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Stacy Keibler Fam Forum

A forum for Stacy Keibler fam (fans) & supporters


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    Post by astroth Sun Apr 03, 2011 12:52 am

    Found else where


    Only reason why Swagger is not succeeding is because his mic skills are atrocious. Vince likes guys who can talk on the mic. I think Swagger needs to re-invent himself.

    Or keep him paired with Michael Cole as his manager and mouthpiece.
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    Post by B Sun Apr 03, 2011 1:12 am

    Yeah Swagger is decent in ring and yeah Vince likes guys who can talk to the peeps to get either cheers or jeers.
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    Post by astroth Sun Apr 03, 2011 3:04 pm

    Yep and that would be a great use for mr annoying to be the mouth for swagger since swagger mic skills stink
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    Post by B Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:03 pm

    Yeah I agree as Cole can talk lol we just dont like to listen to him.
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    Post by astroth Mon Apr 04, 2011 5:58 pm

    because of fact he so seemingly insane, though I guess after the lawler match jr and the king called the rest of the ppv. $65 freaking bucks I saw somebody say was the cost of the ppv
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    Post by astroth Mon Apr 04, 2011 11:17 pm

    Well it seems we got our first match next years WrestleMania. The Rock vs John Cena
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    Post by astroth Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:35 pm

    So who caught Tough Enough last night after Raw? Also who is planning to watch it? If so be aware next week its before Raw
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    Post by B Fri Apr 08, 2011 10:59 pm

    Next week I'll watch it easily if its before raw. Well this week I caught Superstars and all of TNA.
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    Post by astroth Sat Apr 09, 2011 12:50 am

    So did you find a repeat of Tough Enough to watch so you know more whats going on when you watch it Monday?

    Also which of those shows were better?
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    Post by astroth Sat Apr 09, 2011 7:34 pm

    Well something is fishy with Scott Hall it would seem.

    ANOTHER SAD CHAPTER IN THE SCOTT HALL STORY

    Ryan Drew from Top Rope Promotions sent word that at their iPPV taping last night, Scott Hall had another episode. He said that Hall showed up to the building in the afternoon under the influence of something and was belligerent and incoherent.

    There was an autograph signing and Hall fell asleep during it and when he was awake, his signature consisted of a line, not a name.

    Drew wrote: "Unfortunately, Top Rope Promotions does not own the footage, the iPPV company does. And they plan on running the iPPV as planned with Scott Hall segment intact. TRP would like to issue an apology and would urge fans not to order the iPPV, as the Scott Hall footage is disturbing. He needed several people to get him in and out of the ring. And he even fell over in the ring. Please pray for the guy. We wish him the best."

    This comes on the heels of a report earlier this week of Hall being hospitalized for an overdose, which Hall's people disputed by saying he was being treated for low blood pressure. It also comes a short time after Hall stated he wouldn't go to The WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony to see his good friend Shawn Michaels get inducted because he didn't want to be in a situation where there would be temptations.

    You can see really sad video of Hall making his way to the ring during the show in Fall River, MA last night by clicking here.

    Like the folks at Top Rope Promotions, we too hope that Hall can get this thing turned around.

    Source
    Code:
    http://pwinsider.com/article/56915/another-sad-chapter-in-the-scott-hall-story.html?p=1
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    Post by astroth Sat Apr 09, 2011 7:40 pm

    Muhammad Hassan is back, sort of

    He was one of the most controversial villains in wrestling history, whose actions and words touched a raw nerve in the beleaguered, post-9/11 American psyche.

    Then, as quickly as he burst onto the wrestling scene and onto international headlines, he vanished -- not to be seen or even mentioned on television again.

    The story of how Marc Copani, a 23-year-old Italian college dropout from Syracuse, NY, became the incendiary Arab-American villain Muhammad Hassan is a story of timing and luck -- both good and bad.

    It has been six years since Copani got booted off network television and turned his back on professional wrestling, and only now has he decided to break his silence about his meteoric rise to infamy and his plummet into self-imposed obscurity.

    "For a long time I didn't want any more attention," Copani said in an interview with SLAM! Wrestling, one of only a handful he has granted since his 2005 departure from WWE. "But I figured this would be a good opportunity to get my side of the story out, six years later."

    His side of the story tells of a young, admittedly immature athlete who dreamed of stardom but got "too much, too quickly," and made a few enemies in high places along the way.

