Ratings Summary
- RAW: 3.6 (3.3 / 3.8) Down from last week's 3.6 (3.6 / 3.6 / 5 Share)
- Heat: 1.0 Down from last week's 1.1 (2 Share)
- Velocity: 0.7 Down from 0.9 (1 Share)
- Confidential: 0.7 Down from 0.8 (1 Share)
There are Smackdown spoilers from last night in Minneapolis, MN. Jim Biros of Wisconsin's Daily Telegram shared his thoughts on Monday's Smackdown house show in Duluth, MN.
Smackdown had to share the number one spot on UPN with the premiere of America's Next Top Model, tieing for #87 overall. WWE says they're excited about UPN's 2 year renewal of Smackdown. SLAM confirms that ESPN Classics won't be showing RAW replays in Canada but will instead stick with "Classic Wrestling." There are rumors about UFC signing a deal with SpikeTV which Vince McMahon apparently okayed.
Both the Torch and 1wrestling are reporting that Vince McMahon is angry with wrestlers that talk to the wrestling press, even going so far as to say they'd be ex-WWE wrestlers in a pre-RAW meeting, and that they'd be fired on the spot (with Brock Lesnar backing him up) in a pre-Smackdown meeting. Goldberg has been reportedly told to stop using the jackhammer, although he apparently doesn't plan to listen as his contract is up in two months.
Brock Lesnar was named by the Pro Wrestling Torch as 2003 MVP Wrestler of the Year. Brock Lesnar made several appearances in the Minneapolis media promoting last night's Smackdown.
Nunzio is happy to be in the Royal Rumble for the first time, and he was surprised by the crowd reaction he got when defeating the other members of the FBI to gain entry. Rob Van Dam was a guest on the McDonnell-Douglas radio show yesterday in Los Angeles and discussed his comic book store, ECW and contract negotiations. Randy Orton's latest commentary is about his January 12 match with Rob Van Dam and the injury he suffered during it. Christopher Nowinski is still not cleared to wrestle due to concussion related-headaches and likely won't return to the ring for a while.
Mick Foley's book Tietam Brown was nominated for best debut novel in the WHSmith Peopleā™s Choice Book Awards. UPN will air a special "The Mania of WrestleMania" on March 3 at 9pm. Chris Jericho appears in the ads for VH1's new series "Best Week Ever" which premieres this Friday.
Trish Stratus' Babe of the Year 2003 site will launch on January 26. The Rock's The Rundown has a March 23 release date. Thanks to DrVenkman for the link to DVD details and extras for the upcoming Stone Cold Truth DVD.
WWE Originals amazingly debuted at #12 in the Nielsen SoundScan sales figures, making it the highest ranked debut for the week. On the Canadian sales chart, WWE Originals only ranked #27. WWE is asking fans to fill out a wireless survey about features they might want from a WWE phone. THQ issued a press release announcing they're the #2 independent publisher for 2003, with a 6.6% market share driven by games including Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain.
Derek Burgan at the Torch reviewed Ring of Honor's Wrath of Racket and calls it a tremendous show. Ring of Honor February 14 Boston, MA area show will take place at the National Guard Armory in Braintree, MA, with the first Pure Wrestling Champion being crowned in an eight wrestler tournament. This Saturday's 3PW 10th Anniversary show will feature Al Snow vs. Sabu and a Blue World Order reunion. The reason for the move of WORLD-1's February 7 event from Deer Park to Philadelphia, PA was not New York State Athletic Commission related as originally reported.
Bret Hart's Simpsons appearance made ESPN's Simpsons sports moments list at #70, and two wrestling matches featured on the show made #50. Trio's new series "Parking Lot"'s second episode will include fans from a WWE event in Richmond, VA. There was a press party today to announce the relaunch of David McLae's Women of Wrestling, which will be distributed by GRB Entertainment, Inc. Jaya Roopansingh of SLAM reviewed Wrestlecrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling and says its a great book for new fans but not for long term fans interested in reminiscing. Howard Stern made fun of Howard Dean's speech this morning and said he should take Goldust as his running mate.
That's it for today. Thanks for reading.
