Wrestling Thread May4-10 | 5/5 ECW on Sci-Fi - NEW TIME 10PM - Christian vs Mark Henry

30,184
1,991
Joined
Oct 15, 2000
9880072


10101320


If last week was a sign of things to come, Smackdown has clearly become the can't miss show in the WWE. Raw wasn't very good last week. Batista onceagain is the number one contender. To make it worse, he became the number one contender by winning via count out. Shane McMahon once again showed he is thebaddest man on the planet by beating down Randy Orton. Brian Kendrick was buried before ever even having a chance losing cleanly to Kofi Kingston. The Mizcut a great promo, but it ended up making no sense as John Cena was infact in the building. And John Superman Cena returned just 24 hours after beingelectricuted by a 7000 watt light bulb to set up a match with The Big Show. I guess the only real positive was HHH wasn't on the show, and should be offTV for a while. But as long as the McMahons are on, it really makes no difference. The only entertaining part of Raw was the opening segment that startedwith the promo from Randy Orton and was interupted by MVP. An Orton vs MVP feud down the line should be very good.

On the other hand, Smackdown was an excellect show. A possible feud between Edge and Jericho was set. Jeff Hardy became the number one contender forEdge's title by actually earning in in a great fourway match between Hardy, Mysterio, Jericho, and Kane. John Morrison beat Shelton Benjamin in a verygood match that seemed to start the face turn for Morrison. Lalya and Eve had an 'entertaining' dance off. MVP beat Dolph Zigler in a good match. And CM Punk and Edge had a really good match which set up the return of the best big man in the WWE, Umaga, to start a new feud with Punk. Overall, it was agreat show from start to finish. If Smackdown can continue this momentum, and Raw keeps sliding down the path they're on, there is no doubt that Smackdownis the #1 show entertainment-wise in the WWE. I know the ratings will say differently.


Heading into tonight's show, we are just 13 days away from Judgement Day. The only match announced for tonight is Randy Orton vs Shane McMahon. I ampraying this is the final blow off to this program. If the WWE has any idea of what is the right way to book a show, they will realize it is not about pushingthe owner's son over the WWE Champion. However, we've seen it before so I'm not holding my breath. If I were booking, I would have Ortoncompletely dominate this match, firmly establishing himself as the top heel on Raw. But we know that won't be the case. Going into my WWE mode ofthinking, I see the match playing out as follows. Shane McMahon controls the majority of this match. Orton narrowly escapes defeat and in the end is able tohit the RKO for the victory. He will then be setting up for the punt (they need a name for this), when Batista stumbles out to the ring to make the saveadding some heat to their match in two weeks.

The match hasn't officially been announced, but it certainly looks like John Cena will be facing The Big Show at Judgment Day. Please, try and containyour excitement. The Big Show has had more chances than anyone I can ever remember in the WWE, and he fails miserably everytime. They will have a slow andplodding match. Michael Cole will cream himself when Cena gets Show up for the FU even though Cena has done it multiple times. I'm sorry, but I can'tget excited for this match.

They probably need one more match from Raw. On Superstars, it seems they have been building a feud between the Colons and Priceless for the Tag Team Titles,so maybe that match will become official. If not, I wouldn't be surprised to see Beth vs Santina officially announced for Judgment Day. We'll see.
 
Originally Posted by 4wrestling

Michael Cole will cream himself when Cena gets Show up for the FU even though Cena has done it multiple times.
laugh.gif
laugh.gif
. Really though, dude OD's whenever Cena does that
smh.gif
.
 
smh @ raw. can someone PLEASE tell me where i can watch a stream of smackdown. i don't have mytvnetwork and i'd REALLY like to follow smackdown....
 
Expect some type of arm wrestling match tonight, maybe between beth and santino.

Shane and Orton will kick off Raw tonight per wwe.com. Wonder what the main event will be?
 
You're right 4w, Smackdown was a great show start to finish last Friday and Raw was not good. I mean a Batista/Show match to become #1 Contender ends in aCount out? It was hilarious seeing Show run back to the ring though
laugh.gif


Smackdown is getting good. They are just setting the groundwork for great feuds for the rest of the year. Hardy will face Edge at Judgment Day. I think Edgewill retain. Jericho and Edge seem like they could start a feud, but it will have to push one of them face in my opinion and I see Edge being the one to flip.Then we've got Morrison also getting in on a feud that could come up with Jericho. ANd of course Mr. MITB CM Punk to feud with Umaga for a little bit andthen come out of nowhere at a PPV to cash in on the champ, who will most likely be Edge.
 
