The Halloween edition of WCW Nitro drew a live crowed of 6,656 in La Crosse, Wisconsin last night. A nice crowd, but not a sell out. Viewership wise, Nitro saw 725,278 people tune on FX from across America, with a total worldwide viewership ticking in at 1,550,438 when adding all international markets. The Mexican viewership specifically has seen great rises in recent months with nearly 600,000 people tuning in south of the border.

WWF.com posted an article confirming the departure of Jerry Lynn from the company. The former Light Heavyweight champion was not released, but his contract was allowed to expire. No word on what’s next for Lynn though most would expect him to land in WCW or WWA.

WCW taped Velocity and a series of dark matches before Nitro on October 31, we have the results below. This week, notably, all matches were done with Velocity graphics on the ring and stage which hadn’t been what WCW had been doing in previous weeks. See the results below:

WCW released David Flair yesterday. Flair had been signed and sent to Atomic Championship Wrestling, the WCW developmental company attached to the WCW Power Plant. Word is Flair had been having attitude issues and demanding to be on the main roster. WCW decided to let Flair go as they did not see him as main roster ready. Speaking of Atomic Championship Wresting, they held a larger show at the WCW Annex Arena on November 3 called Atomic Ascension. Notably at the show, Christopher Nowinski of Tough Enough fame defeated Roadkill for the ACW Heavyweight championship with the assistance of The Wall who returned from a brief hiatus and rumored rehab stay. Also of note, Doug Basham and the now heel Damaja teamed up to defeat Chris Harris & James Wolfe for the ACW Tag Team titles. Also on the show, Josh Mathews, also of Tough Enough fame, teamed with Shannon Moore as a team introduced as M'n'M and doing a take on the 3 Count boy band gimmick. Roadkill is slated to start with the main WCW roster immediately and is listed on the WCW.com roster page with a modified look and going by the name Amos Hersch. WCW also signed several wrestlers to developmental contracts and most have already started training at the Power Plant and ACW. Confirmed so far are Solo Snuka, the son of Jimmy Snuka, Michael Shane, the nephew of Shawn Michaels, and David Young who is best known for his time in NWA Wildside. Rey Mysterio Jr.’s return to WCW was all but made official on Nitro with a graphic teasing his return. Interestingly, the graphic seemed to be hyping Mysterio’s old masks with some thinking he may return under his mask once again. Mysterio had worked several dark matches in WCW lately and had a short stint in AAA, but was working unmasked as he has been for the last several years. WCW continues talks with some more notable names in the wrestling world. Many of the talent that WCW did not bring on initially like Kevin Nash, Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, Jeff Jarrett and more as they had large guaranteed TimeWarner deals, are seeing those deals expire in the next several weeks or months and some have already expired. Word is WCW is being caerful who they bring in as the new stars of WCW have been doing a fantastic job cementing the companies new image and there is fear bringing in to many new faces may make WCW look like a mirror of its old self. Most are expecting at least 1 or 2 big names to return to the company soon with many pointing towards Ric Flair and Scott Steiner as the front runners.

WCW Nitro in Charlotte drew 6,953 to the Cricket Arena. While WCW has shown growth and has been happy with attendance, word is backstage there was some disappointment with most hoping for over 7,000 fans in WCW’s new hometown. FX viewership for Nitro was 657,015 across the USA with total viewership for Nitro worldwide being 1,404,955.

WCW Velocity was taped before Nitro in Charlotte as well as a series of dark matches. See the results below:

