Source: Montgomery Advertiser
Sept. 2 should be an exciting day for area sports entertainment fans. Local colleges kick off another football season and the World Wrestling Entertainment RAW brand presents a house show at the Dothan Civic Center. Bell time is 7:30 p.m.
WWE.com indicates superstars scheduled to perform are John Cena, Edge, Lita, Triple H, Spirit Squad, Kane, Randy Orton, Val Venis, Shelton Benjamin, Johnny Nitro, Melina, The Highlanders, Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, Torrie Wilson, Maria, Mickie James, Victoria, Charlie Haas, Eugene, Umaga and Armando Alejandro Estrada.
Tickets are on sale with prices in the $20-40 range and are available at the Civic Center box office, www.dothan.org, www.etix.com or charge by phone at (334) 615-3175.
#
SmackDown suffering: The WWE SmackDown! brand has taken huge hits this past week. It began last Sunday at the “Great American Bash” pay-per-view. Several Internet news sources reported that Bobby Lashley, The Great Khali and Super Crazy had to be pulled from the show due to high liver enzyme counts.
WWE.com reported Friday that Lashley has been medically cleared to return to the ring.
During the “Bash,” Kristal Marshall suffered an injury during a four-way bra and panties match. By the way, how can someone get injured in a match that doesn’t involve much wrestling?
Internet reports indicate that on Tuesday, Matt Hardy had to be pulled due to traces of an old staph infection, and Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer newsletter reports that Pitbull member Kid Kash is off the road for 30 days due to a personal matter.
At least SmackDown! has King Booker. It’s a shame that Booker is the world champ when the brand is at its lowest point.
#
Stephanie gives birth: Stephanie McMahon-Levesque, Triple H’s wife and the daughter of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, gave birth to an 8 pounds, 7 ounce baby girl, Aurora Rose Levesque, on Monday. McMahon-Levesque is senior vice president of creative writing for the company.
#
SummerSlam main event: Information on the SummerSlam main event has been posted on both John Cena and Edge’s profiles on WWE.com. Edge is scheduled to defend the WWE title against Cena on Aug. 20 in Boston, but with an added stipulation — the belt can change hands on a disqualification. Cena, the former champion, is a Massachusetts native. Any guess how the result of this match is going to turn out?
#
Big Bully backs tradition: The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) national heavyweight championship has been held by greats such as Jack Brisco, Tommy “Wildfire” Rich, Larry Zbyszko and the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.
Current champion Big Bully Douglas feels it’s an honor to keep the tradition of the title alive.
“To go back to some of the old tapes and watch the guys that actually had the belt, just to be a part of that history is awesome,” Douglas said.
Douglas beat Lash LeRoux to retain the title during a Wrestle Birmingham card on July 14 at the Zamora Shrine Temple in Irondale.
Douglas has wrestled for USA Championship Wrestling in Nashville, Tenn., and the NWA Top Rope and NWA Main Event promotions.
Unlike the dangerous high-flying maneuvers that many wrestlers use today, Douglas describes his style as simply “old school.”
“I don’t try to use fancy moves or impress the guys in the back,” Douglas said. “I try to entertain that person in the front row. I like to entertain the people.”
Wrestle Birmingham returns to the Zamora Shrine Temple on Sept. 22. The main event pits original Midnight Express member “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey (accompanied by legendary manager Jim Cornette) against Jerry “The King” Lawler. In a rematch for the Alabama heavyweight title, B.G. James defends the belt against McNasty.
