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Nash, notes, more

BY JIM VARSALLONE
jvarsallone{at}herald.com

On his official web site, former WWE and WCW champion Kevin Nash said
his contract with WWE expired on Dec. 31 and was not renewed.

Nash said he met with McMahon to discuss remaining with the company in
a creative role. However that meant working five days a week and
moving to an area near Stamford, CT. Nash didn't want to do that
because of his family situation in central Florida.

Will Nash appear in NWA/TNA? Stay tuned.

• Former Four Horsemen manager J.J. Dillon did not appear on the first
night of Major League Wrestling's return from hiatus on Friday, Jan. 9
at Tabu in Orlando. The legendary manager did appear the second night
of the double-shot weekend on Saturday, Jan. 10 also at Tabu. Dillon
aligned himself with the Extreme Horsemen (Steve Corino, Simon
Diamond, C.W. Anderson, P.J. Walker).

• Also making a return to pro wrestling was another legendary force --
Playboy Gary Hart. The evil one managed Low Ki and the monster Ryze
during the MLW weekend extravaganza. Hart's son Chad competed on the
undercard.

• The elite of the elite? The Original Four Horsemen, the nWo,
D-Generation X, The Triple Threat, Evolution, The Extreme Horsemen,
The Nation of Domination, Raven's Flock, the FBI, The West Texas
Rednecks, The Brood, The Oddities.

Who is your favorite clique? One of the above or do you have some
other group in mind? E-mail jvarsallone{at}herald.com with your top
choice and be entered in a free wrestling giveaway.

• The Rock made the front cover of the Broward Community College
Seahawks men's basketball game day guide. Actually, it's the words
''The Rock'' as BCC hoopsters Ryan Morton (Lexington, KY) and Adrian
Uter (Queens, NY) palmed basketballs displaying those words. The Rock
is not only the name of the People's Movie Star and WWE talent but
also slang for basketball. BCC is a junior college in South Florida.

• Columbia Records and WWE joined forces to unleash WWE Originals, the
groundbreaking album of new music performed by WWE's foremost
superstars. WWE Originals is in stores Tuesday, Jan. 13.

Though music has always played an integral role in the WWE global
phenomenon, WWE Originals is the first WWE album to showcase the WWE
superstars performing material written specifically for them.

Artists include Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Dudley Boyz, Trish
Stratus, Rey Mysterio, Booker T, Kurt Angle, Lita, Lilian Garcia, Eddy
and Chavo Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Rikishi, and Stacy Keibler.

WWE Originals features an exclusive value-added DVD with
behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the album, candid glimpses
of the WWE superstars in unguarded moments and more.

The DVD's 14 chapters feature: Coach's Mission; Trish's Studio
Session; Kurt Angle Mouths Off; Rey Mysterio - Escuche; Stacy
Keibler's Got The Moves; The Dudley Boyz Have Had It; Booker T's
Studio Session; Coach Shows Off His Musical Skills; Lita Rocks;
Rikishi Lays Down A Track; Stone Cold Sings?; Eddie and Chavo Guerrero
- They Lie, Cheat, Steal & Sing; Chris Jericho Gets Vocal; Coach Meets
Jim Johnston.

Produced by James A. Johnston, whose credits include penning the
unforgettable body-slamming ''themes'' of the WWE superstars, WWE
Originals is the latest in a series of highly-successful WWE albums
and the first WWE/Columbia Records album since the RIAA gold-certified
Forceable Entry, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard the week of
its release in 2002.

''It's great to get back in the ring with Columbia Records, the
greatest musical tag-team partner in the world,'' said WWE chairman
Vince McMahon. ``With WWE Originals, we're delivering a heart-pounding
new experience that will leave the fans breathless and begging for
more. These are the WWE superstars like you've never seen or heard
them before.''

• Former ECW star New Jack is extremely upset with the Dudley Boys and
their choice (so to speak) of music on WWE Originals. New Jack feels
the Dudley Boys and Paul E. Heyman are calling him out and ripping him
off. No one messes with New Jack. Stay tuned.

• The official web site for WWE star Maven reads the Tough Enough I
winner is off from the road with WWE's blessing to be near his ailing
mother who is battling cancer.

The cancer spread internally, and she's in critical condition. WWE
management was aware of the problem and pulled Maven from live events
and TV shows until the situation improves.

• Lycos lists WWE Diva Dawn Marie as one of the celebs to watch in
2004, noting the searches for her are increasing.

• WWE signed 25-year-old model/actress Melina Perez to a developmental
contract according to the Wrestling Online Newsletter. Perez, a native
of Los Angeles, is Kyra from Empire Wrestling Federation in Fontana,
CA. She will be sent to Jim Cornette's Ohio Valley Wrestling, the
feeder fed to WWE.

• Get ready for the Mick Foley DVD Greatest Hits & Misses: A Life In
Wrestling which will be released Jan. 20. The 2-disc DVD set (five
hours) features Foley matches from WWE, WCW and even from the recently
purchased ECW collection. This will be the second Foley DVD, with the
first one being Hard Knocks & Cheap Pops.

