Johnny Devine is a multi-talented wrestler -- a guy with skills, plenty of charisma and an appreciation for tradition.

He could have just cashed his TNA paycheque for another year, but he recently walked away, looking to branch out into another passion -- broadcasting. He's hoping to enroll in the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts in Detroit.

"It's just something that's grown on me," says Devine. "I did acting before I got into wrestling. It's something that's always been a viable option."

It's not that the 34-year-old Devine is sour on wrestling, he still loves the sport he began watching in Calgary when he was four. But it was just time to make a change in his life.

"In the long run, I'll end up the better for it," he says. "I'm not going to regret leaving that way. I really enjoyed my time there, but I was at a point where I'd rather have somebody else in my spot. It was time to move on."

So why quit? Why leave a promotion that seems heading in the right direction, adding marquee stars like Sting, Mick Foley, Booker T, Kurt Angle and Christian Cage in the past couple of years?

"The hard part to swallow is the difference in pay," says Devine. "Yes, they're legends. But the salaries aren't even remotely close. I don't want to get into specifics, but there's a big difference. Word travels fast in the locker room. There was frustration. But I'm not the squeaky wheel type. I threw my two cents in when I could and tried to expand what was being done with me (in TNA)."

Devine refutes reports that he made $30,000 a year and had to pay for his own airfare, hotels and car rentals with TNA.

"I made more than 30g's and flights were covered," he says.

To say it was all about money wouldn't be true. Devine is a guy with principles, a Canadian who worked his way to the big time. A career highlight, he says, was winning Stampede Wrestling's Commonwealth Mid Heavyweight championship ... "all my heroes held that one," says Devine, who has also spent plenty of time in Winnipeg over the years and now lives in Windsor, Ont.

"To me, it was never about title bouts," he says. "Your job is to make sure fans go home happy."

Devine's career took a big step back four years ago when he was stabbed in the stomach outside a Nashville bar. He had his gall bladder and a foot of intestine removed.

"That really set me back," says Devine. "Maybe the office looked at me and thought, "We can't trust this guy with the ball.' If there was anything I could do differently, I would have avoided that situation. I had two surgeries and it cost me a tag-team title run (with Eric Young).

Unlike many wrestlers, who crave the chance to be a heel, Devine says it's much tougher to be a babyface.

"Whether you're a babyface or a heel, you want to be the best," he says. "I'll always be able to draw heat because I'm a natural a--hole. Having people hate me is natural.

"People don't understand how hard it is to make people like you. It's way harder to be a good babyface than to be a big heel. Anybody can insult fans and make them hate you. So I'd prefer to do the harder job and be good."

So where does he go from here.

"I will never give up on the wrestling business," says Devine, who provides a helping hand at Scott D'Amore's Can-Am School in Windsor.

Devine made some WWE appearances prior to his TNA deal, basically becoming a punching bag for wrestlers the WWE juggernaut was trying to put over.

"What you're doing is a job," says Devine. "Maybe if I was 6-foot-10 and 300 lbs., I'd look at it differently. If you're looking to crack their roster, you have to be able to offer something different. But if you show them what they want and that requires being squashed for three minutes, then you do it."

Taken from: http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2008/10/17/7125146.html

WWE SmackDown superstar Funaki is officially going under the name "Kung Fu Naki" now. WWE.com has changed all references to his name in his profile to reflect his new ring name. On last week's edition of SmackDown, the Japanese wrestler was nicknamed "Kung Fu Naki" in a backstage segment with R-Truth. On last Friday night's show, he appeared in a karate outfit in a backstage segment with Big Show and Vickie Guerrero.

Finally, Hulk Hogan is back in the spotlight for what he does best: Pro wrestling.

Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling debuts at 8 p.m. tomorrow on CMT (Country Music Television). Over the span of eight episodes, 10 B-list entertainers and athletes will compete in elimination-style fashion to crown the inaugural CCW champion.