In a match either taped for Velocity, but likely a dark match, CW Anderson & Pete Gas worked as heels against La Parka & Shark Boy and won the match. The match saw Anderson encouraging Gas to cheat and that leading to them winning. Its unknown how this will translate to TV if at all as the team has been without much purpose as of late. Several ACW talent received new names in recent weeks. Chris Cage was renamed Carsyn Cage, where Brent Albright was rebranded Slater Vain. Albright even worked a match against Amos Hersch aka Roadkill before Nitro, word is it was a squash for Amos though. Solo Snuka also debut but was quickly renamed to Tavita Vatu. Chris Harvard has began using his real name of Christopher Nowinski and in the most notable news, Yun Yang has seemingly adopted the name Akio. WrestleWar is shaping up with the return of War Games announced on Nitro. Word is WCW was struggling with creative direction for the show, with Starrcade around the corner most matches for that are set. The decision to have War Games came out of the logic that all championships were not going to change hands going into Starrcade and the idea was brought up in a creative meeting by Arn Anderson to bring back War Games which everyone saw as a great idea. Outside of the announced War Games and matchup between Buff Bagwell & D’Lo Brown, WrestleWar is likely to feature a match between Rob Van Dam and Lance Storm, Joanie Laurer and Jazz, and Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. Mysterio’s return could happen any show now, though most signs are pointing towards it happening at WrestleWar itself. WCW Velocity has apparently been a hot topic in WCW offices, with Shane McMahon himself saying he wants the show to have some slight more importance. While everyone understands it’s the B-Show of WCW by a wide margin, in recent weeks it really has become glorified dark matches. McMahon, in a production meeting, made it clear that he wants more storyline significance to happen on the show, with creative tasked with slowing increasing the fans perception of the Saturday night event.

Word coming out today across the wrestling world is the legendary "Macho Man" Randy Savage has been telling friends he considers himself retired from the wrestling business. Savage had grown distant from the wrestling world and had not appeared for any company since May 2000 with World Championship Wrestling. His contract with WCW had expired shortly after an appearance on the May 3rd, 2000 edition of Thunder, and Savage had reportedly turned down several extension offers due to the lower money guarantees. In recenth months, rumors are Savage had been approached by World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling All-Stars, but talks never really developed as Savage was contemplating walking away from wrestling all together. It appears that has come to pass with Savage telling friends his days as a professional wrestler are behind him.

Nitro put 6,627 through the doors of The Oil Palace in Tyler, Texas last night. Viewership on FX across the United States is reported at 727,668 with worldwide viewership across all networks being 1,565,137. Nice growth from WCW and more of the same story of WCW slowly turning things around over the last 6-months.

Before Nitro, the standard array of dark matches and Velocity matches were taped. We have the results here at TEWNews, see them below:

Before Nitro, two Texas independent talents appeared in matches. Michael Shane was squashed by Amos Hersch while a local talent named Shadow lost to Chris Chetti in a dark match. Shane, who is Shawn Michaels’ nephew, is already signed to a developmental contract but is in the process of moving to Charlotte. Shadow, real name Lance Hoyt, is a big wrestler, reportedly somewhere around 6’6-6’8” and has a pretty decent look. WCW was said to be impressed by his size and athleticism. Adam Pearce, who was recently sent to Atomic Championship Wrestling from the WCW main roster, suffered a Knee Injury during a show on November 8 in Charlotte. Pearce will reportedly be out for at least a month. In more news related to WWF’s Tough Enough, Taylor, who was arguably the most talented female on the show, has signed a contract to train at the WCW Power Plant and begin appearing in ACW immediately. Taylor joins Chris and Josh of Tough Enough fame in ACW and the Power Plant with WCW apparently looking to capitalize on their current name value. Both Josh & Chris have already been impressing in ACW, and while both are extremely green, Chris, now going by Christopher Nowinski, is reportedly gaining high praise for his character work and is already the ACW Heavyweight Champion with some thinking he will debut on WCW television in early 2002. Josh, now known as Josh Mathews, has equally been impressive as a natural underdog. He’s been in a team called M'n'M alongside Shannon Moore with the two playing underdog teen heartthrob type roles. Mathews has also gained high praise for showing an interest in all aspects of wrestling production. In somewhat forgotten news, the WCW Museum & Hall of Fame that WCW has been building out of its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina is nearing completion and expected to be open by the new year. The Museum utilizes the majority of the main floor of the HQ and features pieces from WCW’s history on display, a theatre that shows classic clips, and a physical Hall of Fame that will celebrate wrestlers of WCW’s past. The WCW Hall of Fame was started in 1993 but only lasted as a regular thing until 1995. Over those 5-years the Hall of Fame inducted such wrestling stars as Lou Thesz, Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Harley Race & Antonio Inoki among others. WCW’s plan is to start making annual inductions that coincide with Starrcade, with several names already being contacted for induction this year. WCW has continued talks with several big name talent over the last several weeks with sources indicating a big signing may be imminent. The names being heard most often across all rumor mills are Ric Flair & Scott Steiner with one or both expected to sign and start with the company any day now. Rey Mysterio Jr.’s Return to WCW television is expected to happen at WrestleWar against Chavo Guerrero Jr. Some had pushed for his return to happen earlier, but WCW looks like it is saving the open-secret surprise for WrestleWar.

