Random WrestleMania Week News

With the biggest event of the year taking place tomorrow, a few stories have popped up on the final part of The Road to WrestleMania. The biggest item is that an announcer quit the WWE earlier this week. Some other news items to pop up this week include a war of words between Vince McMahon and Dixie Carter, Booker T threatening the WWE with legal action, Scotty Goldman and Paul Heyman making claims of racism, and a new way to legally watch some classic WrestleMania matches on your computer.

Tazz Done With the WWE
PWInsider.com was the first to report that the WWE contract of Tazz expired earlier this week. He said his goodbyes to everyone on Monday night. He did offer to do commentary at WrestleMania if he was needed. According to the UK Sun, the WWE declined his offer.

Vince McMahon vs. Dixie Carter
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Vince McMahon was asked about TNA and he said the following:

"My concern with TNA is that they are TV-14, and we are PG. They have to change with the times. I think some of the things they do on television are reprehensible, but it is a TV-14 rating. That's the only bone I have to pick with them. Their TV ratings are a fraction of ours."

Dixie Carter responded to the UK Sun a few days later:

"I think it's wonderful that Vince watches TNA: iMPACT".

"And I agree with him that things such as the brutal beating of a sixty-year-old man, a vicious home invasion and gratuitous man-on-woman violence can be seen as reprehensible – and that's just the last three Monday nights."

I personally think it is ironic that Vince became a billionaire by making his product sleazy when that was the way he could gain a competitive advantage over WCW. I think it is smart for TNA to differentiate themselves from the WWE by being TV-14. Vince's mistake in this situation was giving TNA any ammunition to respond to. One of the rules of business is that number 1 never talks about number 2 because you then legitimize them. By Vince making his comments, he allowed TNA to get some press by riding the coattails of the WWE.

Booker T's Feud With the WWE
Speaking of riding the coattails of the WWE, Booker T happened to book the Legends of Wrestling Fanfest in Houston the same weekend as WrestleMania XXV. This event also happens to run against the WWE Fan Axxess shows going on in the city.

After the WWE had eight people that were originally booked for the show pulled from the event, Booker T wrote an open letter where he expressed his frustration with the WWE. In the letter, he mentions that he has spoken to lawyers and is considering his options. A huge part of his frustration is because the event is for a charity he runs.

Anti-Semitism in Wrestling
SLAM! Sports has recently written an article about anti-semitism in the word of wrestling. Paul Heyman tells a shocking story of his dealings with Bill Watts, a man that is getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame tonight. In addition to Heyman's dealings with this problem, Colt Cabana (Scotty Goldman) tells a story about his dealings with this problem when he was working in the WWE developmental program.

WrestleMania Icons on the Internet
Customers of Time-Warner and Comcast Cable have recently had access to 10 on-demand programs featuring two matches of several big stars from past WrestleMania events. The 10 wrestlers featured in these specials are Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold, The Rock, Undertaker, Triple H, Bret Hart, John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, and Edge. To see what matches are available and for details about ordering these shows on your computer check out either the Road Runner Video Store or the Fancast Store. These shows are only available until April 7.

_{Photo used courtesy of the iN DEMAND Networks}