Hello, party people! It's the Chock Full [note the "the"] and I'm here, up and ready for another edition of rumors, dirt, and news!
- A Chock Spy of my has reported that Setzer Van Strife will soon announce his retirement from the sport of wrestling. His latest attempts at a comeback - in WILD and RCW - both failed miserably. People in both feds backstage said that he lacked any drive to perform in the ring or help in creating & playing out of any planned storylines. It's not that he did it intentionally or felt he was above it all... But rather felt out of place.
- The big rumor of the past week has been a UWF member quitting the fed and the sport as well. Oft-maligned former UWF World Champion, Quinn Brown, has sent in his letter of resignation and has made it clear he will not take any offers for any other federations... if there were any other offers. In a statement to the federation's president, Brown sighted that he wasn't "having any fun" and thus felt it was time to call it quits.
As reported from one JTF!3K1's SquareTable Spies, "There are rumors that recent contract neogotiations with former World champion, Quinn Brown have gone quite sour, and that Brown may be done with the promotion soon. His bio has been removed from the UWF website, and it appears that this upcoming Saturday Night Rampage may be his final show. More on this story as it developes!"
While there has been no confirmation on the retirement, look for a statement to be sent out to the UWF lockerroom after the next Saturday Night Rampage on Brown's departure and the possible termination of some of Brown's friends [who the former champ pulled some strings to get into the fed].
- News on another former wrestler, this time one Nick Demola. There have been rumors that another Masters of the Ring being formed due to what Mr. Demola feels is a demand for yet another super-interfed event. However, Demola is having a hard time finding any financial backers for such a tournament due to past massive failures of the event to draw top name attractions, interest, and viewership. If Demola fails to find much in the way of investors or Pay-Per-View providers to broadcast it, he may be willing to use his own money and produce the event for a special DVD release.
- On the federation side, Knoxville Championship Wrestling has reopened its doors again, but this time on a much more scaled back basis. Management wanted to reopen the cult fav fed using a strict budget, a tiered fed structure, and more unknown & up-and-coming stars. Look for any broadcast production to be scaled back significantly and for a good long time as KCW's management evalutes the cost structure model they have in place.
However, KCW has been able to acquire the services of some of their more noted stars on a day-to-day basis. Among those stars are "Hotshot" Stevie Scott, Chi Chi LeVaughn [and his two kinsmen, Ronald & Andre], Billy McGraw, and Jeremy Rhodes. The rest of the roster are local hirees and some of wrestlers getting started in the Midwest wrestling circuit.
Under KCW's new structure will be Northern Alabama Wrestling, where KCW will help along new wrestlers by pitting them again other rookies and local hires. Over that will be East Tennessee Wrestling, where those who've proved themselves in NAW can "graduate" to and for the local hirees & seasoned vets that show promise. And then there's KCW, where most of the known names and most promising rookies will compete.
- Also opening its doors this week is a new fed, El Paso Wrestling. Look the fed to try to recreate an old LWC feel to it. Reports are that EPW [or "EL" as it's sometimes called] has been targeted local talent as well as mid-level national talent to fill its roster. EPW's management has also been in talks with former LWC & GIW superstar "Bad Eye" McBaine about making an appearance on the federation's first show [date pending] or even signing on for a contract. Look for the fed to try to harvest some of the leftover PWR talent as well.
- BIG NEWS! Speaking of PWR, it appears that its owner - Todd Michaelson - may not be out of a job all that long. From what my old Empire Spies have been telling me, it appears that there have been some plans on outlining a return of the goliath federation, the EMWC. Former owner, Chris Blue, has been in contacts with some of the fed's former talent - both retired and active - on their thoughts of returning should the E reopen within the next year. Blue reportedly received a good amount of positive responses on the roster polling. As well, he's been in contact with some of his former upper management people and his writing staff to see if they would be willing to give the federation another go.
Assuming Blue were to continue with this blueprint of the E's return, he should get a good bid from networks vying for the EMWC's "An Evening to the Extreme" as it routinely drew great numbers, even during the fed's decline. And with Michaelson's training of the PWR wrestlers - most of who would easily get a shot to crack the roster - the fed would already have a good young base to build on and a good select amount of vets to draw viewers in. More news as this story progresses!
- From another of our JTF!3K1 SquareTable spies: Sources deep inside the IGA locker room say that Roland Dean, former TV Champion, might be leaving the IGA if he puts on a poor showing this weekend at International Incident 4.
"He's flipped. If he doesn't win the Two Minute Drill, he's outta here."
Dean has been acting distant since losing his TV Title to Tommy Danger early last month. With his recent signing in RCW and rumors floating daily about other potential companies interested in his services, "The Mystic" may be on the move out of the IGA. More on this story as events unfold."
- In addition to Roland Dean, look for a couple other disgruntled IGA wrestlers and personalities to leave the coup in the coming month. Reports from the fed's locker room are that morale is low and that some of the more talented wrestlers feel they can take a step up in salary and popularity by joining the megafeds UWF or RCW.
- The experimental all-cruiserweight federation, "NEO-J", is dead even before it got started. Lack of a full roster and a full support staff killed the project as the scheduled was delayed for a month with no word from the fed's owner.
- In a shocking report, it seems that RCW World Champion, Juan Vasquez, is behind on his child payments and may be put in jail soon if he fails to pay up within the next two weeks. In what could be labeled a coincidence, a palimony suit has been filed by former RCW personality, "Ms. Cherry" [real name, Edna Cantor] filed against him this past Monday. Look for more news on this potential scandle as it develops!
- In other NEO-news, former owner Wallace Storm has bought the rights to the NEO-Pro name and then sent out this statement: "NEO is done. I wouldn't reopen again. The name, though successful, would be tarnished by doing such. I want people to remember NEO for the great action and fun we gave them for several years, not for the stigma of opening and reopening all the time. Sorry folks. It's over." From this man's perspective, Mr. Storm [if that is his real name - word is that it's relly Larry Fallick] has wasted a large sum of money. Some believe that Storm will be re-releasing NEO-Pro shows on DVD, but demand for such items are low on the market right now. Others believe that the move is part of some sort of structuring towards a new federation, but based on the success of the past NEO venture, this "new" fed won't have a bright future.
Results from this weekend's Wicked Voodoo V Pay-Per-View superevent looked bright for the franchise's future as it pulled in the highest numbers to date in the series. Event organizers are already planning for next year's event, in which they rumor that something like the tournament held on prior WV events will take place.
AND that's it folks! See you all next time!
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