This Day in Wrestling History

Wladek Zbyszko defeats Ed "Strangler" Lewis in New York City with a turn away crowd of 5,000. Zbyszko pins Lewis after an hour an a half. The "World Championship" which had been claimed by Lewis dating back to John Olin is now lost. Though Earl Caddock has never officially lost the "World Championship" to anyone, Wladek Zbyszko's claim is now as strong as any others.
March 21, 1919

John Pesek defeats Marin Plestina to win the first Midwest Wrestling Association title. Al Haft and Heywood Allen are promoters.
March 21, 1931

X-Pac makes his return & knocks out Hollywood Hulk Hogan, joining the nWo four days after WrestleMania 18 on SmackDown.
March 21, 2002

Publicist For The WWE Says They Aren't "Wrestling"

Chuck Ross of TVweek.com is featuring an article about being contacted by Kellie Baldyga, a publicist for WWE, over his coverage of the announcement last week that Drew Carey was being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Baldyga took issue with the headline reading "Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame" when referring to the news about Carey and that WWE wasn't "wrestling."

Baldyga was beginning to bother me. First, our headline was perfectly fine and accurate. Second, what was this "demand" about changing OUR headline?

I called her and introduced myself. The conversation then basically went as follows:

Me: Your release says that Carey is being recognized as being an entrant in the 2001 Royal Rumble. I believe that was a wrestling event.

Kellie: No, we don't do wrestling events. They're entertainments. And we don't call them wrestlers. They're superstars and divas.

I'm thinking to myself, is she kidding me? Is this woman mad? The company's official name is World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Its crown jewel is an event called WrestleMania. In the best tradition of wrestling on TV since its earliest days, they put on terrific shows (and events), with athletes who are performers and they've got storylines that are far more elaborate than any Gorgeous George and Freddie Blassie would have ever imagined. Why would they want to run away from who they are, from what's made them wildly successful beyond most people's dreams?

Me: Kellie, I really don't have time for this. WWE presents wrestling events. I'm not going to change the headline or anything in the item. If you'd like, I'll just remove it.

Kellie: Huh? What?

Me: Kellie, I don't have time for this. What do you want me to do?

Kellie: Remove it.

So I did.

Kellie sent me a follow-up email saying "I hope nothing was contentious in our conversation..." She added, "I know the perception is that we are a wrestling company but we are actually much more than that--we are a global media company which is how our Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon, positions us."

Whatever. Take away wrestling from WWE and what do you basically have? I don't think WWE is quite as diverse as global media companies such as News Corp. or Time Warner or Viacom, but what do I know.

Full article:
Psst--Vince McMahon and the WWE Are No Longer In the Wrestling Business

This really isn't anything new. The WWE has been presenting themselves as an entertainment company for years. I'm surprised that Baldyga didn't point out to Ross that there is an entity called the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame that is completely separate from the WWE. For Ross to write that Drew Carey was being inducted into the "pro wrestling hall of fame" is inaccurate. I guess she didn't know that. That would have been a better argument. After doing a google search on Kellie Baldyga I found out that she became a publicist at WWE in February of this year. She might want to brush up on her new specialty.

This Day in Wrestling History

Happy Birthday to:
Ronnie Garvin - March 20, 1944
Sting - March 20, 1959

After losing to his brother Owen earlier in the show, Bret Hart goes on to defeat Yokozuna for the WWF(E) Title in the main event of WrestleMania 10.
March 20, 1994

Big John Studd died of Hodgkin's disease at 46.
March 20, 1995

MSG Raw House Show Results 3/19/11

Triple H used a belt on Sheamus. They brawled into the crowd and up into an aisle. Sheamus was backdropped over the rail into the ringside area. Sheamus nailed him with a Singapore Cane. He tossed HHH into the ring and beat him with the Cane. Sheamus nailed an over the knee backbreaker for a two count. He beat HHH with a series of clobbering blows to the chest. He cinched in a rear chinlock but HHH made a comeback. Sheamus took him out with a clothesline.

Sheamus brought a set of the ring steps into the ring but HHH hit a droptoehold and Sheamus ate the stairs. HHH grabbed a chair under the ring and nailed Sheamus in the gut and over the back for a two count. They battled back and forth with punches. HHH finally got the better of it and went for the Pedigree. Sheamus backdropped him and nailed the Pump Kick but HHH kicked out. Sheamus called for the High Cross. He picked up HHH but HHH slipped out. Sheamus crotched himself missing a kick and ended up tied up in the ropes. HHH grabbed the cane and beat Sheamus who was hanging upside down. HHH nailed the Pedigree and scored the pin.

