WWE Suspends 10 Wrestlers For Policy Violations

NEW HAVEN, Conn. World Wrestling Entertainment has suspended 10 performers for violations of a policy that requires drug tests, the company said Thursday.

Stamford-based WWE says it issued suspension notices based on independent information received from investigators from the Albany County New York District Attorney’s Office.

WWE spokeswoman Jennifer McIntosh would not identify the performers or specify how they violated the policy. She referred other questions to the district attorney’s office, where a message seeking comment was left.

Under the wellness policy, which requires tests for steroids and other drugs, a wrestler faces a 30-day suspension for a first violation, a 60-day suspension for a second violation and firing for a third violation.

In June, pro wrestler Chris Benoit killed his wife and young son and hanged himself. Investigators say Benoit had a steroid and other drugs in his system at the time.

Earlier this month, WWE officials met with New York prosecutors investigating illegal steroid sales.

At the time, McIntosh confirmed the meeting but declined to comment on what was discussed.

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments

The WWE has now run two of its three TV shows this week, with just SmackDown on Friday night waiting in the wings. The week has been built around two angles, the John Cena-Randy Orton angle, in which they used John's Dad on Monday night at the RAW on Monday night in Boston. On Tuesday, the ECW TV was a four-way with the Miz, Big V, CM Punk and Boogeyman going at it for the number one contender spot, and Punk, much to my shock, walked away with the win to earn (yet again) a shot at John Morrison, who is becoming worse and worse on the mic each week if that is possible.

I thought that RAW had way to little wrestling, and still to much with the Vince angle, as well as too much backstage coming off of SummerSlam. I guess Triple H was brought back just to do comedy angles with Vince again, as instead of keeping the feud with Booker going, they instead went into a comedy angle with Carlito and Vince, in which they brought out a couple of ugly chicks and even a dude to make it as if Vince had slept with each one. Then in the end, Carlito went after HHH, and of course to keep strong, H came out on top and beat down Carlito.

Cryme Tyme is getting old, and if they are setting them up for the tag belts, get them on them quick, as I am already tired of doing the "sell off" stuff each week. It's the same old with the WWE, it was funny the first time, but after the 3,000,000 time, it gets old. Just like Ron Simmons week after week. Let the guy speak, or get him off of TV. The best comedy the company has on TV right now is William Regal and Santino Marella. Those two are good on screen. The rest I can do without.

I guess they are going to reverse thinking about a Umaga face turn and put him back with Jeff Hardy, which was supposed to be the angle for SummerSlam before Jeff got suspended. I for one like it, and I think that it will be a hot angle leading to what should be a good match at Unforgiven. Let's not forget that Hardy-Umaga was about the best match of Great American Bash along with Cena-Bobby Lashley.

As far as the ending angle, you knew that after they showed John's dad at ringside, they would do something with him. They are playing the beat down from Orton on John Sr. on WWE's website even with pics and what not. Solid angle, and should set up the rematch for Unforgiven, and I wouldn't doubt seeing John's father in his corner, and maybe Randy's dad - Bob Orton, in his corner. Who knows, that might not be a bad thing.

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments

WWE SummerSlam Sunday night from New Jersey was one of the more lackluster SS's that I can remember. They did not have the 80's star power of the last two years with Hulk Hogan, and the three main advertised main events, only one really delievered - that being John Cena vs Randy Orton. The HHH vs King Booker match seemed like a complete squash to me, and the Khali vs Batista match was awful, which we've come to expect with each and every Khali match.

The other return of Rey Mysterio was just bizarre. Silver body paint? That made no sense to me from the start, plus, did someone forget to tell Rey to lose about 15 pounds before his return? He looked dare I say - fat. I mean, his gut was bigger than at any other time I have ever seen it, and he went from being this fast, dynamic wrestler to this fat, dynamic wrestler. The match with Chavo was good, but again, a complete squash in the end as they had Mysterio go over clean.

Now don't get me wrong, I knew, you knew, we all knew that HHH and Mysterio would not lose in their comeback matches, but it would have been nice to protect both Booker and Chavo a little bit here. I still thought there was enough heat to carry out programs for a few more weeks with Booker and Chavo as the heels in matches vs HHH and Rey, but with clean wins with finishing moves, it almost seems like both programs are already over. Nevermind the fact that Triple H on RAW last night was more of a comedy act and nothing about him being in the ring as a wrestler really came up. Of couse one would take next week that we'll be seeing HHH vs Carlito, but then again, who knows.

I felt that Batista would win the title, which was a total letdown, meaning that we'll see Khali for a few more weeks with the strap. Why they just continue to insist to keep the belt on Khali at this point is beyond me. He can't wrestle, is not over with the fans, and makes the belt seem like a joke. Batista is more over now than ever, give him the belt back and at least let him get in another feud or two before he gives the belt right back to Edge upon his return.

As for Cena, I called this one. Just when you think the belt is going another way, the company decides to keep it where it is. I thought the match was good with Orton, but again, this show was a downer for me, so even the main event could have been better. The crowd made it strong, and now with Cena keeping the strap and Randy taking out his Dad on RAW, they will for sure have a rematch at Unforgiven, which was the plan from the start.

For now though, things will stay the same. Khali keeps his belt (ugh) and Cena remains the champ. Overall, SummerSlam was not as good as the previous years, and I expect them to run pretty much the same card out for Unforgiven next month in Tennessee.

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments

FROM MYFOX TAMPA BAY

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4178621&version=9&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

CLEARWATER – Police in Clearwater as a single-car crash sent two young men to the hospital with serious injuries, and professional wrestler Hulk Hogan's son was among them.

