Headlines for Sunday & Monday, January 18 and 19, 2009
- Click here for this day in Wrestling History, January 19th.
- Dave Meltzer reported last week that WWE has closed down
its Australia offices in Sydney as part of the cost cutting efforts. The
Sydney office was one of the ten offices - the others in Stamford, New York,
Sao Paulo, Chicago, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Toronto, London and Shangai - that
the company has worldwide in order to have a wider presence globally. WWE
spokesman Robert Zimmerman and Jonathan Sully, President of WWE Asia Pacific
who headed up the Sydney office refused to comment when Wrestling-Online
contacted them. Sully was not part of the 10% cut and is still employed by
the company. WWE still lists Sydney as one of the offices on their global
website at WWEGlobal.com.
- Former WWE Women's champion Trish Stratus wrote a blog on the WWE Universe
website regarding Victoria's retirement, calling it the end of an era. "Her
departure was the last of a group of women who collectively raised the bar
in women's wrestling. A time when of the core players that made up the
women's roster, 9 of them were champions, 6 of them becoming champion for
the first time, second time, etc.," said Stratus. When Victoria was
introduced to the WWE audience, she was thrown into an angle with Trish with
the storyline being that Trish betrayed her when they worked together as
fitness models.
- Stratus - who was last seen a few weeks ago on RAW teaming up with John Cena for one night only - is on the cover of Canada's February/March 2009 Inside Fitness Magazine.
- The possible idea of having Ric Flair induct Stone Cold Steve Austin into
the Hall of Fame has sparked great interest in the wrestling community and
the former 16 time World Heavyweight champion is ready to take on the task.
In comments given to Mike Mooneyham of the Charleston Post Courier
newspaper, WWE Hall of Famer himself Ric Flair said he'd love to do it. "I
heard that too, and I didn’t know if it was true or not. That would be cool
as hell. I would love to do it," said the Nature Boy. Flair also said that
he thought Austin's longtime friend Jim Ross would be his presenter however
Ross said he's fine if someone else does the job. "I would be up for it. If
he wants someone else to do, I’m fine, I’m his good pal."
- From November 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008, there were forty one positive tests that resulted in fines for marijuana usage, reports the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
