- 15,661
- 4,793
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2008
News & Notes
Batista could be coming back sooner than expected.
Batista could be coming back sooner than expected.
- Word has it that Batista's surgically repaired hamstring is heeling well and he could be back much sooner than expected. Batista told JACK TV over in the Philippines earlier this week he may be able to comeback in a month and he's still a Raw worker, at least until the draft. There was talk Batista would not be able to return until August but it appears that could have been pushed up.
This week's RAW rating.
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- This week's edition of WWE Monday Night RAW did a 3.8 cable rating. This is down from the 4.1 rating that the previous two shows drew back-to-back.
The first hour pulled a 3.64 rating, while the second hour did a 3.99.
The show had an average audience of 5,511,000 viewers.[/font]
Edge to take time off or get moved to RAW after Wrestlemania?
- Take it for what it's worth, but Edge isn't booked at this point for the post-WrestleMania tour of Europe. It could be that WWE is switching him in the Draft and don't want to false advertise him for the SmackDown tour or they're trying to keep the Draft change a secret by not advertising him for the RAW shows. However, every other major Superstar is being advertised for the shows so it could be a sign of Edge taking some time off.
Mick Foley vs. Sting match on the way?
- The Mick Foley vs. Sting match seems to be a lock at this point. Foley has been teasing the bout in recent media interviews, hinting he will have a bigger role at Lockdown than he did at TNA Genesis back in January (where he made his in-ring debut in a six-man tag). Part of Foley's deal with TNA Wrestling is actually working matches, not just appearing on-camera. Foley has said he wants to work a couple more matches this year.
Ted DiBiase Sr. returning for an angle with his son?
- Donald sent word that the Portuguese Sports Record, quoting US sources, says that Ted DiBiase Sr. will be returning to WWE soon to take part in a storyline with Ted DiBiase Jr. on the RAW brand. The article notes that Ted is planning on wrestling one more match as part of the storyline.
John Cena teasing he'll be part of Edge vs. Big Show match at Wrestlemania.
The WWEI Sports Radio Network has a new interview online with John Cena. In it, Cena promotes his upcoming 12 Rounds movie and gives some comments on wrestling. When asked where he will be on the WrestleMania card with WWE doing Edge vs. Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship, Cena commented, "On paper it leaves me out of it. If I'm not the number one contender, I don't have any chance of going to Wrestlemania unless I'm a champion. I do have a little bit of an ace up my sleeve. Anytime you win a match it's great but the title doesn't change on a DQ and Edge has done a lot of stuff like that in the past." You can read the full interview at this link.
Matt Morgan to play a villain in Ironman 2.
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]TNA star Matt Morgan is capitalizing on his exposure on American Gladiators to secure an upcoming movie role as "Doomsday" on Smallville. He was originally cast in a different role because he was considered too tall, but producers changed their minds.
"My agent was trying to cast me for a different role and the producers called him back and told him I was a little too tall for what they were trying to cast me as," Morgan recently told the Pain Clinic Radio show.
"Long story short the director said, 'Let's find a way to recast the role for Doomsday and maybe have this Matt Morgan kid play him and see how he tests for it and things like that.'"
Morgan -- who used to hold Nitro, RAW and PPV parties in his college dorm room -- says the production team is supposed to re-write the show in post-production to include him in the role.
From the small screen to movies, Morgan is rumored for a role in the 2010 movie release of Iron Man 2. Mickey Rourke, who starred in "The Wrestler," reportedly turned down an offer to play a villain. That could open the door for Morgan.
"I don't want to get myself in trouble but I am also being cast in Iron Man 2 as, obviously, a villain but I can't really go into which character I'll be playing yet," Morgan said. ""It's another blessed opportunity I've gotten through American Gladiators."[/font]
Mr. T turns down Hall of Fame invite because of Pete Rose.
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In an interview with The UK Mirror, actor and early Wrestlemania headliner Mr. T commented that he turned down an invitation to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame because of the induction of another celebrity, Pete Rose.
