Steroids beyond sports

The names of R&B music star Mary J. Blige, along with rap artists 50 Cent, Timbaland and Wyclef Jean, and award-winning author and producer Tyler Perry, have emerged in an Albany-based investigation of steroids trafficking that has already rocked the professional sports world, according to confidential sources.

Information has surfaced recently showing those stars are among tens of thousands of people who may have used or received prescribed shipments of steroids and injectable human growth hormone in recent years...More?

source: timesunion.com

Jump First, Ask Questions Later

As if running for his life, Mark Toorock sprints away from his pursuer and directly toward a dead end: a 12-foot-high concrete wall with another three feet of metal railing on top. Toorock's split-second advantage is enough to allow him to plant a foot waist-high on the wall, spring up, grab the edge of the concrete with both hands and boost himself up to and over the rail without getting nabbed. By the time this series of fluid movements is complete and the chase scene has ended, Toorock has attracted a crowd and inspired at least a dozen young people milling about in Silver Spring to take up the art of parkour on the spot...More?

source: washingtonpost.com

Ice Cube Heads to the Net

Ice Cube and DJ Pooh have joined forces to create the world’s first real-time streaming television network online, called UVNTV.com (U View Network Television). The service, which is free, will include a social network function with a design model similar to a hybrid of MySpace and YouTube.

read more | digg story

Rumor Mill - Ron Killings & The Big Show

Ron "The Truth" Killings has been telling people that he's now signed a contract with WWE that will see him bypass development and get an $80,000 per year downside guarantee.

The January 14th edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter confirms that former multi-time WWE Champion Paul Wight - The Big Show - has either signed with the WWE or has agreed to a deal, and will be starting full-time very soon.

source: wrestlezone.com

DX in Tallahassee

Jeff Hardy - Whisper in the Wind

Raw - January 7, 2008

WWE Goes HD

The CW will begin broadcasting wrestling's Friday Night SmackDown in High-Definition on January 25.

Additionally, during the week of January 21, Monday Night RAW and A.M. Raw on USA Network and ECW Extreme Championship Wrestling on the Sci-Fi Channel will switch to high-def. All four programs are from World Wrestling Entertainment.

The WWE this month will also begin broadcasting its PPV specials in high-def, starting with the "Royal Rumble" on January 27.

The WWE says it spent $20 million to renovate its Stamford, Connecticut studios for the high-def broadcasts.

source: tvpredictions.com

IFL Comments on UFC Champion Randy Couture

So, what is Randy Couture's involvement in the IFL Mixed Martial Arts league? Rumors have been swirling around the MMA world regarding the reigning UFC Champion, whose contract dispute or retirement (depending on whose legal analysis you listen to - UFC's or Couture's) has left him in a very interesting situation.

Couture, under contract to UFC, appeared at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Chris Horodecki's corner for the main event of IFL's Grand Prix Finals on December 29th, which was broadcast on billionaire Mark Cuban's HDNet. Earlier in December, IFL co-founder Kurt Otto mentioned Couture's name as a possible coach during the IFL's conference call to discuss their plans for 2008, but wouldn't commit to anything in terms of Couture's appearances...More?

source: nationalledger.com

House Show Re-Cap Jacksonville, FL

DX music hit and the crowed hit fever pitch. Standard DX promo including the attempt to get the crowd to increase its noise level. Out came Snitsky followed by Umaga. Shawn and Hunter played off with Shawn saying he didn't want to start with Snitsky implying he was too small. Eventually Hunter and Shawn played Rock, Paper, Scissors with Shawn losing much to the delight of the crowed. Snitsky and HBK lock up with Snitsky overpowering HBK twice before Shawn went to Tag HHH. Hunter held out his hand but Shawn told him to look away which HHH did and Shawn tagged him in getting a laugh from the crowed.

HHH and Snitsky lock up, and after a break with neither overpowering the other HHH left the ring and asked the crowed if anyone had a Tic Tac or a Toothbrush for Snitsky. A fan in the front row game HBK something and HBK passed it to the Ref (I think) before Snitsky hit it out of his hand. Crowed started with a "Brush your teeth!" chant aimed at Snitsky getting a reaction from the yellow teethed monster. Snitsky left the ring and started walking up the ramp looking dejected eventually returning. From that point on your standard Monster Tag team match with a lot of chants to the wrestlers. Eventually the hot Tag is made to HHH who cleans house, goes for a Pedigree on Snitsky before Umaga returns and attempts to hit the Spike. HBK cuts him off hitting the Sweet Chin Music before hitting it again on Snitsky who turns into a Pedigree for the DX win.

source: 411mania.com

2007 Maryland Championship Wrestling Awards

The nominees have been announced for the 2007 MCW Awards. Send your votes to mcw@marylandwrestling.com. Only the votes submitted to mcw@marylandwrestling.com will count.

Memphis Promoter Files Suit Against WWE

It's the back story that counts in professional wrestling. The matches and interviews advance story lines and rivalries that lead to more matches with more hype and thus more fans in the seats and watching on pay-per-view television.

As a result, it's sometimes hard to determine what is real and what is being done to advance the story line.

That was the case in April when Memphis wrestling legend Jerry "The King" Lawler was a no-show for a FedExForum press conference to announce a match between him and Hulk Hogan...More?

source: memphisdailynews.com

Beyond the Ring

Editor's note from TUSKmag.com:

When it comes to public scrutiny, journalists and professional wrestlers often times find themselves in the same ring of judgment, caught in a headlock of sweeping generalizations.

It's true. I don't know the first thing about how to deliver a Tombstone Piledriver, although I would pay World Wrestling Entertainment's Undertaker a lot of money to do just that to Tusk Editor Mark Hughes Cobb, who was more than happy to give me this space this week.

But those of us in the media have more in common with these sports entertainers than we think...More?