The crash happened at around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday night along Court Street in Clearwater. Witnesses say 17-year-old Nick Hogan's sports car was traveling at a high rate of speed when it careened out of control and hit a palm tree in the raised median of the four-lane road.


The force of the impact destroyed the yellow Toyota Supra, and firefighters had to cut Hogan and another man from the wreckage.

Police say Hogan was behind the wheel of the car at the time of the crash, and he was less seriously hurt than his passenger, who is in critical condition. Both men were flown to Bayfront Medical Center for treatment.

Nick Hogan's condition was unknown early Monday morning.

Hogan - whose real name is Nicholas Alan Bollea - is one of the stars of the MTV reality show 'Hogan Knows Best'. He's also a professional driver, and he is signed with Dodge on the professional drift circuit. He got his Formula Drift license in 2006.

Nick's famous father, pro-wrestler Hulk Hogan, arrived at the scene of the crash shortly after hit happened. He took a look at the wreckage, and spoke with rescue crews.

Posted by Matt Loede at 5:26 AM | Permalink | Comments

Site Editor Matt Loede & John Sefick look back at the 2007 WWE SummerSlam. From the results to the news, notes, good and not so good, the duo take you through all the events of the 20th edition of the card from New Jersey.

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments

Matt Loede and John Sefcik preview tomorrow nights SummerSlam from New Jersey.

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments

WWE's second biggest PPV - SummerSlam will take place Sunday night in New Jersey. The show has been sold out almost since it went on sale back in late December, so the crowd should be hot for the show and the atmosphere should be very strong. The card has been shifted a few times, and late Wednesday they announced the match with MVP and Matt Hardy is off for now due to the heart condition recently discovered in MVP. This match should be on for Unforgiven in December. We will have complete coverage of SummerSlam throughout the weekend, with a pre-match podcast show up on the site Saturday night, and a post-match podcast show after the event wraps up Sunday night. Here now though is our official preview for SummerSlam.

Divas Battle Royal - The winner of this will get a future shot at Candice Michelle, and based on Monday night, you'd have to think this one is going to go to Mickie James, who might be back on the verge of going heel. The others in the match don't really matter, and this should be quick and painless for the most part. The other option they could go with if they want to keep Mickie face for awhile is Beth Phoenix.

Umaga vs Carlito vs Mr.Kennedy for the IC Title - The face push of Umaga is slowly coming, and you could tell Monday night that by the time this match wraps up, it should be totally complete. Kennedy is the one to watch here, and the projected huge push from the McMahon paternity angle is coming, and we'll see if he lifts his game. Kennedy vs Carlito was the best wrestling match on RAW this past week, and Umaga is not bad in-ring as well, so this should be a solid three-way. Only question will be how long they give it. I expect Umaga to keep the strap with a pin of Carlito.

John Morrison vs CM Punk for the ECW Championship - The match we've now seen for three straight months is happening again, as Morrison takes on Punk. These two have had good matches so far, and they have good chemistry in the ring together, so this will be good to watch. Only thing is you know flat out that Punk won't win this here, and that will make this match a bit flat. The way things are actually setting up, you have to wonder if Steven Richards is set to be the next Morrison challenger once this feud here wraps up. Morrison by pin....again.

Kane vs Finley - this match will be announced tonight on SmackDown from what I am hearing. A filler match with two decent workers. No idea why here they waste a spot, but again, these guys both pay their dues week after week. This one won't be very long, and I think they give it to Kane just because.

Rey Mysterio vs Chavo Guerrero - I have liked how they have kept both Rey and Triple H off of TV, trying to pick up some extra buys for the event Sunday. These two have wrestled hundreds of times, so they have good chemistry in the ring as well, which should make this a good match on TV. I can see the angle of Chavo working the knee most of the match, and Rey finally making the comeback and getting the pin. No chance that either Rey or HHH lose in their first match back.

The Great Khali vs Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship - Cars will be overturned, fires will be set, and there will be riots in the street as the painful title reign of the Great Khali finally comes to an end. After basically throwing him the belt in a pinch, time to take it off the big man, and get it back to another big man - Batista, for a longer program between the two. At least Khali tries, but as usual, this will be hard to watch. I expect to see a 10 minute match with lots of stuff outside the ring, which will eventually lead to Batista in the ring getting a slam, spear, pin and a recapture of the title.

Triple H vs King Booker - To no one's surprise, this is being pushed as the semi-main event, with it listed as second on the official WWE site. Yes the return of HHH is big news, but maybe the bigger news is Booker's three-year new deal with the company, and the rumor he wants to be in more of a producer role so he doesn't get buried here. I would think that the way Booker works he'll give HHH a good match here, and I would not be shocked if we see HHH win, but only by DQ or count-out to keep the feud going. They may also do a double DQ or count-out to not sweep the King under the rug quite so quickly. For now, I'll say HHH by DQ.

Randy Orton vs John Cena for the WWE Title - The first thing that comes to mind for this main event is the crowd, which will just bury Cena all night long. Remember the reaction that The Rock got when he took on Brock Lesner back in 2001? Times that by 10 and you'll have what Cena will go through in this match. Sometimes I think that Cena would be better off feeding off the boos, and fighting a more aggressive, heel style, but that company does not appear to be anxious for him to do that. Here, he and Orton have worked a lot, so they should be able to pull off a strong 15-20 minute match. The word from day one was that this was going to be an Orton win, but I am not so sure, as with HHH and Booker keeping their feud going, and Batista beating Khali for the other strap, they may keep this on Cena for just a bit longer and have a rematch at Unforgiven and then take the belt onto Orton. I just keep going back to how bad the crowd is going to be so anti-Cena here. For now I'll stick with my thoughts that they are not going to rush this, and have Cena keep it with a shallow, yet pinfall win.