Sounds like there could be some major breaking news out there. Hopefully Domski fills us in.
 
I always figured I would be a lot more excited for Raw during a time in which HGH wasn't champ, but it's just not happening here. I'll probablyjust DVR the show tonite... I'm much more interested in wishing demise upon the Boston Celtics.
 
Originally Posted by 4wrestling

Sounds like there could be some major breaking news out there. Hopefully Domski fills us in.

laugh.gif
laugh.gif
laugh.gif
laugh.gif



Hook it up with the N&N, DSK.
nerd.gif
 
News & Notes


Undertaker likely to have surgery and miss an undetermined amount of time.
tired.gif


The Undertaker continues to deal with issues regarding his knees which is why he did not work last Tuesday's WWE TVs. As we reported here at WNW, after WrestleMania, there was serious talk about holding Undertaker off of TV after the big pay-per-view to give him time to rest. Shawn Michaels (Undertaker's WrestleMania opponent) ended up getting time off and Undertaker gutted it out by working WWE's latest European tour.

The feeling is Undertaker is going to need to undergo surgery to clean up his knees which also carries the risk of doctors finding more serious problems. Undertaker spent a lot of time in his hotel room during WrestleMania weekend icing his knees prior to his 31-minute-match against Shawn Michaels.

There was speculation with WWE announcing the "Undertaker Rest In Peace" tour for later this year it would be an Undertaker retirement tour, although WWE sources have denied those rumors.

-[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- According to W.O.N., the Undertaker was not brought at the Madison Square Garden tapings last week due to hip and knee issues. The talk is that he will need some surgery on his knee, and will be out for an undetermined amount of time. WWE is worried that when they do surgery that they may find more serious issues.

With the Undertaker on the shelf, and the future of Jeff Hardy unsure as of now, WWE made the effort to push CM Punk as one of the brand's top faces. This was also the reason for the John Morrison face turn.
[/font]


Planned upcoming feuds for RAW and Smackdown.

WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Batista and John Cena vs. Big Show are currently planned for the two top feuds on Raw. There is talk of pushing Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase as a top tag team, challenging Primo & Carlito for the Unified Tag Team Championship. As for mid-card feuds, MVP vs. The Miz for the United States Championship is booked on house show cards next month.

World Heavyweight Champion Edge vs. Jeff Hardy is expected to dominate SmackDown for the majority of next month leading into Judgment Day. Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental Championship is booked for house shows next month.


Randy Orton expected to have a long reign as champion.
pimp.gif


[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Don't expect to see Randy Orton lose his WWE Championship anytime soon as company officials plan on giving him a lengthy run with the title, according to company sources. It's pretty much a given that Orton will be retaining his title in his match with Batista at the Judgment Day pay-per-view in two weeks.

Several WWE writers and agents feel that the title needs to stop bouncing around so much from wrestler to wrestler - the belt has changed hands at five of the last six pay-per-view events.
[/font]

[color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]Age of Orton part two...[/color]
pimp.gif



News & Notes from the annual WWE Shareholders Meeting; Vince turns down Playboy, wants WWE TV on all 5 weeknights, talks about Summerslamand more.

The 2009 WWE Annual Shareholders Meeting was held this morning (May 1st). Here are some of the newsworthy items from the meeting:

* Kevin Dunn missed the meeting due to an illness & may have been hospitalized.

* Vince McMahon said that he is not interested in running an MMA promotion.

* Vince McMahon said that WWE is looking into creating a Wednesday night TV program. He feels that it would not be overexposure due to the huge number of TV stations available & that being on TV every weeknight would make it easier for the fans to follow along with the storylines or catch up if they miss any of the TV shows.

* A shareholder requested the creation of a WWE affinity program. Vince McMahon agreed to look into possibly doing that.

* Donna Goldsmith said that WWE has major marketing plans for Summerslam 2009, including a huge party leading into the event. Vince McMahon predicted that Summerslam 2009 will sell out.

* Donna Goldsmith said that WWE has upcoming meetings with the USA Network & CNN regarding marketing.

* Vince McMahon said that Playboy wanted to work with WWE again this year, but Vince turned down the offer because of WWE's new "PG environment".

* Vince McMahon announced that WWE has signed a deal with Pepsi.

* Vince McMahon said that WWE was planning a tour of China, but ran into some problems. He feels that China will be a big part of WWE's future.

* Vince McMahon said that WWE is considering canceling it's tour of Mexico in late May due to the swine flu outbreak. He also announced a Mexican tour for October of 2009.

* Vince McMahon partially blamed the decline of pay-per-view buys on more fans choosing to watch pay-per-views with each other rather than individually ordering the pay-per-views.

* A shareholder asked if "Mr. McMahon" could be the person who ends the Undertaker's WrestleMania undefeated streak. Vince McMahon said that him ending the streak would probably anger a lot of people, so it's unlikely to happen.

* Vince McMahon said that both him & his wife will be participating in all of the upcoming earnings conference calls.

* Vince McMahon said that him appearing in a movie would be a bad idea due to his lack of patience & time.

* Vince McMahon said that holding WrestleMania overseas would be difficult because it would have to air live in North America. He mentioned that Summerslam 1992 from London, England aired in North America on a tape delay & it ended up being a bad business decision.

The entire meeting can be viewed online at: http://wwevideowm.fplive.net/wwevideo/wmv/adhoc/corporate/200905/shareholders2009_750.wmv


The latest on the Jeff Hardy/WWE contract situation; MTV reality show on the way?

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As we reported earlier, Jeff has turned down several of WWE's attempts to sign him to a new contract and the former WWE champion is said to be considering extended time away from the ring.

The latest is that Jeff has been giving the impression to friends that he will in fact re-sign with WWE before his contract expires this summer. While he is burned out with the hectic travel schedule, his willingness to walk away from WWE has given him negotiating leverage and he will likely ask for a reduced schedule, similar to the Undertaker's deal.

In related Hardy news, Jeff has had talks with MTV regarding a reality television series. Matt and Jeff currently produce the online video show "The Hardy Show" and the MTV series would likely tie into that.
[/font]


Why Christian is still on ECW.

- Christian was kept on ECW to work with the younger/greener guys. There is talk of putting him in a program with Vladimir Kozlov to try and make Kozlov look good. Tommy Dreamer vs. Jack Swagger is expected to run until Dreamer's contract expires in early June.


HHH vs. Randy Orton in a Hell in the Cell match at Summerslam?
eyes.gif


- There is talk of keeping Triple H off of television for at least a month, possibly longer to sell his "injuries" from Backlash. One idea that came up in a recent creative meeting was to put him in a Hell in a Cell match against Randy Orton at SummerSlam.


Why John Morrison and The Great Khali were pulled from the Smackdown Scramble match.

- John Morrison was removed from the Scramble Match main event (which was changed to a Fatal Four way) that will air on this week's edition of SmackDown because creative wants to build him more as a top guy. There is talk of a full-fledged babyface turn for him.

-As noted, the reason for Morrison being dropped from the match is because the company immediately plans on pushing him as a babyface and didn't want to risk getting a negative reaction from the MSG crowd.

As far as Khali is concerned, Vince McMahon doesn't see him as a headliner anymore. Furthermore, his removal would improve the quality of the match.



More on Ted DiBiase Jr.'s eventual face turn.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- The backstage segment on RAW recently where Ted DiBiase was seen talking to Cody Rhodes behind Randy Orton's back was done because there is a thought of eventually turning DiBiase and making him a top babyface star. The plan is that they want him to be a strong babyface by the time The Marine 2 is released on DVD this year. As noted earlier, Ted DiBiase Sr. recently said at a speaking engagement that WWE was planning on turning his son face for The Marine 2 release.[/font]


Bret Hart says he'd accept an apology from HBK about Montreal Screw Job incident.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- Bret Hart did an interview with Sky Sports this past week indicating that he would accept an apology from Shawn Michaels for his involvement in the infamous "Montreal Screwjob." "For me I don't really have much issue with it anymore," Hart said. "If you asked me that up until probably about a year ago I'd have probably said something different. But I've cooled off a bit now. I don't want to carry it around anymore. If he wanted to apologize I would accept it. I'd move on but I wouldn't forget it." Hart also said he'd consider Michaels' suggestion (in an interview with a recent issue of WWE Magazine) to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame - that is of course if he apologizes. "Maybe if he wants to make himself feel better about it he should have the guts to pick up the phone and apologize," Hart said. "Then we'll see after that." "The Excellence of Execution" looks back on his stellar career in wrestling, the untimely death of his brother Owen, his autobiography, and more.[/font]


Tommy Dreamer to possibly become new ECW General Manager.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Tiffany shouldn't get too comfortable with her role as ECW General Manager as there is already talk of replacing her in the near future. A lot will hinge on what Tommy Dreamer decides to do.

His contract is legitimately expiring in a few months and there is talk of making him the General Manager of ECW should he decide to re-sign with the company.

Internally, the feeling is that she isn't projecting well enough in her role as a result of her poor delivery on the mic.
[/font]


WWE's reaction to 12 Rounds flopping at the box office.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The feeling within WWE and the Films division regarding 12 Rounds' box office flop is that lackluster advertising is to blame. More than one source within the films division feels the TV spots and trailers made the film appear to be much more "low budget-looking" than it really was.

Several sources within the company feel that 12 Rounds was a stronger film than The Marine, and they would have much rather have had more people know Cena for his 12 Rounds performance than his Marine performance.

For what it's worth, WWE's excuse for the low box office numbers may be justified as 12 Rounds generally got better reviews than The Marine.
[/font]


CM Punk interview; talks about MITB, when he might cash it in, wrestlers he'd like to face and more.


CM Punk has done it all in the last 12 months.

He has won Money in the Bank twice, held world, intercontinental and tag team gold and now features on Friday Night Smackdown after switching brands during the latest draft.

During the recent UK Tour, the Straightedge superstar sat down with The Sun to chat about cashing in his briefcase, the guys he'd love to wrestle and why nobody in the WWE ever expected him to make it this far.

Q: How do you feel about the move to Smackdown?

I'm excited. I've done the ECW thing, won the titles there. Did the Raw thing and won all the titles there. Might as well go over to Smackdown and see what happens!

Q: We loved the Money in the Bank match, but we had it down to Christian or Kofi to win.

I'll be honest, I thought Shelton was going to win.

Q: When did you find out it was you?

Not long before. They keep things pretty hush hush, you find out on a need to know basis.

Q: It was probably the best Money in the Bank match so far...

I haven't watched it yet. I'm waiting for it come out on Blu-ray!

Q: Well, it's excellent. Kofi Kingston was great.

Yeah, he is a breath of fresh air. It was my third one so I feel like I'm boring and stale.

Q: We thought it might get to the end of the WrestleMania show and then you'd cash the briefcase in...

A lot of people have said that. That would have been really fun. That would have been rad.

Q: Do you think that's the way it will happen again, the shock run-in, or would you prefer to have a straight up match this time?

If it was up to me, I'm a guy who gets bored very, very easily and doing the same thing over and over again isn't very appealing, I would much rather do it a different way. I'm all for the ambush thing. I thought it was fun and it gets a reaction.

But I'm always thinking character-wise too. No-one ever thought CM Punk would be world champion, and that it was a fluke the way I won it. This time, perhaps I'll silence the critics and call someone ahead of time.

Q: The last time you were champion you capitalized on Batista's actions on Edge. Do you think the fact that you didn't win a match for the title harmed your reign as champion?

Not at all. I don't at all. Edge did it, he was ok.

To me it was a bad guy getting his comeuppance. What goes around comes around.

Q: You're over on Smackdown now, so is there anyone on that brand who you haven't got to grips with yet and would like to?

There's a laundry list of guys that I've yet to wrestle, and I'm started to get a little pissed about it.

Undertaker would be the number one guy now I'm on Smackdown. I've never wrestled Cena, Triple H, HBK or Jeff Hardy. To me, those are five huge, huge matches and I would love nothing more than to get in there with those guys.