    For a while, Copani enjoyed his newfound notoriety portraying an embittered Arab-American claiming to be a victim of racial profiling and discrimination. But the pressures of being vaulted to main-event status, combined with death threats and a widespread disgust over his controversial gimmick, weighed heavily on the rookie wrestler.

    He loved performing in the ring -- it was a childhood dream-come-true -- but his infamy created pressures and problems for which he wasn't fully prepared.

    Now 30, with the wisdom of hindsight and perspective, Copani looks back on his wrestling days with some fondness and nostalgia, but with no desire to re-live them.

    "When I left wrestling, I told myself I would leave for good -- I knew that from the start," Copani said over the phone from upstate New York, where he's completing his long-postponed university degree in adolescent education and history.

    In 2002, Copani was just one semester away from completing a history degree at the State University of New York in Buffalo when a thirst for adventure led him to Louisville, KY, where he signed up for the WWE breeding ground Ohio Valley Wrestling.

    He adopted the name Mark Magnus and trained alongside Nick "Eugene" Dinsmore and Johnny Jeter, developing in-ring fundamentals to match his chiseled physique.

    When word circulated that the bigwigs at WWE wanted to introduce an Arab-American character to the main roster, OVW honcho Jim Cornette approached Copani about playing the part.

    "I thought it was pretty funny, actually -- playing an Arab," he recalled. "I'm 100 per cent Italian, from Syracuse, New York. But I was open to it, and I knew it was going to be a big opportunity."

    He also knew it was potentially a big risk. Early on, he met with WWE road agent Arn Anderson, who regaled him with tales -- some funny, some worrisome -- about the intense hatred elicited by the Iron Sheik in the 1980s.

    "Arn Anderson told me how to be prepared, and how it could all go downhill," said Copani.

    The writers at WWE toyed with a variety of ideas for the Arab-American character, such as making him an oil tycoon bent on procuring the world's fossil fuel supplies.

    The stroke of genius that separated Muhammad Hassan from all the previous middle-eastern heels was the idea that he was not evil at all, but rather a victim of American xenophobia and prejudice.

    In a series of taped vignettes, accompanied by kinetic sidekick Daivari (who lent credibility to the middle-eastern conceit by "translating" Hassan's tirades in Persian), Hassan admonished the American public for unfair treatment of dark-skinned citizens.

    "I am an Arab-American," said a shirtless, oil-slathered Hassan in one early segment. "I grew up right here in America. I went to the same schools, I ate the same food, and there was never any animosity between us. But since 9/11, you people tend to generalize or stereotype people like me. We are singled out. We are humiliated. We demand the same rights that any American has!"

    It was a clever twist on the classic "evil foreigner" gimmick -- because he was neither evil nor a foreigner. He was victim -- an American citizen who endured racism and prejudice within his own country.

    He yearned for a better America, in which people are judged by their actions, not the colour of their skin. And people hated him for it.

    "Everything I was saying was true, which is why fans loved to hate the character," said Copani. "They knew what I was saying was right, but they hated being told it."

    By the time Hassan and Daivari appeared on live television in December 2004 -- rudely interrupting Mick Foley, who was voicing his support for American troops abroad (and plugging his latest book) -- they were the most reviled heels in wrestling.

    Week after week, the duo continued to interrupt other segments, their arrival preceded by middle-eastern-inspired music (which had a repetitive vocal chorus that sounded conspicuously like "Aliennnn, aaaliiiennnn, aaaliennn."

    In fact, Hassan became so adept at rude interruptions that his name eventually became somewhat synonymous with the practice (look up "Hassan" on UrbanDictionary.com and you'll find an entry defining it as a verb meaning "to interrupt").

    Naturally, the more he interjected himself into WWE programming, and the more he complained about being treated unfairly, the more fans wanted to see him get his comeuppance.

    When he entered the 2005 Royal Rumble, the eight wrestlers already battling in the ring called a temporary ceasefire in order to gang up on Hassan, whom they promptly pounded and ejected over the top rope.

    Hassan racked up an impressive collection of victories, usually through nefarious tactics, and by April 2005 found himself in a headlining role at WWE's cathedral, Madison Square Garden. Looking back, Copani fondly remembers it as the greatest night of his wrestling career.

    After getting himself disqualified in a match against Shawn Michaels (thanks to interference from Daivari), Hassan wrapped his headdress around Michaels' neck and proceeded to "hang" Michaels from the top rope.