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:12 AM | Permalink | Comments

With SummerSlam just a short time away, it's time to play a little SummerSlam Trivia. On the line is a T-Shirt of WWE Superstar Umaga! All you have to do is simply email me at mslprod@ameritech.net with your answers. All entries that get all the answers correct will have their names thrown in a hopper and we'll pick a winner. The winner will be notified by email and from there we will get your address to send the t-shirt to. Enjoy!

1. The First ever SummerSlam match in 1988 went to a time-limit draw. Who wrestled in that match?

2. The 1990 SummerSlam had two main events. Who wrestled in those main events?

3. Bret "Hit Man" Hart won the IC belt at SummerSlam in 1991. Who did he beat to win the gold?

4. Who wrestled in the "Rest in Peace" match at the SummerSlam in 1993?

5. SummerSlam 1994 was highlighted by Undertaker vs Fake Undertaker. Where was that event held at?

6. What current WWE star did Sable tag with in SummerSlam in 1998?

7. Who wrestled in the "Love Her or Leave Her Match" in SummerSlam in 1999?

8. Who won the WCW Championship in the main event of SummerSlam in 2001?

9. Name 4 of the 6 wrestlers in the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber Match in SummerSlam 2003

10. Name the main event "Icon vs Icon" of SummerSlam 2005

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments

Lots of spoliers are hitting the internet right now about the upcoming angles for the WWE, and while most of them you can take with a grain of salt, there are two that appear to seem legit and you can actually see happening. The first of which involves the World Heavyweight Championship match this Sunday at SummerSlam, as Batista takes on The Great Khali. The word is that Batista will get his belt back on Sunday, beating Khali and keeping a program with the then former champ going as they will then battle again at Unforgiven in September. That match will have a stip, as I can see a cage or even so far as to doing a Hell in a Cell, as we have not seen one of those in 2007.

Batista will keep the titles in the rematches, and then come Survivor Series or Armageddon, he will face Edge and will drop the belt back to the Rated R Superstar. The word all along was that once Edge was healthy enough to get back in the ring, they would give him the belt back, as it was his fault for the injury, and the company had a long-term plan to keep the strap on him, as he was going to take it all the way into a program with Undertaker. With that, Taker and Edge could easily be headed for a showdown at WrestleMania 24 in Orlando.

On to another story that has been garnering tons of attention, the paternity angle with Vince McMahon. The rumor going around from day one was that the "son" of Vince was and is going to be Mr.Kennedy. This will give Kennedy the bump that he has been waiting for for sometime, and the company wants him to make it to the next level. A rumor going around is that the announcement about Kennedy being the son of Vince will come out at a three hour RAW in October. At the same time, the long awaited announcement that everyone knows will be made public, as they will push that Triple H is Vince's son-in-law.

This will lead to a program with HHH and Kennedy, which some are saying could end at Mania as well. To add to the mix, Stephanie McMahon will make her return this Fall to get involved in the angle. Shane McMahon is going to get involved around Royal Rumble, likely to take the side of Kennedy. What and how a championship will be involved with this angle remains to be seen, but I would be willing to bet something huge would be on the line.

Again, all these are rumors, but it is fun to speculate and think about the upcoming storylines that the company is going to run with.

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:52 PM | Permalink | Comments

I for one thought that for a "go-home" edition of RAW before the second biggest PPV of the year, this was not exactly a show that would make me part with $40 come Sunday. It did have it's high points, but overall, I am not all that impressed with the card they are going to roll out with Sunday in New Jersey, and I think for a SummerSlam, this can only be said that this is one of the weaker shows for that event they have had in awhile. I realize they have done all they can with Randy Orton vs John Cena, but personally I am just "blah" about this match since we have seen it before. And yes, if you go back and look at RAW's in the past, we've seen Orton vs Cena before.

Can this match be that good? Well, I think it has potential, as there is enough that they have done with the two over the past couple weeks that they can make this into a very good match if booked correct. I don't know what they have up their sleeve, but I think they should make this a No DQ or something to add a little flair to it, otherwise you are looking at what should be a long, 20-25 minute match that can be good, but likely will not be great and not worthy of a main event of a SummerSlam.

On to RAW, the show was the build to Sunday, and they had a total of five matches, none of which were all that memorable. The best on the night was a contender match to see who would fight the now face Umaga at SS, as Carlito went one-on-one with Mr.Kennedy. Both these guys can be very good, and while this was a bit rushed, it was the best thing on the show. We also had a divas match, that in the end was just about what we see every week. Cody Rhodes beat Shelton Benjamin in an okay match, then got laid out by Benjamin and Haas, making me think that Cody is about to get a partner. The tag match with Cade and Murdoch vs London and Kendrick was okay, and you knew we'd see Cryme Tyme get involved, which was fine for what it was. And then the main event, which was Cena winning via DQ over Snitksy when Orton got involved.

I was just mentioning the other day about Snitsky, and what happened to his big push, and it's as if Vince was listening, as they decided to finally throw him a bone. I don't really have any problem with Gene, but here's a guy that was on Heat about five months ago, and now is a headliner on the companies franchise show. Hmmm.

Other angles on the show as Ron Simmon's date with Maria, with the now heel Santino Marella showing up at the meal with Jullian Hall. Funny stuff, but a little too lighthearted for me the week of a major PPV. Then we continued with the Vince "kid" angle, and all we learned was that the kid is a male. Wow, big shock there. Also you had JR kissing Booker's ring when Sharmell made him to build the angle with HHH for Sunday.

And that was about it. You didn't miss much in the build for Sunday if you didn't catch it, other than the fact that they are trying hard for a good buyrate, but to me, it looks like the card and what they are throwing at us this just does not have the overall same feel of SummerSlam's in the past.

