WCW Star Loses Bid for Mayor, Cena Teaming with Team Hell No, WM

- Former WCW star and Four Horseman Steve “Mongo” McMichael recently lost his bid to become the Mayor of Romeoville, Illinois.

- John Cena, Kane and Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk, Big E Langston and Dolph Ziggler is being advertised for the upcoming RAW taping in London, England.

- WWE already has the WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view on iTunes – $14.99 for Standard Definition and $19.99 for High Definition. WWE also has the WrestleMania 29 soundtrack on iTunes.

Elijah Burke Talks Inspirations, ECW Run with The New Breed & More

hris Featherstone of Pancakes and Powerslams got the chance to interview former WWE, ECW and TNA wrestler Elijah Burke. Here are some highlights from the interview.
On his inspiration to pursue pro wrestling: “Watching NWA growing up in Florida… and seeing the likes of ‘The American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, the Horseman, Rock and Roll [Express] and all those guys. All credit goes to my dad… after church services we would go home and eat Sunday dinner and wait for 6 o’clock, 5 o’clock wrestling to come on.”
Wrestlers he competed against early in his career that became stars today: “CM Punk, [but] everyone who I feuded with were already established individuals… I had feuds with Tommy Dreamer and Ballsy Mahoney (God, where is he? Ballsy, give me a call)… when I got to TNA – the guys such as Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles. Great, great guys I really enjoyed working with.”
His WWE debut with Sylvester Terkay: “He was the most gentle, misunderstood giant that there could possibly be. [He] was one of the coolest and gentle and kind-hearted guys I think I’ve ever been around in the business… good guy, great guy.”
On his ECW run with The New Breed: “‘Pope’ was pretty much still a rookie… to be in that position and to have Vince McMahon anoint me, ordain me, have confidence in me to be the “leader” of the group… was a high point at the time definitely in my career (and is)… I think we did what we had to do to make it work.”
On his match at WrestleMania 23: “I went up to the Undertaker in the locker room… and was so taken back and in such awe about what was about to go down, I just had to thank him… While I was talking to ‘Taker, I couldn’t do nothing but bust into tears like a little 15-year-old girl meeting Justin Bieber… and ‘Taker grabbed me and said ‘this was it is about… we love to see this… enjoy the moment.’ I’ll never forget it… Tears rolling down my eyes, he said that this lets me know that you want it.”
His departure from WWE: “Creative changes – that’s exactly what is was. You could be the most talented guy in the world, and the greatest self-promoter (look at Zack Ryder), but if there is someone who has a pen or pencil in higher places that does not recommended you or are not pulling against you, they have the power of persuasion that can work against you.”

Jim Ross Blogs on Ric Flair Being Hospitalized, Gay Marriage, Jericho vs. Fandango, More

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has published a new blog entry on JrsBarBq.com. Here are some highlights. 

Chris Jericho vs. Fandango at WrestleMania: "Chris Jericho wrestling Fandango at WM29 is a win in my view if for nothing else Jericho is on the card, and he makes any card that he is on better, and Chris certainly deserves to be at the biggest event of the year. Secondly, @IAmJericho will push Fandango to wrestle and perform at Jericho's pace and we will all see what Fandango has to offer under pressure at MetLife Stadium. I will assure you that Jericho won't modify his big event, game to accommodate the young Fandango." 

Ric Flair being hospitalized: "Heard Ric Flair was in Philly Monday but was send back to Charlotte for medical reasons. I don't know any details but hopefully Ric has followed up with his doctor's in Charlotte to determine what the issue is with apparent swelling in his knee. Naitch will always be Naitch but he's in his mid 60's now and Mother Nature and Father Time rarely compromise." 

Gay marriage: "I rarely get political here but I do not feel that I have the right, as a human being, to tell other people who love each other that they cannot marry even though they might be of the same gender. All of God's children deserve to be happy." 

