Wrestling Dynamo Captain Lou Dead at 76

McMahon has money to burn, but may not be able to unseat Dodd

(NEWSER) - With Linda McMahon eying him as the ultimate takedown of her takedown-filled career, Sen. Chris Dodd has reason to be nervous. The former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment has sharp business acumen, star power—and, perhaps most significantly, $30 million she’s willing to spend to wrest his Connecticut Senate seat from him. But McMahon makes Connecticut Republicans nervous, too. If she becomes the candidate, her past with the WWE could prove a political liability. More»

(NEWSER) - The WWE isn’t the only pro-wrestling battleground: Outside the mainstream are several indie wrestling leagues where lesser-known fighters can duke it out, the Wall Street Journal reports. There’s little pay—sometimes only $25 a night—and crowds can range from 20 to 18,000, says one contender. But there’s plenty of violence, cheering, and blood. More»

Bodies of wife and young son found in dead champion's home

(NEWSER) - A professional wrestler was found dead yesterday with his wife and 7-year old son in what authorities are calling a murder-suicide. Investigators believe Chris Benoit, 40, killed his family over the weekend in their secluded Georgia home before committing suicide yesterday. A neighbor alerted police, who discovered the bodies in three different rooms. More»

Salon offers up a mid-year list

(NEWSER) - Now that we're more than halfway through 2011, the Salon staff compiled the best books, movies, music, and TV of the year so far. Among its recommendations:

• Film: Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life is quite good—but Lee Chang-dong's Poetry, about a 66-year-old woman who may have Alzheimer's, is a masterpiece. Another surprising inclusion: Matthew McConaughey-vehicle The Lincoln Lawyer, directed by Brad Furman.
• Books: You'd never know The Pale King, David Foster Wallace's third and last novel, was actually unfinished at the time of his death and pieced together by his longtime editor. Also worth checking out: novelist Andre Dubus III's memoir, Townie.

Did McMahons cut too many corners in building WWE?

(NEWSER) - Linda McMahon, GOP Senate hopeful in Connecticut , vows to bring the "real world experience" of running the wrestling powerhouse WWE to the political arena. Though politics and stunt fighting may seem an amusingly apt fit, the New York Times reports that McMahon's spectacularly successful empire has a seriously dark side, particularly on labor issues. "Boy, there were a lot of bodies discarded in the building of that company,” says an industry source. More»