Tag: diva search

August 23, 2006 Observer Newsletter: WWE Mexico tour, Diva Search

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The all-time attendance record for Mexico, set by Antonio Pena’s AAA promotion on April 30, 1993, for the original TripleMania, headlined by Konnan vs. Cien Caras in a loser must retire match and co-headlined by Perro Aguayo vs. Mascara Ano 2000 in a hair vs. mask match, is safe for the time being as WWE is downsizing its September tour.

Marco Andere, the head of Showtime Mexico, and WWE promoter in the country, has moved his 9/20 show from the Plaza de Toros in Mexico City, the site where the original TripleMania drew a turnaway crowd of 48,000 fans (although now commonly called 62,000 in history), to the 20,000-seat El Palacio de los Deportes after the card was released and the company did nothing special for the show. The line-up will be the usual house show line-up Raw is doing, with John Cena vs. Edge in a street fight, HHH & Shawn Michaels & Ric Flair vs. Spirit Squad, Randy Orton vs. Kane, Johnny Nitro vs. Carlito for the IC title, Highlanders vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, Mickie James vs. Torrie Wilson for the women’s title, Harry Smith vs. Umaga and Val Venis vs. Oleg (the former Oleg Prudius). 

Subscribers can read this issue here.

September 6, 2004 Observer Newsletter: Steve Williams cancer worsens, history of Olympians in pro wrestling

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Steve Williams had a reputation in the 80s of being one of the physically toughest men ever in pro wrestling. His background included being an honorable mention All-American as a football player and a four-time place-winner at the NCAA heavyweight tournament during a very strong era for heavyweights.

As a pro wrestler, he became a headliner in Mid South Wrestling, parlaying his college sports stardom into the idea that in a business of tough guys, he was the real deal. After the company folded, he became an even bigger star with All Japan Pro Wrestling.

Between wrestling a match the night after taking more than 100 stitches in his eye on an afternoon show in his Mid-South days, or even this year, doing a shoot match just shy of 44 years old against K-1 star Alexey Ignashov, while secretly suffering from throat cancer, there is no question of his guts. While he lost his last and most real high profile match on 3/14 in Nagoya in just 22 seconds, almost nobody except for his close friends, were aware of his predicament. 

Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

Ashley Massaro passes away at 39 years old

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Former WWE Diva Search winner Ashley Massaro has passed away at the age of 39.

Both The Blast and TMZ reported this afternoon that a rescue call came from her home in Smithtown, New York at 5:23 a.m Thursday morning. Massaro was then transported to a nearby hospital where she passed away later that morning.

According to the reports, officials did not say what the cause of death was other than it was “non-criminal”.

Massaro, who had done modeling work and won Miss Hawaiian Tropic USA in 2002, entered and won the 2005 Diva Search, beating Leyla Milani in the finals. She first appeared on Raw, feuding with the likes of Candice Michelle, Torrie Wilson and Mickie James. She later moved to the SmackDown roster where she managed the team of Paul London and Brian Kendrick. She also posed for Playboy magazine in 2007.

After a brief stint back on Raw, Massaro was released from her contract in July 2008. She had said at the time that she requested her release due to her child being sick.

Massaro later joined a lawsuit against the WWE in 2016, claiming that she was sexually assaulted during an overseas tour and alleged that she did not get proper care for concussions that she had suffered.

During her WWE run, she appeared on the fifteenth season of Survivor, but was voted out second.