World Wrestling All-Stars second tour of shows will begin in late November. WWA toured Australia in October under the name of The Inception Tour, and WWA has now announced a tour of the UK. Notably, Hulk Hogan is now being advertised for the shows with his return to the ring being heavily pushed. Other talents advertised for the tour thus far are Jeff Jarrett, Ken Shamrock, Konnan, Jerry Lynn, Brian Christopher, Sabu and more. The first show is planned for November 27th.

Last night's WCW Nitro drew a reported 6,244 fans to the ShowMe Center. Viewership remained steady and strong with 628,782 people tuning in across the USA on FX, with a total worldwide viewership of 1,352,849 across all networks showing Nitro.

Before Nitro, the standard array of dark matches and Velocity matches were taped. We have the results here at TEWNews, see them below:

Sources within WCW have indicated that backstage has been suspiciously quiet in the week leading up the WrestleWar. Many have likened the atmosphere to a sports team with their focus on winning a championship. Backstage morale is said to be high, and the focus seems entirely are delivering WrestleWar as one of WCW's biggest shows, not just since the Shane McMahon-era, but all time. WCW has reportedly commissioned a new War Games cage to be built. The cage is reportedly being built to also be sectional allowing it to also serve as two single cages that will be WCW's new main cages going forward. The cage WCW had used for the Shane McMahon vs. Diamond Dallas Page match at Crowd Control was one that has been on the road with WCW for years and it is repotedly being dissassembled and retired and is set to be on display at the new WCW Museum & Hall of Fame in Charlotte that is nearing completion. The only other major rumors still swirling backstage is that WCW has reportedly made several signings of big name talent who are expected to debut in the coming weeks or shortly after Starrcade. One known name is obviously Rey Mysterio Jr., but sources still speculate that 1 ore more of Ric Flair, Sting, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner, Jeff Jarrett or Konnan sshould be returning to the company shortly and that deals have already been signed. There is also rumor that Ken Shamrock may be WCW of WWF bound. Shamrock is currently signed on with World Wrestling All-Stars, the company Hulk Hogan is currently signed on with as well. Weirdly, when asked of Hogan could be returning to WCW, the answer came back as a definitive "no" at this point.

Scott Steiner is slated to return to the squared circle. The former World champion has reportedly joined World Wrestling All-Stars growing list of big names alongside Hulk Hogan, Jeff Jarrett & Ken Shamrock. Steiner also reportedly has agreed to begin appearing for IWA out of Puerto Rico. Many are suggesting Steiner could be WCW bound of WWF bound fairly quickly, with his jump to one of the big two being more of a when than if.

The return of War Games at WCW WrestleWar is being heralded as a massive success. The FleetCenter in Boston officially sold out with 19,028 paying to attend the event. PPV viewership seems equally impressive with 2,337,834 views worldwide. WCW is said to be ecstatic with the numbers, especially with Starrcade, WCW’s biggest event, looking like a guarantee to best those numbers.

