WED. UPDATE Wrestling Observer News and Notes for 04/11/2012

--Smackdown's rating last night was a 1.5, the lowest first-run rating of the show in years.  

--USA won the prime time ratings race again this past week with a 2.1 average to 1.6 for Disney and 1.4 for Fox News.  FX was No. 10 at 1.0.  Syfy was No. 16 at 0.7.  Spike didn't crack the top 25.  Raw was No. 1 and No. 2 on cable last week for the day after Mania show.  It was No 3 and No. 4 in 18-34 and No. 1 and No. 2 in 18-49. 

 

--The front page story in yesterday's Los Angeles Times about R.J. Brewer of Lucha Libre USA (thanks to Ed Tabash and many others)

 

--Mick Foley praises WWE Divas like Kelly Kelly and the Bella Twins.

 

--The Super Fight League's third show will be 5/6 from New Delhi, India, featuring Bobby Lashley vs. James Thompson, Trevor Prangley vs. Baga Agaev, Doug "Rhino" Marshall vs. Zelg Galesic and Joanne Calderwood vs. Len Ovchynnikova.   

 

--WWE announced its return to Washington, DC at the Verizon Center will be a house show on 12/29.  Tickets are on sale right now at Ticketmaster using WWEDC as the password.

 

--Rima Fakih, the former Miss USA on Tough Enough, pleaded no contest earlier today to drunken driving charges.  As part of the plea bargain, charges of having open intoxicants in her vehicle and careless driving were dropped.  She will be sentenced on 5/9 and is unlikely to get any time in prison.  Her lawyer expects her to get minimal probation in Los Angeles, where she now lives. Fakih was arrested on 12/3 in Highland Park, MI.  She was pulled over for speeding and erratic driving.  Officers found a half empty bottle of champagne in her Jaguar behind the seat.  She took a breathalyzer test and blew a 0.19 and 0.20, both more than double the legally allowed 0.08 limit. (thanks to Paul Nucci)

 

--Chris Jericho will be on Adam Carolla's podcast on Friday. (thanks to Sean Reyerse)

 

--Based on Twitter messages, the Bella Twins, Alicia Fox, Kaitlyn and Tamina Snuka did not go on the European tour. There may be some people who didn't go immediately that will be flying out for TV on Monday and Tuesday in London, but went home first.

 

--In a worked Twitter angle, they are pretending that Dean Ambrose was sent home from television because he was told Mick Foley was uncomfortable around him.

 

--NFL.com has a column comparing John Cena to Tim Tebow. The same writer also posted a column comparing The Rock's Twitter usage to that of projected top draft pick Robert Griffith III.

 

--Tickets for the 6/1 UFC Ultimate Fighter Live finale show on FX, plus the Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann main event, are on sale today to Fight Club members. The show will be in Las Vegas at the Palms Hotel. You can get tickets tomorrow at Ticketmaster by using the password "LIVE."

 

--ESPN had a story on Mark Cuban where he brought up the angle he did with Sheamus on Raw a few years back.

 

--Tickets for the three-hour Raw on 6/11 in Hartford at the XL Center go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m.  The main event being advertised is Jon Cena & C.M. Punk & Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan & Mark Henry & Kane.

 

--River City Wrestling has its 10 year anniversary show on Saturday night in San Antonio at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.  A.J. Summers vs. Alissa Flash in a man vs. woman match headlines.  Shelly Martinez is also on the show, as are the famous early 90s tag team The Head Hunters and Randy Savage's former girlfriend who used the name Gorgeous George in WCW.

 

--The 5/25 Bellator shows headlined by Cole Konrad defending the heavyweight title against Eric Prindle will be in New Orleans at the Ernest N. Moral Convention Center.

 

--Today is the 15th anniversary of Jacques Rougeau beating Hulk Hogan clean at the Molson Centre (now Bell Centre) in Montreal. The show drew the biggest non-WWE pro wrestling crowd in the city since 1986.  Despite urban legends, the match did not turn into a shoot. Hogan willingly did the job since Jacques was the promoter and it was a house show, even though Hogan rarely agreed to do jobs at that time.

 

--Evolve on Friday night in Toronto at the Doubletree by Hilton at the Toronto Airport as part of the WrestleReunion convention has:

Fit Finlay vs. Sami Callihan

Low Ki vs. El Generico

Johnny Gargano vs. AR Fox

Chuck Taylor vs. Samuray del Sol

The Scene vs. Super Smash Brothers

Bobby Fish vs. Alex Reynolds

John Silver vs. Cheech

Josh Alexander vs. ?

There will also be prelims at 7 p.m. presented by Alpha-1 with Michael Elgin appearing.

 

--Randy Couture and UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson have been added to the MMA Show on 5/12 and 5/13 at the NEC in Birmingham, England.