    Then the familiar guitar strains of Real American blasted from the loudspeakers, and out strode Hulk Hogan. The crowd, unsurprisingly, went bananas at the sight of the patriotic Hulkster.

    "It was the loudest thing I had ever heard in my life," recalled Copani. "It was so loud, it was almost quiet -- a different kind of loud. The sound practically lifted me off the mat."

    Hogan, the WWE's fabled vanquisher of foreign foes from The Iron Sheik to Yokozuna, unfurled some punches, a few kicks, and a vintage double-noggin-knocker to Hassan and Daivari, who flopped about accordingly.

    Muhammad Hassan was trounced and humiliated; Copani, on the other hand, couldn't have been happier. He had grown up watching Hogan similarly dispatch foreign heels, and could hardly believe he now ranked among the villains upon whom Hulkamania had run wild.

    It would be one of the last high points in a career that had been teetering on the edge of disaster for months, and was about to tumble over it.

    Copani knew he was pushing the envelope with the Hassan character, and he had heard that angry letters and death threats were flowing in (though most were filtered out before they ever reached him personally).

    The trouble escalated when Hassan and Daivari were "drafted" from Raw to Smackdown, on the relatively more family-friendly UPN network.

    On an episode of Smackdown taped on the fourth of July, 2005, Daivari faced The Undertaker in a prelude to the match scheduled between Hassan and The Undertaker at the upcoming Great American Bash.

    When Undertaker handily demolished Daivari, Hassan "prayed" at ringside to summon five men wearing ski masks and camouflage fatigues, who choked the Undertaker with piano wire, allowing Hassan to apply the camel clutch.

    Though recorded on a Tuesday, the episode aired the following Friday -- just hours after the terrorist bombings in London, England.

    The segment was lambasted by critics, with commentators in the New York Post, Variety and other mainstream publications saying that WWE had sunk to an all-time low in search of ratings.

    In a response that aired only on the WWE website, Hassan fought back, publicly admonishing New York Post writer Don Kaplan for assuming the thugs in ski masks were Arab terrorists (they were actually white guys, for the record).

    "I went out there with the article in my hand. That was 100 percent ad lib on my part," Copani recalled. "(Kaplan) had made assumptions that were false, and I called him on it. That was one of my better interviews. Sadly, it was also my last one."

    The damage had been done, and when UPN pressured WWE to keep Hassan off the airwaves, Copani was released from his contract.

    Copani thinks the debacle could have been prevented by some last-minute editing of Smackdown, but he knew the Hassan character was always on the verge of pushing things too far.

    "We had an idea something was going to happen," said Copani. "There had been a lot of pressure, especially from Arab Americans who thought the portrayal was unfair."

    So at the height of his infamy, Copani was unemployed -- but not particularly disappointed. His WWE tenure had been such a wild ride that he was dizzied and disillusioned, and he welcomed a respite from the chaos.

    "I had gotten everything too quickly in WWE," he said. "I was absolutely not ready. I was too immature. I was only 24 when all that happened. I wasn't mentally equipped to handle such a quick ascent. Looking back now, from a 30-year-old's perspective, I can see that I was just a kid back then."

    Hoping to explore a different side of showbiz, Copani moved to Los Angeles to try his hand at acting and writing -- a tough business, he would discover, but a nice change from wrestling.

    It was during that time that he reconnected with his friend Shad Gaspard of the tag team Cryme Tyme, who mentioned a screenplay he'd been struggling to write.

    Copani, an educated and imaginative man with a knack for storytelling, offered to take on the development of Gaspard's screenplay.

    "I took his original screenplay and rewrote it from scratch," he said. "I spent a year on it. We worked on it back and forth, piecing it together."

    The result, after many drafts and do-overs, is the soon-to-be-released graphic novel Assassin and Son, published in three parts by Las Vegas-based Blackline Comics.

    "It's a throwback to old samurai films with a mix of Kill Bill. Because Shad is a big black man and I'm a medium-sized Italian man, we had different influences growing up," said Copani. "Ultimately, it becomes a hero's quest for redemption."

    The imminent release of the book has inspired its reclusive author to emerge from semi-exile in his native New York State, oblige the occasional interview request and reconnect, to a small degree, with the wrestling world.

    On April 9, Copani will meet fans and sign autographs at the Super Saturday wrestling convention presented by K&S Promotions and Highspots in Essington, PA.

