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http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/

2/7/2004 1:35:00 PM
Saturday news update: Raw ends Japan tour with long bouts; New
promotion first tour notes; MLW cancels taping; UK notes; Snow talks
about current scene and Vince
 
by Dave Meltzer

hsmeltzer{at}juno.com

Wrestling Observer Live tomorrow night will be a tape of the very well
received show from last week with Ricky Steamboat and Les Thatcher.
Since the show went head up with the Super Bowl, we're rerunning it
this week so everyone can get a chance to listen, plus I've got to
cover the Pride PPV on Sunday. The show airs from 8-10 p.m. Eastern
time and 5-7 p.m. Pacific time on the Sports Byline USA radio network.
You can check out a station in your area carrying the show at
www.sportsbyline.com or listen live on their web site, on this web
site, through Sirius Satellite radio Ch. 122 and with football over,
we should be on Clear channel 610 AM out of St. Catherines, ONT which
at night should be easily accessible in Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland,
Rochester, Buffalo and anywhere in that part of North America, or at
www.610cktb.com which seems to be the best way to listen for those of
you with web TV.

--WWE Raw results from the Saitama Super Arena: Hurricane b Christian,
Randy Orton b Matt Hardy to keep IC title, Molly Holly b Lita to keep
women's title, Ric Flair & Batista b Dudleys to keep tag title, Chris
Benoit b Chris Jericho, Kane b RVD, Rico b Test and HHH b Shawn
Michaels. This was very different from a usual WWE show as they had
long matches, particularly Benoit-Jericho, the HHH match and the Flair
match all going more than 20:00. Austin's skit saw him give stunners
to Bischoff and Orton, and then get attacked by Hardy, who the Dudleys
put through table. Austin, Dudleys, Hurricane, Jackie Gayda and Stacy
Keibler all drank beer.

--A correction from yesterday's report from Osaka. It was Randy Orton
who did the run-in on Steve Austin and got stunned, not Christian. So
the Osaka skit was pretty much the same as Saitama today. (thanks to
Rob Bolock)

--Not only is Monday's taping in Portland the first ever in that city,
but it's the first WWE taping ever in the state (thanks to Matt
Farmer)

--Pro Wrestling World 1 from last night in Pottstown, PA before 300
fans: Greg Matthews & Rockin Rebel b Alex Low & Ricky Landell, Mega &
Guillotine LeGrande & Mana b Jack Victory & Rapid Fire Maldonado &
Jason the Legend, C.M. Punk b Greg Spitz, Christopher Street
Connection b Papadon & Havok, Homicide b Yoshito Sasaki, Jerry Lynn &
Justin Credible b Low Ki & Spanky, Josh Daniels & Striker b C.W.
Anderson & Simon Diamond to keep PWF tag titles, Masato Tanaka b Steve
Corino (thanks to Chris Wilcox, Nigel Law and Bob Magee)

--The World 1 show at 4 p.m. today has Tanaka vs. Lynn to decide the
first World 1 title, Anderson & Diamond vs. Corino & Credible,
Homicide vs. Spanky and the rest of the crew from last night.

--MLW has canceled its 2/14 show in Orlando, but will be adding
matches on 2/13 in Fort Lauderdale since they have to do a month's
worth of TV in one night now. They also will be doing a 40 man Battle
Riot on 4/10. It'll be a Battle Royal where participants enter every
two minutes, but you can be eliminated by pinfall, submission or being
thrown over the top rope. Somebody was reading about the old
California Battle Royal rules in the last two weeks. Winner gets a
title shot that night.

--Frances Ward, the widow of famous Columbus, GA promoter Fred Ward,
passed away on Monday. She worked with her husband promoting the
weekly wrestling events in that city, which was a wrestling hotbed at
various times including the late 70s.

--U.K. television notes from this weekend. All the plugs were correct
this week, with the mention of the new name of the arena in Newcastle
as well as Scotland being specifically labeled as part of the U.K.
Surprisingly, there were no edits made to the post Rico vs. Rene
Dupree segment, so the Playboy references aired. They had been edited
out of previous shows. However, all of Christian's knocks at Yoko Ono
splitting up The Beatles were edited off the show. On the morning
Smackdown today, all the Playboy referenced were cut from the show, so
there was a new voice track cut at times. (thanks to Ian Hamilton)

--The St. Mary's, OH Evening Leader at
www.theeveningleader.com/articles/2004/02/05/sports/sports03.txt has
an interview with Al Snow about working for long-time area wrestler
Jim Lancaster (Jim Painter) on 2/21 at the Midwest Championship
Wrestling Hall of Fame inductions. He has some very interesting
comments about teaching wrestlers, the current wrestlers, injuries and
Vince McMahon.

--Several big events in Mexico tonight. The biggest indie show is in
Toluca with Santo & La Park vs. Blue Demon Jr. & Pierroth Jr. plus Los
Guapos vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Tarzan Boy and a mystery partner. Antonio
Pena has three shows tonight, with San Jose de Iturbide with Dos Caras
& Intocable & Lizmark Sr. vs. Charly Manson & Juventud Guerrera & El
Texano, Morelos (I think that's the city) has Heavy Metal & Octagon
vs. Pentagon & Mr. Aguila, and Puerto Vallarta has Alebrije & Latin
Lover & La Parka (Pena's Parka) vs. Chessman & Monsther & Cibernetico.

--Neil Wilson reported that the MLW show featuring Eddie Colon vs.
Jerry Lynn aired yesterday on The Wrestling Channel's test run. His
feeling was that editing out weapons shots took away from the flow of
the show.

--Sabu is booked in the U.K. for the UWC promotion on 4/8 and 4/9 in
Salisbury and Frome (thanks to Jonathan Barber)

--USWO results from last night in Madison, TN before 100 fans: Arrick
Andrews & Ryder b Antonio & Rafael Barzini, Nore Havoc b Ty Blade, Hot
Rod Biggs b Josh Moore, Andrews & Ryder b Jason Nesmith & Thug Jones,
Tim Renesto b Craziness, ODB b Christie Ricci & Traci Brooks, Slacker
J & Dan the Man b John Caesar & Larry Valentine-DQ, T.J. & Chris Bomb
b Hammerjack & Shane Eden (thanks to Jimmie Daniel)

--HWA results from last night in Cincinnati: Big Al b Mike Slade,
Hillbilly Jed won three-way over Ooga Booga and Tsunami, Apollo b Chad
Collyer, Cody Hawk b Simply Spectacular, A.J. Sparx & Jenelle Sinclair
b #5 & Hellena Heavenly, #1 & #4 b Deuce & Brian Jennings, Mike Desire
b Quinten Lee, Crazy J & Lotus b T.J. Dalton & J.T. Stahr in a ladder
match for tag titles

--Today's Marion, IN Chronicle-Tribune at
www.chronicle-tribune.com/news/stories/20040207/localnews/370686.html
has a story on Koko Ware working in the city on 2/21. Today's paper
also has two other articles regarding the local indie promotion that
features him, one on an area wrestler and another on the wrestling
school.

--Tonight's scheduled TV taping of Tennessee Mountain Wrestling in
Knoxville has been moved to 2/14. The show airs on the local UPN
affiliate right after Smackdown, which sounds on paper like a perfect
time for an indie TV show.

--Alex Shelley is out with a collarbone injury for 6-8 weeks


--- Internet Rex 2.29