No Longer TNA?

Hulk Hogan is claiming on his Twitter page that the name TNA has been dropped in favor of Impact Wrestling.

This perplexes me as I was under the impression that they could not get the copyright on the name.

Jason Powell of ProWrestling.Net also informs us that what Hogan is saying goes against what his source had informed him about this, saying it was to be the name of the television show.

Speculation has been running rampant about TNA having a name change for the last little while.

I should also note that a lot of times what Hogan is saying is rife with ... um, "hot air", and might not be anything more than Hogan pandering to the "marks" he and Bischoff despise so much.

No Longer Wrestling?

It is being reported that Vince McMahon and the brain-trust of WWE are taking yet another step towards distancing itself from its "professional wrestling" classification.

WWE caused great controversy recently when it took a reporter to task for referring to WWE as wrestling. Fans everywhere were aggravated by the turn of events, as WWE has always maintained that they are "sports-entertainment". It's political correctness run amok, that's what it is.

Anyway, word going around today is that WWE has been discussing dropping "World Wrestling Entertainment" and just becoming WWE, much like Kentucky Fried Chicken did. I can't imagine fans are too happy about this either.

A More Legit Hall of Fame?

WrestlingInc.Com is reporting that WWE Superstar Triple H is in full support of the WWE getting a building to house its Hall of Fame.

This has been a hot topic in WWE for a while now, with Vince McMahon supporting the idea, but unsure of where to house it. This has led to a lot of frustration among WWE Hall of Famers, including 2004 inductee "Superstar" Billy Graham, who sold his Hall of Fame ring on eBay in anger.

Citing the Wrestling Observer, the report claims that it is one of Triple H's big goals when he takes over the WWE from Vince McMahon in the future. It is his hopes of making the Hall of Fame more legitimate.

I think it's a great idea. The saddest part is so many fans treat it as a joke, but they need to see that a HOF honor means so much to the Superstars being inducted. And there are still many who deserve to be in the Hall of Fame that I keep my fingers crossed that they will make it in there one day.

Finlay Fired?

ProWrestling.net is reporting that WWE Superstar and road agent Fit Finlay has been fired, citing its source as PWInsider.Com.

Apparently, at a house show this past weekend, The Miz was supposed to come out and interrupt the national anthem to set up a match between himself and Randy Orton. Unfortunately, members of the National Guard -- one of WWE's biggest sponsors -- was in the crowd and apparently were not too happy about the national anthem being used for heel heat.

Finlay was one of the top producers backstage and was considered to be one of the biggest advocates and assistants for the Divas in the last decade. This is a horrible blow to the Divas, who have been struggling to find legitimate footing since the girls from 2000-2006 all retired or went elsewhere.

I should note that this is an unfortunate incident, and unless there is more to the story, then I can't see why they wouldn't rehire him sometime down the line, much like they did for Daniel Bryan. Unfortunately, I still think what Michael Cole did was a bit worse, and we still have yet to hear of discipline for him.

Make A Wish Milestone

TMZ.Com is reporting about WWE today, and, believe it or not, it's actually great news.

The celebrity news website has announced that there will be thirty children from the Make A Wish Foundation coming to WrestleMania this weekend, from countries like Canada, the US and even Australia. They will be having a chance to meet with Superstars and Divas, along with a pizza party hosted by John Cena.

Also, John will be receiving something for doing this this weekend -- he will be receiving an award for passing the very impressive milestone of 200 wishes granted. It puts him only with three other people who have -- Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhart, Jr., and Hulk Hogan.

Congratulations to John Cena, who has been an incredible ambassador to the Make A Wish Foundation.

Shot In The Foot

Facepalm.

No, scratch that. Double facepalm.

It appears that hot heel announcer Michael Cole didn't get the WWE memo about their newfound partnership with gay rights organization GLAAD. Not even two weeks after the announcement of the pairing, Cole was caught tweeting a homophobic slur at WWE announcer Josh Mathews.

