By Mike Mooneyham
Oct. 15, 2006
Sir William Regal may have needed some exposure on WWE television, but probably not the kind he got at last weekend’s No Mercy pay-per-view.
His Lordship was briefly captured in all his glory during a backstage segment when a strategically placed towel was slow to materialize as the wrestler was emerging from the shower.
WWE, the same company that has given fans the Vince McMahon “Kiss My (Behind) Club” and more recently Extreme Strip Poker, issued a dubious apology the following day on its Web site.
William Regal
– WWE performer Dionicio Castellanos, better known in wrestling circles as Psicosis, was arrested Monday night in Rosarita Beach, Mexico, and charged with assault and carjacking.
The El Mexicano newspaper reported that Castellanos, 35, was arrested at 10:25 p.m. Monday just south of the U.S. border near Tijuana. According to the report, Castellanos asked to borrow a car from a 23-year-old acquaintance, who accused the wrestler of punching him in the mouth and threatening him with a pistol wrapped in a towel when he refused to lend the black Mitsubishi to him.
Castelllanos reportedly sped off in the car and crashed into several vehicles after police unsuccessfully tried to stop him. An 18-year-old woman who is three months pregnant was inside one of the cars that he struck.
Castellanos reportedly resisted arrest before being taken into custody. Police searched the stolen car and found what appeared to be the weapon Castellanos flashed before taking the car. The weapon turned out to be a toy water gun.
– Former pro wrestling star Jimmy Garvin (Jimmy Williams) is the newest member of WWE’s creative team.
Garvin, who started with the company at Sunday’s No Mercy pay-per-view, has taken the place of Michael Hayes, who is now the lead writer of Smackdown. Garvin teamed with Hayes as a version of The Freebirds during the late ’80s and early ’90s, and the two held the NWA world and WCW U.S. tag-team titles.
Garvin, 54, has worked as a Charlotte-based flight captain for U.S. Airways in recent years. He has been with his wife Patti (longtime valet Precious) for 37 years.
– WWE released ECW diva Francine (Francine Fournier) last week.
Also released from the Smackdown roster was Gunner Scott (Brent Albright).
– Kane (Glen Jacobs) is headed back to the Smackdown brand after his loss to Umaga Monday night on Raw.
– The WWE re-signed The Boogeyman (Marty Wright) less than three weeks after he was released following time off to heal his torn triceps.
– John Cena made the rounds last week promoting his film debut in “The Marine.” The movie opened nationwide this weekend.
“It’s exciting, but I won’t sugarcoat it,” Cena told ABC News. “I’m nervous about it. My own acting aspirations aside, there is a lot riding on this film. It’s a chance for WWE as a brand to redirect, reinvent itself. If it is a success, I’m ready for it. At the same point in time, if it is not, I’m ready to adjust accordingly.”
The Marine” is the second movie produced by WWE Films to come to the big screen. Its first, “See No Evil,” starring Kane, opened last May and earned slightly more than $15 million domestically.
– Vince McMahon criticized Kurt Angle’s decision to join TNA in a recent edition of the WWE’s “Byte This” webcast.
McMahon, appearing on the WWE’s online phone-in talk show, said losing Angle was a big hit for the company, but that his competitive streak would be his demise in the business.
McMahon said Angle pushes his body far beyond what his body can sustain and that his vulnerable neck is no better than it was in 1996.
“His neck has constantly deteriorated since then,” he said. “You can’t go at the pace Kurt Angle goes and not get hurt every night.”
McMahon, who said his concern was Angle’s individual health, said he wishes Angle would have taken much-needed time off and gotten his health back as much as possible before getting back in the ring.
I’m concerned for Kurt’s personal health,” he said.
– The Survivor Series pay-per-view will feature a Raw vs. ECW vs. Smackdown team match with WWE Raw champ John Cena and DX (Shawn Michaels and Triple H) vs. WWE Smackdown champ King Booker, Batista and Rey Mysterio vs. ECW champ Big Show, Rob Van Dam and Sabu.
– WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson returned to work last week after being sidelined two months ago with a rare abdominal aneurism which required immediate and extensive surgery.
“I am the luckiest guy alive today,” Patterson told the WWE Web site. “With an aneurism in your stomach and in your blood vessels, normally at five centimeters they operate right away because that bubble that you have on your blood vessel busts and you can die instantly.” Patterson’s aneurism was 11.9 centimeters.
“(The procedure) is one of the most dangerous surgeries,” he said. “My chance of surviving the surgery was about 10 percent.”
“I didn’t want to take it easy, I wanted to heal fast,” he added. “I’m feeling very good right. I’m going to be OK. I’m not back to work full-time yet, but it’s nice to come back when you’re well appreciated by the WWE superstars and crew. I’m thankful that I’m here today.”
– The Ol’ Ball Coach made a special appearance at Columbia’s Colonial Center Monday night, but it didn’t have anything to do with football.
University of South Carolina head football coach Steve Spurrier and several USC assistants attended Monday’s WWE Raw event as guests of Ric Flair. The two have been close friends since Spurrier’s days as head coach at the University of Florida.
“I watch Raw every Monday on TV, but this is my first live show,” said Spurrier. “All these guys are incredible athletes, but I came to see the Nature Boy.”
Spurrier said Flair and country music star Kenny Chesney are planning to attend the USC-Tennessee game Oct. 28 at Williams-Brice Stadium.
– The Ultimate Fight Night Live special Tuesday night on Spike TV drew a 3.1 rating for the retirement fight of former pro wrestler Ken Shamrock against former Tito Ortiz. The two-hour live card from Hollywood, Fla., drew a Spike/UFC record of 4.2 million viewers, hitting a peak of 5.7 million viewers from 9:30-9:45 p.m., and drew a half-million more viewers in the coveted advertising demographic of males ages 18-34 than the baseball playoff game on FOX (1.6 million vs. 1.1 million). The show helped Spike draw more men 18-34 than any other program on the tube (broadcast or cable) on Tuesday night.
In what was billed as their final meeting, Ortiz beat Shamrock for the third time, knocking his rival out two minutes and 23 seconds into the first round.
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