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OTUNGA BACK ON SHE-HULK, NEW ROCK FILM DVD RELEASES, BAHAMIAN RHAPSODY SUCCESS AND MORE

Former WWE star David Otunga returned for a second appearance on Marvel's She-Hulk series on Disney+ this week.

Ian Douglass' excellent new book Bahamian Rhapsody: The Unofficial History of Pro Wrestling's Unofficial Territory, 1960 - 2020, which you can order here, already hit #1 on Amazon's Caribbean history list.  I had a chance to read this over the last week and it's a great read.  

Dwayne Johnson's DC League of Super-Pets will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on 10/4.  The Blu-Ray will feature deleted scenes, an Easter Egg finder for the film, a feature on the "Super Voices" behind the film, a feature on the animation, a feature on the "World of Super-Pets" and a tutorials on how to draw Krypto, Superman's dog, who is voiced by The Rock.

An eight film Dwayne Johnson DVD set will be released next month, featuring The Scorpion King, San Andreas, Rampage, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, The Rundown, Central Intelligence, Skyscraper, Doom.  The set is priced at $30.99 and will be released on 10/18.  If you've never seen them, Andreas, Rampage and Skyscraper are all superfun, mindlessly entertaining popcorn films.  

The first professional wrestling-related panel for next month's New York Comic Con will be on Friday 10/7 at 6:15 PM in Room 406.1, Behind the Magic! Women of Color (WOC) in Wrestling.  The listing for the panel notes, "Wrestling has become more and more popular around the world. With promotions like WWE AEW Impact and New Japan Pro Wrestling wrestling continues to make a mark on our hearts. Wrestling is a form of entertainment that can bring all types of people together. But there is an important piece that makes the world of wrestling go round. That's where women come in. Women have been making their marks in wrestling such as Bianca Belair Charlotte Flair Jade Cargill Deonna Purrazzo and many other women in the indie promotions such as Janai Kai Viva Van and more!"
Women are integral when it comes to the wrestling business from being a referee, a reporter, an interviewer, a commentator, a writer, and/or a podcaster. Women who work in all parts of the business will be highlighting the importance of having more women, especially women of color in the wrestling business. Why women are needed more on the screen and behind the scenes. Plus much more!

Keith Elliot Greenberg's latest book, Follow the Buzzards: Pro Wrestling in the Age of COVID-19, will be released on 10/4.  Promotional material for the book notes:

Industry expert Keith Elliot Greenberg chronicles pro wrestling through the most memorable, controversial, and polarizing period of the last two decades

As a new decade dawned, 2020 was supposed to be the best year to be a wrestling fan. Finally, WWE had serious competition in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and there were viable secondary promotions and a thriving international indie scene. Few in the industry realized that in China, a mysterious virus had begun to spread.

By the time a pandemic was declared in March, the business — and the world — was in disarray. For the first time, pro wrestling was no longer seen as escapism, as real-world events intruded on the fantasy. Still, when everything else shut down, wrestling never went away.

Despite cancellations and empty arena shows, there were great innovations, like the cinematic match — battles shot to look like movies — and the “ThunderDome,” which replicated the live experience with fan faces surrounding the ring on LED screens. On the indie circuit, matches were held outdoors with spectators separated into socially distanced pods.

The entire time, New York Times bestselling author and historian Keith Elliot Greenberg was chronicling the scene, juxtaposing pro wrestling developments with actual news events like the U.S. presidential election and Brexit.

The result, Follow the Buzzards: Pro Wrestling in the Age of COVID-19, captures the dread, confusion, and spontaneous creativity of this uncertain era while exploring the long-term consequences.

 

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