Michael Cole has since removed the tweets and apologized for it, but not before it circulated around wrestling news sites and TMZ. A rep for WWE announced that Cole will be undergoing training with GLAAD, though TMZ notes that a rep for GLAAD has not commented.

Way to go, Cole.

On a side note, Bully Ray slipped it out uncensored recently on an episode of Impact and nobody is saying a word about that.

New Perfume Line

Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis has unveiled a new line of perfumes called Maria Kanellis Signature Perfumes.

There are reportedly three scents to the perfumes: Sandalwood, Mimosa and Ylang Ylang.

For those interested, you can order Maria's perfumes here: http://kaponga.com/categories/Maria-Kanellis-Signature-Perfumes/

It's great to see that she's been keeping busy since her WWE departure.

Hogan Running Creative?

Hulk Hogan is claiming on his Twitter account -- that you can follow at HulkHogan4Real -- that he took over the TNA Creative team about 3 weeks ago when asked by former WWE Superstar Kizarny why he never got a shot in TNA.

It's no secret that Eric Bischoff has just received a promotion in TNA, and now it appears Hogan may have, too. However, it's important to note that none of the staff in TNA seem to think that this has happened.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com was informed by sources at TNA that there have virtually been no shakeups to the TNA Creative team. He was informed that Hogan has been less involved with creative than he has been in the last year, and that, "He'd have to show up to be running creative." So it appears right now that either Hogan is lying or the sources just aren't aware of anything. He could also be referring to MCW on TruTV, but I don't get why that would come up if Kizarny was asking about TNA.

So it looks like someone else is to blame for their shoddy programming, people!

GLAAD Busts Cena

ProWrestling.net is reporting that the GLAAD organization, which stands for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, has targeted John Cena in regards to some taunts he has made over the past little while that they have taken to be homophobic.

Instead of the usual defensiveness, WWE has agreed to partner up with the organization to create and promote an anti-bullying initiative, which is a wonderful move. Kids look up to John Cena, so it's time to clean it up a little bit. Also, WWE has invited the organization to come in and conduct training with the WWE creative team and its editors.

For those interested, you can read the blog here: http://glaadblog.org/2011/03/17/wwe-to-partner-with-glaad-on-anti-bullying-messages/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+glaadblog+%28GLAADBlog.org%29

This is a great step for WWE, and I'm glad to hear that they are taking this seriously considering that the blog states that they are acting on behalf of LGBT members who were bothered and offended by Cena's comments.

TNA Tries To Make Up For Sunday

TNA is offering an exclusive deal to fans who felt completely ripped off after ordering Victory Road on Sunday. For those living under the rock, the PPV was full of lame finishes and an 88 second main event between TNA Champion Sting and Jeff Hardy, who was clearly in no condition to compete. TNA has been on damage control since, sending Jeff Hardy home.

TNA is offering those who were angered by what happened at Victory Road six free months of access to their TNA Wrestling online library. They ask you to send your pay-per-view receipt to them. You can send it to TNA OnDemand Offer, 209 10th Avenue South #302, Nashville, TN 37203.

Unfortunately, I really don't think this is going to quell the anger of fans, who have more than likely given up on the product. I'm also stunned it took them five days to come up with this. At the very least, refunds should be offered for those who don't want to take part in the deal. Just because people don't have take them up on the offer doesn't mean that they were happy with the pay-per-view. They could have lost their PPV receipt, or they could just not care about the product. Either way, I guess good on them for trying.

Muscle & Fitness Bound

According to RingsideNews.com, WWE Superstar Sheamus is set to be on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine. He joins other Superstars Batista, John Morrison, Vince McMahon, The Rock, Triple H and former WWE Superstar and current UFC Heavyweight Brock Lesnar.

The two time WWE Champion discusses in the magazine his journey to becoming a WWE Superstar and WWE Champion, all while giving the reader details about his workout regimen, which he calls the "Celtic Warrior Workout". It was apparently developed by WWE's strength and conditioning consultant Rob MacIntyre.

