We Will Rebuild Him...

WWE has posted another video hyping Triple H's return. Click on the link below.

Triple H video

Chris Benoit's Toxicology Results Will Be Released Tomorrow

The Associated Press has released a report stating that the toxicology examination on the body of Chris Beniot is now complete.

The official results will be revealed tomorrow (Tuesday) at a press conference to be held at 2:30 PM ET. The results will be presented by Dr. Kris Sperry, the state of Georgia's chief medical examiner.

The ramifications of this toxicology report have the potential to rock the pro wrestling industry. Just when you thought the Chris Benoit media storm was dying down, "business is about to pick up".

The 10 Different Kinds of Pot Dealers

After extensive fieldwork and the compilation and interpretation of a great deal of data, the author has narrowed the broad spectrum of pot dealers into ten “Types.”

read more | digg story

Triple H v. Booker T at Summerslam

Pro Wrestling Insider is reporting that Triple H will wrestle Booker T at Summerslam. From the looks of tonight's Raw, they are beginning to step up the program. I would anticipate Triple H's return before August.

Gracie Opts Against Appealing

Royce Gracie will not appeal the suspension handed down by the California State Athletic Commission after it said the Brazilian legend tested positive for a banned anabolic agent following his win against Kazushi Sakuraba June 2 in Los Angeles.

Gracie had until July 13 to file for an appeal, however the CSAC said on Monday that its office had not received a formal appeal hearing request and as a result the $2,500 fine and one-year suspension, which expires May 30, 2008, are final.

"I did not appeal the decision because I have been in Spain for the last 1 1/2 (months) on vacation with my family, and for me to appeal, I would have to get a lawyer, and then get some experts to run tests and then get more experts to argue with their experts -- or I can just pay $2,500 fine, and sit out for one year," Gracie said via e-mail Monday. "Well, I fight once a year anyway and it's much cheaper to pay $2,500 in fine then $10,000 retainer to attorney's alone. As for my fans, those who believe me, believe me anyway, and those who don't, does not matter what I do, or what I say, they will not believe anyway." ...More?

WWE® And Gold’s Gym Team Up On The Road to SummerSlam®

World Wrestling Entertainment® and Gold’s Gym will team up this summer to get gym members in shape, primed and ready for WWE’s “Biggest Party of the Summer™,” giving them and others a chance to attend this year’s annual pay-per-view spectacular, SummerSlam, by entering “The Road to SummerSlam Sweepstakes,” sponsored by Gold’s Gym.

The Road to SummerSlam Sweepstakes will award one grand prize winner with a trip for two to attend the live SummerSlam pay-per-view event on August 26 at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., including flight and hotel accommodations plus $250 USD in spending money. Five additional first prize winners will also be awarded $25 in WWE merchandise and a $25 Gold’s Gym Gear gift certificate. The Sweepstakes, open to legal residents of the 50 United States, D.C. and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are at least 18 years old, launches July 15th and will run through August 15, 2007. To enter the Sweepstakes and for official rules, consumers are invited to visit www.goldsgym.com...More?

Benoit book already in the works

ECW Press Announces CHRIS AND NANCY by Irvin Muchnick,
Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide, for 2008 Publication

July 16, 2007 - ECW Press announced today that it has signed author Irvin Muchnick to write a book about the sensational case of wrestler Chris Benoit.

The book, entitled CHRIS AND NANCY: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling's Cocktail of Death, will be published in 2008.

Muchnick is author of the hot-selling ECW Press book, WRESTLING BABYLON: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal (site: http://wrestlingbabylon.com; blog: http://muchnick.net/babylon, and has appeared extensively in media coverage of the Benoit case. The appendix of WRESTLING BABYLON documents the premature deaths of nearly 100 wrestlers over the last generation from drugs and related aspects of the pro wrestling lifestyle. That information has been cited both by commentators and by a member of Congress urging investigation of the billion-dollar pro wrestling industry...More?