The new release includes footage from WWE, WCW and ECW. Cactus Jack
vs. Big Van Vader (WCW Saturday Night, April 17, 1993); Cactus Jack
and Maxx Payne vs. Nasty Boys (WCW Spring Stampede 1994); Cactus Jack
vs. Sabu (ECW Hostile City Showdown 1994); Cactus Jack vs. Chris
Candido (SMW, Nov. 18, 1994); Cactus Jack vs. The Sandman (Texas Death
Match, ECW, Feb. 4, 1995); Cactus Jack and Raven vs. Terry Funk and
Tommy Dreamer (ECW November to Remember 1995); Cactus Jack vs. Mikey
Whipwreck (ECW Big Ass Extreme Bash 1996); Mankind vs. Shawn Michaels
(WWE Mind Games 1996); Cactus Jack vs. HHH (WWE Raw, Sept. 22, 1997 -
the MSG show); Mick Foley vs. Terry Funk (WWE Raw, May 4, 1998); Dude
Love vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (Over The Edge 1998); Mankind vs. The
Undertaker (Hell in a Cell match, King of the Ting 1998); Mankind vs.
The Rock (WWE Raw, Jan. 4, 1999); Cactus Jack vs. Triple H
(streetfight WWE Royal Rumble 2000). The extras include Cactus Jack
vs. Sting (WCW - June 20, 1992); Cactus Jack vs. Sabu (ECW - Sept. 30,
1994); Jack Foley and Les Thornton vs. The British Bulldogs (an old
episode of WWF Challenge where Foley made his debut; Sept. 13, 1986);
Plus the Birth of Mr. Socko; the Las Vegas vignettes with Al Snow; a
feature from WWE Confidential, and some classic promos.

• A special Road To WrestleMania Tour recently started in California
promoting the 20th anniversary event with stops in 46 cities across
the United States including some in Florida.

A custom-designed and branded Chevrolet Suburban complete with a
12-foot trailer, a 42-inch flat screen television with surround sound,
will take the WrestleMania XX team across the country the next three
months.

Event venues will include more than 20 Wal-Marts and five House of
Blues entertainment complexes. At each event location, the
WrestleMania promo team, which includes former WWE superstar Hillbilly
Jim, will meet and greet fans with WrestleMania trivia contests, video
game competitions, temporary tattoos and more.

Through Momentum's innovative E-Photo system, fans can receive
customized, full-color photos of themselves at the local events via
e-mail and a link to wrestlemania.com. They can vote online for their
favorite WrestleMania moments of all time and be entered to win weekly
prizes, including customized WrestleMania XX Gibson guitars.

Current WWE superstars will join the tour at specific stops for
special autograph and photo sessions.

Florida in February:

Feb. 3: 5-9 p.m., Wal-Mart, 5500 Thomasville Rd, Tallahassee.

Feb. 5: TBD, Tampa.

Feb. 6: 5-9 p.m., Wal-Mart, 19910 Bruce Downs Blvd., Tampa.

Feb. 7: TBD, Tampa.

Feb. 9: 5-9 p.m., Wal-Mart, 9300 NW 77th Ave., Hialeah.

Feb. 10: all day, 103.5 WMIB Street Team Convoy, Miami.

Feb. 11: all day, 103.5 WMIB Street Team Convoy, Miami.

Feb. 13: 5-9 p.m., Wal-Mart, 2500 S. Kirkman Rd., Orlando.

Feb. 14: 3-7 p.m., House of Blues, 1490 E. Buena Vista Dr., Orlando.

Feb. 15: TBD, PPV Party, Jacksonville.

• Lucha Xtreme Wrestling's The Mark of the Mask is Sunday, Feb. 29 at
the Radisson Mart Plaza Hotel Convention Center, 711 NW 72 Ave. in
Miami.

This is LXW's first venture away from New York since the company's
inception in 2003. On Feb. 29, LXW will crown its first heavyweight
champ.

Lucha Xtreme Wrestling created a buzz by bringing its unique blend of
styles, production and talent to wrestling fans of New York. LXW
delivers traditional, Mexican Lucha Libre style wrestling with an
American flare.

The roster includes: Shocker, Ultimo Guerrero and Rey Bucanero also
known as Los Guerreros del Infierno, Halloween and Damien666 also
known as Mexico's Most Wanted, Scorpio Jr., Super Dragon, Rising Son,
Angel, Phoenix Star, Zokre, Scorpio Sky and Quicksilver, Supreme, Vic
Grimes, Los Lunatics, and All Money I$ Legal.

Tickets are $30 ringside, $20 general admission. VIP packages are
available. Tickets can be purchased at www.lxwrestling.com or
www.ticketweb.com. There will be a meet and greet before the event
with all the LXW stars posing for photos and signing autographs at an
additional fee.

• While business is status quo in the United States, WWE continues to
expand internationally at a fever pitch. The first episode of RAW in
Portugal was an overwhelming success according to the Wrestling Online
Newsletter.

The show received the highest rating on Portuguese cable television in
teen and young adult viewers. WWE started broadcasting in Portugal on
Jan. 9 with RAW on Fridays and Velocity on Sundays.


--- Internet Rex 2.29