Forgive us, fans of TNA Wrestling beauties, we do spend far more time talking about WWE Divas than TNA Knockouts. We’ll try to remedy that imbalance with the following news and notes:

- According to her MySpace page, Angelina Love is dating Jared Weeks of the rock band Saving Abel.

- Gail Kim is featured on the cover of the next issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, which is their special “Report Cards of the Stars” issue. Kim is featured alongside WWE stars Undertaker and Randy Orton.

- Christy Hemme’s rock band HEMME is taking a short break. Hemme released the following message on her MySpace page regarding the status of the group:

Don’t worry the band is not breaking up but just like any marriage or team effort you need a break to reflect on certain issues and even personal issues among the people at play. We just need a short time to get some stuff back on track and our minds back together to rule as HEMME with one solid mind.

The BB Kings show this Saturday will be canceled and we hope to get things back together before the Michigan show which most likely will happen. So this is not goodbye, just see you in a few. We love your support and couldn’t give it up for anything in the world. Thank you very much and we hope you all understand, we are 1, us and you.

Here’s a photo array of these three beauties. Click on any of the shots below for enlarged pictures of Angelina Love, Gail Kim and Christy Hemme:

Here are the results for TNA iMPACT, set to air tomorrow night…

- The Motor City Machineguns vs. Shark Boy & Curry Man ended in a No Contest when Scott Steiner and Petey Williams attacked all four men. Steiner then cut a promo on Kurt Angle and Angle came out. They started to brawl with Steiner putting Angle in the Steiner Recliner. Samoa Joe ran out and made the save.

- Backstage, Jeremy Borash was with AJ Styles. Styles has to find a new partner since Tomko is away in Japan.

- Mike Tenay did an in-ring interview with Velvet Sky and Angelina Love. They made fun of Gail Kim and ODB. Kim and OB ran out and they all brawled.

- LAX defeated Kaz & Eric Young. After the match, Homicide asked Hector Guerrero to be in their corner at Sacrifice and Hector accepts.

- Gail Kim & ODB defeated Velvet Sky & Angelina Love.

- AJ Styles & Super Eric defeated The Rock N’ Rave Infection.

- TNA World Champion Samoa Joe & Kurt Angle defeated Scott Steiner & TNA X Division Champion Petey Williams. After the match, Angle attacked Joe and then Steiner attacked Angle. Steiner then took out Joe and posed with the TNA Title.

Paul Heyman was far from pleased with the way TNA Wrestling has marketed Samoa Joe since he won the TNA Title earlier this month.

“The live crowd, for the most part, loved the (Joe vs. Kurt Angle pay-per-view) match,” Heyman wrote in his UK Sun blog. “Customer satisfaction with the TNA product probably reached an all time high with this match. And yet, NOTHING CHANGED!

“Why? Because TNA had no marketing campaign behind their new champion. ‘Crossing the Line’ was done by ECW in 1994. David Sahadi is a genius whose videos deserve massive praise, but the theme is the same as what he did for WWE a half decade ago. What public relations firm was hired to make Samoa Joe ‘the IT guy’ in today’s pop culture? What marketing firm was retained to get the TNA name out there?”

Do you agree with Heyman’s assessment?

Here’s what went down on TNA Wrestling’s feature show last night…

Booker T walked to the ring and said he wanted to speak with Sting about last week. Booker said he was wrong to disrespect Sting last week. They shook hands. James Storm, Robert Roode, and Jacqueline walked onto the stage. Storm said Sting and Booker should get married. Roode said everyone, including the fans, want to see Sting and Booker fight.

Jim Cornette walked out and took a shot at how the heels were dressed. Cornette announced the “Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament.” He said there would be a tag team tournament on Impact. The winner of the matches advance to the pay-per-view and will face four teams that consist of randomly drawn singles wrestlers. Cornette announced Sting and Booker vs. Roode and Storm for later in the show..

Backstage, Jeremy Broash interviewed A.J. Styles about the tag title tournament. A distraught Karen Angle showed up and said she doesn’t belong in TNA because of what Kurt did to her at the pay-per-view. A.J. took her hand and led her away to console her.

Team 3D defeated Black Reign and Rellik in a tournament match in 8:30.

Christian and Rhino defeated The Motor City Machine Guns in 11:15 in a tournament match.

Sting and Booker T beat Robert Roode and James Storm in 11:00.

Samoa Joe defeated Kurt Angle to retain the TNA Title in 23:00.

After the match, Steiner stood over Samoa Joe and said, “Don’t ever disrespect me.” He was pissed because Kurt forgot his name earlier in the show. Steiner got in Joe’s face. Joe slapped Steiner. Cornette came out (because we haven’t had enough of him tonight) and booked Joe vs. Angle vs. Steiner in a three-way for the TNA Title at the Sacrifice pay-per-view.

TNA’s Slammiversay pay-per-view will take place on June 8. Just where will it be located? A recent press release from the company will answer that question:

TNA Wrestling is proud to announce that its worldwide Pay-Per-View spectacular “Slammiversary 2008” will be held live in the Memphis area at the DeSoto County Civic Center in Southaven, Mississippi at 7 p.m., Sunday, June 8, airing exclusively on Pay-Per-View.

TNA President Dixie Carter made the “Slammiversary” announcement on the “Off The Ropes” ESPN radio show (KQPN 730 AM) in Memphis. The city of Memphis is the top-rated television market in the United States for “TNA iMPACT” on Spike TV (Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT).

“Memphis and the Mid-South know wrestling as well as anyone in the world, and we’re excited to show some of the best fans in the world that TNA has become the new king of professional wrestling action, both in the ring and with our unique fan experience,” Carter said.

