Ric Flair has been battling an ear problem. I know he wasn't on Smackdown this week because of it. The word I am getting is that it's a chronic thing that he has been dealing with for years and it was serious enough to keep him off of TV.

Since a few people asked, the share for the ECW rating this week was 2.3. Of course, the show did a 1.4, which is up from last week's really low 1.2. It's also interesting to note that Eureka, which preceded it, did a 1.9 cable rating, with a 3.0 share, so WWE can't claim ECW is the highest rated show on the network any more.

MM sent this. ... Just in case people are wondering, the new ECW theme song is: Marilyn Manson's "This Is the New Sh**" from the 2003 album Golden Age of Grotesque.

I gotta tell you, I would have NEVER known that.

Billy Graham is set to be on Showbiz Tonight on CNN Headline News. Yes, that is what we need, yet another story that exploits the deaths of the Benoit family and doesn't offer anything positive to address any of the problems that the business has. I can't wait. Between people like Nancy dis-Grace saying that sleep apnea couldn't have killed Johnny Grunge (when it did to NFL Hall of Famer Reggie White) to classless Bill O'Reilly pulling one hell of a bait-and-switch last night by airing a five year old interview, I am really, really sick of the supposed respected media. Wouldn't it be nice to see just one of these shows address the REAL issues with simply being exploitive, using bogus "statistics" and blatantly making assumptions about things that haven't been proven? And what about offering possible solutions to potential problems rather than hitting all the cheap buzzwords in an effort to get ratings or website clicks? Is that really too much to expect, for people to be decent and realize that three actual people died in a horrible tragedy?

Here is Billboard's latest Recreational Sports DVD listing for the week of 7/21.

1. WWE: The Ladder Match
2. WWE: Wrestlemania 23
3. UFC 66: Liddell Vs. Ortiz
4. UFC 67: All Or Nothing
5. WWE: Judgment Day 2007
6. 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl National Championship
7. Impossible To Forget: The Story Of The '67 Boston Red Sox
8. WWE: Backlash 2007
9. Ultimate Fighter: Season 1
10. TNA: Destination X 2007

The family of the late Nancy Benoit announced that they have formed a foundation in the memory of Nancy and Daniel Benoit. The family is asking that in lieu of gifts or condolences, donations be made to the foundation. Donations can be sent to:

The Nancy and Daniel Benoit Foundation for Battered Women and Abused Children
c/o Decker, Hallman, Barber and Briggs
260 Peachtree St. Suite 1700
Atlanta, GA 30303

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