Here is a quote from the article:

"I never gave up. People laughed at me when I told

them what I was trying to do. They looked down

on it or whatever. But I'm telling you -- this is the

world to me. To be part of WWE, to go onto

WrestleMania like we've got coming up in a few weeks --

that's everything."

Is Shelton Coming Back?

It's no secret that just recently, Shelton Benjamin -- who was in WWE from 2002-2010 and currently works for the Ring of Honor promotion, tagging with his former WWE tag partner Charlie Haas -- had a new tryout match with the WWE. Shelton was a favorite in the WWE, as he is easily one of the best pure athletes in the WWE.

Shelton's tryout match was said to be great, but the word is that Vince McMahon has people like Sin Cara and former TNA Knockout Awesome Kong waiting in the background for WrestleMania to pass. With the returns of Trish Stratus, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and even JBL this past Monday, the feeling is that Vince wants to push aggressively and not let them get lost in the shuffle during WrestleMania time. Therefore, the word going around is that WWE is set to offer Shelton Benjamin another new contract after WrestleMania.

If that's the case; welcome back, Shelton! I missed you!

Hogan Comments on Hardy Drama

2005 WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan responded to a fan on Twitter who suggested that TNA may get rid of Jeff Hardy in light of what happened last night. It is important to note that this is not the first time that Hardy's "mental conditioning" has come into play and created concern in the TNA locker room. You can follow the Hulkster on Twitter at HulkHogan4Real.

Hogan responded to to the fan's question by stating,

"Brother, we're trying to get everything sorted out.

I feel bad about some of the situations that have to be

(dealt) with."

While I'm surprised to see Hogan outright address the problem, I also understand that TNA is on heavy-duty damage control right now over the 90 second main event pay-per-view match pertaining to Hardy and Sting last night. Dixie and Bischoff have found themselves flooded with negative feedback as a result, with many fans demanding a refund.

Hardy Sent Home

Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net and Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com are reporting that TNA Management has sent Jeff Hardy home from the TNA tapings after that horrendous main event at Victory Road last night. Insiders are apparently describing Jeff's state of mind as a "mess." He is due to appear back in court next Monday stemming from his 2009 arrest for drugs.

Hardy is still advertised for the show at this point, but let's keep our fingers crossed that Dixie Carter sticks to her guns this time.

If You're Not Serious, Pull The Plug!

Could you imagine a WWE pay-per-view main event that goes for all of 90 seconds? The answer is no, right? You know why? Because Vince McMahon understands that the fans would freaking riot!

Dixie Carter, this woman here to my left, and the "brain-trust" she has helping her helm this godforsaken company, gave us exactly that tonight when Sting defeated Jeff Hardy in 90 seconds to retain the TNA Championship. 90 seconds!

People can tell me that Sting was injured, or that Hardy was in no condition to compete, but seriously? When is enough enough? When do we start drawing a line at what we will allow this company to do to us while we are wasting our time on them?

I 'm sure Dixie Carter-Salinas is a nice woman. She seems that way. TNA commentators tell us she's no tyrant; she's just a mother of two from Texas. I want to like Dixie Carter. The feminist in me is enthralled to see a female running a wrestling corporation. But, let's be honest -- among the words floating around about Miss Carter, the words "mark", "airhead" and "idiot" keep coming back into the vernacular by those in the wrestling community.

I started watching TNA in 2004. AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe captured my imagination and my curiosity as they were doing things I was not seeing on WWE television at the time. The first time I saw the Styles Clash, I just about died. Fast forward seven years later, and we have the same guys behind the failure of WCW at the helm of this company that once seemed so promising. Now it's like that trainwreck you never want to avert your eyes from.