Jesse Ventura saying he was difficult to work with: "Some one hit me with a question at our Q&A's that said that on some DVD interview that Jesse Ventura said that I was hard to work with while we were partners in WCW. I've not seen the DVD but The Body has the right to his opinion and he's, honestly, accurate in his assessment. I'm no day at the beach at the announce table because I demand so much of myself and from whoever is sitting beside me. I'm guilty. I expect those who broadcast the genre to prepare, in their own way, just as I do in my way. Bottom line is that broadcasters are there to tell compelling stories of an organic nature that suspend disbelief and enhance what the audience is seeing. The wrestlers write the music and the announcers are obligated to put the proper lyrics to said music. The stars of the show are the in ring talents and not the broadcasters. Ventura was an excellent color commentator especially with Vince McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon but I'm not sure that he was the same guy by the time he got to WCW. But, then again, I could be wrong."

Booker T Discussing Harlem Heat and Other Topics In Second Biography

- The following was sent out: 

NOW CAN YOU DIG THAT, SUCKA? 

2013 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Booker T to release follow-up wrestling autobiography 

Chicago, Illinois — March 2013 — Just days after the announcement of Booker T. Huffman’s upcoming induction into the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame, book publisher Medallion Press announces the April 2014 release of Huffman’s professional wrestling autobiography, Booker T: My Rise to Wrestling Royalty (with Andrew William Wright). 

Booker T. Huffman, who has held 35 major titles within WWE, WCW, and TNA, has decided it’s time for his story of life inside the squared circle to be told. 

After the release of his initial autobiography Booker T: From Prison to Promise (also with Andrew William Wright), which detailed Booker’s struggles growing up after losing both of his parents, fans have eagerly awaited a wrestling-focused bio of his rise to becoming one of the most decorated champions in history. 

Booker T: My Rise to Wrestling Royalty will chronicle the very beginnings of Harlem Heat, the tag team made up of Booker and his brother Stevie Ray, all the way through to Booker’s memorable portrayal of royalty as King Booker, as well as all of the championship titles in between.

Hulk Hogan Wanted to Portray A Heel Character Against Ultimate Warrior

In a newly published interview with Fighting Spirit Magazine, TNA Wrestling Superstar Hulk Hogan claims that he had proposed to turn heel six years before he actually did in World Championship Wrestling, during the 1990 build-up to his all-babyface WWF Championship match against Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VI.

"Vince and I were best friends, but when we talked about money, we were enemies," said Hogan. "So I went [to WCW] with the red and yellow, beat Ric Flair, and Hulkamania took off again. Then, creatively, I turned into a bad guy, which I always wanted to do in the WWF, but nobody wanted me to. I always said, 'I could be the best bad guy ever. Just let me do it', but no-one wanted me to be a bad guy. 

"At Warrior's time, I really wanted to f--k him as a bad guy; I wanted to beat The Ultimate Warrior in Toronto, but as a heel. I just thought it would be intense, and I would be the best bad guy ever. I could have done it, and then said, 'Forget the prayers and the vitamins, I did it for the money!' But it's just creative differences, and Vince knows what he's doing, believe me. I just wanted to try something different in the WWF." 

When Hogan turned heel to form the New World Order with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash at Bash at the Beach on July 7, 1996, he was very hesitant on the career-altering maneuver. Former WCW boss Eric Bischoff stated in his 2006 autobiography, Controversy Creates Cash, that Hogan was initially dismissive toward his idea of leaving the red and yellow behind to become a villain. Then shortly after Hall and Nash became a force on WCW programming, Hogan, who had not spoken to Bischoff in months, proposed that he be the third man in the group. Up until the pay-per-view event at Daytona Beach, Bischoff was unsure if Hogan would follow-through on the idea, and had Sting agree to join the New World Order in case "The Hulkster" changed his mind at the last minute. 

The six-page interview with Hulk Hogan is in Issue 91 of FSM, available now from WH Smiths and Easons in the UK and Ireland, and for iPhone/iPad and Android via FightingSpiritMagazine.co.uk.

