WCW Nitro at the Grand Olympic Auditorium was attended by 6,854 people. On FX, a total of 636,536 people tuned in across the USA with a total worldwide viewership for Nitro being 1,301,138. Great numbers as WCW is continuing to show not only consistency week-to-week, but slow growth both in ratings and attendance!

WCW filmed their new Saturday night show, Velocity, before Nitro on Wednesday, and also held a series of dark matches before the Velocity tapings.

WCW Velocity debuts this Saturday on FX at 11pm. The new show was announced this past week by WCW and FX and looks to be a show similar in vein to WWF's Sunday Night Heat, likely featuring mostly lower card talent with the occasional segment or more important match. Within WCW, the show is being viewed as a way to get more talent on television with the additional hour every week allowing more talent to be featured overall. The announce team was announced as Scott Hudson and Don West. Hudson is back with the company after leaving around a month ago, and Don West was brought in from Shop at Home Network and is a somewhat notable figure due to his time there selling sports merchandise. He has apparentley been a lifelong wrestling fan and had been looking to break into the business for years.

With Velocity's addition to the weekly workload, WCW signed a couple new staff members in previous weeks. Mickey Jay rejoins the company as a referee and Mike Graham has signed back on as a road agent backstage. Both men have experience with WCW before Shane McMahon's purchase and were seen as safe choices to help bolster the backstage ranks and spread the workload out. Interestingly, Jody Hamilton was originally signed to serve as an agent backstage with WCW, but he convinced Shane McMahon to open Atomic Championship Wrestling and reinstall Hamilton as the manager of it alongside the Power Plant.

Word backstage is WCW is looking to expand its roster again. It has continued to offer tryouts to talent, with notable names like Kid Kash having had a look in previous weeks. Also, a good deal of the midcard level WCW talent not acquired in Shane McMahon's initial purchase from TimeWarner have seen their TimeWarner contracts expire and are now technically free agents. Notable among the group is Rey Mysterio Jr. who is being advertised for AAA shows in Mexico throughout September. Rumblings around WCW have him as a high priority to sign.

Speaking of high priority signings, rumors have heated up that Hulk Hogan is preparing for a return to the wrestling industry. Hogan has technically been available for a few months but has been rehabbing injuries. Rumors are swirling that Hogan has begun having talks with multiple companies and media organizations about a return to the spotlight in some fashion, whether as part of a wrestling company or maybe another shot in Hollywood as an actor.

Besides Hogan, another name that has begun to pop up in conversations is Ken Shamrock. The former WWF star and current MMA fighter recently won an MMA match and is open to offers to return to the world of wrestling. Though nothing has connected him to WCW or WWF, word is Shamrock has been letting it known he is ready to sit down and talk to anyone willing to offer him enough money.

The wrestling world is buzzing this week with some massive news coming out of Australia. It looks like Andrew McManus, the big-time Aussie concert promoter who brought us that wild i-Generation tour with Dennis Rodman last summer, is jumping back into the ring in a huge way. His new promotion, World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA), is officially a go, and he’s not playing around.

The biggest story here, and really the only story people are talking about, is that McManus has actually pulled it off: Hulk Hogan is officially the centerpiece of the company. Getting the Immortal One is a massive coup for a start-up, and it instantly makes WWA a player on the international stage.

Word is Jeremy Borash is the man behind the curtain handling the booking, and he’s assembled a roster that looks like a fever dream of the 90s mixed with some serious young talent. Joining Hogan on the inaugural tour is Australia’s own powerhouse Nathan Jones, who should be a massive draw in his home country. You’ve also got "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock, Konnan, Stevie Ray, and a reunited Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) ready to bring the power.

The rest of the locker room is a wild mix of styles. You’ve got hardcore icons like Sabu, Vampire Warrior with Luna Vachon, and The Public Enemy. For the high-flyers, they’ve grabbed Juventud Guerrera, Psicosis, 2 Cold Scorpio, and a kid named AJ Styles who people are saying is the next big thing. Rounding it out are veterans like Tatanka, Brian Christopher, Carl Ouellet, and even the West Hollywood Blondes (Lenny Lane & Lodi), plus a midget wrestling division featuring Teo and Puppet.

McManus is planning to tour Australia and Europe heavily, with the big goal being to eventually break back into the U.S. market. The plan is to run at least one major Pay-Per-View per tour cycle to keep the global momentum going. On the headset, we're hearing Jeremy Borash and Mark Madden will be the voices of the product, with Slick Johnson and Andrew Thomas as the lead refs.

With Hogan’s star power and McManus’s deep pockets, WWA is definitely a must watch in the business right now. Whether they can actually compete with the WWF or WCW long-term is the big question, but for now, Hulkamania is officially heading to the Southern Hemisphere. Stay tuned to TEWNews for more as this develops!

The September 12 Nitro in Columbus drew a reported 5,078 in ticket sales.

Ratings on FX are reporting 628,704 viewers across the United States with worldwide total viewership being 1,303,352. Great numbers and the continued consistent upward trends for WCW continue!

Before Nitro, WCW taped the 2nd episode of Velocity and held a series of dark matches.

