It appears that last night's TNA IMPACT pulled in a 1.5 overnight rating. This is a MASSIVE number for TNA, and frankly, for Spike TV as well. Don't be surprised to hear a permanent move to Monday night for IMPACT soon.

                                  

The WWE has announced that William Shatner, America's greatest thespian, will be the Guest GM on the Febuary 1st episode of WWE RAW. He will be there to promote his Biography Channel talk show, "RAW NERVE." We can only hope he ends the show smoking a cigar, going over the events of the show backstage with Vince McMahon.

                             

So far, the following have been officially announced by TNA:

• Hulk Hogan will debut
• Tara will take on ODB for the TNA Knockouts Title
• Sarita & Taylor Wilde .vs. Awesome Kong & Hamada for the TNA Knockouts Tag Titles
• During the UFC prelim special, it was announced that there would be a Steel Asylum match for the X Division Title, but no competitors have been revealed.

On the speculation front, Angelica Love is believed to be returning to the company on Monday night, having fixed her work visa problems that have kept her from wrestling in the US for the past few months. Also, a rumor was going around that Rob Van Dam would be a major surprise, but there has been absolutely zero confirmation of this, and you would think that they would actually advertise that to bring in more viewers.

James Roday and Dule Hill, the stars of USA Network's PSYCH will be guest GMs on the January 25th edition of MONDAY NIGHT RAW. Two days later, John Cena will guest star on PSYCH. CORPORATE SYNERGY!!!

Carrying on the proud tradition of WCW, TNA announced that they, in partnership with the BUBBA THE LOVE SPONGE radio show, are holding a parade in honor of Hulk Hogan's debut in TNA. The parade will be held at Margaritaville in City Walk at Universal Orlando on January 3rd.

                                            

Good ol' JR recently updated his blog at JRsBarbq.com with the news that the WWE has recently signed Mexican lucha libre superstar Mystico to a contract. What followed next was a xenophobic address not seen in wrestling since Vince Russo's days in WCW, and he caps it off by letting that JR bitterness come shining through. 

"Saw where WWE reportedly signed Mystico, a talented Hispanic grappler, and here's hoping that he speaks fluent or at least understandable English because if he can't communicate with the English speaking fan base there is only so far any wrestlercan elevate. Any wrestler, especially those where English isn't their first language, who is not working on their verbal skills on their own time is cheating themselves out of cash. Sometimes I wonder how much work some wrestlers actually do when they are 'off' to enhance their careers other than their trips to the gym and the tanning salon. Perhaps a visit to a financial planner or a tax expert would be a good way to invest some time rather than shopping for more 'bling.'"

ECW legend and current WWE superstar Tommy Dreamer has reportedly asked for his release from the WWE. Dreamer, who had recently been working with the WWE's Florida promotion, is rumored to be heading to TNA should his release be granted.

Today is the 21st anniversary of The Road Warrors (Hawk & Animal, w/ Paul Ellering) defeating The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane, w/ Jim Cornette) for the NWA World Tag Team Titles. The Midnights had just won the belts off of Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard barely one month before this match, when a newly turned heel Road Warriors finally demanded a title shot. Once the bell rings, the contest is over. The Midnights aren't just defeated, they're literally beaten, with Eaton getting a final tag title belt whipping before finally being rolled out of the ring.

                     


The WWE has announced tonight's lineup for WWE SUPERSTARS. We've got the card after the jump, for those of you that hate spoilers.

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It has been announced that boxer Ricky Hatton, a lifelong wrestling fan, will be the Guest GM on the November 9th episode of RAW. Well, at this point anyone would look better than Kyle Busch & Joey Logano's performances this past Monday.

Jorge Gonzalez, who was thrust onto wrestling fans as El Gigante in WCW and Giant Gonzalez in the WWF, is in very poor health. Fiba.com  is reporting that Gonzalez has been diagnosed with severe diabetes which has left him unable to walk and requires dialysis.