Tonight was insulting. Lamely booked finishes, double countouts, spray blood and a 90 second main event. Does anybody want to venture a guess as to why TNA can't crack a 2 in the ratings? Why people consider them so second rate that they will never be on tier with WWE? It's because of stupid stuff like this! It's because of their stupid storylines where we see guys running around with nailed two by fours and magical rings. It's because we see children thrown into a storyline that have no place being in the storyline. It's because since we've seen Hogan and Bischoff enter, it feels like the in-ring product and everything has just suffered. I don't want to blame Hogan and Bischoff for all of TNA's problems, but for the most part, their reputation speaks for itself.

Dixie Carter, if you are not serious about making this the great product that I know it can be, pull the plug and walk away. Sure, it may be the hardest decision ever to be made, but seriously? Either the company's going to lose enough money to make the people at Panda Energy look at the books (TNA is a privately traded company, therefore their losses and gains are not public knowledge), or the fan base is going to get sick of being insulted on a weekly basis and just stop tuning in. One or the other. The growing pains excuse is not going to work anymore; TNA has been in business for nine years now. It's time to pull Hogan and Eric into a room and start asking them to show you the results they promised you they would give you. It's time to make them deliver on the exposure they promised they would give you.

The "brain-trust" at TNA can claim to have a huge appreciation for the fans, but quite frankly, if horrible storylines, lousy Impacts and godawful pay-per-views are what you're showing us for our viewership, then stop. Just cut all the losses and walk. Because this is not fair to the fans that pay their money for your pay-per-views. This is not fair to the fans that pay their money to come see the shows (like my boyfriend), and it's certainly not fair to the wrestling journalists out there who have to cover this garbage. Shape up!

Sources report that when fans realized that there would be no restart to the main event, they began to chant "This is bullshit". According to reports at WrestleZone.com, Sting was at the top of the ramp, mouthing, "I agree." Claims are coming out that Jeff Hardy was in no shape to perform. Jeff Hardy's problems are no secret to the wrestling community, most of whom are stunned that Dixie -- yes the woman pictured up there -- put the title on Jeff not once, but twice knowing full well that he is facing a potential jail term from a drug bust in September 2009. If Sting is not well, and Jeff is no shape to perform, then they should have never been in the main event in the first place! For crying out loud, I get promising what has been advertised, but there should be a limit if all that's going to happen is that the fans are going to get insulted in the end.

Time to do some real serious thinking, Dixie. Because I'm going to bet that the pay-per-view buyrates for next month are going to be real low unless you start pulling rabbits out of your hat. And do us a favor, as your devoted fans...make it good.

The Death of WWE Magazine?

It's no secret right now that the professional wrestling business is suffering in the same kind of rut that it did before The Attitude Era began in the 1990s. Pay-per-view buy-rates are down, house show attendance is down, and the WWE product as a whole is complacent because TNA has been unable to step their game up and become a credible threat.

It is being speculated that a new round of mid-card roster cuts are coming after WrestleMania 27 in order to bring in some cheaper, developmental talent from Florida Championship Wrestling. Some people have their ideas of who is going to stay and who is going to be "future endeavored", but what I can say is that there is some major internal damage being inflicted in WWE that can't all be blamed on the recession. A lot of it also has to fall on their complacency.

Wrestlingtruth.com is reporting that one of the possible casualties of this internal shakeup is WWE Magazine. For those unfamiliar with the history, it was initially WWF Magazine, with Raw Magazine for the "mature fans", WWE Magazine, and then they split it into two with Raw and SmackDown Magazine. It was relaunched in 2006 as just WWE Magazine, the brand split disappearing from print, and featuring some non-kayfabe interviews, alongside music, movie, video game and TV reviews, along with electronics, clothes and advice columns. WWE Kids was also launched later on.

Wrestlingtruth.com is reporting that WWE Magazine sales are down quite a bit, with over a million copies less being sold in 2010, as opposed to 2009. WWE's financial report apparently corresponds with what they are reporting. If this is the case, WWE Magazine could become a thing of the past, and collector's items.