AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets
PWBTS.com
So Matt Hardy finally won the race with his brother Jeff to get fired from TNA. He was finally fired (after being on an indeterminate suspension from the promotions, reportedly for refusal to go to rehabilitation) when he was arrested for a DUI on Saturday afternoon after smashing his Corvette into a tree.
Meanwhile, Shane Helms proceeded to attack TMZ for repotring the news, referring to them as “maggots”. News bulletin, Shane….if Matt and Jeff hadn’t aired videos of themselves impaired at a restaurant, aired OTHER videos including the infamous Tazer video…odds are TMZ wouldn’t have given them the time of day.
There was a great Bret Hart interview on Friday from the Regina-based WOLF 104.9, which will be posted, if it isn’t already, at their website . The host, Chad McDonald, was clearly smart and asked excellent and tough questions without being sensationalistic.
Hart pulled no punches, discussing everything from Chris Benoit, and suggested that other Chris Benoit’s could easily happen within wrestling or sports, given the pressure, physical contact and stress endemic within those industries; Montreal 1997 and how he gets along with everyone from Vince McMahon to HHH to other players in that incident, as well as how concussions and substance abuse affect wrestling in general and WWE in particular. He also was asked about the effect of UFC’s rise on WWE business.
In other news late last week, The Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News’s Philly.com website reports this afternoon that Roger Artigiani, manager at the Asylum Arena (better known as the ECW Arena) has told the website that Trocadero Theatre operator Joanna Pang’s company has agreed to use the Asylum Arena as a venue for future shows, as the rock venue’s bankruptcy reorganization works through the legal process.
In the article, Artigiani expresses concerns that The Arena may not be large enough for everyone that wants to host shows there, citing concerns for the neighborhood.
The Asylum Arena’s landlords weren’t immediately available for comment to Philly.com as of the time the story was posted on Philly.com.
In other Arena news, September 10 features CZW’s Chris Ca$h Memorial Show featuring the Title versus Title match of CZW’s Ultraviolent Undergound Champion Masada taking on Big Japan Wrestling Deathmatch Champion Ryuji Ito.
November features the Dragon Gate USA/Combat Zone Wrestling doubleheader on November 12, with Dragon Gate USA starting at 5:30 pm and Combat Zone Wrestling at a scheduled 8:30 pm belltime; followed by CHIKARA Pro Wrestling returning the next afternoon November 13 with a 4:00 pm belltime. Then the first weekend in December is already looking to have one of the hottest Philadelphia wrestling weekends in recent memory as CHIKARA will present a weekend entitled JOSHIMANIA, with Friday, December 2, taking place at the Arena in South Philadelphia featuuing Joshi legends Aja Kong and Manami Toyota, as well as talent from Japanese women’s promotions Osaka Women’s Pro, JWP, Sendai Girls, WAVE and Union Pro. CZW’s annual Cage of Death will be held the next night on Saturday, December 3 (not the usual second Saturday date)
Wanted to include this little blurb again about Michael Morrice, a brave 13 year old from the UK, who is awaiting a kidney transplant. Michael is currently undergoing dialysis.
If any readers within the business (indies, WWE, TNA, puroresu, or lucha promoters or workers or even staff) or even fans… who would be willing to send a key chain or pen from the country in which they live… or just plain good wishes, please contact Michael and his mom, Sylvia, via Michael Morrice Transplant Support Facebook page. This isn’t one of those chain deals….he’s a real kid (who happens, as it turns out, to share my birthday)…not a mysterious someone looking to get some magic number of Facebook friends. He’s just a 13 year old wrestling fan, with a mom who loves him, and who asked Petey for help. I thought I’d pass it on to all of you…
Some of you have already sent him good wishes, and many other things…if some more of you can be moved to do so, it’d be appreciated.
Until next time…
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