                                        

As usual, the WWE has not released any details on what will be happening tonight on RAW. All we know at this time is that the show is taking place in Buffalo, NY and the Guest GMs are NASCAR drivers Kurt Busch and Joey Logano. Enjoy!

                       


Gabe Sapolsky, former booker for Ring of Honor, commented today on McGuinness' debut on TNA this past Thursday night.

TNA has done what the wrestling world desperately needs now. They have created a buzz for a hot, new face.

There is MUCH more at Gabe's blog, including a story where he compares McGuinness' Pure Title reign in ROH with Rob Van Dam's ECW TV Title reign.

                             

Ring of Honor has a solid card of wrestling airing tonight on HDNET.

• Sonjay Dutt vs Delirious vs Joey Ryan vs Necro Butcher
• Brent Albright vs D'Lo Brown
• Eddie Kingston vs Kenny King

Also scheduled to appear are Austin Aries, Tyler Black, and Bryan Danielson. ROH on HDNET airs every Monday night at 8pm EST.

                                                

Tomorrow night's big TNA pay per view show, BOUND FOR GLORY, card has been set. Here is the full list of matches signed for the show:

A.J. Styles vs. Sting for the TNA Wold Title

Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan (this may be scrapped, as Morgan has complained recently of back spasms)

Bobby Lashley vs. Samoa Joe (rumored to be a worked MMA match)

Mick Foley vs. Abyss in a Monster's Ball (rumor has Dr. Stevie Richards as special referee)

Amazing Red vs. Suicide vs. D'Angelo Dinero vs. Daniels vs. Homicide in an Ultimate X match for the X Division Title

Scott Steiner and Booker T vs. Team 3D vs. Beer Money vs. The British Invasion in a Full Metal Mayhem ladder match for the TNA and IWGP Tag Titles

Kevin Nash vs. Hernandez vs. Eric Young for the TNA Legends Championship

Taylor Wilde and Sarita vs. The Beautiful People for the TNA Knockouts Tag Titles

ODB vs. Awesome Kong vs. Tara for the TNA Knockouts Championship

The New York Post has reported spotting crews from The Celebrity Apprentice filming on the streets of Manhattan, and has revealed Bill Goldberg and WWE Diva Maria Kanellis as two of the top secret competitors on the upcoming season.

The other competitors fighting it out for Donald Trump's approval this season include Darryl Strawberry, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Sinbad, Cyndi Lauper, Sharon Osbourne, Bret Michaels, Holly Robinson Peete, Carol Leifer, Australian chef Curtis Stone and Olympic gold-medal swimmer Summer Sanders.

                                  

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that TNA is interested in signing legend Terry Funk to appear at next weekend's PPV, BOUND FOR GLORY. Don't worry, they haven't thought of an interesting angle, they just want to crowbar him into Mick Foley's current feud with Abyss.

I have no problem with someone getting a payday, but this is ridiculous. Funk was considered old 20 years ago when he feuded with Ric Flair.

                                                                

Former ECW World Champion Steve Corino will be making his Ring of Honor return on Thursday 11/5 and Friday 11/6 for the next round of ROH on HDNET tapings.

Corino first joined ROH in 2002 as a color commentator for their shows, but by the end of the year had made his return to the ring. By the time he left the company, his feud with Homicide was setting the online wrestling community on fire.

                                             

Ben Roethlisberger is YOUR Raw Guest GM tonight. Let's watch and discuss in the comments section, shall we?

                        
 

Shaquille O'Neal has stated numerous times that he would like to take on 7-2 Korean fighter Hong Man Choi in a MMA bout after he retires from the NBA. Choi is scheduled to fight Ikuhisa Minowa tomorrow night in the DREAM Super Hulk Tournament semifinals in Japan, and was contacted by Fanhouse for comment:

"Yes, if there is a chance."

Here's some video of Shaq in MMA training for your viewing pleasure.