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:37 PM | Permalink | Comments

The true countdown to SummerSlam is now on, as tonight we'll have the final RAW before the big event, and then tomorrow night the last SmackDown and ECW shows before the sold-out event this weekend in New Jersey. I did enjoy most of what I saw over the weekend in terms of SmackDown and Saturday Night's Main Event, and actually got a kick out of the SNME show, which I thought was the best they've had since they brought the show back. It also had that star power appeal with boxer Evander Holyfield coming in for that match with Matt Hardy, which turned out to be somewhat of a joke, but in the end you knew that Evander would be the good guy and get the better of MVP.

There has been plenty of talk about two huge subjects as we head into SummerSlam, the first of which is will they reveal who the "child" is of Vince McMahon? I don't think they will do it on Sunday, as this is a perfect chance for them to keep the drama going and try and score a big rating on RAW with announcing who the "child" will be sometime in the month of September when things are a bit slow. Ask me who it is - I still think the plan is, and will be Mr.Kennedy. Seems like the perfect fit, and yes, now that it's been bantered about for ever, the announcement of Kennedy would be a bit of a letdown, but if they play it off like it's someone else, I don't think that person would get the push that Kennedy would.

From what I am hearing and seeing, the word early is that Kennedy would get a big enough push to land him in a program with Triple H after they make the announcement of him being Vince's kid. I don't know if I like that idea, only because I would assume with HHH being champion again down the road (ugh), they are going to have to basically bury Kennedy in this feud. Of course they could, and likely would go back and forth for a number of months, and I guess if you did do it right, you could have each of them come out of the program with enough gusto to make it work, but knowing how they do business with HHH, they will protect him at all costs, which is not always a good thing.

The other big question about SummerSlam is what will the outcome be with John Cena vs Randy Orton for the WWE title? As always when you have this type of build, most are saying that Orton is going to come out on top, and some big wrestling sources are saying that is the plan. I think they personally should do the swerve, and have Cena go over and continue the feud with another match maybe as soon as the September PPV. Why force the belt off of Cena so fast, when you know that he and Orton will have a large number of rematches? Keep this program going, and then use one of the next two PPV's to move the belt, that way you can also advance programs for the next round of challengers for Orton.

SummerSlam's buyrate is going to be of major interest. Looking at the card, this year seems down for sure over the last two, and with a main event of Cena-Orton, which has been the house show main event since before WrestleMania (saw this match in Canton, OH at a house show months ago), the match could be kind of stale for those that have already seen it. As for the rest of the card, HHH will get a big pop, but he and Booker is for sure a filler, and Chavo vs Rey Mysterio has been seen by just about anyone who has ever clicked on a WWE TV show. They will have to put out there another 3-4 matches this week as well, as right now we only have five matches on the card, which basically includes the three major title matches, and the two returns for HHH and Mysterio.

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:08 AM | Permalink | Comments

The company is in full "go" mode with it being 9 days until Summerslam. One has to wonder what the buyrate would have been if they would have gone ahead with the whole "Jackass" angle, but instead the big stories that will surround the event include the returns of HHH and the 619, as well as the expected win of Randy Orton of the WWE Title over John Cena. The WWE is running house shows over the weekend with Cena and Orton doing battle, and that is squarly to get them set for their SummerSlam match. Of course Cena and Orton have done plenty of house shows in the past, so this match should be a good one all the way around.

There are some interesting news and notes for a Friday:

* Reports say that King Booker, who had in the past openly spoken of walking away from the squared circle, is set to sign a new three-year deal with the company. Booker is going to wrestle a lighter schedule, and will also run his promotion down in Texas. I expect to see Booker at somepoint in his final years in the ring go back to being a face.

* The Mr.McMahon "child" saga continues, and after a few reports, we're back to hearing that the child will end up being Mr.Kennedy. If that is the case, the outcome will be somewhat of a letdown, as that is exactly what pretty much we all are expecting. There is also rumors going around that states Kennedy will battle Triple H in a feud once it's announced that he's the son of McMahon.

* Speaking of Triple H, there is still the decision to be made as to how they will handle DX once Shawn Michales comes back. It's such a big money maker for the company, and well after both men were hurt, they were selling, and selling well, DX merchandise at TV and house shows. Once Shawn comes back, which is expected to be in or around November, we'll see what they do and if the team comes back to life.

* It is already somewhat decided that Viscera, the now "Big Daddy V" over in ECW is getting a huge (no pun intended), push within the company. Many think that the new look will lead to a push all the way to SmackDown. While I don't think that "V" is title material, I think that he still has plenty of gas in the tank enough to make a run as a semi or even short term main event guy. I wonder if when "V" moves, Matt Striker will move with him, as he has been his acting manger since he showed up with the new look.

* Speaking of pushes, what exactly has happened to the push that we all though Snitksy was supposed to get going to RAW. Rumors were running that Snit was even going to get a title program with John Cena at one point. I guess this is not the case, as really all he's been doing is this long slow build in beating guys like the Highlanders. If a push is coming, wake me up when it happens.

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Special WWE® Presentation Taking Over SNL Timeslot Saturday, August 18
to Also Reveal Update in McMahon Paternity Suit

NEW YORK – August 15, 2007 – World Wrestling Entertainment® (WWE) rocks Madison Square Garden this weekend when "Saturday Night’s Main Event" returns for a special presentation on Saturday, August 18th, from 11:30 p.m. – 1:00 am ET/PT. In an interesting turn of events, United States Champion MVP™ taps boxing legend Evander Holyfield as his replacement to go head-to-head against WWE Superstar Matt Hardy™ in a special boxing match.