"WWE asked me to be in the Hall of Fame and I turned it down. You know why? They put Pete Rose in the wrestling Hall of Fame. This guy can't even get into his own Hall of Fame. After they put Rose in they came and asked me and I said "You don't insult me! You don't put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame before me! I ain't going to be a part of that. They put him in and he only did one WrestleMania, and he didn't even wrestle."
T went on to claim he was the only celebrity to have wrestled, overlooking New York Giants great Lawrence Taylor, who headlined Wrestlemania 11's main event against the late Bam Bam Bigelow. There is also William "The Refrigerator" Perry, who competed in the Wrestlemania 2 NFL Battle Royal and was inducted into the Hall several years ago in Chicago as well. Last year, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. faced off with The Big Show in Orlando, FL.
Mr. T teamed with Hulk Hogan to defeat Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff in the main event of the first Wrestlemania in 1985 and returned to "box" Roddy Piper in one of the main events for the second Wrestlemania. He also had a short, forgotten stint as a troubleshooting WWF referee in the late 1980s.
For the record, Pete Rose actually appeared at Wrestlemanias 14-16, one more than T, doing a bit with Kane each year that led to Rose taking some sort of bump.[/font]
Evan Bourne getting cleared to return to the ring soon.
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- Evan Bourne should be cleared to make his return to the ring anytime now. The rising ECW star was scheduled to be seen by a doctor last week for clearance. Bourne has been out of action since October 28 due to a dislocated ankle and a torn deltoid ligament.[/font]
Vince McMahon souring on Kozlov?
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- There are reports that Vince has apparently started to sour on Vladimir Kozlov. One of the biggest supporters of Kozlov up until this point has been Vince McMahon himself, which explains his televised victory over Undertaker. We can expect things will be cooling off for Kozlov shortly.[/font]
JBL to "do something historic" at Wrestlemania.
- What happened to JBL's announcement on his WrestleMania plans at this past Monday's RAW? JBL announced on his WWE Unniverse blog last week that he would be unveiling his Mania plans this past Monday in Boston but that never happened. JBL posted a new blog yesterday on the Universe site: "I have said all along I am going to do something historic at WrestleMania," JBL wrote. "Believe me when I tell you - it will blow you away what will happen with JBL at WrestleMania".
Michael Hayes pushing for Rey Mysterio to be brought back to Smackdown.
- As noted before, Michael Hayes has been feeling the pressure on SmackDown to get the ratings up and Rey Mysterio has been rumored to be heading back to the SmackDown brand in the WWE Draft. Now we're hearing that Hayes is pushing for Mysterio to be brought back to Friday nights.
Creative team changes made in WWE.
-- There were some creative team changes made today within WWE, but we don't have full details yet other than John Carle has been relieved of his duties.
Another backstage change to cut costs for WWE.
In a cost cutting measure, WWE is no longer allowing wrestlers to get "draws" from producers on the road. It was a long standing tradition for wrestlers to get a cash advance to help their expenses on the road, which would then later be deducted from their paychecks. The company did away with the practice around the time they let Tim White go, who had been handling the responsibility.
More on Manu getting released.
While Manu's release from World Wrestling Entertainment wasn't seen as surprising to some considering he hadn't appeared on television several weeks, others were caught off guard by news of his departure. Considering he's a second-generation wrestler who showed a lot of potential while in developmental, some speculated he would simply return to Florida Championship Wrestling for more seasoning. In recent months, there was actually some paranoia with the famed Anoa'i family regarding Afa Sr.'s involvement with The Wrestler as he helped train Mickey Rourke for the movie and Vince McMahon was reportedly displeased with the flick after screening it-until it started garnering numerous accolades and tons of mainstream attention, in which case he embraced it with open arms.
Awesome Kong upset over new star's contract.
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]TNA Women's Knockout Champion Awesome Kong recently made it clear she's not happy with newcomer Brutus Magnus (real name Nick Aldis) making more money than her. Many feel it's hard to blame her as she's done so much for the company whereas Magnus is still very green and his only claim to fame before joining TNA was working for the UK version of American Gladiators.
Magnus is considered to be a project of TNA president Dixie Carter-the main force behind his arrival in the company. It's been said that Carter cares more about his charisma than his in-ring ability.[/font]