Matt Betzold, who had to have a leg amputated below the knee at the age of six, won his MMA debut Saturday night in Phoenix at a Rage in the Cage show. Fanhouse reports:

He'd been attempting to get licensed to fight an MMA bout since 2004, but was finally sanctioned in August after submitting in writing all his grappling accomplishments, which include an .810 winning percentage in over 120 matches. During the UFC Expo on UFC 100 weekend in Las Vegas, he won the Grapplers Quest bantamweight title in the advanced division.

                          

Fresh off of his surprise appearance at the last Dragon Gate USA show that had wrestling fans buzzing, I was able to get Jimmy Jacobs to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule to site down and answer some questions for Cageside Seats. We discuss IWA-MS's closing, his departure from Ring of Honor, his opinions on Gabe Sapolsky, his appearance at the last Dragon Gate USA show, and where the future lies for this indy wrestling superstar.

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Rey Mysterio's 30 day suspension will be over on October 2nd, making him eligible for the October 4th PPV. On SMACKDOWN, they recently started a program between Batista and the World Tag Champs, Chris Jericho & The Big Show. This would seem to point toward a tag title match at the PPV, with Batista needing to pick a partner. Batista and Rey have been on-screen friends for years, so all the dots seem to be connecting in favor of this match taking place at the PPV.

The question: does the WWE reward Rey with a new belt two days after coming back from suspension? Tell us what you think in the comments section.

                          

Last night was Ring of Honor's GLORY BY HONOR VIII, featuring Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuiness' last matches in ROH before heading to the WWE. I will list the results after the jump for those of you that don't want to see spoilers, but for more detailed results I would suggest clicking here.

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Chris Hero has been rumored to be WWE bound ever since the signings of Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuiness. At the time of said contract signings, word going around the locker room was that the WWE was focused on signing away as many as 10 wrestlers off  Ring of Honor's talent roster as a warning for ROH's HDNET show moving to Monday nights. While Danielson and McGuiness would top the list of any wrestling fan for "Wrestlers ready for the big stage", Chris Hero would not be far behind.

Exactly 17 hours ago (at the time of this posting), Hero updated his Twitter page:

I haven't spoken w/ WWE despite rumorrrz.

When someone in wrestling denies something, you almost automatically think that they're lying. In this instance, I have to believe him. I've never drank the CH Kool-Aid, and I figure the only way the WWE would be interested is to put him in a tagteam with Sheamus in some kind of pasty skin gimmick.

                                                  
Jim Ross updated the blog section of JRsbarbq.com this past week, and gave his opinion on two deserving HOF candidates. 

Two more WWE HOF suggestions would include Antonio Inoki and Ted 'The Million Dollar Man' DiBiase. I hope that I just didn't jinx either man. Both men have made significant and diverse contributions to the business.

Dibiase's name has been thrown around as a candidate since the HOF was first founded, but Inoki's name is interesting. Could this open the door to more foreign stars being considered? For instance, with Rey Mysterio Jr.'s popularity, is now the time to bring in lucha legends? What foreign stars can the WWE induct that wouldn't be to "insider" for the average fan? Tell us in the comment section.

                                   
The Final Countdown to Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuiness' last ROH appearances continue. I will list match results on the next page for those of you who hate spoilers. However, I will say that the Young Bucks continue to impress the ROH crowd, Nigel got on the mic and put Roderick Strong over as a guy that can carry the ROH torch after his departure, and Danielson vs Davey Richards is being called a Match of the Year candidate. This show is being called one of the first "must own" shows that ROH has held in a long time, with the Danielson-Richards match being hailed as an instant classic by those in attendance.

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I may have been one of the few to actually enjoy his MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL run a few years ago, but then again I am a huge fan of awkward comedy. I can only hope for a skit involving Miller dropping a Neville Chamberlain reference to Cody Rhodes, followed by 10 seconds of dead air with a Rhodes comeback of "Oh yeah?!?"

                                                      

Who won last night? After the jump!

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Tonight is TNA's big PPV featuring the big World Title 4-way between Kurt Angle vs Matt Morgan vs AJ Styles vs Sting. The question is, what are the other big matches tonight? After the jump!

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