Additionally, more news about the Mr. McMahon paternity suit will be revealed in Saturday’s broadcast and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin™ will make a special appearance.

Other key matches include:

• WWE Champion John Cena® against Carlito™

• SmackDown® tag-team match with Batista® and Kane® against The Great Khali™ and Finlay™

• ECW® tag-team match with C.M. Punk™ and Boogeyman™ against Big Daddy V™ and John Morrison™

With a career record of 42-8-2, Holyfield, known all over the world as “The Real Deal,” is vying to win boxing’s Heavyweight Championship for an unprecedented fifth time on October 13 in Moscow (available on PPV) when he fights Sultan Ibragimov for the WBO Heavyweight Title.

"Saturday Night's Main Event" debuted on NBC in late night as a replacement for "Saturday Night Live" repeats in 1985, and originally ran through 1992. The groundbreaking program brought professional wrestling to broadcast television for the first time and set off two decades of success on broadcast and cable, including ratings titan "Monday Night RAW®" on USA Network. The televised wrestling rumbles also launched a galaxy of multi-talented Superstars that crossed over from the ring to countless areas of American entertainment, such as Hulk Hogan, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, The Honky Tonk Man and King Kong Bundy.

Posted by Matt Loede at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments

WWE RAW from Madison Square Garden on Monday night to me felt a little underwhelming, considering the hype that was going into what a lot of people thought was going to be a big show. The "return" of HHH was nowhere to be seen, and the main event with unlikely tag partners of John Cena and Umaga vs Randy Orton and Carlito just seemed flat. Even the final scene with Linda McMahon telling Vince that he no longer had a home was a bit on the boring side.

The other "big" news on the show was the start, in which we learned from Stephanie McMahon that one of the WWE wrestlers was actually Vince's son/daughter. Again, this was a no-brainer, so I can't actually believe that they tried to play this off as some sort of surprise. They also teased after the announcement that the "son" of Vince was Mr.Kennedy, meaning that they must have gotten wind through the net that the rumor was spreading, so they are now going to have to move in a different direction.

In looking at todays roster, it's such a tossup AFTER Kennedy as to who would be Vince's "son" that who it could be is anyones guess. Sure they could go with the obvious choice in Kennedy, but I think now that plan will shift. What would be interesting is if they made it a guy like Steve Austin, or an older wrestler (Mick Foley could be in the mix as well), who wants to comeback and be a part of the company as the commish or GM or whatever. I also wonder how long we're going to play this thing with the "Who's Vince's Kid" thing out?

Back to wrestling, they didn't have all that much on the card, with Kennedy beating Sandman, another long drawn out Cryme Tyme skit with them selling Lilian Garcia's chair, then losing to Cade and Murdoch via DQ. Snitsky squashed Highlander Robbie, Cody Rhodes rolled up Charlie Hass for a pin, and then the main event. In between we had the comedy skit of the night with "WWE Idol" as Jillian Hall, Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik (which was great!) and Lilian Garcia singing for judges William Regal, Maria, and Mick Foley.

The end of the skit came as Santanio Marella, who is clearly going heel, came out and stopped Lilian, and then tried to get Maria to come back with him to go to Little Italy. Then Ron Simmons came out, got in Marella's face, and threw him into the staging, knocking him out. He was then declared the winner. I can't really understand the whole thing with Regal, as I guess his role as GM will be to do a comedy skit each week. I don't forsee him being in this role too long.

As for Simmons, I know that the whole thing with him is to do the one word thing that ends in "am," but eventually that is going to run out as well. They have a choice there, either don't run him out there every week, or if they do that, you have to start eventually letting him actually talk. He doesn't have to do long winded speeches, just say a few things here and there.

They also finally did the Booker-HHH setup for SummerSlam, and it was done well as Jerry Lawler told Booker in the ring he would be facing HHH at the event, and they didn't role HHH out there, which is what everyone thought. I guess in hindsight, keeping both Rey Mystero and HHH off TV until SummerSlam is going to make more people want to buy the event. Heck, they need to do something.

So in the end, kind of a weird show, not much in the ring, and a lot of soap opera stuff that didn't seem to go nowhere. Next week more of the same with Vince, and then we'll have the Maria-Ron Simmons date from the dating game show they did last week.

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments

Of course today is yet another sad day in the world of wrestling, as we have found out that Brian "Crush" Adams passed away today in his home in Tampa. The early word is that Adams' wife found him unconscious. Sources say there were no signs of any sort of injury or foul play. Authorities are now waiting on the results of his autopsy. He was found about 11:30 a.m. not breathing. Of course as sad as this whole situation is, the death is even worse since the mainstream media is already running with it. Fox News has a story on it: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293152,00.html and says that the wife called 911 and fire rescue workers later pronounced him dead.

The death, as we all know, comes less than two months after the Chris Benoit saga, which is exactly why the mainstream media will run with this from now till forever. Adams was 44 years old. He will best be remembered as part of Demolition, and also "Crush," when he had memorable feuds with guys like Randy Savage and Doink the clown. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Adams' family.

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:37 PM | Permalink | Comments

Let's Wrestle has learned that Brian Adams, also known to fans as Crush, has been found dead today. More details are unknown; stay tuned to http://letwrestle.blogspot.com as they become available.

Posted by Matt Loede at 4:12 PM | Permalink | Comments

Another lull of a week for WWE television, and not a lot going on as far as out of the ring either. There was a major surgery this week for WWE Superstar Bobby Lashley, and you won't be seeing the big man in action for about five months. He has what many are saying is a torn rotator cuff. However, his rotator cuff was not torn but they found other serious injuries that they had to go in and repair. Lashley’s injuries couldn’t be fixed through arthroscopic surgery and is expected to be out for three to five months. It might be a good thing in the long run, and some were growing tired of the Lashley character, and it might be time to refresh him and get him off TV, though you never want to see it happen this way. I would think we might see a shift in Lashley when he comes back, and it would not surprise me one bit that once he returns and is back for a few weeks if he goes heel after all.