Q: You list those five guys, the thing that strikes immediately is that they are all currently babyface, the same as yourself. Is there a chance we could see a heel CM Punk any time in the near future?

If it was up to me, then yes, absolutely. Do I think WWE is ready for a heel CM Punk? No, I don't. I don't see it happening any time soon. But man would that be fun.

Q: Do you have a pick for the 'next big thing'? Ted DiBiase, a lot of people say, and Swagger is another obviously one.

I don't think either of those guys can touch Evan Bourne. If we're talking about guys with potential, he's head and shoulders above everybody.

If used correctly he's the next Rey Mysterio.

Q: Interesting you mention him because you and he are almost the last guys to have come from the Indy circuit.

Maybe I'm a little biased. But he's a wrestling guy. Some people have got into this business in a different way, not that there's anything wrong with that.

The best way to get into the business in 2009 is to do it through the WWE because everything else is dying.

But Evan is a phenomenal athlete - he's a good looking little kid. What's not to admire about that guy?

Q: Did it mean a lot to you that when you were world champion that the man holding the TNA title was Samoa Joe, with the history you two have had?

Me and Joe have talked about this, and I get that question a lot. Joe's wife actually asked us, we were sitting around at Thanksgiving dinner, and she said: "It's crazy, did you ever both think you'd be world champions in different companies?"

We both looked at either other and went "Yep!" It may sound egotistical, but we knew we were that good.

We were two of the craziest most driven people you've ever seen in your entire life. I see something and go after it.

Q: At Survivor Series 2006, you were teaming with DX and the Hardys. Hunter did his usual mic thing, but handed it over to you and for a minute you were a star above DX, the crowd went crazy. Was that as big a buzz for you as for your fans?

Yeah, but I obviously I think I have a little bit of a behind the scenes twist on it.

To me it was like a big middle finger to everybody because I wasn't supposed to be there, wasn't supposed to make it. Even from then until now I wasn't supposed to make it this far.

Some say it's cocky, but I'm just a confident dude.

I've always tried to be the best. I'm not saying I am, I'm not saying I'm better than Hunter or the Hardys or Shawn or Samoa Joe or anybody, anywhere, in any company.

I just try to be the best. In the gym, watching tapes, in the ring, out of the ring, some days I have better days than others.

But yeah, that day was a bit of a launching pad for me and I remember that very fondly.

I just wish they'd done something more with it.



Batista interview; speaks on Randy Orton, Wrestlemania and more.

Chris Smith of Mirror.co.uk caught up with Dave Batista on Saturday night in Las Vegas before he escorted Manny Pacquiao to the ring. Below are highlights from the interview:

On his match against Randy Orton at Judgment Day:
Randy and I have got a lot of history together. My first TV match was against him on SmackDown, and we actually started off together in Ohio Valley Wrestling so we've always had good chemistry.
We had a really great match in December before I got injured so hopefully we'll be able to start out where we left off. I've never held the WWE Championship, always the World Heavyweight Title, so I'd really like to hold that belt.

On Randy Orton's development:
It's really cool actually because we've watched Randy go from being a boy to being a man in every sense of the word. He's matured so much in the ring, but behind the scenes as well. He's got married, had a child and I think he's really got control of his personal life and whatever problems he was having. He's just really matured a lot.

On being bumped from WrestleMania 25:
Oh yeah, definitely. I actually went up to see Vince about a month before the show because I felt my leg was healing up so fast. I told him "I think I could be ready for WrestleMania" and he said that they'd definitely be able to use me. I actually found out the Thursday before WrestleMania that I wasn't going to be in it. I think it was something very similar to what happened that Monday night (where I saved HHH and the McMahons from The Legacy), but they felt it would work better on RAW than it would at WrestleMania. I didn't really ask questions, just said "Okay, if that's what you guys want".

On how much longer he will remain in pro wrestling:
It's something that I've been thinking about a lot. I really just have mixed feelings about it right now. I have just about another year left on my contract which I want to fulfil and when I start getting close to the end of that contract that's when I'll make a final decision.

You can read the entire interview at this link.


Update on Bobby Lashley's status with TNA.

Dixie Carter and Jeff Jarrett are expected to meet with Bobby Lashley at next week's Impact tapings in Orlando, Florida in hopes of finalizing a contract with him. The deal is expected to allow Lashley to work a limited schedule that will still allow him to compete in MMA fights.

