Please continue any discussion on wrestling here.

The market just isnt there. Looks to me like they are close but not quite there. Their ratings fluctuate hard. 

1 hour ago, Goalie said:

The market just isnt there. Looks to me like they are close but not quite there. Their ratings fluctuate hard. 

They really dont though.

https://www.radio.com/blogs/jack-music/wwe-signs-the-rock-s-daughter-simone

Jeff Cobb made his AEW debut tonight!  Very nice addition to their roster.

**it's being reported he's hasn't signed a contract & still a free agent at this point**

Edited February 13, 20205 yr by bigg jay

Not sure Im going to make it to Double or Nothing this year, but I bought tickets just in case I do...lol  Taking a gamble and sitting on the floor.

Man watching Dynamite last night in AEW heels are heels. The amount of heat Brit Baker got last night I have not seen in a long time. MJF too has become despised by the crowd.

9 minutes ago, Jpan85 said:

Man watching Dynamite last night in AEW heels are heels. The amount of heat Brit Baker got last night I have not seen in a long time. MJF too has become despised by the crowd.

Struggling as a face might be the best thing that ever happened to Baker

49 minutes ago, Jpan85 said:

Man watching Dynamite last night in AEW heels are heels. The amount of heat Brit Baker got last night I have not seen in a long time. MJF too has become despised by the crowd.

Yeah they're really good.  Supposedly it was Kenny that turned her heel.  Good thinking.  All good heels become faces but I think MJF might break that mold as he seems to relish being a heel lol.  Future world champion for sure.  Sammy is a great heel too.  Kid is fantastic.

Jack Perry is a great babyface too.  I really want a secondary championship for those guys to fight over.

 

His son Brett was arrested.  Ted Jr apparently works for the foundation as well.  Not good.  Eveyrbody has a price.

EDIT:  Ooph what a story

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2020/02/13/ted-dibiase-nonprofit-mississippi-welfare-money/4756719002/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomsports-topstories

Quote

Mississippi gave 'Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase's nonprofit over $2M in welfare money

Giacomo Bologna Luke Ramseth The Clarion-Ledger


The state of Mississippi doled out more than $2.1 million in welfare to a religious and wrestling nonprofit run by former professional wrestler Ted DiBiase Sr., state records show.

DiBiase, who as a wrestler dubbed "The Million Dollar Man" wore a golden championship belt adorned with dollar signs, later turned to preaching and formed a nonprofit in Mississippi called Heart of David Ministries.

Heart of David Ministries had relatively meager funds until DiBiase's son was hired as deputy administrator at the Mississippi Department of Human Services in early 2017. Both DiBiase's son Brett and the director who hired him were indicted last week as part of a massive alleged embezzlement scheme that also involved welfare money.

Heart of David Ministries which received as much as $900,000 one year from the Mississippi Department of Human Services describes its central mission in nonprofit filings as "religious education & training." It reported spending its 2017 grant money on "general church speaking engagements, religious conferences, school assemblies, and wrestling events."

The money came through a federal fund called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, commonly known as welfare. Six people were indicted last week as part of a scheme that allegedly stole more than $4.15 million in welfare money.

Ted DiBiase Sr. was not named in the indictments.

It is unclear precisely how Heart of David Ministries used the $2,126,739 in welfare money it received. The payments began in May 2017 and continued until the current fiscal year. As MDHS officials pumped money into DiBiase's nonprofit, the state was denying more than 98% of its individual applicants for welfare.

Heart of David was vague in describing how it would use the money. It pledged in one 2018 contract to "establish a network of partnerships, services and resources throughout Mississippi communities for faith-based and self activities."

The man in charge of the state's welfare distribution including the grants to Heart of David was John Davis, former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services. He was among those indicted last week. Davis, who departed DHS last summer, decided to hire DiBiase's son Brett in 2017, agency spokesman Danny Blanton said.

Blanton said the contracts with Heart of David did not go through a bidding process. Davis often would "unilaterally" distribute the federal grant money without bidding, Blanton said.

The agency has since implemented a more robust committee system to review bids before awarding contracts for TANF money and other grants, Blanton said. Heart of David, he added, is no longer receiving grant money from the department.

The Clarion Ledger made several attempts to reach DiBiase and his family. A woman who answered the door at his Clinton home called the Clarion Ledger's past reporting "fictitious." She declined to comment. Attempts to reach the board of directors and other officials connected to Heart of David Ministries were unsuccessful.

DiBiase founded Heart of David Ministries 20 years ago. He has said he became a Christian minister after struggling with alcohol and drugs and cheating on his wife while on the road for wrestling events. As part of the nonprofit, he often travels to speak at churches and events.
I was traveling the world in Lear jets and limousines. I had it all, but I had succumbed to those things on the road that take us away the drugs, the booze and the women, DiBiase told former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in a 2017 interview. I had put the most important things in my life at risk to stroke my ego."

Heart of David Ministries does not appear to have filed any tax documents with the IRS for the past two years, despite receiving nearly $2 million in federal funds during that time. As of 2017, its board of directors included a former Ole Miss punter, an Ohio attorney and a Jackson youth minister.
The website for Heart of a David Ministries has few details about the organization and what it does.


Most years, Heart of David received relatively small amounts of donations and grants and no substantial money from the government. In 2013, for example, it pulled in just $5,000 in grants, a number that had grown to more than $80,000 by 2016.

