Various News: New Women’s Promotion, UWF, Astrodome

— The new women’s promotion based in Ybor City, Florida has officially been dubbed tSHINE. They will have their first show on July 20th at the Orpheum and will be running regularly on iPPV at WWNLive.com.

— The Urban Wrestling Federation has their latest PPV Turf War tonight, with the following lineup:

*The SAT vs. Element & T-Mizzle (Tony Mamaluke)
*Bestia vs. Masada in an Underground Fight Club Death Match.
*Grim Reefer vs. Daemon Slugga.
*The Phat Pack vs. Riot & Raze.

— The AP has a story about ideas on what to do with the Houston Astrodome, which hosted WrestleMania X-Seven in 2001. The Astrodome is close and according to the article, a group of consultants have recommended turning it into a facility to be used for many kinds of events, including national trade shows. Other options include leaving the arena as it is, demolishing it or building a large “renaissance” complex with by a luxury hotel, the latter of which is expected to cost about $385 million if decided on.

— Josh Daniels, who has worked several independents as well as NJPW, WWE, TNA, and ROH, recently spoke with the Shining Wizards Wrestling Podcast about his nicknames over the years, his thoughts on CM Punk and more. Check out the highlights:

On his “Dynamite” nickname: “That was a Steve Corino moniker when I first started wrestling for him. He kinda threw that on me. Then it just stopped, thankfully. When a lot of people first look at me, they say ‘looks like Dynamite, looks like Benoit, whatever. To be honest, it’s a little insulting, because it says you’re not really watching. There’s a lot more to me, movement-wise. If you really watch intently, there’s a lot more than just a head-butt. I think I have a little bit more intelligence and I’m a little bit better looking than both of them.”

On people with “shameful” behavior: “I need to be able to look at myself in the mirror the next day and say ‘That’s okay.’ I know there’s a lot of guys out there that won’t look themselves in the mirror because they know what they did wasn’t okay, and they’re okay with that. I’m not. I need to be able to say ‘I’m okay with you.'”

On his love for and the state of the business: “It’s more than a downward spin. Every day it goes faster and faster. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hate it most days. I love the actual putting together of a match, taking a piece of yourself, throwing it out there, getting a reaction, and the people appreciate it. But let’s face it. The majority of the fans aren’t smart. The majority of the wrestlers aren’t smart. The majority of the people behind the business are morons; they’re not into the actual business of it, but more into doing favors, and screwing as many people out of money as possible. It’s a fucked up business. The sad thing is, it could really be great. But every one is cut throat, for no reason.”

On wrestling fans: “The gross majority of wrestling fans are going to accept what’s put in front of them, unless it’s God awful. If it’s promoted the proper way, they’re going to accept it. When wrestling has been really successful in the past, they’ve tapped into what was popular, culture-wise. In order to get to the 6s, the 7s, you need to put on things that are compelling and relevant, and I don’t think talking about social networking every thirty seconds is going to do it.”

On life after wrestling: “I got into wrestling not only because it was popular, but i also had a penchant for performing. I got off on the feeling of artistic approval. So I started thinking: if i never got into wrestling, i would be performing in some sort of way, I would probably end up acting. I speak well, I’m a pretty decent looking guy, so I tried my hand at acting, I started taking lessons, and it’s amazing. There’s ten times more intelligence involved in it. When you wrestle, it’s pretty much one way. When you act, there’s so many different ways to tell a story and get things across. If i never got involved in wrestling, I would have tried my hand in acting.”

On CM Punk: “I think CM Punk is a cool guy. I do not understand why he is where he is. I’ve wrestled him, I did my first tour of Japan with him. He’s a cool guy. Does he know wrestling? Yes. Does he need to work on his footwork, his posture, his believe-ability in the ring? Absolutely. I’m sorry. I’m no Mozart of professional wrestling, but there are certain things people notice, because if it was done right, people would be like ‘this guy is awesome.’ He can obviously speak. His body leaves a lot to be desired. It’s a cosmetic business. Does he look like an athlete? I know he is capable of handling himself backstage. But I can’t understand how his wrestling hasn’t changed. His kicks are horrendous. Low Ki throws great kicks, Davey Richards throws kicks very well, Punk looks like the hunchback of Notre Dame. He’s doing fighting things, throwing knees, throwing elbows, throwing kicks, and he looks nothing like a fighter. I just don’t understand it… People accept what looks bad.”

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