    His main motivation for attending the event, he confesses, is a free trip to the Philadelphia area, since he and his girlfriend want to visit the city. But he's also looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, particularly Daivari, and meeting the fans.

    He has only attended one other autograph signing since leaving WWE, and he was pleasantly surprised by how appreciative the fans were of his contributions to the business.

    "I live such a normal life right now, it's cool years later to see that people still remember the character I played," he said. "To talk to these fans and hear their gratitude, it's actually kind of shocking."

    But Copani insists no amount of gratitude or nostalgia will make him return to the wrestling business full-time. He is nearly finished his college degree and intends to become a teacher. He's fascinated with world history -- particularly the great moments of American history, which he realizes is a tad ironic given his WWE persona -- and he is enjoying a stable, low-key existence.

    He occasionally receives offers to resurrect the middle-eastern character on the indie circuit around the U.S. and overseas, but he made up his mind that Muhammad Hassan will remain a remnant of his past.

    "I've seen too many guys well-past their primes (on the indie circuit) who get into unfortunate situations, and I didn't want to become that," he said.

    When pressed to be more specific on the subject, Copani declined to name names. Instead, he replied with six words that illustrate how vastly different he is from the character he famously portrayed: "I don't want to offend anyone."

    Source
    Code:
    http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2011/03/27/17775686.html
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    Post by B Mon Apr 11, 2011 11:18 pm

    It seems Edge has retired tonight due to injury. He was my favorite superstar in the WWE so now I don't seem to have one. Who is everyone's current fav superstar? Since I am thinking about it now.
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    Post by astroth Tue Apr 12, 2011 2:40 am

    Well as I mentioned Christian would be a good choice, maybe rey or sin cara. Sadly there doesn't seem to be a lot choices though I guess you could add John Morrison to that but really outside of hhh, taker and kane there aren't many guys that would be edges peers even that are good and those last three are getting close to basically being done as in-ring guys anyways.

    Its a shame that Edge is retiring but at least its to some degree on his terms and as a World Champion
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    Post by Ryan Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:54 am

    Yeah, I was shocked to see Edge retire, he was one of my favorites as well, along with Undertaker and Kane. Christian, Miz, and Cody Rhodes are the only other ones i enjoy watching more then the rest.
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    Post by B Tue Apr 12, 2011 9:42 pm

    Yeah I dont know whom else I'll root for on SD really.
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    Post by astroth Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:07 pm

    Well I guess I'll root for Christian as much as I root for anybody
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    Post by astroth Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:01 am

    A blog talking about Edge as both a person and a wrestler

    Code:
    http://iwantwrestling.com/2011/04/12/thank-you-edge/
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    Post by B Wed Apr 13, 2011 7:10 pm

    very good read
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    Post by astroth Wed Apr 13, 2011 7:39 pm

    Shows even when out with a serious injury he was trying to help make the show worthwhile
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    Post by B Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:25 pm

    That he was which is kinda cool to know he was still involved.
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    Post by astroth Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:47 am

    Well it seems one Val Venus doesn't take too kindly the supposed actions of John Morrison and he girlfriend

    Code:
    http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/article/former-wwe-star-shoots-hard-on-john-morrison-and-melina-128319
    foul language warning
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    Post by astroth Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:52 pm

    Bit of an update on the whole Scott Hall deal

    Kevin Nash Says Scott Hall Is In Bad Shape

    - Kevin Nash has updated his blog on Tumblr.com with an update on the heath of his longtime friend, Scott Hall. We wish there was better news to report here .. According to Nash, Scott Hall is going through a very dark period, one of his worst ever. Nash explains that Scott’s problems are a lot deeper than substance abuse and asks people to see Hall as a human being like all of us, with feelings and problems that might ultimately take him down for good.

    Here’s part of what Nash wrote:

    “Over the last few weeks, since the horrifying New England appearance of Scott Hall, my Twitter page has blown up with plea’s to help Scott. First of all, nobody has to ASK me to help Scott Hall. I consider Scott like a brother. He’s much more than a friend. I have spent more time with Scott Hall in the last 18 years than I have with my wife in the 23 years we’ve been married. We have no secrets between each other. This is ‘real life’. Nobody knows what Scott has gone thru since early childhood to what he has gone thru up unto this point, except for me. I can tell you Scott Hall has neither a drug or alcohol addiction, Scott’s problem is he suffer’s from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Drugs and alcohol aren’t the problem, to Scott they are the solution. He is a fragile and broken human being, not a race horse that you take a whip to to perform. Scott Hall is in bad shape and each time I talk to him I feel it may be the last. It’s gotten to the point where I save his voice mails, much like I would’ve saved Andrew’s (Test), because I knew sometimes when I heard his message it could be the last. The media will want to blame wrestling when Scott passes. Scott was broken way before he broke into the ring for the first time.”

