Various News: Second Generation Steamboat, Orton the Villain, New WWE Ambassador and More

– Richie Steamboat, son of Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, worked his first independent match over the weekend. He has been training under George South. [Credit: Pwinsider.com]

– Randy Orton was nominated for “Best Villain” at the Nickelodeon UK Kids Awards. [Credit: Pwinsider.com]

– Former ECW Wrestler Mikey Whipwreck was in attendance at the WWE Great American Bash PPV. Whipwreck, who trained Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, was there to see them win the tag team titles. [Credit: Pwinsider.com]

– World Wrestling Entertainment sent out the following press release today:

STAMFORD, Conn., July 28, 2008 – John P. Saboor will join as World Wrestling Entertainment®’s new Senior Vice President, Special Events. In this newly created position, he will have primary responsibility for community partnerships, marketing, promotion and sponsorship support for WWE’s special events, including WrestleMania®, WWE’s annual pop culture extravaganza.

Prior to joining WWE, Saboor was President of the Central Florida Sports Commission. He and Orlando Mayor John Hugh “Buddy” Dyer, played a pivotal role in convincing WWE to bring WrestleMania XXIV to Orlando. The event was a tremendous success for Orlando, generating over $30 million in revenue locally and over $100 million nationally.

“John’s leadership as President of the Central Florida Sports Commission was a critical part of the tremendous success we experienced with WrestleMania 24 in Orlando,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman. “He really understands our brand. He is an ideal person to step into this position.”

Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/