Another interesting piece of news is that current US Champ MVP was diagnosed over the past week with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which is basically an abnormal accessory pathway in his heart. The result was found during a physical. It can cause an abnormal heart rhythm and increase the risk for a heart attack. Of course the company is happy they caught it, is playing it off like they saved his life. The syndrome was caught during a company routine cardiovascular test in San Jose, the twice a year policy of running on a treadmill and then taking an EKG is done to check the heart valves. The detected an abnormal pattern. He underwent treatment on Monday of this week, which explained his not wrestling over the weekend. More tests will be taken next week to see if it was a success. Let's hope this is not a life or death situation for MVP.

And of course the really big news in ALL of pro wrestling this past week was the Pacman Jones signing with TNA story. The Titans have already put out that they are going to fight Jones wrestling, and it looks like they are going to win. Here are Jim Ross' comments on his blog about Jones. "The rumors of Pacman Jones going to TNA doesn’t do much for me. I don’t know how Pacman will help TNA except he might by getting their name mentioned. I do not subscribe to the philosophy that all publicity or PR is good as long as “they spell our name right”. Sometimes staying off the radar screen is a better way to travel as TNA is likely to find out sooner than later. But, hey, if it works, good for them but I am not holding my breath that this is the way to go."

Above is the poster out for October's WWE Pay-per-view: No Mercy. The poster features Randy Orton, who very well could be holding the WWE Title or going at it in a program with John Cena by the time this PPV rolls around.

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:22 PM | Permalink | Comments

RAW on Monday night in Buffalo was highlighted by the soap opera return of Vince McMahon, complete with the just silly ending angle that Vince had a paternity suit labeled against him, meaning that there is a kid out there (and gee, don't you just know that it'll end up being a current WWE star?!) that belongs to Vince. The night was set up with a battle royale to determine a new GM, and that went to Steven Regal, which will actually turn out to be a good move. I thought it would truly be Sandman, since he's gotten a push, but instead they are going with Regal, which is a much wiser move.

The main event was Umaga vs John Cena, which was a match set up with Randy Orton and Carlito getting to pick who faced Cena is some bizarre ruling. They chose Umaga, who gave Cena a good match until Cena got the upper hand, then Orton and Carlito jumped in. Then, as they were instructing Umaga to beat on Cena, he turned on the two heels, which sets up Umaga and Cena vs Orton and Carlito next week on RAW from Madison Square Garden. The face turn for Umaga is taking place a lot faster than expected, as I thought they would make it take a little longer, but oh well.

The other somewhat big event on the show was King Booker beating Jerry Lawler, setting up Lawler having to crown Booker next week. All this will do is set up HHH's return, as I can't believe for a second that they are not going to have their big star back for MSG RAW. They have all but announced the HHH vs King Booker match for SummerSlam, and next week after they get into it at the Garden, it will become official.

It was a quick night otherwise on the wrestling front, as we had Snitsky vs Rory from the Highlanders, which was nothing more than a squash, and Jillian Hall vs Mickie James, with Jillian winning as it looks as if she'll be starting some angle with ring announcer Lillian Garcia. If that's the case, I will be sure to have a restroom break in me for that match at SummerSlam. With the Battle Royale being a big part of the night, there was not much else wrestling wise to this show.

As for the McMahon stuff, it was pretty poor. Using the congress coming after him for all his issues is not that far off from the truth, but using it for a wrestling angle is downright boring. And for good measure they throw in the whole paternity thing at the end, and it was not that watchable. Of course the wrestler that they are going to have him "father" is Mr.Kennedy - hence the Vincent Kennedy McMahon part of Vince's name. Mark it down.

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments

For those that may want to speak with King Booker...here is some info for an upcoming show he will be appearing on:

Hey,

Zack from AOL Black Voices here. Just wanted to let you know that
we've got King Booker and Queen Sharmell coming into the office for a
little Q and A session right before Summerslam.

He'll be patrolling the offices and answering submitted questions. You
can find the link with more info here:
http://blackvoices.aol.com/blogs/2007/08/07/what-would-you-ask-king-booker/

So feel free to post!

Oh yeah, if you want, you can post the link on your blog so your
readers can see and submit their own questions too...

Thanks and keep up the good work,

-z

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:21 PM | Permalink | Comments

If nothing else, RAW should be an interesting show tonight as it will have the comeback to television of Vince McMahon that is sure to give the ratings even a slight boost over what was a disaster last week with the show. While there was a glitch in the ratings, the show still was perceived as a flop and the company needs to do something drastic to get things put back in the right direction. That is why the decision was made asap to get Vince back on TV. What angle will they use to put him back on RAW? Well, that one may surprise you.

Various sites are reporting that the heavy rumor going into tonight is that they will simply pick up the exploding limo angle that seemed to have gotten them in a bunch of trouble in the first place. The angle was set up to have someone had "murdered" Vince, and if you recall, the night that the Benoit tragedy was discovered, there was to be a funeral for Vince as the investigation was ongoing as to who did it. It was confirmed that after the angle was dropped that the person behind the limo explosion was Linda McMahon. Reports say that Ken Kennedy was also in the mix in some regard, but who knows how.

