-- Recently released ECW backstage announcer Lena Yada has a blog thanking WWE for her time in the company. Here is what she wrote:

Thank you to everybody for all your support and love throughout my time with WWE. Even all of you who were my non-fans, because that still meant you noticed me ;-)

This has been such a wonderful experience and I would not trade it for the world. Thank you to everyone at WWE for giving me the opportunity to be a part of their company/family. For almost a year I traveled to cities across America and even London to entertain audiences that only WWE could bring in. I said it before and I'll say it again: WWE has the best fans in the world!

Special thanks to all of the people that worked behind the scenes to make all of this happen: writers, agents, travel, PR, Vince (of course), wardrobe, camera crew. And a very special thanks to all the wrestlers and divas that I became close with. Because of all these people, going to work every week didn't seem like work. This is the first job I can honestly say that I looked forward to going to every week.

Thank you WWE, and thank you fans for the time of my life!

Much Love,Lena Yada

She also has a somewhat cryptic blog talking about what she learned this past year and what the new year may hold. You can read it at the following link. Yada also notes in another blog that she has plans to auction off some of the clothing she wore in WWE on eBay.

-- The Wall Street Journal has an article looking at indy wrestling in light of the "The Wrestler" movie debuting in the U.S. this month. The WSJ reporter went to a Jersey All-Pro Wrestling show and captured independent wrestling with the following paragraph: "Independent events provide a training ground for young wrestlers hoping to get someplace bigger and a home for older wrestlers on their way out to pasture." Independent wrestler B-Boy commented on how addictive wrestling can be. "Wrestling is like an addictive drug - the adrenaline and everything that comes with wrestling inside and out," he said. "It's like smoking cigarettes. It's like nicotine." The issue of health insurance, or lack thereof, is also detailed in the article. "The wrestlers know better than to expect insurance - the best they get on this night is a registered nurse on staff," according to the reporter. "Me along with a lot of wrestlers do not have health insurance," B-Boy said, "so unless you're in the media of TV like WWE, you don't have health insurance unless you're in a 9-to-5 job." You can read the article at the following link.

-- Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis was named an All-American for the third time. Laurinaitis is only the second player in history to be named to the All-American team three times. He is of course the son of former WWE Superstar "Road Warrior" Animal, and nephew of WWE's Senior Vice President of Talent Relations, John Laurinaitis. WWE acknowledged his honor on the company website. {James Laurinaitis receives football All-American honors}

BACKSTAGE NEWS on Snitsky's WWE firing