Up until this point Lashley has been working on a per-show basis which is a dangerous move. We heard WWE initially showed interest in bringing him back after he appeared on TNA PPV, but nothing ever materialized.


WWE's backstage reaction to Lashley debuting in TNA.

Nobody within WWE was too surprised to hear that Bobby Lashley has signed with TNA, and it was always seen as a matter of "when" and not "if."

Booker T has been a close friend of Lashley's for pretty much his entire career, and Kurt Angle had also pushed for Lashley to come in to TNA.

TNA offered Bobby Lashley a deal similar to Kurt Angle's where they give him the breathing room to do his MMA stuff. Lashley's training facility is in Florida about three hours away from Universal Orlando where TNA tapes the majority of their programming.

WWE does not see Lashley signing with TNA as a major loss, as opposed to how they would view someone like Rob Van Dam signing with the competition.



Dennis Rodman interested in working with TNA.


[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Retired NBA player Dennis Rodman was seen hanging out in Miami this past week with Jeremy Borash. According to a friend of Borash's, the 6-foot-8, five-time NBA champ and two-time All-Star inquired about working with TNA.

Rodman wrestled at a few WCW pay-per-view events in the late-1990s and won the first ever Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling tournament this past fall.

Rodman first stepped into the ring as a member of the New World Order, feuding with Lex Luger and The Giant. He would go on to wrestle fellow NBA All-Star Carl Malone, as well as ring veterans Curt Hennig and Randy Savage.
[/font]


Details on Kurt Angle's split with the WWE.


There is a detailed article in yesterday's Miami Herald on the history of the WWE-Kurt Angle split. Kurt Angle always claimed he quit, but in the article, it is revealed that WWE gave him a mutual release when he refused to go into drug rehab. The article also reveals that WWE wanted Angle to go to rehab months earlier and he refused then too. You can check out the lengthy article at this link.


John Morrison smashing Melina...again.


[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- Melina and John Morrison were together at the Hall of Fame ceremony a few weeks ago and they are once again a couple. They were put back together on the same brand during the Draft at least in part as a result of their relationship.[/font]


Hernandez out 2 to 3 months.


[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- LAX member Hernandez will be out of action for two to three months after undergoing neck surgery this past week. His neck surgery is the reason company officials booked "The British Invasion" alliance to attack him http://www.24wrestling.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1241424360&archive=&start_from=&ucat=7&#]backstage[/url] during last week's episode of Impact.[/font]


Details on Vince McMahon's opinion of Barack Obama.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There has been some talk in recent months that http://www.24wrestling.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1241210873&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6&#]Vince McMahon[/url] isn't fond of United States President Barack Obama, basically saying "he's bad for business."

The latest issue of Power Slam magazine sheds some more light on McMahon's opinion, including a behind the scenes story from last year in which WWE http://www.24wrestling.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1241210873&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6&#]television producer[/url] Kevin Dunn reprimanded anyone he saw wearing clothing or merchandise in support of the Democratic President-elect.

Here is what was written: "Dunn's philsophical overlap with Vince extends beyond wrestling. Like the WWE Chairman, Dunn is an ultra-conservative Republican who supported George W. Bush. In 2004, Dunn earned Vince's compliments when he proudly flouted company policy to wear a giant "Bush/Cheney 2004" badge to work on the day after the election. In 2008, creative team sources allege that Dunn, ironically, had anyone who wore clothing or merchandise related to the Democratic President-elect formally reprimanded by the company. Meanwhile, sources http://www.24wrestling.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1241210873&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6&#]backstage[/url] report overhearing McMahon and Dunn discussing how Obama's policies will so badly damage America's ecomony that periodic cuts in WWE personnel will be required in order for the company to continue to pay their multi-million-dollar executive salaries and stock dividends."
[/font]


Backstage update on Mr. Kennedy and the WWE.


In preparation for his return to WWE, PW reports that many WWE officials feel Ken Kennedy will need to prove that he can stay healthy before the company will give him a major push once he returns to the ring following his ongoing shoulder problems.

