– Ian “Vampiro” Hodgkinson, 39, is launching a new promotion called Revolution X Wrestling based out of Guadalajara, Mexico. Hodgkinson has formally quit AAA in order to start the promotion, which he says will be a similar style as ’90s ECW, with elements of ’90s AJPW and lucha libre thrown in too. He claims to have a two-year TV deal eith Televisa, plus a Sky TV deal for international exposure. Matches are said to be an average of ten minutes, with seven to nine per show and alternative rock acts playing too. The first tapings will be 2nd, 15th and 30th September at Coliseo Olimpico in the University of Guadalajara, with announced acts including AAA’s Extreme Tiger, Sean Waltman, The Samoan and Teddy Hart. Hodgkinson will be vice-president of the company, with Pepe Villa as president. They wanted to bring in Konnan as a commissioner but he is still with AAA and acting as a go-between for them and TNA, so he is unlikely to join. Most TNA talent will likely be exclusive to AAA for now, although Ron Killings might be an exception due to his tenuous relationship with Jeff Jarrett and his popularity at recent Mexico shows. Other names lined up for the project include The Head Hunters, Kaos, Black Tiger, Nosawa Rongai and perhaps Norman Smiley as an agent. When asked if he would like to bring in Santo or Blue Demon Jr, two of Mexico’s biggest independent stars, Hodgkinson said he was not interested as he wants to create new stars and feels it’s time for a change.
– Vampiro will still be a part of MTV’s Wrestling Society X, which will tape eight episodes in October to air in January. They’ll be taping every two months, so the show will be on all year.
– Chris Jericho will be appearing on the Fox Network reality show, “Celebrity Duets”, which debuts on the 29th August. This is a spin-off from the “Dancing With Stars” show that made Stacy Keibler so popular… for some.
Credit: Wrestling Observer newsletter (click here for subscription information)
