Wednesday, April 20, 2011

WWE Gambles On Cigy Angle; WWE Lights Up Debate With Tobacco In Media, by Greg Tingle - 20th April 2011

WWE Lights Up Debate With Tobacco In Media...

Regular readers will know all too well that Media Man and and Gambling911 cover all matter of vice in their news reports. Usually its gambling or casino news, but we also cover crime, technology, odds on events and from time to time, cigarettes.

Cigarettes - tobacco or ciggies if you prefer, are back in the news, especially when it comes to the United States and Australia.

Down under the debate is on the way as to if plain packaging should be used at the point of sale (which may help them loose their appeal)... then again, it may work out the opposite also, as when products and services become more controversial, they also often become more popular!

Now leading American owned and operated media company, WWE (formally World Wrestling Federation - before they decided they we not so much wrestling, but sports entertainment), has been dragged into the tobacco in news media debate with one of their stars lighting up a cigarette as part of a story line.

The WWE superstar - the curiously named R-Truth (Ron Killings)... not Cig Killings, lit her up and has raised the ire of anti tobacco advocates across the global including Patrick Reynolds from Tobacco Free.org, who is calling for an apology on the stunt.

TMZ broke the story earlier today, but news media wires across the globe and running with it hard, including heated debate at Wrestling Observer Newsletter and the Pro Wrestling Torch.

Reynolds said on the wrestling superstar, "If he wants help in quitting, I'll be happy to be his personal coach."

The WWE issued a statement to TMZ defending the cigarette incident -- saying, "The negative effect smoking has on one’s health and physical performance was a part of a storyline on last night’s Monday Night Raw. Negative depictions of tobacco use on television are not unusual and can be seen on other TV-PG shows."

A Media Man spokesperson said "We're going to back up the WWE and Killings all the way on this one. It's a storyline, not unlike the sort of thing you would see on other American sitcoms, TV series and the like. The WWE audience is not stupid and audiences realise it's showbiz. Most of the programming is clearing PG-13, but somethings things get blurred. It's no secret that smoking is not good for you, and that the way WWE and Killings presented it. Last Monday Night may have been more Raw that usual, but we believe that they did not cross the line. It was interesting and entertaining television in our estimation. As is often the case, it was a small but vocal number of people who complained. For the record, none of our staff smoke either, but most enjoy WWE programming.

A few months ago the WWE also attracted mixed press coverage when it was discovered they offered WWE Poker on their website.

Punters may also be interested to know that a decade ago the then World Wrestling Federation, formally also known as Titan Sports and World Wide Wrestling Federation purchase a land based casino in Las Vegas, however they never developed the sites and chose to sell it for a profit. Returned WWE superstar Kevin "Diesel" Nash also once played a smooth talking Vegas character 'Vinnie Vegas' in World Championship Wrestling.

WWE superstars gamble with their life and risk their neck and back every time they step into the squared circle wrestling ring.

We like one of the WWE slogans 'Don't try this at home', but when it comes to gambling as a whole its hard to beat 'Bet with your head, not over it, and have fun'.

WWE will be touring Australia from July 1st.

Australian Government To Try Boring Cig Packaging In Attempt To Reduce Consumption...

Down under in Australia the government in all their wisdom is pushing hard for a new tool in goal to cut smoking rates: extremely boring cigarette packages!

The government has announced legislation that would ban logos, colors, brand imagery, and promotional text, while mandating that all packages be olive green-determined in studies to be the least appealing color. The move would "take away the tobacco industry’s final capacity to promote its product," says a professor of public health.

Australia has long been a leader in war on tobacco, the Christian Science Monitor reports, but this time Aussie land will face a hell of a fight fight from the tobacco industry. A legal challenge has been threatened, alleging that the proposed legislation infringes on international trademark laws.

Should the government's plan comes to pass, brand names will appear on each cigarette package in a standard font, and the rest of the box will be covered in health warnings.

Summary: boring packages, but will that really stop folks from lighting up, or even trying a cigy for the first time. We're not sold, how about you?

Cigy moving for readers interested: 'Coffee and Cigarettes'
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379217
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_and_Cigarettes

WWE profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/wwe.html

Sin City profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/sin_city.html

*The writer is a regular contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They also publish Wrestling News Media http://www.wrestlingnewsmedia.com

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Monday, April 11, 2011

Pro Wrestling Stars Ramp Up Gambling: Lottery, by Greg Tingle - 10th April 2011

G'day punters, sports nuts, entertainment news junkies and wrestling fans. Today we take another look at the popularity of gambling in pro wrestling and martial arts circles. Former WWE, TNA and WCW champion, Ric Flair has done another deal with the Carolina's Education Lottery and now WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels has got a lottery deal too. Michael's mate Kevin 'Diesel' Nash has also ramped up his online casino promos, and WWE Poker is full speed ahead, plus the UFC has done a deal with Full Tilt Poker. Word is an Andre The Giant slot game will also soon be hitting a bwin.party digital entertainment website too, via NextGen Gaming, so there's lots to get excited about. Media Man and Gambling911 with a bodyslamming report from ringside...

Ric Flair Does North Carolina Education Lottery Woooooo! 2 Deal...

Lottery players across the Carolina's may once again be calling out Ric Flair’s trademark “WOOOOO!™” as the winning wrestler’s newest scratch-off ticket “WOOOOO!™ II” launched March 29. “WOOOOO!™II” is a $5 scratch-off ticket featuring renowned wrestler and North Carolinian Ric Flair®, whose four decade spanning career has made him one of the most recognizable entertainment athletes in the world. Players scratch off 16 wrestling belts, which are representative of the 16 championship belts Flair won throughout his career. The game has five top prizes of $100,000 and more than $3.3 million in prizes between $15 and $80. Players who reveal a "money bag" symbol win the associated prize instantly and players who reveal a "chair" symbol win double the prize shown. If a player scratches to reveal a “Woo” symbol, they automatically win all 16 prizes.

Flair will appear at several of the lottery’s sponsored events across the state, including the Azalea Festival in Wilmington on April 9, the Dogwood Festival in Fayetteville on April 30, the NCEL 200 truck race in Concord on May 20 and Speed Street in Charlotte on May 28.

Two other scratch-off games are launching Tuesday, Sizzlin' 7's and The Money Game.

Sizzlin' 7's is a $2 ticket with six top prizes of $20,000. The game is played by matching any of your 10 numbers with one of two winning numbers. Revealing a black "seven" symbol doubles the prize shown, and revealing a red “seven” symbol wins all ten prizes shown. More than $7.5 million in prizes can be won in the game, including more than 81,000 prizes between $20 and $100.

In The Money Game, a $1 ticket, players try to match their center prize with the prizes on each corner of the ticket. The game has more than $4.1 million in total prizes, including a $4,000 top prize and more than 89,000 prizes between $10 and $40. If a "Bill" symbol is revealed, the player automatically wins $20.

NCEL net proceeds are used for pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, reduction of class size in early grades, school construction and need-based college scholarships. For prizes of $5,000 and greater, 25% federal tax and 7% tax are automatically withheld.

For more information, contact Ryan Kennemur, Public Information Officer, North Carolina Education Lottery, 919-301-3306.

North Carolina wrestling icon Ric Flair signed autographs last Saturday at the Azalea Festival in Wilmington as part of his partnership with the N.C. Education Lottery in a new instant scratch-off game. Flair agreed for a second round of the ticket, called “Wooooo! II.” The $5 ticket, named after Flair’s trademark wrestling yell, went on sale in March. Here are details of the autograph session.


Shawn Michaels Follows Mate Ric Flair Into Lottery Promotions...

WWE living legend Shawn Michaels wants you to buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win a trip to a WWE Event. The proceeds from the raffle will go to several charities, including Operation Homefront. Operation Homefront will receive a contribution from 2011 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Shawn Michaels through an online charity raffle. The winner of the raffle will receive a prize package that includes two premium seats at WrestleMania XXVII. Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit that provides emergency financial and other assistance to military families and wounded warriors. Fans and supporters can buy raffle tickets for a chance to win the prize and help military families. Raffle tickets are $2.00 each, and there's a minimum purchase of five tickets. The draw occured at 11:00 AM EST on Friday, March 25, 2011. The winners name is a mystery. More information here
http://www.celebritiesforcharity.org/raffle/shawn-michaels-wrestlemania-raffle

Multimedia

Ric Flair Woooooo! 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK5561MkxqE&feature=player_embedded

Kevin Nash (Vinnie Vegas)
http://www.youtube.com/user/wrestlingnewsmedia#p/a/u/0/Z2a0YsMtflo

Pro Wrestling - Gambling Trivia...

Kevin 'Diesel' Nash, recently returned to WWE, used to be known in WCW as 'Vinnie Vegas'. Nash still has some gaming links on his official website.

Hulk Hogan, the most famous pro wrestler of all time, will have an online slot game out later this year in a deal done with Endemol. The story goes...

Endemol, along with the licensing division of Bischoff Hervey Entertainment, have partnered with Hulk Hogan to launch online game Hulk Hogan's Hulkamania. The game, created by recently launched Endemol Games U.K., is expected to hit early next year worldwide and will be distributed internationally by Endemol Worldwide Brands. MX Gaming is co-producing Hulkamania with Endemol and Bischoff Hervey Entertainment. "Endemol Games U.K. is expanding into new areas and this deal marks one of our first third-party licensing partnerships," says Jurian van der Meer, managing director of Endemol Games U.K. "Hulk Hogan is an icon with massive global appeal and we aim to attract his fans with creative online slot games. This is a great addition to our portfolio."

Hogan also has 'The Hulk-A-Mania Experience' land based slot games which is available in some American casinos. Some of the proceeds of the Hulksters slot go to The Dreamseekers Foundation, associated with native American casino tribes.

Ric Flair 'The Nature Boy' is apparently keen to explore an online casino game deal featuring his likeness.

The late, great, Andre The Giant is expected to have a slot game out in his likeness within 6 months. The two brands strongly rumoured to be in on the deal are bwin.party digital entertainment and NextGen Gaming.

World Wrestling Entertainment once owned a land based casino, that was never fitted out with company branding. They were miraculously were able to sell it for a profit circa 2000. WWE is understood to be very happy with their WWE Poker.

The UFC is delighted with their recent deal with Full Tilt Poker, but it isn't clear why they choose that poker brand over others. Last year Full Tilt did a deal with Richard Branson's Virgin Games. That Virgin deal happened around the same time that PartyGaming signed up a couple of F1 drivers, and Pommie cricket legend Phil "Tuffers" Tufnel.

It appears it's a case of what pro wrestling personalities and tie ins will happen next, rather than if.

A Media Man spokesperson said "Be watching out for pro wrestling names to start to appear on online and offline branded slot games. Hulk Hogan was first and we understand that Andre The Giant is second cab off the rank. Ric Flair tipped for third. WWE and UFC are tipped to make more noise about their gaming and gambling involvement also".

YouTube Footage...

WWF Casino
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UJ8Ye6lNT0

Star City Casino, Sydney, Australia (Ric Flair attacks Hulk Hogan)
http://www.youtube.com/mediamanoz#p/u/50/8xsh9NT7bnw

As always, know the odds, bet with your head, not over it, and have fun. Good luck.

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. They cover a dozen industry sectors including gaming. The also publish Wrestling News Media

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Sunday, April 03, 2011

Wrestling News Media: Snooki, 'The Rock' and 'Mania: When Headlocks and Hollywood Collide - 1st April 2011

One is the queen of MTV's Jersey Shore; the other is WWE's resident Mexican aristocrat. One is famous for being perhaps the worst of the tanned, bouffant-wearing, gum-chomping Italian stereotype. The other invites fans' wrath with a wink and a smile as he drives the world's most expensive cars to the ring and insists on being introduced by his own personal ring announcer - in Spanish.

Only one entity - and one extravaganza - could bring these two very different stars together: World Wrestling Entertainment's 27th annual WrestleMania on Sunday. Snooki will participate in a six-person, inter-gender grudge match while Alberto Del Rio will vie for the World Heavyweight Championship in his WrestleMania debut. Both promise to thrill 70,000-plus screaming fans in Atlanta's Georgia Dome.

"It's going to be the peak of my career," said Del Rio, a native of Mexico. "My family, my entire country, is going to be proud of me because I'm going to go out there and become the new World Heavyweight Champion. I'm going to die out there trying to become the World Heavyweight Champion."

So what's behind the infatuation with WrestleMania? Why do fans come from around the world and dole out hard-earned money to watch this spectacle on pay-per-view? What is it about WrestleMania that makes fathers and sons and daughters jump out of their seats and grown, muscle-bound men in tights speak in hushed reverence?

Simply put, it is pro wrestling's greatest annual event. All wrestlers who grew up as fans dream of performing in it and look forward to watching it. Even in the choreographed world of professional wrestling, there is nothing staged about the emotion and excitement from anyone who performs at WrestleMania.

"As a kid, all I wanted to do was be a wrestler," said Del Rio. "Now that I'm here in WWE - WrestleMania is our NBA, our Super Bowl, our World Series of professional wrestling. As a wrestler, as a performer, I always dreamed of being in something like that."

For the fan, WrestleMania's appeal is as nuanced as wrestling's longtime popularity. Wrestling's magnetism goes hand-in-hand with the dawn of the television age in the 1950s, but WrestleMania took it to another level. It is a marriage of headlocks and Hollywood that began in 1985, when WWE Chairman Vince McMahon teamed up the charisma of Hulk Hogan and the diabolical lunacy of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper with the star power of Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper. (Credit: News Corporation)


Wrestling News Media: Shawn Michaels' Speech At WWE Hall Of Fame Induction 2011: 'Thank You' - 2nd April 2011

Thank you. ["HBK!" chant. "Thank you Shawn!" chant. Whoa! Some other chant.] The damnedest thing on my way to my Hall of Fame speech, a damn roast broke out. Thanks. I knew there was no way you was gonna say anything nice about me. For the 15 years we've known each other he never has, and he never will. He's like the Fonz trying to say he's sorry. [Muttering.]

I know how tough it was for you to say . That was a huge deal for him to even recognize that I worked in this line of work for 36 years. You're not aware of this, but we shared a big moment there. There's some psychiatrists going, "They're starting to heal."

I'm nervous, so don't give me cat calls. [Cat calls.] I've been going over what I'm gonna say. ["One more match!" chant.] You're killing me with the one more match thing. Seriously, I know it's good TV, he'll have a nervous breakdown. We sold out the building! He had a heart attack!

["We love you Shawn!"] I'm serious. For the love of God, help me out here. I don't even know where to start. You know there are things that go between ... I can't say, I'm not supposed to say. That's one of the reasons I was OK to retire. Coincidentally, this is the first year where we're not doing it live. They'll chop it up in post to make sure it's ok to air.

When I was 19 years old, I didn't want to be a sports entertainer. I didn't know at the time. I told my mom and dad, I want to do what those guys do it on TV. Making it was going to be going out in San Antonio and wresting in front of 25 people. Fast forward, and I'm a 45-year-old man, and I get to stand here and say thank you.

