Latest Mania News and Notes
WrestleMania is now just days away, and with it there is plenty to talk about in and out of the ring. Here are some of the latest news and notes in the WWE:
* No word yet as to why, but the WWE announced the release of Joey Mercury on Monday. The MNM member was on house shows over the weekend, including the one I attended in Canton, Ohio. There are some rumblings that the release may have something to do with the wellness policy, as Mercury already spent sometime in rehab when MNM was broken up last spring. We'll have more on this as we get to the bottom of the release.
* One guy on his way back is Mark Henry, who we haven't seen since July 15th when he blew out his knee on Saturday Night's Main Event. Henry was part of the house shows over the weekend in Mexico, and was back to playing the role of monster heel. I would expect to see him back on SmackDown when he comes back to the main roster after Mania.
* Likely due to the lack of big names going in, prices to get tickets for the WWE Hall of Fame induction on Saturday night are downright low. Last year and the year before, ticket brokers and fans that wanted to sell tickets cleaned up on the event, but this year, it's a totally different story. Upper level seats on EBay are well below face, and I am seeing pairs of $75 dollar seats selling as low as $31. Needless to say, no Hogan, Hart, Guerrero, or Piper and you have a big reason why no one wants to sit through the four hour show.
* Speaking of the Hall, they will have an hour of it on TV Saturday night on USA. It will air from 11pm to 12am, the same time they did the airing of it a year ago. On another note, with WrestleMania 24 next year in Orlando at the Citrus Bowl, they are looking at having the HOF the night before at the Amway Arena, the home of the Orlando Magic. If this year is any indication, they had better have a big-time name to go in next year, to avoid a ton of empty seats.
* No word yet as to why, but the WWE announced the release of Joey Mercury on Monday. The MNM member was on house shows over the weekend, including the one I attended in Canton, Ohio. There are some rumblings that the release may have something to do with the wellness policy, as Mercury already spent sometime in rehab when MNM was broken up last spring. We'll have more on this as we get to the bottom of the release.
* One guy on his way back is Mark Henry, who we haven't seen since July 15th when he blew out his knee on Saturday Night's Main Event. Henry was part of the house shows over the weekend in Mexico, and was back to playing the role of monster heel. I would expect to see him back on SmackDown when he comes back to the main roster after Mania.
* Likely due to the lack of big names going in, prices to get tickets for the WWE Hall of Fame induction on Saturday night are downright low. Last year and the year before, ticket brokers and fans that wanted to sell tickets cleaned up on the event, but this year, it's a totally different story. Upper level seats on EBay are well below face, and I am seeing pairs of $75 dollar seats selling as low as $31. Needless to say, no Hogan, Hart, Guerrero, or Piper and you have a big reason why no one wants to sit through the four hour show.
* Speaking of the Hall, they will have an hour of it on TV Saturday night on USA. It will air from 11pm to 12am, the same time they did the airing of it a year ago. On another note, with WrestleMania 24 next year in Orlando at the Citrus Bowl, they are looking at having the HOF the night before at the Amway Arena, the home of the Orlando Magic. If this year is any indication, they had better have a big-time name to go in next year, to avoid a ton of empty seats.
