By Jason Powell

-The WWE Smackdown taping takes place tonight in Austin, Texas at the Frank Erwin Center. Alberto Del Rio will confront general manager Booker T, who will make a ruling on the World Hvt. Championship match for SummerSlam. WWE is also advertising Eve vs. Kaitlyn with the winner becoming the new assistant to general manager Booker T. We are looking for correspondents for tonight's taping. If you are going to the show and want to help, contact me at dotnetjason@gmail.com.

-This week's WWE Raw audio review is free to readers of both versions of the website as an All Access podcast (see the main page). If you enjoy our free audio, we encourage you to sign up for membership and listen to more than five hours of exclusive audio content each week. Join us on the ad-free version of the website by visiting Prowrestling.net/amember/signup.php.

-The dark match for tonight's WWE Smackdown taping is John Cena vs. Big Show and John Laurinaitis. Plus, Triple H is also advertised for what is likely his weekly dark appearance.

-The late Eddie Gilbert was born on this date in 1961. He died on February 18, 1995 following a heart attack. Gilbert was considered a bright young mind and was the booker for Eastern Championship Wrestling, which became Extreme Championship Wrestling, prior to his friend Paul Heyman.

-Former WWE Champion Bob Backlund is 63 today. He was born on August 14, 1949. Backlund most recently appeared on WWE Raw 1000. Believe it or not, he is not in the WWE Hall of Fame, having turned down a previous invitation. However, he is considered a strong candidate for induction in the 2013 class given that the event will be held in the New York area, where he was successful as a long running champion for WWE.

-The great Bobby Eaton of Midnight Express fame is 54 today. He was born on August 14, 1958. Eaton is one of the all-time great tag team wrestlers, and I reference him constantly when talking about the need for pro wrestling managers, as it saddens me to think that the next Bobby Eaton is out there and isn't being used because due to his lack of mic skills. His son Dylan is listed as a pro wrestler on Bobby's Wikipedia page.

-DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate Champion Johnny Gargano is 25 today. He was born on August 14, 1987. He recently announced his decision to re-sign with DGUSA.

-Jeff Farmer, who worked as NWO Sting, is 50 today. He was born on August 14, 1962. He also worked as Cobra in WCW, and was successful in Japan using the NWO Sting gimmick for New Japan Pro Wrestling.

-The following matches are listed for the 11:00 p.m. CT airing of the AWA on ESPN Classic: Larry Cameron vs. Jake Milliman, The Destruction Crew and The Texas Hangmen vs. The Trooper, Tommy Jammer, and Baron Von Raschke, and Brad Rheingans, Buck Zumhofe vs. Jonnie Steart.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: