[MEDIA] Miami Herald 10.23.03 Hart, Hawk news

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/wrestling/7082904.htm

Hart, Hawk news

By JIM VARSALLONE
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

Stu Hart, one of the true legends in the history of the sport, passed
away at age 88. The head of a family wrestling legacy, Hart was
transported to Rockyview General Hospital on Oct. 3 with an elbow
infection and later developed pneumonia.

Hart trained many top stars in his famous Stu Hart Dungeon -- located
in the basement of his sapcious home. Several wrestling personalities
including Vince McMahon, Chris Jericho, Harley Race and Killer
Kowalski discussed the passing of Hart. Go to
slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2003/10/17/228808.html

• Road Warrior Hawk recently passed away in his sleep. Hawk and Animal
of the Road Warriors/Legion of Doom redfined the tag team industry.
Hawk combined power with powerful aerial moves. Also, they were heel
types fans cheered, helping change the attitudes of fans as well as
character direction.

• WWE banned belly to belly suplexes from future matches. Dave Meltzer
of the Wrestling Observer said the RAW crew was told about this during
its shows in Canada and the Smackdown crew was told about it earlier
that week.

Meltzer added that Lesnar asked Smackdown agents what would happen if
he tried the move, considering it's one of his popular moves. The
agents replied he would be fined for it, and Lesnar asked how much
before being told don't do it.

• Mick Foley has been saying the belly to belly suplex is a major
reason why there have been so many neck injuries/surgeries. The move
joins the tombstone piledriver, sit-down piledriver and others on the
WWE ban list.

• The Rock is set to star in New Line Cinema's 'Instant Karma', a
live-action CGI movie. According to movie site Coming Attractions, The
Rock will play a safecracker who dies and is reincarnated as different
animals, each progressively higher up on the food chain.

The movie will have a lot of celebrities appearing in the movie and
providing voice-overs for the characters that The Rock will interact
with. Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Gene Wilder and the guys from Broken
Lizard will supply some of the voices for the CGI animals. Pierce
Brosnan, Mira Sorvino, David Alan Grier and Eartha Kitt will play homo
sapiens characters.

The reported budget for this flick is around $70 million. 'Pirates of
the Caribbean' writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott will serve as
producers, and Paul Hernandez will be making his directing debut. The
folks at Digital Domain are in charge of the CGI visual effects.

• Unscripted is a coffee-table style book licensed by the WWE. Former
WCW Magazine publisher Ken Leiker and a photographer spent five months
with WWE talent, at their homes and in their lives away from the ring.

The visuals are striking including Matt Hardy and Lita taking a bubble
bath together at Matt's home in the North Carolina woods. The text is
in first-person tense. It's a $50 book, available in bookstores for
the holiday season.

The primary photographer was Patrick Murphy-Racey, a regular in People
magazine and Sports Illustrated and the personal photographer of Dolly
Parton. Leiker was the project manager and editor.

• Russell Simmons Hip-Hop Summit Action Network's (HSAN) Hip-Hop Team
Vote is joining with World Wrestling Entertainments Smackdown Your
Vote! to undertake a non-partisan "Two Million More in 2004 campaign.

The objective is to get 2-million more 18-to-30-year-olds to register
and cast their votes in the 2004 Presidential election than did in the
2000 Presidential election. The effort includes the stretch objective
to register 4-million new "Generation E voters by November 2004.

The announcement was made by Russell Simmons, Chairman of the Hip-Hop
Summit Action Network, and Vince McMahon, Chairman of WWE, at a news
conference recently at the National Press Club.

Also participating in the news conference were Honorary Smackdown Your
Vote! Co-chair and WWE superstar Bradshaw, WWE superstar Maven, Rev.
Run of Run-DMC, Youth Vote Coalition Executive Director Veronica
Delagarza, Hip-Hop Summit Action Network President and CEO Benjamin
Chavis, and WWEs Smackdown Your Vote! Executive Director Gary Davis.

