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WWE Suspends Two Superstars

WWE just sent out the following release:

World Wrestling Entertainment Suspends Two Performers - STAMFORD, Conn., November 2, 2007 �" In accordance with its Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy, WWE today suspended the following performers for violations: Chris Mordetzky (Chris Masters) for 60 days (second violation) and Harry Smith (D. H. Smith) for 30 days (first violation).

Morning business file: Death drags WWE down

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., producer of television's "WWE Friday Night SmackDown," said third-quarter profit fell 8.3 per cent because of costs linked to the death of performer Chris Benoit, a Canadian who was raised in Edmonton...More?

source: canada.com

World Wrestling Entertainment 3Q results top expectations

World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE:WWE) Inc. Thursday reported third-quarter net income of $8.5 million, or 12 cents a share, down from $9.2 million, or 13 cents a share, in the year-ago period.

The mean estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial was for earnings of 9 cents a share.

The Stamford, Conn.-based company said revenue for the period rose to $108.1 million from $93.2 million a year earlier. Analysts, on average, were looking for $102.4 million.

Shares closed Wednesday at $15.20.

source: money.cnn.com

Accused of failing drug test, Hingis retires

Martina Hingis said Thursday she has been accused of testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon, and then announced her retirement from professional tennis.

Hingis, a five-time Grand Slam champion and former Wimbledon winner, denied using cocaine.

"I find this accusation so horrendous, so monstrous that I've decided to confront it head on by talking to the press," she said. "I am frustrated and angry. I believe that I am absolutely 100 percent innocent."...More?

source: foxsports.com

UFC officials give out Randy Couture salary information

Responding to criticism from resigned champion Randy Couture that they underpaid fighters, Ultimate Fighting Championship executives Tuesday took the unprecedented step of publicly announcing what they're paying the former heavyweight star this year: nearly $2.9 million.

"We pay our fighters very well," UFC President Dana White said at a news conference in Las Vegas. "The statements [Couture] has made are not true."..More?

source: latimes.com

Ric Flair Says He Will Be Back On SmackDown

Ric Flair said during a twenty minute interview with Peter Rosenberg on Hot 97 in New York City today that he is not finished with wrestling yet and will be back on SmackDown. Flair, however, did not give a timetable for his return. Also in the interview The Nature Boy compared today’s wrestling from the product fifteen years ago. Click here to listen to the full interview.

Raw Delivers for the USA Network

USA Network grew its prime-time audience 7 percent to 1.7 million viewers, while taking third among 18-49s (1.21 million, up 12 percent), 25-54s (1.17 million, up 10 percent) and 18-34s (566,000, up 12 percent). Shut out of the top 10 program list by baseball and football, USA’s WWE Raw franchise still delivered solid numbers, including a monthly high of just under 5 million viewers for the second hour of the Oct. 15 show.

source: mediaweek.com

Who is the Most Important Performer in the Industry?

Earlier this week, the NY Yankees Alex Rodriguez opted out of his contract to become baseball's top free agent. What if there was a legitimate #2 wrestling organization in the world today, and every wrestler in the industry was able to be a free agent? Who would be the performer that can lead that company passed the WWE, and become the #1 wrestling promotion in the world? The Piledriver Report takes a look at the top six candidates, and examines their pros and cons on who the most influential free agent would be...

Triple H: Pros: Since the summer of 1999, Triple H has been THE name of professional wrestling. No wrestler during this stretch of time has been able to hold a candle to HHH. He is probably the single greatest heel of the post-twentieth century era. While wrestlers like The Rock, Mick Foley, and Steve Austin were either retiring or injured for long stretches of time, Triple H carried the WWF/E. Triple H is also an integral part of the WWE backstage scene. By being married to Stephanie McMahon, Triple H probably has more "power" then any wrestler in the industry.

Cons: Triple H's major weakness is that he is injury prone. In the last six years, Triple H has suffered two major quad tears. Each tear has kept him out of action for almost a year at a time. Another "con" is that Triple H always has a need to look better then every one else on the roster. Whether the World Champion, or not, Triple H seems to make his opponents look incompetent. The exception to this rule is if he is feuding against Shawn Michaels (his best friend) or his father-in-law...More?

Q&A with Batista

Wrestling fans know Batista as a man of few words, but the current world heavyweight champion has plenty to say in his autobiography, Batista Unleashed WWE/Pocketbooks, $26), which was released a couple weeks ago. In the book, Batista opens us about subjects such as his brushes with the law when he was younger, coming from a broken home and being raised by his mother (who is a lesbian), his failed marriages, being a grandfather at 38 and life on the road with WWE.

Kevin Eck spoke with Batista in a telephone interview on Monday, the day after he defeated The Undertaker in the main event of Cyber Sunday in Washington...More?

source: weblogs.baltimoresun.com

DX marks the spot, one night only

For one night only, D-Generation X – Triple H and Shawn Michaels – will be reunited next Monday on Raw, and they will take on WWE Champion Randy Orton & Umaga, WWE.com has learned. But is the one-night DX reunion part of an evil plan by Mr. McMahon?

The Game and HBK were brought back together last night on Raw when Michaels saved his former DX teammate from a potentially career-ending beatdown by Orton and the Samoan Bulldozer during a 2-on-1 Handicap Match. As Triple H and The Showstopper celebrated in the ring, Mr. McMahon looked on with Raw GM William Regal from the back. With a far away, evil gleam in his eyes, the Chairman told Regal that DX would be back together for one night only next week on Raw, adding, “Things always happen when I want them to happen, the way I want them to happen.”...More?

Firefighters' screams led to heroic rescue

A week after flames engulfed Southern California, several firefighters are trying to forget the screams that pushed them to make a heroic rescue.

A shrill voice pierced Ray Chaney's headset as he flew a small plane about a mile above the U.S.-Mexico border on October 21. The air traffic controller looked helplessly at the sea of flames below.

The desperate call for help crackled on firefighter radio frequencies for miles around, signaling to fire crews that somewhere, deep in the smoke, a wall of flames had overcome four firefighters. They had been trying to save a man and his son, who were stranded in a hilltop home.

"There was one scream and then a series of them," Chaney said. "I really try not to think about it."...More?

source: cnn.com