So now if that is the angle they are going to use to get him back on TV, it's just another grasping at straws technique that I feel will fall flat. If they want a ratings boost, they should simply put Triple H back on TV tonight, and build that up instead. Or maybe do some sort of 4-way WWE title match with John Cena, Randy Orton, King Booker and maybe bring back Foley for another shot. I know that sounds out of touch, but really, do we want to see the Vince McMahon Limo angle really continue? Despite I am sure what the fans want, the company is going ahead with it, and hopefully it will be a hotshot 2-3 week angle and then we're done. Why though do I have the feeling it will be much longer than that?

Another hot topic as of late is the absence of Jeff Hardy, who was to be involved with Umaga at SummerSlam. That is now off, as Hardy has been suspended by the company for 30 days. There were conflicting reports that Hardy was hurt, but now through Jim Ross' blog, that is not the case as indeed it is a 30-day sit down. Hardy was on the fast track back to the IC belt, and his 2007 has been a strong point for the company, so once again, this is a blow, despite the fact there is no question that once the suspension is up, he'll be back and likely in an upper tier program.

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:22 AM | Permalink | Comments

http://www.thesun.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,2003560001-2007351002,00.html

WRESTLING legend Hulk Hogan has lashed out at the industry which made him a megastar.

And he has demanded an end to the decades-long cover-up of steroid abuse in the sport.

Hogan, 54, took the muscle-enhancing drugs almost daily for 16 years during his career and says he can spot a user a mile off.

With more than 100 grapplers dying before the age of 50 in the last decade, he is begging others to face up to the crisis.

The Sun has been leading an anti-steroid abuse campaign since wrestler Chris Benoit murdered his wife and seven-year-old son before committing suicide in June.

A handful of former stars have already spoken out and prompted US politicians to start investigating the industry.

But many in the WWE, the world's biggest fight franchise, deny there is a problem and have blasted their ex-colleagues as bitter failures who haven't wrestled in years.

They cannot same the same about Hogan, wrestling's equivalent of Pele or Muhammad Ali who was fighting for them just 12 months ago.

In an exclusive Sun interview, he said: "Are steroids a problem in wrestling? Oh God yeah. They have always been a part of the business. It's prevalent.

"But there's not some big mystery to it. Just open your eyes and it's there. You can look at a wrestler and pretty much tell.

"They will be above their weight range, with these big veins. My body weight is around 285lb, depending on how much junk I eat. Even if I was 25 and clean, I could probably only carry 300lb.

"Yet when I was wrestling I weighed anywhere between 320 and 340lb, because my body was full of water weight.

"My face was puffy, my arms were so bulky I couldn't touch my shoulders. You could take one look at me and know I was on something.

"Steroids have been around for ever in other sports too, but if we have to pick on somebody now then let's pick on wrestling.

"I'm glad the business is in the spotlight because they're probably the only ones smart enough, after being able to dodge it for so long, to know how to fix it."

The Hulkster added: "I remember up until the early 1990s any wrestler could walk into a doctor and they'd write you a prescription for steroids.

"Then there was a huge trial where WWE boss Vince McMahon was unfairly accused and rightly acquitted of distributing the drugs to his workers.

"This ushered in the era of wrestlers playing 'hide and seek'.

"If they can get away with things then they will. But now I think we're at the 11th hour.

"We can't have hide and seek being played any more.

"The WWE say they are drug testing, but if they are then it's not good enough. Because these guys have to stop dying."

Despite going on TV at the time to deny it, Hogan has since confessed he regularly used steroids between 1975 and 1991.

In that period he helped turn the WWE, then known as the WWF, from a New York-based wrestling group into a global entertainment brand.

In 1984 he won their world heavyweight championship, holding it on and off for the best part of the next seven years and starring in the main event at six of their first seven WrestleMania extravaganzas.

But behind his superhero mystique lay a dirty secret.

In his 2003 autobiography Hogan admitted: "I would tell kids to train, say their prayers and take their vitamins. But it wasn't just vitamins I was taking.

"But at that time every wrestler I knew was on steroids. They were part of my generation. I'm not making excuses but they were everywhere. And a lot of that had to do with what we knew about them, which obviously wasn't enough.

"The most commonly prescribed were testosterone, Deca-Durabolin and Dianabol. I never had a question about whether I would take them.

"It was part of my daily regimen. Did you take a shower? Yeah. Did you brush your teeth? Yeah. Did you take your steroids? Yeah.

"That was the deal. It was how I lived."

Alongside steroids, experts also blame painkillers and recreational drug abuse for the high number of deaths among young wrestlers.

Again it is something Hogan witnessed and he is pleased to say the industry has made progress on the latter.

He said: "There's definitely much less of a party scene and cocaine use today.

"When I went back to the WWE, I'd go down to the Marriott bar after the show - and all you would see is Ric Flair there with a Jack Daniels and Hulk Hogan drinking a beer.

"In the old days EVERY wrestler would be in the bar and then they'd go out and stay out all night.

"But now they are all upstairs on their computers.

"Maybe they're not playing games up there, but it certainly seems a lot better.

"As for painkillers, like steroids, they have always been around. I was naïve when I first entered wrestling and didn't even know what they were.

"But there was a point later on where I got hurt and found out… pretty quickly!

"I used them but not to the point of abusing and to the levels of the horror stories I've heard.

"I always knew my limitations and had regular blood tests and physicals.

"During the years when I would hear of these massive doses of pills some guys would take, I remember thinking they would laugh at me if they knew what I was involved in. I would be a big joke."

Hogan is currently in talks to start his own promotion, in which the focus will be firmly taken off those with superhuman physiques.

He said: "I don't know what the other federations can do, but I do know what I can do and it's all part of my plan for a new wrestling idea.

"It came from another person and when they told it to me it was the smartest thing I'd ever heard.

"I have been speaking to people from the American television networks and other important people in LA. In the first two weeks they raised $40million (£20million). I need about $80-100million to start it up.