McMahon said WWEs introduction of Smackdown Your Vote! at the national
political conventions in 2000 caught the attention of potential
younger voters, more than 150,000 of whom registered to vote after the
campaign kicked-off in July 2000.

''Both WWE and Hip-Hop appeal to a broad cross-section of young
Americans I can only imagine what the combination of sports
entertainment and Hip-Hop will do to attract the interest of younger
voters in the 2004 elections now that we have several months in which
to reach them,'' McMahon said. ``Who will these young people vote for?
I would urge all the political parties and candidates to take the
18-to-30-year-old vote seriously in 2004.''

Simmons said Hip-Hop and WWE make a powerful combination.

``Hip-Hop is redefining America, and youth today see themselves as
Generation E. Generation E is the generation of empowerment,
excellence, and positive energy. We are pleased to join Vince McMahon
and the WWE Smackdown Your Vote! to encourage 18-to-30-year-olds to
vote.'''

Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, founded in 2001, is a non-profit,
non-partisan national coalition of Hip-Hop artists, entertainment
industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents and
youth leaders dedicated to harnessing the cultural relevance of
Hip-Hop music to serve as a catalyst for education advocacy and other
societal concerns to the well-being of youth throughout the United
States. HSAN started its Hip-Hop Team Vote program this year.

WWEs Smackdown Your Vote!, founded in July 2000, is a non-partisan
approach to getting young people involved in the political process and
registered to vote.

Through Smackdown Your Vote!, WWE has collaborated with many
non-profit, non-partisan organizations, such as the League of Women
Voters, the Youth Vote Coalition, Rock The Vote, the National
Foundation of Women Legislators, Project Vote Smart, California Vote
America, Participate America Foundation, Close Up Foundation, and
Freedoms Answer to engage 18-to-30-year-olds in the political process.

• Free copies of a student legislative manual in Minnesota with WWE
star Brock Lesnar on the cover are available by calling 651-296-2803
or e-mailing [EMAIL PROTECTED] Multiple copies are
available for classroom use as long as supplies last.

• In Your Face Entertainment added new talent available for wrestling
bookings and personal appearances.

Among the names added are Calgary based high flying stars Teddy Hart,
TJ ''The Stampede Kid'' Wilson and Harry Smith.

Teddy Hart, a third generation Hart family member recently set NWA-TNA
and Ring of Honor on fire, The Stampede Kid is coming off several
tours for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and Harry Smith is the son of the
late British Bulldog. All three are now available for individual or
group bookings at www.inyourfacebookings.com.

Also among the new talent available are American Superstars who have
battled for years as legends in Japan. These names include Steve ''Dr.
Death'' Williams, Abdullah the Butcher and Mike Awesome. Also new are
Justin Credible, Gangrel and Luna, Ted DiBiase, Trinity, Tracy Brooks
and midgets Little Louie and King Sleazy.

In Your Face Entertainment offers more than 100 verified wrestling
superstars.

• The Cauliflower Alley Club will conduct its annual convention April
15-17 at the Plaza Hotel & Casino on Freemont Street in Las Vegas. The
prestigious event is open to the public and features many big names
from the past.

Tickets for the banquet are $50 per person. Tickets must be purchased
in advance. No tickets are sold at the door. To purchase tickets, send
check or money order to: Cauliflower Alley Club, HCR 33, Box 107,
Rolla, MO 65401, or FAX your Visa or MasterCard number to
1-573-729-7998.

Please indicate the number of Banquet/Awards tickets you are buying.
List each person's name (including your own) and whether you want the
meat, fish or vegetarian meal. Banquet seating is done on a
first-come, first-served basis.

Plaza Hotel & Casino room rates are the same as last year: $45 Sunday
through Thursday nights, $65 Friday and Saturday nights. The new rooms
are available at an additional fee. Get further information from the
reservation desk. Be sure to identify yourself as a Cauliflower Alley
Club member to receive these special rates. Call toll free
1-800-634-6575.

• NWA-Florida's Mr. 630 Jerelle Clark recently made his NWA/TNA
pay-per-view debut, and the Dastardly One Danny Doring returned for
his second pay-per-view spot.