Various News: UK WWE & TNA Ratings, Johnny Rodz, & More

Partial Source: Pwinsider.com

– The following was sent out today? Celebrate National Sputnik Monroe Day March 24, 2011 Roscoe Brumbaugh was an American war veteran (the Big One?WWII), but he really became known to the world through professional wrestling as Sputnik Monroe: "Rough and tough and hard to bluff; 235 lbs. of twisted steel and sex appeal; the heavenly body that women love but men fear!" There was far more to this man than bluster and bravado. His August 17, 1959, wrestling bout at Russwood Park in Memphis against Billy Wicks and refereed by boxing legend Rocky Marciano drew over 13,000 people–at the time the largest crowd to watch a match in Memphis history. This match is said to have lit the fuse that exploded the wrestling scene in Memphis to the top level in the United States. But Monroe's biggest contribution to American culture was his fight to encourage equality for his African-American wrestling fans, who were brought out of special limited seating (the so-called "crows nest" at Ellis Auditorium in Memphis) and allowed to sit and enjoy seating down low with white patrons. A white man, Monroe was beloved by black fans in the '50's and '60's and was one of the first to have a black tag team partner. Monroe's dedication to ensuring equality for his black fans essentially did as much for the integration of Memphis as the Civil Rights protests which took place in the streets a couple of years after his defiant protests of the status quo in the entertainment industry. Sputnik Monroe died in November, 2006, at age 77, but his influence lives on. His purposeful, bold, and strong use of fame and draw in the wrestling ring to move forward the lives of others grows as time moves forward. Please help us acknowledge the cultural contributions of Sputnik Monroe by celebrating March 24, 2011, in the first annual National Sputnik Monroe Day with the release of Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin', which features Sputnik Monroe and many others that followed in his giant footsteps! www.facebook.com/memphisheat.

– WWE Hall of Famer Johnny Rodz continues to operate his wrestling school at the Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, NY. He runs regular events there with his students, and the next event will be on April 2nd.

– NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood will now be airing Saturdays at 11 PM on KDOC in Los Angeles.

– The Memphis Commercial Appeal has an article up on the Memphis heat documentary, which you can read at https://www.commercialappeal.com/

– Here are some recent WWE & TNA ratings from the UK:

* RAW (from February 28)
- drew 131,000 viewers live (-1,000/less than -1% compared to last week's airing)
- drew 54,000 viewers in the Thursday night replay (-27,000/-33%)
- drew 50,000 viewers in the Friday afternoon/evening slot (-22,000/-31%)

* SmackDown~ (from March 4)
- drew 137,000 viewers in the first airing (-26,000/-16%)

* iMPACT! (from February 24)
- drew 164,000 viewers in its first airing (+6,000/+4%) – another highest-all-time rating for TNA, but Impact finished 6th in Challenge TV's top 10 for the week, behind a re-run of the Crystal Maze, and 4 re-runs of the quiz show Catchphrase

* RAW (from March 7)
- drew 154,000 viewers live (+23,000/+18%)
- drew 41,000 viewers in the Thursday night replay (-13,000/-24%)
- drew 47,000 viewers in the Friday afternoon/evening slot (-3,000/-6%)

* SmackDown! (from March 11)
- drew 150,000 viewers in its first airing (+13,000/9%)
- drew 36,000 viewers on a Saturday morning replay

* iMPACT! (from March 3)
- drew 163,000 viewers in its first airing – a slight loss (-1,000/-0.6%), but placed 4th in the top 10 this week on Challenge TV, behind Catchphrase and 2 re-runs of Takeshi's Castle.