 

--Frank Mir and Miguel Angel Torres are scheduled for MMA Uncensored tomorrow night on Spike.

 

--A story on the Judy Martin & Joyce Grable vs. Steve O & Jerry Roberts (Jacques Rougeau Jr.) match at the Omni on Thanksgiving night of 1980.  It was unique at that time having women vs. men, but this match was not nearly the big deal at the time this article made it out to be.  It was just a prelim match on a long show, and was promoted about as much as a normal prelim match would be promoted. Jeff Leen, who wrote the great bio of Mildred Burke, wrote this article.

 

--Scott Hall's lawyer Loredana Nesci told TMZ today that Hall never got violent with his girlfriend and also claimed that his girlfriend Lisa Howell corroborated that story.  However, that contradicts what Howell said in Hall's arrest report, although she now does not want to press charges..

 

Who should Brock Lesnar's second major feud be with?

C.M. Punk 34.5%

Randy Orton 24.6%

Sheamus 11.0%

Undertaker 10.1%

HHH 9.7%

Rock 7.5%

Steve Austin 2.6%

 

If you used to watch TNA regularly and no longer do, why?

Didn't enjoy it for a long time so stopped watching 34.4%

Realized TNA will never be serious competition or go anywhere 27.3%

Nothing exciting on the show 13.2%

Don't like the storylines 11.0% 

WWE is enough wrestling to keep up with 7.3%

Nobody seems like stars 5.1%

Quality of matches isn't good 1.8%

 

If you used to watch Ultimate Fighter and no longer do, why?

Interest in UFC is waning 34.3%

Same show every time 33.3%

It's on Friday 15.5%

The show doesn't develop new stars like it used to 12.2%

Coaches this season don't do it for me 4.6%

 

Did you like RAW?

Excellent 8.3%

Good 46.0%

Average 23.3%

Fair 10.6%

Poor 11.9%
7.8% of those responding didn't see the show

 

--There will be a Smackdown taping on 8/7 in Houston at the Toyota Center.

 

--A story on Graeme McGaw of Kingston, Ontario, who won the Mick Foley WrestleMania raffle.

 

--A.J. Kirsch of Tough Enough did some videos on Youtube about being on the show, ripping on Bill DeMott, Trish Stratus and Booker T.  When he mentioned that he may see DeMott and Steve Austin at Cauliflower Alley, Austin wrote, "Damn right you will. I may turn your little lights out at the event." 

 

--Shane Helms is back doing his Internet show tonight at 7 p.m.

 

--CZW has its first iPPV show live on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. on HybridENT.tv and USTREAM. 

 

--ECWA on 5/5 in Newark, De at the Greater Newark Boys and Girls Club features Papadon vs. Kekoa the Flyin Hawaiian. Speaking of ECWA, partial ownership of the promotion is for sale for $5000 on craigslist.  That is the price for 20% of the company as one of the owners is looking to sell because he said he no longer has the time to devote to the business. (thanks to Phillip Lynn)

 

--Empire Wrestling on Friday night in Avondale Estates, GA at the Academy Theater

 

--NWA Lone Star Texas Stampede Wrestling on Saturday night in Butch Springs (near Dallas) with Kevin Douglas vs. Kahagus in a battle of the NWA jr. champion vs. NWA national champion. 

 

--Former UFC heavyweight fighter Sean McCorkle makes his pro wrestling debut for Freedom Pro Wrestling on 4/20 in Onalaska, WI on a show that includes Tommy Dreamer, Sabu and Shane Douglas.

 

--The School of Roc latest episode is up.

 

--Here's an interview with J.J. Dillon talking about being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

 

--The University of MMA has a show on 5/20 in Los Angeles at Club Nokia.

 

--Todos X Todos on Saturday night in Houston at the Arena Theater has El Hijo del Santo & Huracan Ramirez & Rayo de Jalisco Jr. vs. Angel Blanco Jr. & Dandy & El Hijo del Solitario

 

--Tom Cassa (ThmCa5@aol.com) is selling his collection of wrestling magazines from 1961-2003.  He'd like to sell it as a complete collection.

 

--FEW on 5/12 in Fort Wayne, IN at The Fight House.

 

--Stacy Keibler is featured in the new issue of Hello! Magazine in the U.K. (thanks to Brian Henke)  

 

--Ring Wars Carolinas on 4/21 in Lumberton, NC at the Indoor Flea Market.

 

--UWC Championship Wrestling TV for the week.

 

--A show on Saturday at Centerfold's in Pompano, FL, promoted by Future of Wrestling has been moved to the VFW Post 2500 in Hollywood, FL, and will start at 4 p.m. instead of 3 p.m.  Headbanger Mosh vs. Jesse Neal headlines the show.

 

--Ed, Craig and Cutrer talk WrestleMania weekend.