Before WrestleWar on Sunday, WCW held several dark matches for the live crowd. The new WCW President will be debuting soon. Sources indicate the individual will hold no actual backstage power, and the role is for television only. Rumors around the business have the individual as either Eric Bischoff, Vince Russo, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan or Kevin Nash, though some are saying all of those names are red herrings. The introduction of the President role is to give both Arn Anderson & Shane McMahon more time to focus on backstage roles. There was talk of replacing Arn as the storyline Commissioner for the last few months, but word is the role of President was pivoted to instead so Anderson can still appear on-screen when needed. The Wall is injured. Wall who was retained during Shane McMahon’s purchase of WCW, but elected to attend rehab, had recently returned to the company and had been making appearances for their developmental company, Atomic Championship Wrestling, as the muscle of Christopher Nowinski, the Harvard-graduate Tough Enough finalist. The injury is to his knee with most expecting him to be out until the new year. Rey Mysterio returned to WCW officially at WrestleWar. Notably he was wearing a mask again in his return, and had dropped the suffix Jr. from his name. Mysterio was initially signed over a month ago and had been appearing in AAA to get back into ring shape. The decision to have Mysterio return with a mask was purely a decision in marketing, as Shane McMahon felt there was more value with the mask than without. Rumors out of Charlotte are at least one, if not two, major signings have occurred for WCW. With one likely being the soon-to-debut President. Word is at least two individuals have been brought into the WCW Headquarters in Charlotte under tight security conditions to keep the signings a surprise. Several tidbits from backstage at WrestleWar. There were no major injuries on the night, including War Games, which many were thankful for. Lance Storm & Rob Van Dam reportedly received a standing ovation when they came backstage after their match. Shane McMahon reportedly was herd telling anyone who would listen just how proud he was of the two for the match they put on. Lance Storm has notably become one of the most respected performers in WCW, with his reliability and rising to the occasion in the new Era seeming to slowly be turning him into a guy many wrestlers are turning to as a leader.

Hulk Hogan wrestled his first match since he left World Championship Wrestling after Bash at the Beach on July 9, 2000. On a show that is being met with questionable critical review, Hulk Hogan took part in a 6-Man Main Event Tag Team match on a team alongside Sabu & Tatanka to defeat a team of Ken Shamrock, Jerry Lynn and Gangrel. See the full results below for the puzzling show: WWA UK Tour Night 1 @ the London Arena in London, England: While WWA’s roster and promise of being another large promotion saw many excited for its future, its initial tour of Australia, first PPV “The Inception” and the start of the UK Tour already has many seeing the company as an easy payday and flash in the pan thing. There was said to be some tension backstage with WWA booker Jeremy Borash reportedly trying to figure out if any of the WWA talent had been intending to jump ship to WWF or WCW.

WCW Nitro in Boise saw a reported attendance of 6,356 in the Bank of America Centre on November 28th. Viewership across the USA on FX was said to be 732,329 households with a worldwide total of 1,606,101 total households when adding up all international showings of Nitro.

Before Nitro, the standard array of dark matches and Velocity matches were taped. We have the results here at TEWNews, see them below:

Ric Flair made his return to WCW as the storyline President of the company on the November 28th Nitro. Flair’s role is purely an on-screen one. Word is Flair was signed almost immediately when his TimeWarner contract expired earlier this month and the wheels have been in motion for a return since. Flair is expected to wrestle with WCW, though how often, why and when remains to be seen. Speaking of new singings, WCW has signed another handful of talent and assigned them to Atomic Championship Wrestling. Cassidy O’Reilly, Jorge Estrada & Nova are the three new names joining WCW. O’Reilly is an independent talent that had been bouncing around the Mid Atlantic and South Eastern states for a while, while Jorge Estrada is a protégé of Dusty Rhodes who was working for his Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling company. Nova is the most notable of the signings. Another former ECW talent who has been trying to find permanent employment since ECW’s bankruptcy. Nova is unlikely to spend a long amount of time with ACW as he is already an accomplished worker and his time in developmental is likely to get back into ring shape and to wait for the right storyline to debut on the main roster. WCW Starrcade XIX is set for the Greensboro Coliseum and several of the top matches were already announced on Nitro. Billy Kidman will defend the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship against Shane Helms, Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero Jr. Kanyon & Mike Awesome will defend their Tag Team titles against BG James & Sean O’Haire. While the main event is slated to be Diamond Dallas Page defending the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Booker T. Other matches rumored for the show are Rob Van Dam vs. Lance Storm, Steve Corino vs. Joanie Laurer and the Misfits In Action against the Portraits of Poise. The show is slated to be 2 and a half hours long as opposed to the normal 2 hours, so more matches are still rumored to be added to the show. WCW reportedly has one more major signing set to debut with the company, with most thinking the debut will happen after Starrcade. The name being heard the most is Scott Steiner, though Kevin Nash, Jeff Jarrrett and Ken Shamrock remain names being said are the likely new hire.