Eric Bischoff Calls Bret Hart A "Sad, Broken and Bitter Person"

Eric Bischoff appeared on Inside The Ropes Thursday night where he addressed critical remarks from WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart. Highlights from the interview are as follows: 

On Bret Hart’s run in WCW: "I had spoken to and met Bret several times before he made the jump. I was obviously excited to have him but clearly Bret Hart was a very broken....and in my opinion still is, from the interviews I hear him do, a very sad, broken and bitter person. That was pretty evident when he first came over. He was a shadow or a shell of his former self. Wherever Bret was, the high point of his character, what I got was a kind of broken, sad shell of that and quite honestly I don’t think he’s ever come out of it." 

On Bret’s recent comments saying he “knows nothing about wrestling” and calling him “an idiot”: "It’s not unusual for guys like Bret Hart, from that era....the only way they know how to get over is to get over at the expense of someone else. Bret Hart’s trying very hard to stay relevant. Unfortunately, he’s no longer relevant. He was a big star, he had a big name at one point, he was an important character in the history of the business but he’s not any longer and I’m sure that’s hard on him. I know myself how it feels to realise that that your biggest and best days as a performer are behind you. I’m very comfortable with that, I’ve embraced it but it’s hard for a lot of guys who’ve never been anything other than performers. They have a hard time with that. It’s not easy getting older in the wrestling business, believe me, when you’re surrounded by younger and younger people who in many ways aren’t as over or as skilled or as popular as you may have been or still are now. But this business is a business that’s served by youth and change. And for someone like Bret, that manifests itself in his personality, lashing out at others. It’s funny, when he came to me he hated Vince McMahon, he hated everyone in the WWE from the office to half the roster. He didn’t have a good thing to say about any of the McMahons. Then when he got the opportunity to go back and work for them, he had to shift that. Then his hatred was for someone else like Bill Goldberg for giving him a concussion and now it’s for me and for Hulk, there’s no rhyme or reason for it and as far as his opinion of my value and what I’ve achieved in the wrestling business, I’ll let my body of work and success speak for itself." 

His future in TNA: "I really don’t plan on being in the wrestling business too much longer and I say that in a very grateful and positive way. This business has been great for me and my family. It’s been almost 30 years. I’m still shocked to this day. My goal now isn’t to accomplish anything professionally, because I’ve kind of been there, done that. My goal now and this is gonna sound kinda corny, I really like teaching. I like watching guys like Matt Connaway and Dave Lagana, watching them grow into new areas that they haven’t been able to get into before. Someday, hopefully, in the near future, I’m going to be able to walk away from this business and when I do, I want to be able to know that I was able to shape, in one way shape or form, guys who will carry on and be the future of the business. 

Bischoff also talked about signing Randy Savage to a WCW contract, comparisons between Aces and Eights and the nWo, and much more. The full interview is available at www.facebook.com/theinsidenetwork.

Daniels Explains How TNA Can Compete with WWE

Christopher Daniels talked about how TNA could complete with WWE during an interview with Red Eye Chicago. Here is what he said. 

"Well I think a lot of it has to do with just awareness of the brand," Daniels said. "So many people, especially lapsed wrestling fans from the boom back in the late 90's - early 2000's, a lot of wrestling fans sort of went away. And they aren't really aware that there is another brand now, now that WCW closed and ECW closed. A lot of people went away right after that, and they're not really aware that there's another brand out, other than the WWE, just sort of enjoy professional wrestling. 

"And the truth of the matter is sometimes it's hard to be different from the WWE when you're trying to gain those same viewers. Sometimes there's a tendency to sort of follow in the footsteps of the WWE. And so it's sort of a fine line where you want to be recognizable as professional wrestling but you also want to set yourself apart from what some people consider the standard of professional wrestling, which is the WWE. 

"So I think the challenge for us as individuals is try to stand out. Try to get people talking. Try to get that word of mouth out about our product. Not just ourselves but the entire roster as a whole. Trying to get people talking about the differences in our talent. The differences in terms of the stories we're telling in the ring. Trying to get some buzz about the things that we're doing."