But by 2017 three months after Brett DiBiase was hired at MDHS the nonprofit raked in $271,000 in welfare money from the agency. Brett DiBiase is also a former professional wrestler, and it's unclear what qualifications, if any, he had to be a senior official at a state agency. His salary was $95,000 and he left the job after seven months.

In 2017, when Heart of David received $271,000 from the state, the group reported spending nearly $60,000 on website design and maintenance, nearly $30,000 on travel and $13,000 on advertising, among other expenses such as wrestling events. DiBiase Sr. was paid more than $80,000 as president of the organization.

Per federal guidelines, block grants distributed through TANF are supposed to accomplish one of four specific purposes: encouraging healthy families, promoting job preparation and marriage, reducing out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and helping needy families.

As Heart of David received its first infusion of cash from MDHS in 2017, filmmakers put the finishing touches on "The Price of Fame" a movie about Ted DiBiase Sr.'s struggles and religious awakening.

A trailer for the film said it was made in association with Heart of David Ministries, but the producer and manager behind the film said the nonprofit was not involved. Blanton said the agency has not found signs state funds were used for the movie.

"They say that the love of money is the root of all evil," Ted DiBiase Sr. says early in the film, clad in a tuxedo and brandishing a stack of $100 bills. "Hogwash with enough of this, you can buy anything."

 

Edited February 14, 20205 yr by The Unknown Poster

On 2020-02-13 at 1:25 PM, Jpan85 said:

Man watching Dynamite last night in AEW heels are heels. The amount of heat Brit Baker got last night I have not seen in a long time. MJF too has become despised by the crowd.

DO NOT disparage Whattaburger in Texas. Holy geez. That was great to see. I agree on both accounts, Brit and MJF are getting great heel reactions. My favourite part is that they're booed right from the start. With Jericho, he'll get cheered, **** the crowd will sing his theme while he enters, but then they boo as soon as he starts trashing them. Still good, but man I love when the crowd gets heated right from the first note of the entrance song.

Watched the last AEW Dark the other day. Sonny Kiss is in the running for most improved. He's been working with Dustin Rhodes a lot and it shows in his strikes. His match with Jimmy Havoc had some stiff looking shots from both guys. His timing is vastly improved as well. I think you'll start seeing Sonny on the main show before too long.

This is a pretty hilarious example of revisionist history.  
 

 

Good lord   Dynamite was sensational. 
 

That tag title match was unbelievable.  Kenny is on a whole different plane of existence.  Cody doing a moonsault off that cage. Wow.  
 

Firing on all cylinders. 

If any week deserved a million it was this week.  Oh well. There’s always next week 

 

 

14 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

If any week deserved a million it was this week.  Oh well. There’s always next week 

 

 

I'll be curious to see if there's a bump after how good the show was this week. Cody's post-match promo was tremendous too.  He's had some of the best stuff since AEW launched... he's taken himself to another level with his mic work.

If you loved wrestling at the Winnipeg Arena in the 1970s and 1980s, don't miss Taylor Allen's story on the city's glory days in the ring -- and why a resurgence could be brewing.

The story's chock full of images from the Free Press archives -- you might just spot yourself in a crowd scene!

 

Watch winnipegfreepress.com for the story at 7 p.m. Friday, and look for it in the 49.8 section of Saturday's newspaper.

 

8 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

 

That's rough. That was a huge spot. I hope he can still work and still heal. They'll find a way. 

1 hour ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

If you loved wrestling at the Winnipeg Arena in the 1970s and 1980s, don't miss Taylor Allen's story on the city's glory days in the ring -- and why a resurgence could be brewing.

The story's chock full of images from the Free Press archives -- you might just spot yourself in a crowd scene!

 

Watch winnipegfreepress.com for the story at 7 p.m. Friday, and look for it in the 49.8 section of Saturday's newspaper.

Some inaccuracies but pretty good for the free press.  There is definitely non partisan historians they could talk to to fact check next time.  And boy can’t wait for Kenny omega to come to town one day lol 

Yeah, anything that comes out of Condello's mouth should be taken with a healthy dose of salt.

Hangman is the next biggest thing but the POP for Darby Allen on Wednesday was unbelievable something there

Check out this pilot for IWA from 2000 filmed in Winnipeg.

Owned by Nelson Meyer and booked by Don Callis and featuring Dr Luther (recently of AEW fame), Wavell Starr and several local wrestlers, many of whom still wrestle today  (Donny Dicaprio, Adam Knight, Chris Stevens, Shane Madison).  Chris parys was the planted fan   Joey Royale was the little person (he passed away).   Mentallo and Bobby Jay did dark matches (or taped for other episodes).  Ryan Wood was a referee   

It didn’t last long   They burned through a huge sum of money and many thought it as a vehicle for Don and people connected to him.  I was told Don got a big payday  Tony Condello was on the payroll too   
 

Great to hear Joe Aiello on commentary

 

 

 

No Ernie Todd lol

59 minutes ago, Brandon said:

No Ernie Todd lol

Ernie did get his own aptn show though. After this.  

Wwe fans keep your eyes peeled tonight.  I know of six locals back stage (could be more). Five of whom are PCW talents.   These spots are usually for extras (background, security etc). Could be matches also but not usually.