Supervising the crash course is Hogan, whose introduction to the grappling game was much more painful. Hogan's leg was broken by the late Hiro Matsuda during his first training session in 1976. That was a time when veterans roughly handled outsiders while trying to protect the presentation of pro wrestling as a legitimate athletic endeavor.

Even though the industry's inner workings were exposed a long time ago, CCW participants still suffered bumps and bruises while trying to learn the ropes.

"No matter what you think about pro wrestling, the adjective 'fake' doesn't attach itself very well," Hogan said during a recent telephone interview. "People get hurt all the time. It's an art form. You cover every range of emotion and it's real physical. It takes a special type of person to live that lifestyle."

With charisma that matched his larger-than-life physique, Hogan was among the most special of them all. The Hulkster successfully parlayed his in-ring stardom during the 1980s and 1990s into other entertainment ventures, including a popular VH1 reality show that featured his family.

Taken from: http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20081017-9999-1s17gallery.html

Former TNA star Johnny Devine posted a new Myspace blog explaining why he decided to ask TNA Wrestling for a release (which they granted him):

Well the questions are flying and the answers are few and far between so I figure I will bust out a little column for now to address the questions for my fans and friends. Yes, I asked for a release from TNA. Yes, it has been granted to me. I had until Oct 22, 09 on my contract remaining. Why you ask? Well that's a long answer with a number of reasons. All of which are personal, and need not be thrown out there. For now I will simply say that I made myself a promise early on in my career. That was: when it's no longer fun to wrestle it's time to go. And it was no longer fun for me at TNA. Now I realize that there will be many of you who will jump all over me and say things like "I would kill to have that spot." etc. But unless you have been there it's very difficult to know how you would react in the same position. TNA is a great place to work. The locker room is fun, the boys all get along for the most part. And everyone there can wrestle their butts off. But a lot of the time the guys are not allowed to show that as it's not what is right for the spot. A lot of people don't understand what does and doesn't make a good wrestling match or TV show. I will simply use myself as an example of this. Simply put, my job is/was to make others look good. Did I do a good job of this? Yes. Sometimes too good? Yes. Could I have gone out there and done shooting star presses and 450 splashes galore? Yes. Those of you who know me know I am capable of many things in a wrestling ring. Would it have made my opponents look good? No. Would it have been too flashy for my role as X Division traitor? YES! Thus I didn't do the things people wanted to see, I did my job and did the things people didn't want to see. I take a lot of pride in my job. It is my one MAJOR vice. Perhaps I have too much pride but that is my failing. I trained very hard with everyone I could to learn everything I can about the wrestling business. I still do it today and try to learn something every show, or every opportunity. The veterans who "knew" me always got questions as to the whys and how's of the business side of things. So when so much effort is put into something you are not allowed to show or capitalize on, it can get rather frustrating. And that frustration builds over time. Mine built to the level where I was no longer enjoying the little I was allowed to do. And that in a small nutshell is why I needed to leave. What's next for me now? Well school is the first thing on the list. I am going to take a broadcasting and TV production course and see if the other side of the camera is as exciting as being in front of it. Wrestling wise I will continue to work indy's and instruct at Scott D'Amore's CanAm wrestling school in Windsor Ontario. So I am not gone form the biz just looking at things a little differently. Hope this helps to shed some light for those who have asked. I If you have any other questions I can always be reached at my website www.johnnydevine.net , or MySpace at www.myspace.com/canadiandevine or emailed at johnnydevine@shaw.ca . All the best with your future endeavors and yours is truly a butt that won't quit! Be safe and stay hot! Johnny Devine

Former WWE United States Champion and two time ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley confirmed that he will make his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut on December 13. "We have the contract in hand right now and we are just working out all the details but December 13th will be the date," said Lashley.

"It will be in Miami, Florida with one of the bigger MMA promotions there. Not one of the real big organizations like the UFC, EliteXC or Strikeforce but it will be held at the American Airlines Arena so I can tell you that if it is being held at a venue like that it will be a big show."