Various News: Storm, Silas Young, Test Retires, WWE/Jakks Press Release

– Lance Storm has a new commentary up where he talks about his WCW run and how he wasn’t even sure who was promoting WCW during his time there. Check out the commentary here.

– Silas Young has been signed to a WWE developmental deal. He has been down in OVW training for a week.

– Andrew “Test” Martin has announced his retirement on his MySpace page.

I’ve talked to my “Better half” and we decided that Ireland will be my “last hurah” I’ve been thinking about my talk with Bret last week and I’m glad we caught up again and I’ve made sure to make it a regular habit. Bret was my favourite wrestler and still to me the best ever. I don’t care about merchandise sales or championships. I call him the best for the stories he told in the ring. I have fond myself watching a lot of Bret Hart matches and it’s to bad it’s a lost art and will be gone by the time my generation of wrestlers retires. They say no body retires from wrestling. I can’t tell you how much I h ate to hear guys say “it’s all I know” and keep working long after they should and die or be permantly disabled. You have to come to terms when you ask yourself what is your health worth? To me? You can’t put a price on it! So what are you wrestling for? one mans greed so he might throw you a bone? I loved wrestling it was good to me. I’m still young, I’m in the shape of my life I ‘ve got some money tucked away.

I never got into wrestling to be rich and famous. I remember when I first was around Bret and we go to a bar for a beer, people would literally stand up and clap and Bret would be very shy about, of course always being the gentleman he is and shaking anyones hand or signing anything for a kid. I remember thinking at the time no one knew who I was and I thought”why isn’t he eating this up?” I soon found out why? I laugh to myself and not that I am on Brets level at all! but I laugh because I never want to go anywhere outside of my house. I stick out anyway and to be honest I’m a pretty shy guy who believe it or not is pretty normal….whatever that is. Bret left with his head high and still with the respect of the “boys” and I’m talking the “real boys” the ones that wouldn’t stab you in the back and shake your hand to your face! This business is full of those people, “PIRATES “all for one and one for all” but as “the real boys always say “tells the boys that matter, I said hello” and they do!

I was told my poblem was I never “kissed enough ass” As we all know wrestling is not real and it is very political backstage and as a man I could never bring myself to consort with the people That I didn’t care for even if that meant making less money and not getting a world title. The world title is not real but my dignity was and I feel I never comprimised it. I said “no” to Vince a few times which I was told is unheard of and the kiss of death. I personally don’t have bad things to say about Vince. I can appreciate what he’s done! I wonder what it’s like to have evreryone who works for you tell you yes and your ideas are great because they are terrified about losing their job. I will never know nor do I want to. I can’t wait to read Bret’s book as I know Santa is bringing it for me on xmas morning. It’s all I asked for!

So what know? Start a real existence. get married have some kids, work a normal job{I’m not someone who can sit around I did it for 8 months there is nothing satisfying about it}maybe get a belly from Babs cooking but that will be hard to do since I do all the cooking. Their are few guys that can walk away from this business with their health and a little wealth but like I said”what’s your health worth”

Thanks to all my fans and please stay in contact I still love to hear from you. I am at peace..I have no bad words to say about anything or anyone>>>that doesn’t mean I won’t have a few chuckles with “the real boys” on peoples expense who I’m sure know who they are. Take care and stay in touch!

– WWE sent out the following press release today.

WWE Lawsuit vs. Jakks Pacific and THQ Continues

STAMFORD, Conn.–The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York today clarified that its dismissal of WWE’s amended complaint in the lawsuit World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. v. Jakks Pacific, Inc. et al. does not include WWE’s state law claims, which will now be transferred to and heard in the state court action between the parties.

The lawsuit was filed by WWE in October 2004 against Jakks Pacific, Inc. (“Jakks”), two foreign subsidiaries of Jakks, THQ, Inc. (“THQ”), a purported joint venture involving Jakks and THQ, Stanley Shenker & Associates, Inc. (“SSAI”) and Bell Licensing, LLC. The suit also named as defendants certain individuals employed by the corporate defendants, including specifically Jack Friedman, Stephen Berman and Joel Bennett, the three highest-ranking executives of Jakks, and Stanley Shenker and James Bell. Shenker was WWE’s licensing agent and Bell was WWE’s Senior Vice President of Licensing and Merchandising at the time the unlawful conduct occurred. The suit alleged that, on the orders of Jakks’ highest ranking officers, payments were made to Shenker secretly via a series of transactions involving foreign subsidiaries of Jakks during the time licensing rights were being sought, including the right to WWE lucrative videogame license. Shenker and Bell have both subsequently plead guilty to being dishonest servants and are currently incarcerated, and the court in Connecticut previously ruled that Shenker perjured himself and obstructed justice by concealing the payments he took from Jakks and then split with Bell.

In the federal case, the Jakks defendants argued that a release, given to it after a royalty audit of the toy license, operated to somehow preclude WWE from pursuing its state law claims. Today, Judge Kenneth Karas indicated that he found that the release specifically did not bar any of these claims.

In a statement issued today, Vince McMahon, the Chairman of WWE, stated: “We are pleased that we now finally have the opportunity to litigate the merits of our state law claims in state court and to place our evidence before a jury of how Jakks and its partners conducted themselves. WWE’s intellectual property is a valuable asset of the Company, and this lawsuit is necessary to preserve the integrity of our licensing process and essential to ensure that WWE receives appropriate and fair compensation for the grant of a license to use our intellectual property.”

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