    Source
    Code:
    http://www.pwrshow.com/all-news/18035-kevin-nash-says-scott-hall-is-in-bad-shape
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    Post by astroth Fri Apr 22, 2011 2:01 pm

    Well how true or not some this can debated but this isn't the first time I've reports of poor treatment of wrestlers in tna

    Lack of respect, low pay, lack of medical care, lousy and degrading treatment on television (Mr Russo: We all know the attractive, popular girls all laughed in your face in high school because you were a dork. But please, get over it and stop subjecting us all to your women-hating issues)... Yes, the emerging stories about the hideous treatment TNA Knockouts are sad ones indeed. But Shannon “Daffney” Spruill's story seems to be the saddest one of all. I have to admit: when I reported them, I thought the stories of embarrassing side jobs and an inability to afford to go to house shows (while champion, no less!) were about as bad as it got in TNA. However, I now realize Madison and Taylor may have had a relatively easy of it compared to Daffney- a young woman who, as I will discuss, has faced outrageous and inhumane treatment at the hands of America's number 2 wrestling promotion in the last 2 years. Indeed, the fact that Daffney has taken legal action should come as no surprise to anyone. The only real surprise may be that she didn't do it sooner.

    Announcing she was through with TNA after her profile was taken down, Daffney wrote this on her Facebook and Twitter pages:

    “Yesterday my picture was taken down off of the TNA roster page. My contract expires today and TNA did not renew it. I do not know if it has anything to do with it, but I've filed a Workers Comp claim against them for injuries I've sustained in the ring and my lawyers said to not go into anymore details.”

    Interestingly, Daffney’s announcement that she had filed a worker’s comp lawsuit against TNA came less that two weeks after I wrote this article. Her announcement made TNA’s Head of Talent Relations Terry Taylor’s email response to my query about the company’s refusal to pay for medical care appear even more fraudulent than it already was (“Where is your source for this?” he’d asked, ignoring the piles of sources, interviews and reports confirming that TNA had an extremely poor track record when it came to paying hospital bills.)

    The lawsuit stemmed from the litany of injuries Daffney had suffered since she joined TNA in late 2008 as the dire Governor Palin character for an awful angle with The Beautiful People (thankfully, Daffney was allowed to ditch the gimmick after a few months and return to the enjoyable Harley Quinn-like goth character she was known for towards the end of WCW’s run.) It’s a grisly list by any standards: a serious concussion at Bound For Glory 2009 after she was chokeslammed from the ring apron by Abyss onto a barb-wire board, another concussion in her program with Tara after she got clobbered on the head with a toolbox, and then a deeply bruised sternum, a severe stinger and yet another concussion in the now infamous try-out, dark match for indie wrestler Miss Betsy after a botched sunset flip.

    Some claimed Daffney was just bitter because TNA had stopped using her. (Dave Meltzer contested this on the F4W board, noting: “My understanding was she filed the claim and then stopped being used, not the other way around.”) And, of course, many TNA defenders (yes, they still exist) would point to the fact that no-one forced Daffney to take these bumps, and if she was stupid enough to volunteer to take them it was her own fault. However, as I noted in my article about the working conditions in TNA, it is common for TNA wrestlers to face pressure from management to take high-risk bumps and/or work hurt. Indeed, rather than happily volunteering, it seems many wrestlers are talked into these dangerous stunts. Had this happened to Daffney, I wondered? Interestingly, shortly after the working conditions article came out, I was contacted by a current TNA employee (who shall, of course, remain nameless). While noting I had “hit the nail right on the head” on several things, he claimed I had overlooked some issues, notably Daffney’s case. I asked why is he was so willing to talk so honestly and negatively about TNA. He responded: “Because the company needs to change to grow, and if the company can’t see the truth, maybe an enlightened fan base can help change the company. TNA fears greatly for their public image.” Noble enough, I thought. This long-term employee then proceeded to give me a staggering account of Daffney’s first major injury at Bound For Glory, confirming my worst fears about Daffney and TNA:

    "Daffney was asked to do the spot to which she would go through a table full of tacks. She was hesitant to take the spot. Terry Taylor assured Daffney that she would be fine that she would be taken care of. After a lot of convincing from both Terry and Vince Russo, who was telling her how important the spot was for the feud that was going on, Daffney goes through with the spot and was injured. Following the injury she is treated at the hospital and taken via ambulance. Worse still is that Spike wouldn’t let TNA air the spot on Impact. They refuse to air it on their policy of violence towards women. To put a cherry on the top of this story, a huge bill from the hospital would follow for Daffney.

