A dozen late-night links:
– 1950s wrestling star, and regular opponent of Buddy Rogers, Bill Darnell died on September 7, according to SLAM! Wrestling. He was 81 and died in his Maple Shade, NJ, home.
– Konnan was interviewed by Wrestling-News.com, which according to WrestlingObserver.com is raising money to help him pay his medical bills. Anthony DeBlasi and Georgiann Makropoulos are the ones behind raising the money for Konnan that helped him get a new kidney, prolonging his life.
– The Hogan family has hired criminal defense attorney Barry Cohen to represent Nick, according to FOX Tampa Bay.
– Trish Stratus is training to be in a December celebrity triathlon to raise money for AIDS charities, according to PWInsider. More info can be found here.
– There’s a great interview with CM Punk in the Rochester, MN, Post-Bulletin, where the ECW Champ talks about being a wrestling fan since he was a kid and more. On the recent negative news in the industry, he says, “I’m not going to sugarcoat it. There is a dark side to any industry … But I say that there is a drug problem in society … it is not like everyone is shooting up in the locker room. I’ve never seen that. It doesn’t happen.”
– The Orlando Sentinel has written a story with updates on the Signature Pharmacy investigation. “Signature Pharmacy was not and is not an underground distribution channel for professional athletes to get performance-enhancing drugs,” said Amy Tingley, Signature’s Orlando attorney, to the paper. “We do not and have not distributed prescriptions over the Internet.” The article goes on to say that Albany, NY, D.A. David Soares said that Chris Benoit received Viagra from Signature.
– David Whitley, sports columnist for the Orlando Sentinel, has written a column saying Vince McMahon should prove he’s dedicated to cleaning up wrestling, and that the Orlando fans should hold him to that before WWE comes to the Citrus Bowl for next year’s Wrestlemania.
– Jim Ross has posted his latest blog entry here.
– WWE.com posted an article on classic chair shots — and yes, it was posted after the Benoit brain trauma study came out — here.
– WWE.com also writes about Smackdown Superstar Hornswaggle… McMahon?
– The Diva Search has begun, and voting is open.
– Oh, and the Associated Press covered Pacman Jones’ victory in his TNA Tag Team Championship bout.
