Let's get right into the top stories then I will talk a little about a few other things going on in wrestling.
TNA GOES PRIMETIME!
At last, TNA Impact! is getting a weeknight primetime spot on Spike TV. This has been a dream of TNA since its inception and it's finally coming true. Talks have been ongoing for quite a while but picked up this week. Although I have no firm details, it looks like the show may be on Thursday nights which is a great night for wrestling. There has been talk of expanding the show to 90 minutes but, at this point, that is just talk.
Coming off the heels of a record breaking Impact! show which saw the debut of Sting (Steve Borden) on the show, TNA is riding high right now. The only thing they must do is to get their pay per view buy rates up. I think, with the move to weeknight primetime, that will happen.
I am thrilled to hear this news and I hope you all give TNA Impact! a chance if you haven’t already.
At this point it looks like the show will switch nights and times in April, but again, that is not confirmed. Expect an official announcement from TNA and Spike TV very soon.
VINCE MCMAHON ACCUSED OF GROPIG TANNING BOOTH ATTENDANT
WWE CEO Vince McMahon has been accused of groping a young woman while patronizing a tanning salon in Boca Raton, FL. The woman claims that Vince came to the salon late Sunday (this would be after the Royal Rumble which took place in Miami) and showed her naked pictures of himself on his cell phone. She then said he later groped her. However, there are some gaping holes in this woman's story.
First, for Vince to have gotten to Boca Raton from Miami after the Royal Rumble, it would have been very late, certainly much later than most tanning salons are open. The salon, called "Tanzabar" was not even open on Sunday according to some sources who called there and asked about it, and a coworker of the woman making the allegations says that she was in the salon when Vince was there on Saturday and he made no advances toward her or her coworker and was gracious and not at all offensive.
When contacted about the incident, Linda McMahon, Vince's wife, called the charges "bizarre" and Stephanie McMahon, Vince's daughter, said that Vince was at the salon "the other night," and added that she wasn't aware of anything happening.
No charges have been filed as yet against McMahon and there has been no talk of the incident since Monday afternoon when it was reported to the Palm Beach Post. A police report was made, however, and time will tell if the allegations are true or just a way to garner attention and maybe a bit of cash from a well known celebrity such as McMahon.
Certainly, there are some gaping holes in the accuser's story which need explaining before this matter can be taken too seriously.
WRESTLING NEWS BITS
* WWE officially signed Goldust (Dustin Runnels) to a contract on Monday again. He has been in and out of WWE for years. He is the son of Dusty Rhodes who is now working for WWE, so it is no surprise that Dustin would be back in WWE although his character is dated and he has had a myriad of personal problems. While Dusty was working for TNA, he brought Dustin into that company as well, but personal problems led to Dustin's departure. We'll see how long his reign in WWE lasts.
* Another official signing with WWE is Eric (No last name given), Orlando Jordan's real life close friend who will be playing a part in the bisexual storyline I mentioned last week. Eric has no prior wrestling experience. He will be part of a triangle with former TNA star Trinity and Orlando Jordan. This one will be an interesting storyline to watch develop.
* Also signed is Super Porky, the roly-poly midget who runs around eating whole pork loins. It looks like the Junior's Division is coming to a Smackdown near you once again.
* Sharp-eyed reader Laurie sent me a note telling me that the "Edge ad Lita" photo section is gone from Edge's profile page on wwe.com. There is still a section called "Sex Gone Bad" from the Raw after Edge won the belt and he and Lita attempted "live sex in the ring" but, indeed, all other photos of Edge and Lita have been removed from the site. It certainly looks like the "mistake" Lita made on Raw by slamming Edge with the belt wasn't really a mistake at all and the two are going to split. We'll know very soon what the deal is with that weird ending to the title match on last week's Raw.
* Stacy Keibler remains the favorite on Dancing with the Stars. She and her partner Tony scored the first ever perfect score of the show Thursday for their sizzling samba. The results show where one couple is voted off due to a combination of judges' score and fans votes has not aired yet. (The result show is on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC) but I can guarantee you that Stacy and Tony are perfectly safe. I was very impressed with Stacy's dancing this week as it was her first fast dance and she stepped it up and looked great. Second place contenders Drew Lachey and his partner scored a 27 out of 30 and continue to run neck and neck with Stacy and Tony. I suspect the voting will be down to those two couples and I also suspect that Stacy will walk away the winner although Drew has performed fantastically throughout the show. It's 50% up to the audience so, if you're a Stacy Keibler fan and want to see her win this competition, tune into Dancing with the Stars on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. EST, then vote for her and Tony.
Not much has been mentioned about this, but Stacy appears on the cover and inside "Stuff Magazine" in March. There is a link above to see some of the shots of Stacy that will be seen in the magazine. Stuff is a men's magazine that features beautiful women WITH clothes on, although usually with not much more than a string bikini or a bit less.
Lastly, look for Rey Mysterio, winner of the Royal Rumble, NOT to end up wretsling for the title at Wrestlemaia. I will have more on this next time.
That's it for now, kids! I could go on all night but will be back in a few days with more updates and will be keeping a close eye on the Vince McMahon situation. I find it somewhat ironic that there are no plans to incorporate this latest allegation into the WWE storylines when Ric Flair's real life problems were front and center as storylines. I guess it's great to be king!
Do you think Vince is guilty? Talk about it on the forum! I will see you there.
Patty
Visit my personal website at WRESTLING ON THE FRINGE for clumns, news, photos, and more.
The McMahons have always been an "interesting" clan. Read about them in this book.