    TNA and Daffney went back and forth for several months about TNA not paying the bill. There were emails back and forth between Terry and Daffney which would result in Terry forwarding the emails to the responsible parties and then Terry delivering news that the matters were being tended to. This however would all be a smoke screen as more notices of delinquencies would follow for Daffney. TNA would hold out on paying certain bills and make claims that the agencies would settle for lower amounts if they held out. When this method didn’t work, they would turn around and claim that they are not responsible for the bill and that Daffney herself would be the one responsible for the bills."

    Another TNA-connected name I spoke to verified this account, claimed this type of pressure was common, and blamed Russo (who is often known for encouraging risky and hardcore spots in a bid to get his car-crash style angles over) for “being personally responsible for the situation of Daffney and many, many others.”

    When Daffney announced she was taking legal action, many noted the hypocrisy of TNA. Indeed, as most know, late last year TNA storylines were dominated by an angle exploiting Mr Anderson’s real-life concussion. Despite the ethical issue about whether the company should be using a serious real-life issue for television, it did seem that TNA had finally grown up on the issue: Mr Anderson would claim at house shows the company had taken “unprecedented measures” to protect him following his issues, babyfaces Matt Morgan and Mick Foley would tell Ken- and the viewers- of the studies of the Sports Legacy Institute, Ken was encouraged to keep out of the ring a decent amount of time and heel Eric Bischoff, who wanted Anderson to wrestle as soon as possible, was presented as clearly in the wrong. But, of course, while all this was going on (and we were reminded, at least 10 times on TNA television that “Dixie Carter has always looked out for the welfare of her performers”) TNA were refusing to pay the medical bills of performers who sustained serious concussion issues working for them. In fact, the hypocrisy got even more staggering; as the employee I spoke then went on to tell a horrifying story:

    “Daffney suffered another concussion working with Angelina in a tag match. This is during the holiday tapings in December. They have a solid week of tapings and this happens on day 1 of 5. Daffney goes to Terry and management about the injury and is told that she can work the next two days and the she will be ok. This is the same time they are doing the story line with Anderson not being able to wrestle with the concussion. Daffney gives it sometime and decides she can’t risk going in the ring that night because she is, in fact, injured. She was however willing to do another photo shoot that was already on the schedule while she was there. As she prepares for the shoot she is then notified by Terry that management decided that she can’t do the shoot because if she ‘won’t’ work the match they have planned then they don’t want her to do the shoot.

    As if all this wasn’t enough to put a person over the edge, while this was going, TNA was refusing responsibility for the hospital bill from the Rosie injury.”

    The Rosie Lottalove debacle is probably deserving of a column all on its own. While almost maiming another performer should have probably disqualified her from a job (Rosie was clumsy, un-coordinated and barely out of the Team 3D training school when Bubba recommended her for a tryout) she was signed shortly after the Daffney incident. In fact, TNA even showed the disturbing footage of the Daffney injury on television in an attempt to get Rosie over as a monster. She was later released when TNA realized after a few matches how clueless she was (almost killing poor Daffney didn’t set off the alarm bells, apparently.) To top it all off, scuttlebutt was, Bubba was furious with management for not giving his trainee what he thought was a decent chance, and proceeded to give Daffney the cold shoulder when she returned, feeling that she had made Rosie look bad. Charming.

    Well, to stray from the topic a little here, it seems injured performers- female ones in particular- are often treated with contempt in TNA. Female wrestler Kim Neilson, aka Desire, wrestled for the company in its early years, during which time she suffered an extremely serious back injury wrestling for them. In a 2005 audio interview (the highlights of which can be found here) she referred to TNA as “A Boy’s Club”, as well as complaining to Steve Gerwick that “I wasn’t treated with equal respect.” She complained about Dutch Martell (“he’s horrible”) Jeff Jarrett (“a complete idiot”) and said she felt that she had broken her back for the company, just to be disrespected. She also noted Jeff had only spoken to her twice during her TNA tenure and “uttered one word each time”. Thankfully, she didn’t mention what those particular words were. Regarding sexism in TNA one fan made some astute remarks after it came out that Kong had been released from TNA, with TNA feeling it would be easier simply to find another woman, than give her the pay raise she had asked for. Reports indicate that TNA see all their female performers this way.

    “I figure there are probably some people in TNA who have women issues and seeing a bunch of women outdraw and out perform the people that were supposed to be the top stars pissed them the hell off. The reason why Gail, Kong, ODB, and Daffney were so over were because they weren't the usual diva's. The interchangeable theory is bulls*** and they know it. They had something special with Gail, Kong, and ODB especially and the usual backstage politics that sabotage people came into play and those three eventually walked because they weren't getting the money they deserved.”

    Back to the topic at hand, it should be noted here, that Daffney’s story is not wholly a sad one. Rather than sitting back and taking all this shoddy treatment, she went out, hired a lawyer and is fighting back. Furthermore, there is every indication that this lawsuit may have opened up a giant can of worms for TNA. Indeed, her legal team, realizing how bad the working conditions are in TNA are currently holding meetings and interviews with current and former employees, in an attempt to get the bottom of Daffney’s case. Similar to the Konnan case, it seems clear TNA would have saved themselves a colossal amount of hassle simply by paying the hospital bill and moving on. But, as everyone knows: common sense has never been this company’s strong suit.

    Following on from this, is the news that Daffney may not be the only TNA wrestler considering legal action. Former TNA production manager Randy Ricci told me that many other TNA wrestlers were currently in the process of filing suits with Tennessee’s Department of Employment over injuries they sustained on the job too. Rumours abound that at least one woman is filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against TNA. One other person close to the situation acknowledged this was true when I asked him about these stories, noting:

    “There are plenty of other talent who are considering filing suit with the company. TNA is an interesting monster, though. Their legal is based in Texas as a sub company of Panda Energy but the company is an LLC registered in Delaware for tax purposes but all the contracts are written on and legal matters must be settled in TN.”

    Ricci then said he was hopeful that things in TNA were changing, and urged fans to take action if they were angry about TNA’s treatment of wrestlers:

    "I am very happy that the business practices of TNA wrestling llc are finally coming out and legal action is being taken. What has happened with "Daffney" is a terrible tragedy and unfortunately she is not the only one. It’s my hope that all these questionable actions by the company will not only grab the attention of the U.S. legal system but, also that wrestling fans worldwide take these things into consideration before the decide to watch IMPACT, buy a TNA PPV,TNA live event ticket, or any TNA wrestling merchandise.

    This is a perfect time for a wrestling alternative and it’s up to the fans to send SPIKE TV a strong message that a company that mistreats its talent, free lance workers, and employees the way that TNA does clearly shows that TNA wrestling LLC is not that alternative."

    Really, the sad fact may be that no matter how many columns I can write, how many reports Cagesideseats can do, or how often and heavily TNA can be criticised for their lack of concern for wrestlers (“Jesus Christ, these people running TNA don't give a s*** about the well-being of their performers,” Bryan Alvarez railed in his newsletter after Kurt’s reckless bumps at this past Sunday’s Lockdown PPV) it will ultimately not do that much good. It is up to TNA management to smarten up (fat chance, I know) or someone from Panda Energy to take a closer look at the company and step in, or, and this may be the most likely option to instigate changes, heavy litigation and lawyers from mistreated wrestlers. Unfortunately, if/when the third option happens, by the time it’s over there may not even be a company left for there to make any changes in.

    Source
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    http://www.cagesideseats.com/2011/4/21/2125160/the-sad-story-of-shannon-daffney-spruill?login=1303418747
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    Post by B Fri Apr 22, 2011 6:02 pm

    Very enlightening story there. Sounds like TNA needs to be shut down or get their Censored! in gear. That is no way to treat or protect your talents.
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    Post by astroth Fri Apr 22, 2011 7:01 pm

    While we may not care for some of the stuff the e does, they for most part take care of their wrestlers, hence the fine taker and hhh got as result of their match at wm.

    Also they did everything they could to try and help one hardy with is drug issues but of course he didn't want the help etc

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