In what looked like a sure thing has now turned into a distant memory. Matt Morgan of TNA fame could not agree on a contract with NBC to become a Gladiator afterall. Thus leaving him off the card for AG Season 2. Apparently, according to the story from WrestlingObserver.com and Prowrestling.net, NBC wanted to lock Matt up to a 6 year deal and he wasn’t having any of that. You can continue to get your fill of Morgan wrestling it up on TNA for the immediate future.

The days are getting numbered to the Season 2 premiere on May 12th of American Gladiators. Just the other day NBC came out with the Season 2 promo video or commercial as some like to call it. The whole theme of the promo was bigger and much bigger with the Gladiators being larger than life figures roaming around different cities. From the promo we can see that Titan, Crush, Wolf, Venom, and Justice return for Season 2. Events like Hang Tough, Joust, Hit & Run and the Gauntlet will be back as well. We will just have to wait a little while longer for all the news to come out about season 2 so check back often and soon for all the updates.

It’s the two-hour season finale of your favorite tv show American Gladiators tonight on NBC at 6 p.m. central time. Out of the 24 contenders who started this competition we are down to just 4, two male and two female contenders who will be playing for $100k, a new Toyota Sequoia and the right to be an American Gladiator next season.

On the mens side we have Evan Dollard, a 25-year-old retail manager from Chicago, Illinois going up against Alex Rai, a 25-year-old high school history teacher and wrestling coach. The clear front runner and overall favorite has to be Evan. If Evan has a sizable lead in the Eliminator then Alex can forget about it because he does not have the speed and quickness to keep up. I see Evan winning pretty easily unless he injures himself.

On the females side we have Monica Carlson, a 32-year-old mother of 8-year-old twins and a former Portland Trailblazer dancer going up against Shanay Norvell, a 31-year-old life wellness trainer. Monica has been so dominant in all her matches beating her opponents by such wide margins I have to give the edge to her although Shanay is probably the best contender to give her a run for her money. It should be close but Monica will pull it out in the end.

Make sure to tune in to the show tonight at the special time of 6 p.m. central on NBC to watch the special two-hour season finale.

I guess all it takes is two episodes to get renwed for another season, well at least for NBC who has given the greenlight for American Gladiators second season. The strong ratings for the first two episodes sealed the deal as NBC could not resist. Read all about in the press release below from NBC.

Press Release: NBC has picked up a second season of the hit competition series “American Gladiators” (Mondays, 8-9 p.m. ET) it was announced today by Craig Plestis, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, Development and Specials, NBC Entertainment.

” ‘American Gladiators’ has delivered everything we were hoping for and has come out of the gate as a top contender,” said Plestis. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the audience reaction to this top-notch show all ages can enjoy.” (more…)

According to NBC executives the 12 Gladiators were tested for steroid use before they could appear on the show but host Hulk Hogan who has admitted to steroid use in the 90’s was not mentioned in the testing.   Along with the testing, which was part of their medical examinations to become a Gladiator they were also required to sign a document saying they were clean and could be tested at any time during the season.  NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman confirmed the testing but declined to comment further on the matter.  Some NBC insiders say the testing was done more for medical reasons then anything else. 

Do you think they would kick a Gladiator off the show if he tested positive for steroids, I doubt it.  It’s not like they are trying to break any home run records here.

Sounds like we will be seeing American Gladiators on the weekends at various times.  Check out the article below from NBC on how they are offering their Owned and Affiliated Stations the first 3 episodes to replay.

Article: In an unprecedented move, NBC is offering its owned and affiliated stations a second run of the first three episodes of the new hit series “American Gladiators” for non-primetime broadcast on the weekends of January 19-20, January 26-27 and February 2-3 — thereby providing the stations with an enhanced sampling opportunity with network programming for viewers in other dayparts. The announcement was made by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.

The idea for the re-purposed broadcasts came from the recent NBC Affiliate Board meeting. Viewers are urged to check local listings for exact re-broadcast times in their areas. (more…)

Here is the first official video preview of the new American Gladiators TV show that will begin airing on NBC January 6th of next year. The Gladiators look to be a little more sophisticated with their costumes and appearances. Below I have typed out what the Narrator says in the video, yes I have no life.

Transcript of Narrator:

“Vanished from an age long ago, a mystical breed of warrior is back and ready for battle. If you seek victory, If you seek glory you must conquer them. Good luck with that.  American Gladiators premeires Janualy 6th on NBC.”