Lots of Triple H chants. Betty Skaaland, the widow of Arnold Skaaland, was sitting in the front. Triple H and John Cena gave her a hug.

Click here for full results.

source: pwinsider.com
photo credit : pauly g

Curt Hawkins' Painting of HBK in WrestleMania Auction

Curt Hawkins posted this on his twitter; He also tweeted Shawn that he should autograph it to raise more money, and Shawn agreed :)
- My painting of @ShawnMichaels_ for the WM Charity Art Auction! http://yfrog.com/gymswgpj
- @ShawnMichaels_ ...It's a tribute to my hero. Maybe you can sign it Mania week & it'll raise even more money at the auction.

Shawn Michaels replies:
- @ThingsColeSays. Wow, that young man is very talented!! Thank you, Curt.
- @TheCurtHawkins. Wow!! Thanks bud. I had no idea u had such a wonderful gift. Thank you very much.
- @TheCurtHawkins. BTW thanks for givin the 'ol man some abs. I owe u for that one:-)
- @TheCurtHawkins. U got it bud!!

The WrestleMania Art Auction will be held at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. with Red Carpet arrival at 5:30 p.m

The WrestleMania Art is a special, one-night event featuring artwork created by WWE Superstars and Divas. WWE's fourth annual art exhibition for WrestleMania showcases the artistic works of WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends. This one-of-a-kind evening will feature food, drinks, and both live and silent auctions with proceeds to benefit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and The Atlanta Sports Council. Watch WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends arrive and walk the red carpet for a memorable evening.

It is part of the WrestleMania 27 Week, and tickets for this event is still available and can be purchased by calling 404.785.7315.

source: wweshawnmichaels.com

Rumor Mill - Details Behind WGN Canceling WWE Superstars

The latest on WGN America's decision to cancel WWE Superstars is basically stating that it got canceled due to the quality of the show that was being produced, claims PWInsider.com. WGN felt as if they were paying "B or C show money", yet getting a "D show" delivery. When the show first aired, WWE did quite a bit to attract attention by putting big names on the cards. However, recently it has become a stage for talent not being used on the two major brands. Many believe that WWE losing this show will lead to some budget cuts following WrestleMania 27.

The Game Returns to Madison Square Garden Tonight

WWE returns to its traditional home territory Saturday night at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The show is marketed around Triple H's return to The Garden, where he is scheduled to face Sheamus in an "MSG Street Fight."

Hunter has wrestled two matches since April 2010 when he took a hiatus - vs. Alberto Del Rio at the "Fan Appreciation" house show in October 2010 and in a post-Raw dark match at Monday's Raw TV taping.

source: pwtorch.com

Chyna Trying to Get Attention; Wants to Wrestle Snooki

Snooki's decision to sign on for Wrestlemania XXVII is pissing off ex WWE Diva Chyna -- and TMZ has learned she wants to settle the grudge in the ring.

TMZ spoke with Joanie Laurer -- a.k.a. Chyna -- who says, "Snooki is trying to make a joke out of wrestling" ... and needs to be taught a lesson.

Chyna hasn't wrestled since 2002, but says she'd come back for a Snooki smackdown -- and she's even up for a threesome ... adding, “I could take on Snooki AND The Situation in a tag match and have some fun doing it."

source: tmz.com

SmackDown Results: Rage Outside the Cage

Although Christian picked up a rewarding victory over arch-rival Alberto Del Rio in a Steel Cage Match, Del Rio gained significant WrestleMania momentum by stinging World Heavyweight Champion Edge with a painful Con-Chair-To. Full results.

source: wwe.com

Chris Jericho: 'DWTS Similar to Wrestling'

Chris Jericho has declared that his professional wrestling experience has helped prepare him to compete on Dancing with the Stars.

The former WWE star, who is paired with former Dancing winner Cheryl Burke, told TV Guide that he developed an understanding of choreography during his time in the ring.

"It's funny because when there are a lot of things about [dancing and wrestling] that are similar," Jericho said. "There's a lot of leverage and weight distribution and balance."

He added: "Then there's performing in front of a live crowd, your marks, choreography and as a musician, following the beat. It's not that foreign as it seems at first."...More?

source: digitalspy.com

WWE Apologizes To GLAAD; Partnering Up On Anti-Bullying Campaign

WWE Partners with GLAAD on Anti-Bullying Messages

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) will be working with GLAAD to create and promote an anti-bullying initiative aimed at their core audience, and has invited us to conduct trainings for their staff of writers and editors.

Our outreach to WWE was prompted by outrage from many LGBT viewers, about a series of homophobic taunts by wrestler John Cena on the USA program WWE Raw in late February. We reached out to WWE Incorporated, which responded swiftly and positively.
GLAAD was first made aware of the incidents by several of its members following the February 21 broadcast of WWE Raw, which featured wrestler John Cena responding to taunts made by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson with a rap song making fun of Johnson’s film roles. The song included lyrics like “You left us high and dry to play a fairy with a tooth?” and “He wore lipstick in Get Shorty, and rocked a skirt for The Game Plan.”

But the real kicker came near the end when he said: "Just don’t go racing to Witch Mountain, Rock, cause your mountain is Brokeback."

The next incident occurred on the show a week later (Feb. 28), when Cena was challenging another wrestler known as “The Miz” while in the ring with him, and had the crowd roaring when he joked about the Miz and his wrestling partner secretly being a couple. It began with Cena saying “Do you really want to look back years from now and realize you shared your legacy with another man?! ….Wait don’t answer that.” Cena continued:

“Now The Miz and Alex Riley are co-champions and to celebrate it they’re going to move in together. They’re going to buy one of those tandem bikes and ride to bed bath and beyond to buy some duvets. And every evening they’re going to relax with a glass of warm piot noir and watch The Notebook, or reruns of last season’s Bachelor. ……….You want to be a mentor and train him? Well, tonight I’m going to train you on how to be a man.”
The incidents were particularly troubling because WWE recently began promoting itself as PG-rated entertainment marketed primarily towards adolescent males. Young boys are of course the demographic most likely to experience homophobic bullying or to be bullying themselves. And there was wrestling superstar John Cena performing what amounted to scripted homophobic bullying of other wrestlers on a nationally broadcast show for kids.

GLAAD contacted WWE executives and explained the problem after receiving our first reports. They then spoke to John Cena and the show’s writers. We have been assured that not only will such incidents not happen again, WWE intends to reach out to their adolescent audience, with messages aimed making it clear that bullying someone with homophobic taunts or for their perceived sexual orientation is wrong. WWE released the following apology statement to that effect:
"WWE takes this issue very seriously, and has already spoken with our talent about these incidents. We are taking steps and working with GLAAD to ensure that our fans know that WWE is against bullying or discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. We strongly value our fans in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and apologize to them for these incidents."

We are very much looking forward to developing our relationship with WWE, and we thank them both for hearing our message loud and clear, and for planning to send an anti-bullying message of their own.

Triple H Named In Latest WWE Proxy Filing; Proxy States He Is A Salaried Employee And Reveals 2010 Compensation

From the WWE Definitive Proxy Statement:

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

Stephanie McMahon is the daughter of Vincent and Linda McMahon. Stephanie McMahon is an executive officer of the Company. She receives compensation in this capacity and participates in talent royalties for certain Company products bearing her name and/or likeness. Her total compensation in 2010 was approximately $671,000. Paul Levesque is Stephanie McMahon’s husband and the son-in-law of Vincent and Linda McMahon. As one of our top stars, Mr. Levesque receives pay that varies from year to year depending on the programs and events in which he performs; the films in which he stars (there were two produced in 2010); the royalties earned on home videos, video games, toys, clothing and other merchandise bearing his name and/or likeness; and salary as an employee active in management in several aspects of the Company’s business reporting to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. His total compensation aggregated across all these roles was approximately $3.84 million in 2010. The Audit Committee does not review the retention of Stephanie McMahon or Paul Levesque each year nor does it approve their levels of compensation. Instead, as to levels of their compensation as employees, the Audit Committee relied on the approval procedures of the Compensation Committee. In the case of Paul Levesque, his pay as a performer is set by agreements negotiated by the Company’s Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, the Company’s Talent Relations Department and the Company’s film studios. The Audit Committee believes this oversight to be consistent with relevant industry expertise and good business practice.