WCW continues to modernize its look. In previous weeks, WCW had introduced new championship belts, and this week it surprised the world debuting a new stage, ring setup and graphics for WCW Nitro. The new designs have apparently been in the works for a while and are a deliberate effort by WCW to help introduce the fact its a new era and further move it away from some of WCW's bad stigma of the last few years. Reception from fans online has been positive so far, with many thinking its a nice unique look that still feels different enough from old WCW, but also not a complete radical redesign that is to jarring.

The announcement of World Wrestling All-Stars and its signing of Hulk Hogan was the talk backstage at Nitro and across the wrestling world the last week. The idea of a touring company out of Australia making waves was rumored for a while, with i-Generation Wrestling, the original iteration of WWA in lots of ways, doing a similar tour headlined by Dennis Rodman and other notable names that were not signed to WWF or WCW at the time. The biggest difference with WWA this time is obviously the inclusion of Hulk Hogan and that has apparently been enough to secure WWA some PPV deals around the world to showcase its bigger events. It is worth noting, the contracts WWA talent signed are very open and most talent can leave the company with only a short notice period, with some predicting WWF and WCW may swoop and and try and cut the knees out from WWA and sign some of its notable stars before the company can establish itself.

On the topic of Hogan, word is WCW actually has had zero interest in the star, with the two sides talking briefly a few months ago, but Hogan's demands on a contract being deemed to extreme for WCW. And Shane McMahon deliberately trying to change the locker room culture and public perception of the company, word is the stars that WCW have not signed has been a more thoughtful decision then simply not signing talent.

All that being said, there are some talents that some are saying WCW has expressed interest in, namely AJ Styles who spent some time with WCW as Air Styles in the final days of the TimeWarner-era. Nathan Jones, who is a monster of a wrestler with a great look who WWF had apparently also expressed interest in. And finally Sabu, who some suspect may end up in WCW sooner rather then later, but there had been an internal decision to not hire too many more former ECW talent to avoid WCW losing to much of its identity.

Word is WCW has been very unhappy with the women's division thus far. Internally there was a push to feature more women on TV to try and snag more demographics, but so far the match quality of the few matches has left many backstage questioning the direction of the division. Most rumors point to management pivoting and trying to bring in a few stronger wrestlers to help work with some of the less talented women to help bring them along, and word is Jazz may soon be hotshot onto TV, with her debut being moved up as she was originally not slated to debut for several more months.

Atomic Championship Wrestling ran its first few events out of the Annex Arena in Charlotte. So far WCW and ACW have been unable to put together a television deal with any local networks with some suggesting WCW may be investing in a way to broadcast ACW shows on its website. The shows were said to be good, with some high points and low points. Roadkill, Johnny Swinger, Shannon Moore & Yun Yang all made appearances and were noted as being obviously the much more talented bunch of the wrestlers in the system thus far, but strong praise has also come to Damaja, Doug Basham and Rob Conway, a trio of wrestlers who had been trying to earn contracts with WWF in OVW before WCW signed them for their developmental company.

Nitro was attended by 6,251 people in Richmond, Virginia at the Stuart C. Siegel Center on Wednesday.

Viewership on FX is reported to be 627,499 while worldwide viewership accounting for all broadcasts is tallied at 1,323,490. More great numbers for WCW's continued rebuild.

WCW taped Velocity and had a handful of dark matches before Nitro in Virginia. See the results below:

WCW signed a few additional wrestlers to developmental contracts and they are expected to report to Atomic Championship Wrestling in Charlotte soon. First on the list is Alexis Laree. Alexis had a tryout on WCW TV and then began to drive herself to ACW and the Power Plant to further her training. She is well liked backstage and her dedication earned her a contract. Second among the new signings in Kyra, another female worker out of Los Angeles who had worked a dark match somewhat recently. She is very green and only been wrestling since April, but she has natural charisma, a good look, and a good attitude. WCW is looking to expand its women's division with wrestlers, and Alexis & Kyra seem to be the next step in that. The last signing is a notable one, as Dalip "Giant" Singh was signed to a deal. Singh is over 7 foot tall and muscular with one of the largest physical presences in wrestling. His in-ring work is something to be desired. Somewhat notable for a tragic reason, as he was involved in an incident in wrestling training in APW that led to the death of fellow student Brian Ong. While Singh was not seen as being responsible, it has many hoping he gets further training in WCW.

CW Anderson & Pete Gas worked two matches on Wednesday. WCW was set to have a different team wrestle Kanyon & Mike Awesome but last minute changes led to Anderson & Gas being asked to work double duty.

The women's division is becoming a source of backstage friction. In previous weeks, Joanie Laurer was stirring up some drama, but this week, its WCW Women's Champion Stacy Keibler making some news. Word is she is upset WCW hired David Flair recently. Though Flair is set to start with ACW and not the main roster, Keibler was expressing her frustration with her ex-boyfriend being hired. Flair is notably the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, having won the title that was vacated by Steve Corino when WCW signed him back in May. Word is Flair requested he be given time to drop the title, but so far, the NWA has yet to book the title change.

Lance Storm has been subject of lots of chatter backstage in WCW, and its all positive. Storm's in-ring work was always praised, but his World Heavyweight title reign has seen him pull great matches out of BG James & Sean O'Haire among others. Word is Storm's stock is super high backstage with management and talent alike and he's quickly becoming one of the most respected workers amongst management and wrestlers alike.

So far, neither WWF or WCW has seemingly had any response to the announcement of Hulk Hogan and World Wrestling All-Stars. Backstage in WCW, word is the company does not view WWA as a threat, as its touring schedule and lack of American television deal makes them a somewhat non-factor on the national stage, though some are thinking Hogan's involvement may change that. Notably, several backstage have called on WCW to try and sign AJ Styles to a contract. Styles is one of the younger talents brought in by WWA to go alongside the more seasoned talents, and he had a cup of coffee with WCW before its relaunch. Many have pegged him as a top prospect and are calling for WCW to bring him in to the Cruiserweight division. Word is WCW is comfortable with its current roster and wants to continue to build the talent it already has, though they always are keeping an eye on potential signings. It is notable that AJ Styles apparently made it known to WWF recently that he is not interested in a developmental contract.

WCW's return to Belton, Texas for Nitro saw 6,559 fans in attendance.

Viewership on FX remained steady with 690,156 and a total viewership 1,471,645 across all networks worldwide. The good news continues as WCW edges closer to breaking the 700,000 mark domestically.

Before Nitro, WCW held the regular assortment of dark matches and taped this Saturday's edition of Velocity. See the results and spoilers below.

WCW looks to have quietly promoted Johnny Swinger from ACW to the main roster as his profile appeared on WCW.com sometime this week. Word is he had impressed in ACW and WCW felt a few more bodies on the main roster wouldn't hurt. Sources indicate he'll likely be apart of the Cruiserweight division, but may end up competing with the heavyweights as well as he is on the larger side compared to most other Cruiserweights. Roadkill, the current ACW Champion, is also getting good reviews internally. The plan is to apparently bring up Roadkill with an established creative direction, and until that happens he may stay in ACW for a while. There has been rumors of him being repackaged with a new gimmick in ACW to see if it more mainstream appeal.

Repackaging is on the menu, as Johnny B. Badd is reverting to his real name, and WWF gimmick, of Marc Mero. Similar to Swinger, the change was made to WCW.com, but it has yet to be shown or mentioned on WCW TV. The talk backstage is that the B. Badd gimmick simply wasn't working in 2001, and that there is more value and money in the Marc Mero name currently. Many expect Mero to be a mainstay on Velocity in the coming weeks to help establish the change.

WCW held a few tryouts at Nitro and Velocity in Belton, Texas. Don Juan, a young talent who had some training from Rudy Boy Gonzales & Shawn Michaels lost a match to Crowbar. Redd Dogg, husband of WCW wrestler Jazz, lost in a dark match as part of a 6-Man Tag where the winning team also featured Big T, the former Ahmed Johnson, who had a short run with WCW as part of a new Harlem Heat with Stevie Ray. Redd Dogg was at the show with his wife Jazz and given a tryout, and WCW seems to like his work. The report on Don Juan is that he is still very green and may be a talent they circle back to. Big T was brought in but similar to his last WCW run, seemed out of shape and likely won't be back until he gets back in ring shape.

The card for Fall Brawl is finalized, and many are excited to see the show this Sunday. Backstage praise continues to be given to Lance Storm, who many think has proven he belongs alongside the main eventers of WCW, where initially his title reign was seen more of a transitional champion. His in-ring work was never in question, but while he still is not the best on the microphone, his last few promos have garnered positive reviews from fans, fellow wrestlers, and backstage officials alike.

Some may have noticed over the last month, Rob Van Dam's role in WCW seemed to take a slight step backward. He has mainly been in short angles and wrestling on Velocity. Sources indicate WCW see RVD as a major player, but also think he has been overshadowing a lot of talent so the decision was made to hold him back a bit while other talents were given more of the spotlight. The choice to feature him on Velocity several times was made to give the show an importance more then just a recap/b-show. Many expect him to take a much more central presence on Nitro after Fall Brawl.

The search for the next generation of superstars is finally over! Last night on MTV, the inaugural season of WWF Tough Enough wrapped up, crowning Maven Huffman and Nidia Guenard as the winners. After thirteen weeks of blood, sweat, and plenty of drama, these two have survived the cut to earn official WWF contracts.

The finale saw the remaining finalists head to WWF Headquarters in Stamford for a meeting with Vince McMahon himself. While Maven and Nidia got the nod, you have to think standouts like "Harvard" Chris Nowinski or Josh Lomberger made enough of an impression to get a call-back later. It was a wild ride that proved this business isn't for everyone; several contestants like Victoria couldn't hack the training and quit early on, showing that a "look" means nothing without the heart to back it up.

Tough Enough was a genius move by the WWF. It showed casual fans the absolute grind required just to get a foot in the door without killing the magic of the show. Maven has the babyface look and Nidia is a ball of charisma, but the real work starts now. It’s one thing to look good on a reality show, it’s another to survive a locker room full of veterans. Let’s see if they’ve actually got what it takes to survive the crazy world of the WWF!