Along the way, I wasn't really aware of it. I was raised by a loving family, sitting right down here, who loved me every step of the way and supported me. But for whatever reason when I started doing this line of work at 19 I spent the next 26 years searching for validation. I don't even know why. But what my peers thought of me and what you thought of me was the most important thing in my life. And I worked myself into the ground. It was so important to me that you thought I did a good job. I know that sounds patronizing, but I want to thank you so much for giving me that.

I'm very thankful to all the other inductees and especially Triple H for making this fun and amusing. Because as much as I've tried to not make it a deep and heavy cry fest, I can't do it. There are no words to express how much I lived and breathed to do this every night for so many years. And it begs the question, how am I gonna be OK away from this?

Last Monday the Undertaker had mentioned Shawn Michaels will walk into the Hall of Fame with a ton of regrets. If this had happened in 1998, that might've been true. At that time, I was good at my job, but there's no way I could've stood here with no regrets. And although my family would've been proud of me, I know there would've been a little disappointment for them and a certain guy backstage whose name I'm not allowed to mention. [Crowd WOOs. Guy next to me says "RIC FLAIR!" I believe him!]

I came back in 2002 after being told I'd never wrestle again, for one more match. That was nine years ago. I'm thankful I can stand before you with absolutely no regrets. [Missed a part about God and his family. Sorry.] Since they came into my life, I've had not a regret. Not a second goes by that I'm not thankful. The most precious gift of all is my little family. I love you all so much, and I want to thank you for being so selfless and letting daddy finish what he started.

It was very important to me to come back and go away on my own terms. I love my two children more than anything in the world. Thank you so much for letting daddy go wrestle. [I have a daughter. Totally about to tear up.]

There are countless WWE superstars that I've had to create with. I'd love to mention everybody, but I don't want to make this too long. I don't wanna be that guy. [Crowd WOOs.] You guys are implying that. I'm not saying that. Every year there's somebody, and we're like, dude there's WrestleMania tomorrow. I'm gonna assume you know who you are.

Because I did my best to make sure before I left to tell you how awesome it was for me, and how much I appreciate you guys [makes crazy hand gestures] putting up with me when I wanna do something you don't do all that much. I appreciate your time and patience. I appreciate you being a part of my life. A lot of times all we've got is each other. We're like guys in a fox hole together. But when we're with each other, we're all we got. We can stab each other in the back, but can't nobody else do it.

I wanna thank you for allowing me to be a part of that fraternity. We're always gonna look at everybody else and say you're not gonna understand it. And that's OK. It's something we're gonna take to our graves.

And lastly there's all of you. The WWE universe, the fans. I love every one of you, even when you bother me at 5 in the morning, even when I cuss you, you still come back and forgive me. You have been a part of my life and family for so many years, it begs the question, why would a 19-year-old kid from a wonderful upbringing seek validation from strangers?

One thing people used to always say that separated me is that I could make a connection with you. I don't know if I did a good job, but for the last 26 years whether you were connected to me I have no idea, but I was connected to you. I have never won Most Popular, I wasn't the prom king, I wasn't the homecoming king, so I guess in my adult life the most important thing to me was that you believed in me and thought I was good. On this night, 2011 Hall of Fame, I feel it, I thank you, I love my ring. And I love each and every one of you.

I know this has been sappy. I can't help it. And if you're not down with that, I got two words for you. ("Suck it!" from the crowd.)

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WWE Champion The Miz vs. John Cena (WWE website)

Snooki, 'The Rock' and 'Mania: When Headlocks and Hollywood Collide (Fox Nation)

WWE Stars Come to Atlanta, Show Off Artistic Side (My Fox Atlanta)

Mark Henry has wrestling in his grip (AAP)

Linda Hogan challenges Charlie Sheen to fight over dog abuse claim (The Daily Telegraph)

Fans still love getting close to Superstars at WrestleMania Axxess (Canoe)

Shawn Michaels' Speech At WWE Hall Of Fame Induction 2011: 'Thank You' (SB Nation Atlanta)

Top 10 WrestleMania celebrities countdown: No. 2 (Baltimore Sun 'Ring Posts)

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