Kennedy has been pegged with the "injury prone" label by many in WWE according to sources, while others are not fond of some of the comments he has made in various mainstream interviews. One WWE source stated, "He needs to learn to shut the fu*k up." That comment was in response to a recent interview Kennedy took part in where he felt his shoulder injury could be career-threatening and sounded off again on steroid use.



Where the Santina angle is supposed to go.


- The Santina angle is being done for an eventual Beth Phoenix babyface turn where she will feud with Maryse for the Women's Championship.


Some wrestlers were told ahead of time of draft changes.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- It has been confirmed that a few of the top names who switched brands during the WWE Draft were told ahead of time at the previous week's television tapings. Unlike last year when Triple H was the only Superstar told ahead of time, at least three of the top names were told.

The company's decision to inform http://www.24wrestling.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1241211508&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6&#]wrestlers[/url] ahead of time made for better morale and a feeling that they were being treated with respect.
[/font]


Eric Bischoff not in WWE's new WCW DVD.


[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]- Via Twitter (twitter.com/EBischoff), a fan asked Eric Bischoff if he'll be taking part in http://www.24wrestling.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1241378438&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6&#]WWE[/url]'s upcoming "Rise and Fall of WCW" DVD release - which Jim Ross noted was in production in a recent blog post. Bischoff responded with the following:

"They called and asked me to be a part of it and I declined. No desire to give credibility to their revisionist history."

Bischoff later added the following in response to another fan:

"Chose not to participate in WWE's latest revisionist history initiative for many reasons including the obvious one."
[/font]


Stone Cold Steve Austin misses being in the ring.

As noted earlier, Steve Austin was overheard telling a friend that he missed being in the ring after watching WrestleMania 25 and seeing The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels and Ricky Steamboat's return to the ring.
 
off topic...

but doesnt it seem like only yesterday or this past WM, that Mayweather went up against Big Show??

It's been over a year!
eek.gif
 
Undertaker likely to have surgery and miss an undetermined amount of time.
tired.gif


The Undertaker continues to deal with issues regarding his knees which is why he did not work last Tuesday's WWE TVs. As we reported here at WNW, after WrestleMania, there was serious talk about holding Undertaker off of TV after the big pay-per-view to give him time to rest. Shawn Michaels (Undertaker's WrestleMania opponent) ended up getting time off and Undertaker gutted it out by working WWE's latest European tour.

The feeling is Undertaker is going to need to undergo surgery to clean up his knees which also carries the risk of doctors finding more serious problems. Undertaker spent a lot of time in his hotel room during WrestleMania weekend icing his knees prior to his 31-minute-match against Shawn Michaels.

There was speculation with WWE announcing the "Undertaker Rest In Peace" tour for later this year it would be an Undertaker retirement tour, although WWE sources have denied those rumors.

-[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- According to W.O.N., the Undertaker was not brought at the Madison Square Garden tapings last week due to hip and knee issues. The talk is that he will need some surgery on his knee, and will be out for an undetermined amount of time. WWE is worried that when they do surgery that they may find more serious issues.

With the Undertaker on the shelf, and the future of Jeff Hardy unsure as of now, WWE made the effort to push CM Punk as one of the brand's top faces. This was also the reason for the John Morrison face turn.
[/font]
Hopefully it is not worse than expected. I hope we can see Undertaker go another 3 years to make it 20-0.

Planned upcoming feuds for RAW and Smackdown.

WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Batista and John Cena vs. Big Show are currently planned for the two top feuds on Raw. There is talk of pushing Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase as a top tag team, challenging Primo & Carlito for the Unified Tag Team Championship. As for mid-card feuds, MVP vs. The Miz for the United States Championship is booked on house show cards next month.

World Heavyweight Champion Edge vs. Jeff Hardy is expected to dominate SmackDown for the majority of next month leading into Judgment Day. Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental Championship is booked for house shows next month.

These feuds are looking good, except the Jericho/Mysterio one. I don't understand the reason for it when they gave us indication of a Jericho/Morrisonfeud. But they really couldn't take the IC title off of Mysterio to put on Jericho to feud with Morrison because then it might affect the hispanic audiencewhich is the reason why they brought Mysterio to Smackdown in the first place.

