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- In an interview with a local UK newspaper in Kent, Desmond Wolfe has discussed he return to TNA. He told Kent News:
“I can’t get into the details of my absence here and now, but there have been a few different plans to bring me back in the last few months, none of which materialized. I’m hoping for something soon though.”

As noted it’s strongly suggested that Wolfe has Hepatitis C, which can be spread through wrestling with open wounds.

On his time away Wolfe discussed developing a television sitcom.

“The sitcom was based on an idea a friend had. It’s about a kid from Brixton in south London who gets forced to take a job doing meals on wheels in Brixham, Devon. I’m ready to pitch it if there’s any interest. I’m also acting in a community theatre play called Everybody Loves Opal, which was first performed on Broadway in the 1960s.”

- According to the TNA Destination X PPV poster, it seems the Six Sided Ring may be making a comeback, if only for the night of the PPV itself:

- Press Release:
BRISTOL, PA. (MAY 21, 2011)–Ring of Honor Wrestling owner, Cary Silkin, announced today the sale of the promotion to Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., one of the largest television broadcasters in the country and which owns and operates, programs, or provides sales services to 58 television stations in 35 markets across the United States.

ROH, currently the third largest wrestling promotion in the country, just celebrated its ninth anniversary, and Mr. Silkin is excited about taking the next step towards increasing the company’s visibility and expanding its operations.

“We have been waiting for and working for this opportunity for quite some time”, he said, “and of our 9 years in business, there has been no better roster of wrestlers than this one to expose the ROH product to the masses. With Sinclair’s resources and many avenues of distribution, we believe many new fans around the world will be as captivated as those who have followed Ring of Honor over the years.”

The month of September will see the debut of the new Ring of Honor television program which will be syndicated across the Sinclair network of stations, and with it, ROH will become the only wrestling promotion in the United States with a major, multi-market presence on broadcast TV. But if you don’t live in a market with a Sinclair station, fear not, says Mr. Silkin. “Through our revamped website we will be able to make the TV show available to anyone in the world with internet access.”

Sinclair officials are enthused about the project as well.

“We are very excited about this acquisition,” commented Steve Marks, COO of Sinclair’s Television Group. “Television and professional wrestling have a long history of successful partnerships and driving viewership. Unfortunately, the broadcast networks have not protected that relationship, allowing professional wrestling to migrate to cable network distribution. We believe that the powerful promotional platform that our TV stations provide, coupled with our 22% share of the U.S. TV households, will allow ROH to achieve name brand recognition and grow its share of the wrestling market. When you consider the makeup of our station mix and the number of CW, MYTV and FOX affiliates we operate, this is a perfect fit for our viewer demographics.” Mr. Marks also noted, “Longer-term, we can envision syndicating ROH wrestling to broadcasters in markets where Sinclair does not have a presence, and even internationally.”

Mr. Silkin assures the ROH fans worldwide that they will be seeing the same exciting, hard-hitting style of pro wrestling that they have become accustomed to. “We have established the name Ring of Honor as synonymous with the best in-ring action in the sport. The only thing that will change is that it will now be easier for fans around the world to follow. Our visibility will increase greatly–our production will be upgraded–but the work ethic of our incredible talent roster and our athletic style of wrestling will remain the same. This is what our fans have told us they want, and we will continue to give it to them.”

The current front office staff, including Cary Silkin, Syd Eick, and Ross Abrams, will remain with ROH going forward. Hunter Johnston, a favorite of ROH fans for years as the masked grappler Delirious, will still handle matchmaking, Jim Cornette will remain as executive producer, and other familiar faces like ring announcer Bobby Cruise and senior referee Todd Sinclair will be in place.”

Additionally, longtime wrestling broadcaster Kevin Kelly, already the voice of ROH internet pay-per-views, will assume the TV play-by-play chair this fall. Veteran NWA and WCW promoter Gary Juster will come aboard to be in charge of live event operations, which are planned to continue in current ROH markets as well as expanding into new locations concurrent with the increased TV exposure.

Mr. Cornette, who along with Mr. Johnston, will be in charge of talent and matchmaking, sees this as a new beginning for pro wrestling. “This is not old-school wrestling, and it’s not sports entertainment,” said Mr. Cornette. “This is wrestling for the 21st century, a new style developed by fresh, young stars that incorporates wrestling, mixed martial arts and high-flying, high-risk action with unique personalities, and it’s showcased by a sports-based presentation completely different from any other product out there. In my 30 years in the sport, it’s the most exciting live-event wrestling experience I’ve seen, and I’m thrilled to help bring it to broadcast TV.”

A major press conference, open to wrestling press and mainstream media alike, is being planned for Baltimore on Friday, June 24th. This event will feature a number of the ROH staff and wrestlers both announcing news about ROH’s future and answering questions. The media event will be presided over by new ROH COO, Joe Koff. Mr. Koff, a longtime Sinclair executive with an extensive background in TV sales and management, also has experience in pro wrestling television production and syndication. Most visible of his projects may have been the first-ever live, prime time syndicated pro wrestling events, the Battle of the Belts, which aired from 1985 to 1987. These Championship Wrestling from Florida-based cards were broadcast live to a syndicated network of stations and may be best-remembered for the classic Ric Flair vs. Barry Windham NWA World Title contest from St. Petersburg.

The press event will kick off a weekend which includes ROH’s next internet pay-per-view event, “Best In The World 2011,” live from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on Sunday, June 26th at 4PM EST. In addition to all the top stars on the ROH roster, this event will feature the return of some favorite stars from Ring of Honor’s past, and can be ordered by anyone in the world with internet access through Gofightlive.tv for only $14.95. More information about Ring of Honor can be obtained through their website, www.rohwrestling.com.

- AP writer Daniel Gelston spoke with TNA star Jeff Jarrett regarding the life and death of Randy Savage. The following are among the highlights the interview.

Jarrett on Savage: “I’ve known Randy since I was 11 or 12 years old. I’ve saw so many different sides of Randy. I’ve got just a flood of memories. It shocked me today.”

Jarrett on his earliest Savage memories: “We called him the opposition promoter. His promotion in eastern Kentucky ran against my father’s promotion in the Tennessee area. There was a lot of bad blood and lawsuits and fights and threats and death threats. Because of the television situation, my father ended up winning that war and Randy came to work for my father. He was an arch enemy on Saturday morning, then he became a huge ally.”

On Savage staying away from wrestling: “Randy saved his money. I’m sure he had 50 cents out of the first dollar he every made. I say that in the literal sense. His father had a persona as the miser way back when. Randy was very frugal with his money. When Randy stepped out of the ring, he didn’t need to come back. There wasn’t enough money to pay him to come back. He was a guy that retired and retired happily, finanically and emotionally.”

Other quotes from Jarrett regarding Savage: “You talk about Macho Madness. Randy really had a method to his madness in all walks of life. He really was prudent with his money. Randy knew when to do business and when to hold his ground. He was just so gifted, so talented.”

“There’s three things that go into a being a great wrestler. That’s the athletic ability, verbal skills and the ‘it’ factor. Randy had 10 out of 10 on all three.”

“Randy transcended professional wrestling personas. He was just so good at what he did.”

Jarrett on whether his company is named TNA or Impact Wrestling: “It’s TNA, absolutely.”

Source: wrestlingtruth.com