"If me and my partners pull it off then the wrestlers will have a more natural look and an easier schedule - all of the things people are saying the business needs.

"And then Vince McMahon and everyone else in the business will have to follow suit."

Hogan is fully aware that his stance opens him up to charges of hypocrisy.

Critics argue he was the "poster boy" for steroids throughout much of his career and other wrestlers emulated him to get the same "main event" physique.

So isn't Hulk Hogan's plea to get steroids out of wrestling like George Bush calling for troops to leave Iraq?

The Hulkster replies: "I'm not trying to repent but I am being honest about my failings. I want youngsters to be educated.

"If I was 25 right now, coming into this business, I don't know what I'd be like in that locker room.

"But I know one thing. Wrestling needs to make sure everything is above board.

"So is it hypocritical of me? Yes.

"But is it hypocritical of me now in 2007? No. I think it's more like poetic justice.

"I've learned from being around, surviving and watching the many mistakes I and others made.

"I thank God I'm still alive!"

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:48 PM | Permalink | Comments

As we reported yesterday, you knew that the WWE would not simply sit back and watch the ratings for the flagship show - RAW, drop to the lowest rankings they had in close to 10 years. Well, the company got some good news in that regard on Thursday, as indeed it did appear that there was some sort of glitch when putting the ratings together, meaning that the 2.5 rating may be totally off. Now I would not expect the new rating to be anything more than .5 to .7 points higher, meaning we may be looking at a 3.0 or 3.2, which would still be lower than last weeks 3.4.

But as usual with the company, the panic button was quickly pushed after the ratings came out, and of course, now we're going to have to brace for a hotshot angle, and as almost anyone that watches the WWE on a regular basis could imagine - that angle is going to involve Vince McMahon. Not the "actual" Vince of course, but the character: Mr.McMahon, who on Monday night on RAW will make his comeback to TV after his "death" angle that took place and was scrapped after the Chris Benoit murder-suicide back the last weekend in June.

The official RAW preview for Monday night states "Mr.McMahon strikes back," meaning that it appears in some fashion that they are going to intertwine the death angle back into a current storyline. The storyline all along was "who killed Mr.McMahon," and the person that "did it" was confirmed to be Linda McMahon, and then a storyline would develop from that. Now though that the angle was dumped after the Benoit saga, I am not sure how they will reintroduce him to the audience or put that storyline back in motion.

Leave it to Vince to right away think that he is the solution to a problem that is getting worse, and that is the product right now is just stale. Many people that watched just for the fun of it are turned off with the Benoit tragedy, and those that do watch are still talking so much about that it's really hard sometimes to focus on the in-ring product. Let's face it - the roster right now is weak. The wrestlers are putting forth effort, but the characters are not getting over like before. Love him or hate him, and from the SHOUTBOX comments it seems like you all hate him - John Cena is the face of the company, and the character that makes everything go.

But now Cena is in that position of having had the belt too long, and basically having beaten every top contender out there. Since first winning the belt at WrestleMania 21 in Los Angeles in April of 2005, Cena has been pushed and protected in everyway possible. While the crowd in Tuscon and in most RAW arenas are hot for him each week, the internet community simply hates him, as well as the fan base of the company that is tired of the act and wants to see something new. Knowing how fans in New Jersey are, I would be willing to bet my last dollar that Cena gets booed out of the building during SummerSlam when he takes on Randy Orton.

On the other side, the SmackDown brand has been so slammed by the injury bug, that they can't seem to have any long-term champ because he always gets hurt. And now because of that, they put the strap on a guy that can't wrestle his way out of a paper bag. The Great Khali is a solid monster heel, but he is just an awful wrestler, and having him walk around with a championship belt totally devalues it in everyway. But truth be told, they really don't have a lot of room to move right now due to major injuries to guys like the Undertaker and Edge, who over a span of three months were both slated for long title runs.

So it's back to Vince for now to try and recreate some intrigue and excitement into the RAW brand. Will it work? I can't see longterm how the Mr.McMahon character is going to bring people back to the TV to watch, but they are grasping for straws, and they figure for one week this is the way to go. Hopefully they don't forget about the wrestling in the ring, but with this angle, I am thinking we'll all be lucky to see a handful of matches if we're lucky.

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:06 AM | Permalink | Comments

The WWE suffered a huge blow this past week in the RAW ratings, a number so low that you almost have to think that either A: there was a mixup somehow and the numbers were off, or B: the product that the WWE is currently throwing out is so bad, and of course there is still backlash over the Chris Benoit tragedy, that people are just not interested. I would say that based on the storylines and the negative pub that has been generated from Benoit, its more the latter than the first, and that is not good for wrestling long term.

The rating was a 2.5, which is down from a 3.4 a week ago. It's a drop of 26% from last week, and the lowest rating the show has gotten since October 27th, 1997 which on that night was 2.3. The other scary thing about the 10/27/97 show was it was taped, and if you wanted to you could skip the show and simply read the spoilers on-line. Here Monday night was live, and had a decent amount of build with Jerry Lawler vs King Booker.

I had a feeling that the Benoit thing would hurt the WWE for quite awhile. There is no way that anything truly good could come of all the things that took place at the Benoit home the last weekend of June. The in-ring product does seem a bit stale right now, but not to the point where the ratings should be dropping as high as they have been. John Cena is still a draw, the return of HHH and the Rey Mysterio should mean a bit of a boost, but so far, the numbers just don't translate.

So what will happen? Well, the company will likely try some hotshot angle soon, as that is the usual thing they do when the ratings drop. Then as they start to stablize again, the numbers hopefully will start to go back up a bit. But right now, tensions are high, and as the ratings continue to be low, things are going to be tight backstage for quite some time.

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments