Mainstream Media Picks Up Hardy Story, Latest From D-Lo Brown, More Bellas Pub

January 31, 2021 KANKENNEWS

— AOL Sports published an article regarding WWE.com’s story on Jeff Hardy being rushed to a Boston-area hospital after being found unconscious this morning in a hotel stairwell. As reported earlier, several sources have confirmed this to be a work.

— Infrequently seen Raw Superstar D-Lo Brown has a new blog on the WWE Universe site talking about returning home from the long European tour, an incident he had with an opossum upon returning home, Survivor Series, the new WWE video game, and more. {Keeping it Real}

— The Bella Twins hit the front page of another mainstream website as this past Friday, they were sort of listed on MSN.com. Under “A-list Searches” on the front page of MSN.com, there were listed under the term “Wrestling Twins.”

See camera phone photo of EDGE at Boston airport yesterday *HUGE BEARD* (>>)

Confirmed WWE Superstars For Iraq Tour, Mickie James Update, ECW Rating Rises

January 31, 2021 KANKENNEWS

— Mickie James was backstage at Monday’s Raw taping at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C., but wasn’t used. The Raw Diva is currently suffering from a hyperextended elbow, which has caused her some discomfort and numbness. Due to the injury, she’s being used sparingly for a week or two more. The WWE site has posted photos of former NFL players such as ex-Redskin Ken Harvey visiting Raw on Monday night. You can see photos of them posing with Mickie James and other WWE stars backstage at the following link.

— The WWE site has posted photos of the WWE Superstars’ travel day to Iraq for this year’s Tribute to the Troops tour. Following Monday night’s Raw taping at the Verizon Center, the WWE crew immediately headed to Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County, Maryland, eight miles east of Washington, D.C., for the long flight to Iraq. Based on the shots posted, the following WWE performers are confirmed for the tour: John Cena, Batista, Lilian Garcia, Maria, Alicia Fox, Mickie James, Eve Torres, Kelly Kelly, Chris Jericho, John Morrison, The Miz, Cryme Time, Chad Patton, John Cone, Jeff Hardy, Michael Cole and Joey Styles. You can see photos of the Superstars boarding the plane at the following link.

— Last night’s edition of ECW drew its best number in at least a few weeks. The show drew a 1.34 cable rating, up from last week’s 1.27, reports PWInsider.com. The show featured Ricky Ortiz wrestling Jack Swagger as well as MVP vs. ECW Champion Matt Hardy.

See recent pics of Mickie James in a ref outfit (>>)

Knockouts Score Big For TNA, Karen Angle Update, Lance Storm Rants On Impact

January 31, 2021 KANKENNEWS

— Thursday’s Impact drew a 1.2 cable rating (rounded up from 1.16), which is the same number the show drew the week before, reports prowrestling.NET. The show was watched by 1.6 million viewers, down from the 1.8 million that watched the week before. The Soujourner Bolt vs. Christy Hemme match in the seventh quarter-hour was the highest rated segment of the show, scoring an impressive 1.28 rating. The rating dropped for the main event segment featuring Brother Ray vs. Kurt Angle, which drew a 1.21. It was still the second highest rated segment of the night. The X Division match in the second quarter-hour featuring Eric Young vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir was the least watched segment of the night, drawing a 1.01 rating.

— Following his “firing” from TNA on this past Thursday’s Impact, Curry Man’s profile has been removed and he is no longer on the roster page. It’s interesting to note that despite the change to the roster page, Karen Angle is still listed, and they have long since stopped promoting the Knockouts DVD, which features Karen on one of the covers. It was assumed that Karen would be removed from the website as soon as promotion for the DVD ceased, but as you can see, she’s still listed on the website.

— Lance Storm has posted yet another rant after watching Impact. He kept tabs on the actual amount of wrestling on the show. Storm wrote: “Am I the only one that noticed that TNA Impact this week had less than 18 minutes of actual wrestling on the program. Official match times totaled, I believe, 17 minutes and 55 second. ECW has had more wrestling minutes than that on their show and ECW is but half the length. If we break down the entire 120 minutes of the program we have 18 minutes of wrestling (I rounded up), 32 minutes of commercials, and 70 minutes of skits, promos, and general stupidity. Keep in mind the name of this company is Total Nonstop Action, yet only 15% of this show was action. This leaves 27% of the show for commercials, and 58% of the show skits, comedy, and talking. There was even one stretch where they went 37 minutes with out a wrestling match. Can this even be called a wrestling show anymore?”

He then criticizes TNA for devoting more television time to the Christy Hemme vs. Sojourner Bolt match than the Jay Lethal vs. Alex Shelley match. Storm pokes fun at Sojourner Bolt’s heel turn similar to how Tony Schiavone poked fun at Mick Foley winning the WWF Championship in 1999 by sarcastically saying that it will draw big ratings and that he’s on the edge of his seat. Although, Bolt’s match with Hemme drew a 1.28 cable rating, the highest rated portion of the show, if not one of the highest segments of the year. Storm wrote: “Why would any sane person book Jay Lethal vs. Alex Shelley and Christy Hemme vs. Sejourner Bolt on the same show and decide to give the latter match more than twice the time as the former? We had the opportunity to see Jay Lethal and Alex Shelly wrestling in TNA (Total Nonstop Action) and they were given less than 2 minutes for their match. What a wasted opportunity to entertain fans! I guess the thought process must be that the big Sejourner Bolt heel turn will draw ratings and PPV buys. I know I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to find out where that angle goes. Are there not already more heels than faces in the Knockouts division?”

You can read his latest rant at the following link.

Which recently fired WWE star could be coming to TNA?

Gail Kim Reportedly Dating TNA Producer, WWE Diva Holiday Greetings, Swagger

January 31, 2021 KANKENNEWS

— Forthcoming WWE Diva Gail Kim is reportedly dating TNA producer David Sahadi, according to the Wrestling Observer. However, Kim quickly debunked the online report. Kim told Gerweck.net she is involved with no one in the wrestling business.

Sahadi is the main person behind those “deep” video packages that air at the start of TNA pay-per-view broadcasts. Prior to joining TNA in 2004, Sahadi worked for WWE, where he was the main person behind their video pieces. Prior to WrestleMania 14, Sahadi produced a video featuring a number of WWE Hall of Famers which reduced Vince McMahon to tears. He also produced the commercials that aired before the Super Bowl in 1999 and 2000. Throughout 2002 and 2003, Sahadi grew disillusioned with the direction the company was going in, claiming that “I had reached a point in my life where this illusory world had lost all its appeal. I wanted something deeper, more profound in life.” Sahadi requested his release from WWE in June 2003 and left one month later.

— Here are holiday greetings from four WWE Divas:

– From SmackDown Diva Nikki Bella on her WWE Universe account:

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

HOPE EVERYONE HAD AN AMAZING, HAPPY DAY AND GOT EVERYTHING THEY WANTED!! I AM THANKFUL FOR ALL OF YOU AND YOUR SUPPORT OF BRIE AND I!

PEACE LOVE & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

BESOS

NIKKI

– From ECW Diva Tiffany on her WWE Universe account:

Merry Christmas WWE Universe!

The one thing I wanted for Christmas was to be with my family! So I have been in Louisiana all week catching up, watching movies, and laughing! The best feeling is to be surrounded with people who share your memories even though they remember the embarrassing stories of you… such as the time…I was a freshman in high school and accidently dropped my lunch tray all over the senior captain of the football team. Aghhhh!!!!!

You have to love family for reliving those moments with you!

Sad to see Christmas day almost over but my birthday is in a few days and then it will be New Year’s Eve! 3 exciting days in one week! I love December!

I hope everyone’s Christmas was great! Talk to you all soon!

With Love,

Tiff

– Click here to see Maria’s holiday greeting.

– Via Lilian Garcia’s MySpace account (myspace.com/liliangarcia):

Happy Holidays

I wanted to wish you all a safe and happy holidays!

Forever Rockin’,
Lilian =)

— Jack Swagger is in line for ECW title shows at house shows. The Assembly Hall is advertising these matches for the WWE house show in Champaign, Illinois on January 30th, 2009:

John Cena vs. Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship
Rey Mysterio & Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes & Manu
Matt Hardy vs. Jack Swagger for the ECW Championship

Go to http://prowrestlingevents.tk or http://prowrestlingevents.webs.com for info about upcoming wrestling shows worldwide. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

See pics of The Bella Twins without makeup (way different!) (>>)

WWE Talent Releases Expected Today, Three WWE Stars At Auto Show, Natalya

January 31, 2021 KANKENNEWS

source: PWInsider.com

— In light of World Wrestling Entertainment letting go of ten percent of it workforce yesterday, a talent purge is expected today. According to several people in the company, WWE is expected to release some performers as part of their economic cutback initiative. Stay tuned for names.

— John Cena, Batista and Maria will be at this year’s annual Washington D.C. Auto Show, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, in February. Here is the appearance schedule:

* Wednesday, February 4th 6-8PMET: Batista starting at 6:00PM ET
* Thursday, February 5th 6-8PMET: WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena at 6:00PM ET
* Friday, February 6th 6-8PMET: WWE Diva Maria at 6:00PM ET

— WWE.com has added a new photo gallery of Natalya, which you can see at the following link.

Click here for WWE Future Endeavors Club (Class of ’08)! (>>)

Kelly Appearing At Playboy Party, Hornswoggle's Homecoming, WWE Hall of Fame

January 31, 2021 KANKENNEWS

— Kelly Kelly and former WWE Diva Ashley Massaro are scheduled to appear at an unofficial Playboy Super Bowl party in Tampa on Saturday, January 31 alongside nine other Playboy Playmates. The two women’s wrestlers will be appearing at Pied Piper Productions’s “Models and Bottles Party” at Jackson’s Bistro. Playboy officially canceled its annual Super Bowl party last week. For more information on the event, click here. Massaro has been out of the spotlight since last summer when she asked for her release from World Wrestling Entertainment to reportedly care for her sick child.

— The Oshkosh Northwestern has an article (and photo gallery) on last night’s Raw/ECW house show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which you can check out at the following link. Oshkosh native Dylan Postl (a.k.a. “Hornswoggle”) made his return to his hometown last night after missing last year’s show to sell storyline injuries. Hornswoggle accompanied Finlay in a losing effort to ECW Champion Jack Swagger.

— Tickets for the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Toyota Center officially went on sale today. Tickets sold pretty well as the only seats still available are in the rafters.

Is Kelly Kelly posing for Playboy this year? (>>)

Top WWE Star Missing WrestleMania, Chris Jericho Honored, DJ Gabriel Speaks Out

January 31, 2021 KANKENNEWS

— In the latest update on the official website of Batista, www.Demon-Wrestling.com, his people are saying he won’t be cleared to return to the ring from injury for five or six months. WWE still had hopes for Batista to wrestle at WrestleMania, but that’s off the cards now. Here is his website’s statement:

Dave’s recovery is going very well. He’s in the gym twice a day but being very cautious.

Looking forward to coming back as soon as he’s able.

Doubtful he’ll be cleared before 5-6 months but he’ll be back stronger and better than ever.

— Chris Jericho was honored with the “Wrestler of the Year” award in the 29th annual Wrestling Observer Newsletter readership awards announced last week. Jericho beat out Edge by a mere 30 votes. Here is the final voting tally:

1. CHRIS JERICHO (139)1,198
2. Edge (116)1,168
3. Shawn Michaels (157)1,111
4. Keiji Muto (97)976
5. Nigel McGuinness (45)658
6. John Cena (73)595
7. Shingo Takagi (57)449
8. Cibernetico (53)377
9. Kurt Angle (32)275
10. Bryan Danielson (12)215

— ECW Superstar DJ Gabriel posted a blog on the WWE Universe site admitting he’s not a great dancer. Gabriel wrote: “Granted, there are probably a great many people out there in the WWE Universe who aren’t too fond of my dancing in particular. But that’s o.k! I don’t pretend for one minute that I’m a great dancer, I’m not going to be a contender on ‘Dancing with the Stars’. I’m just being myself, and proving that I don’t mind making a fool of myself in front of millions of people in the name of entertainment.” {Shall We Dance?}

Click here for news on SmackDown Diva going to Raw!

Former Diva Returning To WWE?, More 2009 WWE Hall of Fame News, Triple H Note

January 31, 2021 KANKENNEWS

— Ashley Massaro is apparently hinting towards a possible return to World Wrestling Entertainment. In a blog posted on her MySpace account today, the former WWE Diva said she spoke to Johnny Ace (John Laurinaitis, WWE’s Senior Vice President of Talent Relations) this past week. Massaro wrote: “Happened to speak to Johnny Ace this week. Hmmmmm, let yall wonder about that one…hehe.” You can read her blog at the following link. “The Dirty Diva” was released from her WWE contract on July 9, 2008. A week prior to her release, she announced that she had asked to be let go from her contract due to her daughter being sick.

— UniversalWrestling.com, which sells tapes and DVDs from the original studio masters of “Cowboy” Bill Watts’ Universal Wrestling Federation wrestling promotion (and is perhaps the most notable defunct wrestling promotion video library WWE has yet to acquire) recently posted a congratulatory message regarding Watts’ upcoming induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. They wrote: “We are proud to announce: “Cowboy” Bill Watts New 2009 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee!” WWE has yet to publicly announce Watts’ induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, although Watts himself released a statement last month saying he was being inducted this year.

— Triple H’s theme music was played at the start of the second half during today’s NFL Pro Bowl. (Thanks to Dan Polonsky)

See picture of Ashley in Rolling Stone! (>>)

'QAnon Shaman' willing to testify in impeachment trial, lawyer says

January 30, 2021 KANKENNEWS

A man photographed wearing face paint and a horned headdress during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol said he would be willing to testify at former President TrumpDonald Trump’QAnon Shaman’ willing to testify in impeachment trial, lawyer says Boebert clashes with Parkland survivor on Twitter: ‘Give your keyboard a rest, child’ Overnight Defense: FEMA asks Pentagon to help with vaccinations | US says Taliban has ‘not met their commitments’ | Army investigating Fort Hood chaplain MORE’s impeachment trial in February, his attorney told The Associated Press.

Jacob Chansley, who is known as the “QAnon Shaman,” would be willing to testify that he was incited to allegedly storm the Capitol by the then-president, according to attorney Albert Watkins. “QAnon Shaman” is a name that references the far right conspiracy theory known as QAnon.

Watkins said his client has not yet made contact with any members of the Senate.

In a statement to The Hill, Watkins confirmed that his client would be willing to testify during the Senate impeachment trial.

Trump was impeached by the House for a second time earlier in January for his role in the violent riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Trump made remarks before the attack, encouraging a group of his supporters on the National Mall to march to the Capitol and demand that Congress halt its certification of President Biden’s electoral victory.

Trump is the only president to be impeached twice in U.S. history. His Senate impeachment trial is slated to begin in February.

During the riot, hundreds of rioters, including Chansley, were photographed inside the Capitol building. Chansley was arrested on Jan. 9 and later charged with civil disorder, obstruction of official proceedings and disorderly conduct in a restricted building. He is set to be arraigned Friday and has yet to enter a plea.

Court records indicate Chansley told investigators he attended the riot specifically “at the request of the president that all ‘patriots’ come to D.C. on January 6,” according to the AP.

Watkins told the AP that after Trump failed to pardon him or other participants in the insurrection, his client “felt like he was betrayed by the president.”

The attorney last week said that his client felt that he had been “duped” by Trump.

“He regrets very, very much having not just been duped by the president but by being in a position where he allowed that duping to put him in a position to make decisions he should not have made,” Watkins said, according to Missouri’s NBC-affiliated television station KSDK.

Fauci says Johnson & Johnson vaccine helpful in COVID-19 fight despite lower efficacy

January 30, 2021 KANKENNEWS

Anthony FauciAnthony FauciFauci says Johnson & Johnson vaccine helpful in COVID-19 fight despite lower efficacy Appropriate use of PCR needed for a focused response to the pandemic Fauci hopes to see vaccinations for children by ‘late spring and early summer’ MORE, the government’s leading infectious diseases expert, said the new COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is good news in the fight against the coronavirus even though it has lower efficacy than other shots already in circulation.

“This is actually good news. It’s value added to the whole effort of getting more vaccine candidates into the mix,” Fauci said on NBC News on Friday night.

The remarks come after Johnson & Johnson announced that its vaccine is 66 percent effective in preventing moderate or severe disease, a level of protection above the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) minimum but lower than the authorized Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are effective roughly 95 percent of the time.

The shot’s efficacy was 72 percent in the United States but fell to 57 percent in South Africa, where a new coronavirus variant is running rampant.

“Even though the results showed a 72 percent in the United States, it was a study that involved not only the United States, but also South Africa and Brazil. The important point is that the protection against severe disease was very high, even in South Africa, where the mutant is dominant,” Fauci said.

“So even though the numbers when you compare against mild to moderate disease, 72 percent versus 94-95, clearly 94-95 is better,” he continued. “But from a practical standpoint, from what you want to do to keep people out of the hospital and prevent death, this is a value added.”

While the Johnson & Johnson vaccine’s efficacy is lower than that of its competitors, the company emphasized that its shot is 85 percent effective in preventing severe disease and was 100 percent effective in preventing hospitalization or death starting 28 days after vaccination.

“One of the important things you want to do is to keep people out of the hospital. If you can also protect them against any kind of symptoms, that would be good,” Fauci said. “Not quite as good against the early disease, but against the serious consequences, it’s done very well.”

Still, Johnson & Johnson may face what Fauci said could be a “messaging issue” given the headline of its efficacy lagging behind Pfizer and Moderna. And even while it is a one-dose shot instead of requiring two doses, people may be reluctant to take it.

“There very well may be people who would actually prefer to have one dose,” Fauci said. “So I think there will be usefulness of it, even though … there may be some that would say, ‘I want the one that numerically is the best efficacy.’ That will happen, and that will be a messaging issue.”

dovdiv

Monthly Archives: January 2021

Mainstream Media Picks Up Hardy Story, Latest From D-Lo Brown, More Bellas Pub

Confirmed WWE Superstars For Iraq Tour, Mickie James Update, ECW Rating Rises

Knockouts Score Big For TNA, Karen Angle Update, Lance Storm Rants On Impact

Gail Kim Reportedly Dating TNA Producer, WWE Diva Holiday Greetings, Swagger

WWE Talent Releases Expected Today, Three WWE Stars At Auto Show, Natalya

Kelly Appearing At Playboy Party, Hornswoggle's Homecoming, WWE Hall of Fame

Top WWE Star Missing WrestleMania, Chris Jericho Honored, DJ Gabriel Speaks Out

Former Diva Returning To WWE?, More 2009 WWE Hall of Fame News, Triple H Note

'QAnon Shaman' willing to testify in impeachment trial, lawyer says

Fauci says Johnson & Johnson vaccine helpful in COVID-19 fight despite lower efficacy