, Dunn & Marcos, and two teams comprised of Special K members.
- 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 email [email protected].
- The talent currently scheduled for thhe 10/16 Boston show are AJ Styles, Colt Cabana, BJ Whitmer, Dan Maff, Jimmy Rave, Chris Sabin, Xavier, Matt Stryker, Special K, The Backseat Boyz, The S.A.T., Justin Credible, HC Loc, Joey Matthews, John Walters, and Danny Doring.
- The Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe &ammp; Mark Briscoe) will return to the tag team ranks on 9/20 in Philly. In other news about the Briscoes, they will wrestle a dream match vs. B-Boy & Super Dragon on the Saturday, 10/4 PWG "Are You Adequately Prepared To Rock?" show in Los Angeles, CA. For more info, check out ProWrestlingGuerrilla.com.
- Jimmy Jacobs, Alex Shelley, and Stevee Corino have been added to appear on the 9/20 Philly show.
- ROH is rumored to enter a new market beginning in October.
- Bryan "American Dragon" Dannielson is rumored to return to ROH this Fall.
- Jim Cornette will return to ROH on 111/1 in Elizabeth, NJ.

MULTIMEDIA OF THE WEEK

- 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, a promotion that has currently features Justin Credible, Tony DeVito, Slyk Wagner Brown, Abunai, Kappa Tappa Kegga, and others. In the past, ACW has features many big-name wrestlers, including Chris Hamrick, Chris Chetti, Balls Mahoney, Julio Dinero, Steve Corino, and Tommy Dreamer. 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.
- ROHWrestling.com's newest Weekly Clipp is a .rm format video clip featuring highlights of the Danny Maff vs. Homicide vs. Colt Cabana vs. BJ Whitmer match from 7/19/03 in Elizabeth, NJ. ROHWrestling.com's main page also features a downloadable versions of Maff and Special K's theme songs and an ROH music video.
- 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 (which occurred a few weeks ago) and of a Mondo vs. Ric Blade match. NickMondo.com also features a dowloadable trailer for the upcoming "Unscarred" documentary about Mondo's career.

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.
- XPW began airing its debut pay-per-viiew, titled Best of XPW: Xtreme Pro-Wrestling Vol. 1 on Thursday, August 7. The show will be available for replay several different times on InDEMAND. For the full schedule of replays, go to http://www.indemand.com/moviesandevents/viewProductShowtimes.jsp?page_sectionId=2&prodId=10386. As an added bonus, XPW will be giving away two free DVDs to everyone who orders the pay-per-view. Simply mail a copy of your cable or satellite bill to the address below and specify whether you would like to receive 2 videos or 2 DVDs. All receipts must be received by December 31, 2003.

XPW PPV Offer
16032 Sherman Way #6
Van Nuys, CA 91406

The PPV will highlight the most popular spots, angles/storylines, and matches in XPW's four year history. XPW's past roster has featured a variety of former-ECW performers, indy wrestlers, foreign competitors, and XPW homegrown stars, including Altar Boy Luke, "The Hardcore Homo" Angel, Chris Hamrick, "Vicious" Vic Grimes, Nosawa, GQ Money, "The Rock Superstar" Kaos, Mexico's Most Wanted (Damien 666 & Halloween), New Jack, Psychosis, Juventud Guerrera, Big Dick Dudley, Homeless Jimmy, John Kronus, The Messiah, Sabu, Chris Candido, "The Franchise" Shane Douglas, The Sandman, Supreme, "White Trash" Johnny Webb, The Pitbulls (#'s 1 & 2), The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock & Johnny Grunge), Pogo the Clown, "The Real Deal" Damien Steele, Dynamite D, Michael Modest, and Donovan Morgan, among many others. XPW's official web site can be found at http://www.XPWrestling.com/ . The general reviews from people who have seen the PPV so far have been very good. In fact, Derek Greser of 1Wrestling.com stated that - after watching the Pay-Per-View (which it should be mentioned was his first look ever at XPW) - "I thought the PPV was great, and made me an instant XPW mark."

Also, in other XPW news:

- The VHS versions of Best of XPW TV Volume 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.

- HouseOfXtreme.com, the premiere fansite of XPW, was relaunched last week. Featured on the web site is the most up-to-date XPW newsboard on the Web, archived results, wrestler biographies (many of which are by moi!), information, and TONS and TONS of XPW multimedia, from full XPW TV shoiws to full matches to music videos and more. Plus, the HouseOfXtreme.com forum is one of the most popular XPW message boards on the Web. Check out HouseOfXtreme.com today!

- Obsessed With Wrestling - your absolute 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. Check it out and enjoy!
- Those looking to show their support ffor the assanine allegations against XPW co-owners Lizzy Borden and Rob Black can use any of the following banners in their signatures on message boards or on their web sites:

http://www.houseofxtreme.com/free.gif

http://www.xpwtv.com/support_roblizzy.jpg

http://www2.freepichosting.com/Images/67182/2.jpg

http://www.houseofxtreme.com/duh.jpg

You may also leave a phone message that will be played for the couple in the coming days by calling (206)-202-1979.

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