JR's Comments about Nancy and Daniel's Funeral

...The media was strategically hovering outside the church to where one could not enter the facility under the normal, covered walkway during the heavy rain without walking by the reporters, who I realize have a job to do. They had questions with the first being something along the lines of “what about the steroid issue?” It wasn’t “what are your memories of Nancy and Daniel?” or “Is there anything you would like to say to the families?” It was the tired, “steroid” question...

...The wrestling business, like our lives, is far from perfect and many areas of it need to be addressed and improved upon. Perhaps this mission should be approached as if tomorrow was our first day on the job and we have the chance to start fresh and make things better for everyone who wants to play by the rules and to do the right things so the business will continue to thrive long after guys like me are nothing more than a fleeting memory of bygone days...More?

Don't pin sport of wrestling for Benoit tragedy

...Why is everyone so quick to blame professional wrestling? I don't remember anyone asking if football made a "monster" of O.J. Simpson. When Brandon Lee was accidentally killed on the set of "The Crow," no one blamed the film industry.

The media are quick to vilify professional wrestling and not solely steroid abuse, because the profession has never been truly respected. Ever since McMahon re-dubbed it "sports entertainment" - a virtual admission that the matches were staged and the finishes predetermined - wrestling has been rejected as a sport. But since wrestling also presents itself as a competition, it's never been accepted on its own terms.

Even as new details surrounding this tragedy unfold, professional wrestling deserves to be appreciated as a wonderful form of entertainment. Every show is a ballistic ballet, combing the holds and counter-holds originated by the ancient Greeks and Romans, the daredevil athleticism of the high-fliers, and an occasional chair shot to the head. We cheer the larger-than-life heroes, boo the sinister villains, and everyday emotions are stirred up in rousing fashion.

Chris Benoit's legacy is forever tarnished. Whatever the outcome of the investigation, the public should look at this as both a tragedy and a cautionary tale against the damages of steroid abuse. But it's not a reason to attack wrestling. We should blame the man, not the business.

source: www.newsday.com

Dreaming of stardom in the ring

Bodies were flying and weights were clanking throughout his red-, white- and blue-painted gym, but Booker T. Huffman — better known as Booker T and, now, King Booker — lowered his voice when he talked about fellow wrestler Chris Benoit.

"He was a really good friend of mine," said Huffman, referring to the World Wrestling Entertainment pro wrestler who last month allegedly committed murder-suicide. "I just really think that he was under a lot of pressure and a lot of stress. Whatever it was, it was just too much for him to bear."

Despite the cloud cast on the professional wrestling community, young men and women across the city continue to crowd into dark, hot rings with dreams of being the next WWE superstars. Houston offers lots of opportunity...More?

Chris Benoit & Son Go Swimming Before Murders?

The Wrestling Observer is reporting more details on the Benoit tragedy:

Chris Benoit spoke to a pool boy (not named) during a period on Saturday. Meltzer reports that multiple sources have stated that this pool boy saw both Chris and Daniel Benoit. One of those sources claim the two were swimming in the Benoit pool. This would have been while Nancy was already dead inside the home. Just hours later, Chris wound up killing Daniel and then himself.

Re-cap of Fit Finaly on Nancy Grace

WWE’s Fit Finlay appeared on Nancy Grace last night along with Marc Mero, Bryan Alvarez from Figure 4 Wrestling Online and others. Finaly said WWE’s testing is “very comprehensive“, and went on to say this:

“They watch us every test we do. It’s very strict. It’s probably one of the best screening things out there. No other wrestling company has done this. WCW tried. We have done it. We tried it, I think in the late-’80s, early-’90s, and now in the last year and a half. Guys are being suspended or fired if they’re caught. As regards to someone turning up with a script and getting away with whatever you want, that is absolutely not true. Their doctors need to communicate with Dr. Black. If that is a legitimate cause for the prescription, they take it from there. It is not a Get out of Jail free card. That is absolute garbage.”...

...Finlay said he’d been in the business over 30 years without drugs. He said if you’re under contract to WWE, you can ask for time off and that if you’ve not been in the WWE in the last two years, you’re not in a position to comment...More?