Hello!

Let's get right down to business. Oh, before we do, I wanted to say that the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive for a list of real/legitimate wrestlers on MySpace.com so I will be compiling the list and posting it here soon.

Let's look at what is going on in wrestling.

WWE BACKSLASH CARD SO FAR

This is the card for WWE's Raw brand Backlash pay per view airing on April 30 this far:

* WWE Champion John Cena vs. Edge vs. Triple H
* Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Van Dam. Winner Take All. Both the Intercontinental Title and RVD's "Money In The Bank" contract are on the line in this match.
* WWE Women's Champion Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus
* Vince & Shane McMahon vs. Shawn Michaels & God
* Carlito vs. Chris Masters
* Kane vs. Big Show

More matches will be added next week, I assume, although having "God" on a pay per view should be enough to draw millions. I can't wait until this angle is over.

TNA SCORES BIG RATINGS ON THURSDAY NIGHT

TNA Impact debuted last Thursday night at 11 p.m. on Spike TV. As I predicted, they did extremely well in that time slot garnering a 1.1 rating, meaning over 1.3 million households tuned in. They have a great lead in with The Ultimate Fighter 3 reality show and, it looks as though many fans of that show stuck around for Impact.

The episode was the most watched TNA Impact ever on Spike TV. Among cable networks, TNA was the top rated show in the 11 PM hour among Males in both the 18-49 and 25-34 demographics, according to Dave Scherer at Pwinsider.com.

I thought TNA did just about everything tight in their debut, especially opening the show with a bloody Christopher Daniels vs. Samoa Joe mach already in progress. If that didn't capture the UFC fans, nothing will. It was very heartening to hear of this good rating because I really would love to see two viable, competitive wrestling promotions on TV once again and TNA is headed in that direction at last.

TRIPLE H TO BE FEATURED IN A BEER COMMERCIAL

He may not be the movie star he wants to be, but Triple H scored a major commercial gig recently. He will be in a Miller Lite commercial with Burt Reynolds, Eddie Griffin, Jerome Bettis, Ty Murray, and Arson Rolston (all big names in their career of choice).

You can read more about the commercial at this link: Category Wars: Miller Lite's Heavy Hitters Try To Nip A-B In The Bud

HARRY SMITH SIGNS WITH WWE

19-year-old Harry Smith, son of the late "British Bulldog" Davie Boy Smith, has signed a WWE contract and will be debuting on June 3 after fulfilling his independent promotion wrestling commitments. Harry announced his debut date on his MySpace blog and, shortly thereafter, a press release was sent out confirming his signing and scheduled debut date. Harry has been wrestling since he was a very small child and even had a chance to wrestle in a tag team match with his late father. He is said to be extremely talented and enthusiastic. With a father like Davey Boy, an uncle like Bret Hart, and a grandfather like Stu Hart, it's not hard to see where he gets his ability.

ECW ONE NIGHT STAND TICKETS SELL OUT IN LESS THAN TWO HOURS

ECW is not dead. At least not in the minds of its loyal fans. WWE recently announced that they would be running another ECW One Night Stand pay per view in June at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City Tickets went on sale on April 15 and sold out on less than two hours. Prices stared at $250.00 for ringside seats and went down to $50.00 for standing room. Rob Van Dam - if he wins at Backlash and becomes the IC Champ and holds onto his Money in the Bank contract - will be wrestling for the WWE or World Heavyweight Title on the show. I strongly suspect RVD will win at Backlash but anything can happen!

There is no planned card yet but several former ECW wrestlers have been contacted and I believe Terry Funk may be part of this show. He turned down last year's show citing it wasn't really ECW, just WWE's version. Maybe after he saw how true WWE stayed to the ECW brand, he changed his mind. I will have more on the line up as I get it.

CHANGE IN THE DIVA SEARCH COMPETITION

Some of you may be happy to know that this year's WWE Diva Search contestants will appear on both Raw and Smackdown as opposed to just Raw like in previous years. This means we get to watch women who have no clue about wrestling do ridiculous challenges on both shows. I am not a fan of the Diva Search and found the segments to be drawn out and boring. Maybe WWE will change the way they present the contestants and cut down on the silliness (A hot dog eating contest and a boot camp challenge on a little kid's air filled bouncy mattress come to mind).

Y2J TO WRITE A BOOK

Chris Jericho may not be wrestling anymore but he is doing everything else it seems. He is a radio DJ, is slated to do some acting, and is writing a book on the early years of his career.

This statement was posted on Jericho's MySpace blog:

Chris signed a deal with Warner Publishing to release his memoirs in 2007. The book is tentatively titled, A LION'S TALE and will focus primarily on the early days of his career from 1990-1996. It will take a detailed look at the amazing adventures he experienced first while training in Western Canada and then while performing in Mexico, Japan, Germany and the southern United States. Chris has been preparing his notes and writing will commence within the next month with a deadline for the finished manuscript set for Oct/Nov.

I worked with Chris when I was editor of WCW Magazine and he was a guest columnist. He is a great and gifted writer and I doubt he will need any type of ghostwriter to help him out like so many others. This book should be a very entertaining read for any fan of Chris Jericho and I am looking very forward to it. If it is written the way he wrote his monthly columns, it will be both humorous and informative.

CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMP EXPERIENCES A SETBACK

Gregory "Hurricane" Helms wrote in his MySpace blog that he recently experienced severe and profuse bleeding stemming from complications from a broken nose and subsequent surgery. He said that the bleeding went on for over six and a half hours and he was being prepped for a second surgery to stop it but, as luck would have it, the bleeding finally subsided. He said he is back on track now and working out lightly. He hasn't set a timetable for his return but, if all goes well from here on out, it shouldn't be that much longer before he is cleared to wrestle. He posted some pictures of his injury on his website, www.GregoryHelms.com which show just how much damage an ill timed move can cause. Helms was injured in Australia when Paul London accidentally landed on his face when attempting a leg drop.

STACY KEIBLER WRAPS UP HER WRESTLING CAREER

It looks like we have seen the last of Stacy Keibler on WWE TV. She has moved on to other projects according to a story in Vegas magazine. "Dancing With the Stars' Stacy Keibler has left her former pro-wrestling notoriety behind for a bright and glamorous new life," proclaims the magazine. You can read the whole story here: Mad Hot Ballroom Dancer . However, it looks as though she will fulfill her final obligations to WWE by doing a WWE Book signing in the UK. You can read about that signing here: Stacy to grapple with Belfast fans.

I wish Stacy the best in her future endeavors but it would have been nice if she returned to WWE TV before leaving the company.

Well, folks, that's it for now. The forum is going strong! And, believe it or not, everyone gets along great. We are living proof that wrestling fans can disagree in a respectful manner. Please join us as we take on wrestling storylines, the best and worst gimmicks of all time, and all kinds of subjects. All are welcome, male and female. All I ask is that you adhere to the code of conduct and that is to simply be respectful of other posters and understand that everyone out there has an opinion and each one is as valid as the other.

I will be back soon with a chat day and time as well as much more news, commentary, and the MySpace links I am compiling.

Until Next Time!

Patty

See for yourself why ECW fans are do devoted to the brand even years after its demise!