“Slammiversary” will celebrate TNA’s sixth anniversary, a feat industry insiders thought impossible when the company debuted in Nashville in 2002. TNA, once labeled as a promotion that wouldn’t last more than a few months, will come to the Memphis to celebrate a worldwide promotion spanning over 110 countries in six years.

We talk a lot about WWE Divas (and can you blame us?), but don’t worry TNA Knockouts. We haven’t forgotten about you.

Here are a couple pieces of news regarding these TNA Wrestling beauties:

- A new backstage interview girl by the name of Lauren Brooke debuted at Sunday’s TNA Lockdown. She was hired at the urging of Spike TV officials, who want more women involved in the backstage segments on Impact. Crystal Louthan is likely to continue in her similar role, as well, as TNA will simply have two women doing the backstage announcing.

- It was announced at this week’s Impact taping that all of the Knockouts will be participating in a “Makeover Battle Royal” at TNA Sacrifice; the final two competitors will compete right then and there in a Ladder Match. The loser of the match will receive a “Britney Spears Makeover” by having her head shaved bald.

After speaking with Kurt Angle and Gail Kim, Kevin Eck of The Baltimore Sun has now published an interview with former WWE superstar, and current TNA wrestler, Rhino.

Here are excerpts from it:

Can you talk about the growth you have seen in TNA since you’ve been in the company and where you see things headed?
Yeah, it’s amazing. I came in a little under three years ago and we didn’t even have a TV deal. They were working on it, and Spike jumped aboard and the relationship to my knowledge has been great. The future looks great for the company. It’s growing each day, as far as the departments – whether it’s merchandise or the promotional team or just in the office. They’re hiring people because we’re growing so fast – the international market is just exploding and the fan base over here.

We’re running a lot of live events. I think we have 70 to 80 right now this year, and they’re adding more shows as we speak. Dixie [Carter, TNA owner] doesn’t want to go on the road as much as our competition because she wants us to have a family life, too. But we’ve got to take the wrestling to the fans. We can’t expect them to come down to Orlando or wherever we’re having our pay-per-views – 12 different venues a year.

What else do you think TNA has to do to get to the next level and become legitimate competition for WWE?
I think raising my pay a lot (laughs). I think we’re on the right track. It’s exploding. Obviously, when other wrestlers’ contracts come up with other companies or some wrestlers want to come back from Japan, certain moves will help out the company as far as signing guys. The guys that we have under contract like Shark Boy – I’m a big fan of his. The stuff he’s doing, it’s great.

All the guys here are elevating themselves. They’re given an opportunity and they’re taking advantage of it. So that raises the product. If some people do become part of the TNA team that aren’t with us now, I’m sure they’ll be a team player and help the company, and that will help the growth, too.

Read the full interview now.

Kevin Eck of The Baltimore Sun was backstage for last week’s TNA iMPACT tapings. He conducted a series of interviews with talent backstage.

Here are highlights from his talk with Kurt Angle:

Historically, this business has not been great for marriages, especially when the wife also becomes talent. Did you have any trepidation about [Karen Angle] coming into the wrestling world?
When she did her first promo, I was blown away. I was thinking, “Wow, this girl is huge. She can make the company some money.” Jeff Jarrett came to me right afterward. He actually got out of the truck from directing, and we had just gotten backstage after doing the promo in the ring, and he said, “Kurt, she’s huge money.”

I said, “Jeff, that’s the same thing I was thinking when I was in the ring with her.” He said, “Well, will she take a job?” “I said, “You’re going to have to ask her.” She said, “Sure, but I have to be home this many days a month. I can’t do house shows; I can only do TV and pay-per-view. Every once in a while, pay to have my kids come down and go to Disney World while I’m working and it’ll be great.” Thank God, it’s actually brought us closer together. We spend more time together, and it actually did the opposite of what it’s done in the past to others. It’s been great.

Samoa Joe already has main-evented pay-per-views with you. Who are some others that you think will eventually rise up to the main-event level?
Actually, let’s talk about the guys. Samoa Joe isn’t there yet. If you’re going to put him on the same pedestal as me, I don’t think he’s quite there. Can he get there? Yeah. A.J. Styles, is he there? Not yet. He will get there. Robert Roode is a great example. He’s a guy that’s going to end up being a major big-time star. James Storm – another guy that’s mid-cardish right now that’s going to end up being a big star.

Continue reading this article …

Andrew “Test” Martin was arrested yesterday morning in Florida on charges of DUI and driving without a license.

According to the police report, the former WWE and TNA wrestler was pulled over by an off-duty police officer after she spotted a “reckless vehicle.” A Florida Highway Patrol trooper responded and pulled him over.

Martin was arrested on charges of DUI and driving while his license was suspended or revoked. He was taken to jail after refusing to submit to a urine test.

“The defendant was constantly falling asleep in my vehicle,” the trooper wrote. He was released later that evening after posting $500 bail.

Here’s a look at TNA iMPACT Tapings for April 10:

- Show opened with Team Tomko and Team Cage. Sting & Kevin Nash vs. Team 3D was announced for the main event. Christian Cage told Tomko not to think because he was always one step ahead of him. The segment ends with Team Cage almost taking out AJ Styles, who was left all alone in the ring.- Consequences Creed defeated Jimmy Rave.

- Scott Steiner & Petey Williams defeated The Motor City Machineguns (Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley). Steiner had Petey do his last initiation which was cutting his hair.

- Contract signing takes place between TNA World Champion Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe for Lockdown. Both sign the contract and Joe promises to never wrestle again if he didn’t win the title.

- Roxxi Laveaux defeated Angelina Love.

- “Super Eric” defeated Black Reign.

- Sting & Kevin Nash defeated Team 3D via DQ when both teams got involved to cause the DQ finish.