Randy Orton expected to have a long reign as champion.
pimp.gif


[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Don't expect to see Randy Orton lose his WWE Championship anytime soon as company officials plan on giving him a lengthy run with the title, according to company sources. It's pretty much a given that Orton will be retaining his title in his match with Batista at the Judgment Day pay-per-view in two weeks.

Several WWE writers and agents feel that the title needs to stop bouncing around so much from wrestler to wrestler - the belt has changed hands at five of the last six pay-per-view events.
[/font]

pimp.gif
I wouldn't mind seeing him take it to the end of the year.

News & Notes from the annual WWE Shareholders Meeting; Vince turns down Playboy, wants WWE TV on all 5 weeknights, talks about Summerslam and more.

* Vince McMahon said that WWE is looking into creating a Wednesday night TV program. He feels that it would not be overexposure due to the huge number of TV stations available & that being on TV every weeknight would make it easier for the fans to follow along with the storylines or catch up if they miss any of the TV shows.

* Vince McMahon said that Playboy wanted to work with WWE again this year, but Vince turned down the offer because of WWE's new "PG environment".


There's no need for another show each week. And
ohwell.gif
ohwell.gif
ohwell.gif
ohwell.gif
ohwell.gif
ohwell.gif
ohwell.gif
Why Vince, why no Playboy?

Update on Bobby Lashley's status with TNA.

Dixie Carter and Jeff Jarrett are expected to meet with Bobby Lashley at next week's Impact tapings in Orlando, Florida in hopes of finalizing a contract with him. The deal is expected to allow Lashley to work a limited schedule that will still allow him to compete in MMA fights.

Up until this point Lashley has been working on a per-show basis which is a dangerous move. We heard WWE initially showed interest in bringing him back after he appeared on TNA PPV, but nothing ever materialized.


WWE's backstage reaction to Lashley debuting in TNA.

Nobody within WWE was too surprised to hear that Bobby Lashley has signed with TNA, and it was always seen as a matter of "when" and not "if."

Booker T has been a close friend of Lashley's for pretty much his entire career, and Kurt Angle had also pushed for Lashley to come in to TNA.

TNA offered Bobby Lashley a deal similar to Kurt Angle's where they give him the breathing room to do his MMA stuff. Lashley's training facility is in Florida about three hours away from Universal Orlando where TNA tapes the majority of their programming.

WWE does not see Lashley signing with TNA as a major loss, as opposed to how they would view someone like Rob Van Dam signing with the competition.


I was a big Lashely fan and I wish he would have come back to the WWE if he was planning to come back to Wrestling

Stone Cold Steve Austin misses being in the ring.

As noted earlier, Steve Austin was overheard telling a friend that he missed being in the ring after watching WrestleMania 25 and seeing The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels and Ricky Steamboat's return to the ring.
smh.gif
smh.gif
smh.gif
I was such a mistake to not have him wrestle this year. But hopefully he can pull one more match out.
 
I am really starting to think that if they dont really start to re-emphasize the WRESTLING... this PG turn will lead to TNA (if they can consistently keeptheir act together) catching up to WWE... as most stuff is going to come off really lame to their core audience (13-18 and 18-34)....

I heard someone say this and it wasnt about the attitude era, but it seems to fit so well as to why it worked...

"everyone wants to be 17.. people younger want to be 17, and people older want to go back to being 17"

the current wwe product (RAW especially) seems like its made for 12 year olds
 
^^ In that case it is ok, it would be like looking at supernova the way that thing has been used.
 
Originally Posted by DimondJ15

I am really starting to think that if they dont really start to re-emphasize the WRESTLING... this PG turn will lead to TNA (if they can consistently keep their act together) catching up to WWE... as most stuff is going to come off really lame to their core audience (13-18 and 18-34)....

I heard someone say this and it wasnt about the attitude era, but it seems to fit so well as to why it worked...

"everyone wants to be 17.. people younger want to be 17, and people older want to go back to being 17"

the current wwe product (RAW especially) seems like its made for 12 year olds

Yeah, the last TNA Impact was decent and I saw a few people I thought had some real potential there, but I do ate that six-sided ring, just switch to 4
 
I'm sorry, but TNA isn't watchable yet, for me anyway.

I NEEEEEEEEEEEEEED HDNet so I can start watching ROH.
 
Back
Top Bottom