The High Five and Down Low

Welcome to the very first edition of High Five and Down Low. This will occur every Monday morning/afternoon, and will basically be three lists with each list containing 5 subjects. The High Five portion will be the 5 wrestling matches I enjoyed the most in the past week and 5 stars that either caught my eye, entertained me, or that I just enjoyed for one reason or another. The 5 stars list will not necessarily be a top 5 list, nor a list of the 5 breakout performances of the last week (so theoretically, someone having a very awesome performance could be bumped off the list for a Goldust segment). The Down Low portion will be 5 things from the past week that I thought sucked, was stupid, or just didnt like/care for. It can be matches, segments, internet reports, anything. So with that said, lets get on with the very first edition.


The High Five: Matches
Honorable Mention) Eve Torres and Melina vs Layla and Michelle McCool: If only for the time Melina was in the ring. It wasn't a long match, but I highly enjoyed seeing Melina work, and McCool pulled off a great finisher reversal into her own finisher for the ending. A nice little divas match which I felt was better than RAWs and Impacts womens matches.

5) The Hart Dynasty def. Christian and Jack Swagger, ECW: The original match was supposed to be Tommy Dreamer partnering up with Christian, but due to Christian putting the new ECW Champion through a table at the beginning of the show, Swagger was appointed his new partner. The match served as a great way to continue the triple threat feud between Dreamer, Swagger, and Christian, and the ending not just being Swagger dropping off the apron while Christian looked for a tag was a nice change of pace. The match also gave The Hart Dynasty some credibility, not only by defeating Christian (following a little help from Swagger), but also by letting them hang with two of the top ECW stars like that.

4) Evan Bourne def. Zach Ryder, Superstars: A slower pace for Bourne, but it was still an entertaining match between two wrestlers that I love seeing appear. Bourne sold the ribs from Mark Henrys attack on ECW a couple days before, and Ryder played his gimmick well throughout the match. It wasnt a masterpiece, but it held its own against some of the other matches that occured this week. This match made me want to see a little mini feud between the two, just to see what they could do with some more time and some heat to the match.

3) Edge def. Jeff Hardy, Smackdown!: I personally didnt find it to be a great match, but I still enjoyed it. Some may think it deserves the top spot, but I personally don't. It was a good match that helped sell Jeffs hurt body from Extreme Rules and it also helped put Punk over at the end of it all.

2) Chris Jericho def. John Morrison, Superstars: Another feud I would like to see. Morrison evolving into a face has worked extremely well for the guy, and he is still as exciting to watch (maybe more) than ever.

1) John Morrison and R-Truth def. WGTT, Smackdown!: The top match of the week was indeed a tag match. I think this match was just a lot more entertaining than any other match last week. Even Haas and Benjamin were enjoyable, with Haas being nice and aggressive. I highly recommend seeing this match. It was exciting and it had nice spots throughout.

The High Five: Stars

Honorable Mention) The Beautiful People: I rather enjoyed their little interview with Borash on Impact, and like how they pull off the pretty but dumb look. Plus Velvet Sky called Borash an Idiothole. Major points for that one.

Christian: Him powerbombing Dreamer and calling Swagger a dork was good to see, but his role in the main event of ECW this week was very good. It wasn't as if two opponents were put together and they tried to keep from themselves the entire match. Shoving eachother for tags was a nice touch, and it didn't really seem like a 3 on 1 altercation for most of the time either.

John Morrison: His matches this week I just loved. The guy is definitely a future World Champion, as he is downright entertaining in the ring.

R-Truth: His short promo on Smackdown! was delivered well and made me laugh when he called WGTT MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice. He was also good in the match. Ive always enjoyed the man, but never really thought he should be pushed more than a midcard spot. As of now, that has changed. I would rather enjoy seeing R-Truth pushed to the upper midcard, and Im sure the fans would enjoy it as well based on the reaction he got.

Randy Orton: Despite being mishandled at Extreme Rules, the man pulled a very convincing and brutal beatdown to Batista in the opening of RAW. The pilmanization of the mans arm, and then just snapping the arm back was just so good to see.

The Miz: Probably RAWs breakout star right now. His interactions with Maryse are great, and his promo before his match with Cena was nice. Seeing him jump in with a chair to beat the hell out of Big Show with made me want to see him get involved with the Cena/Show feud so badly. I never thought I would enjoy Miz this much, but his move to RAW has been just as good as Morrisons move to SD!.


Down Low

Rumors of WWE Covering Up Batista Failing a Drug Test: Well, as we all know by now Batista went into surgery for a torn bicep or a tendon or one of those fancy names, and it was a success. But was Batista really injured? According to some dirtsheets, the WWE just may be covering up a drug failure Batista received with this "injury" of his. What do I think? I think this is nothing more than some more baseless, factless, bullshit internet speculation. There is no reason to believe Batista failed a drug test. Are there reasons to believe he might be using some sort of drug that leads to his constant muscle tears? Sure, but we still do not know if it is fact, and trying to put it over as fact or even going to the lengths of saying, "well look at him! look how much he gets injured! he is obviously on something!" is just stupid. Again, what facts are there? Even these reports are saying something along the lines of, "None of this is proven to be true," which should give everyone little bells going off with a nice announcement in their head saying, "Move along." I dont care how much of an expert you claim to be, or whether you think you know your shit just because you lift weights or whatever. You dont know the facts, so quit throwing the guy under the bus. Not to mention, WWE covering up a drug failure for the guy would be incredibly stupid and would do a lot more damage to them than admitting the guy failed a drug test and suspending him for 30-90 days (depending on how many strikes he has). Pretty sure the WWE is a lot smarter than that these days. I actually dont know what is worse: the dirtsheets making a stupid article like this, or people buying into it just to feed their ego and to use it as "proof" that a wrestler is on drugs.

Kurt Angle vs Sting, TNA Impact: I'm not saying this match was horrible. I really enjoyed seeing Sting and Angle shake hands at the beginning of the match, because it really gave me some relief that TNA werent going to have the two feud over Angle having an ego again. The match just suffered from the commercial breaks, so it really couldnt pick up any momentum or keep it. For a match that could have been great, it was really just average and could have been placed in the middle of the show and gotten the same effect.

Samoa Joes Thirst for Blood: This, on the other hand, I thought was bad. The way Joe made Booker and Steiner bleed was nice, yes, but the 'match' was just bad. A First Blood match shouldnt last all of 5-10 minutes, and two first blood matches in a row shouldnt last a total time of 7-12 minutes. I get that TNA want to make Joe seem like a total badass monster and all, but just throwing the Mafia under the bus like this isn't the right way to me. They should have at least have Joe have little mini feuds with these guys for a couple weeks, have the Mafia seem like a threat instead of just being taken out so easily. These two 'matches' are proof that TNA need to stop doing gimmick matches on free tv. They should only be done if they have a good enough build, or if the match can actually be good and live up to the match types name. This, did not accomplish either one. Note: Joe is in the right direction, though.

Edge Verbally Bitch Chokes Vickie Guerrero: Okay. There is having Edge dump Vickie and tell her that he just used her for her power, which everyone was waiting for, but holy shit. Edge just tore Vickie a new asshole in every square inch of her body with that promo he pulled. I just found it disturbing to listen to. I wasn't even going "Awwww yeah Edge you tell that bitch!" Instead, I said to myself, "Uh... Okay Edge. You can just say you want a divorce already..." I actually felt bad for Vickie as a person, not as a character, for having to sit through that. For all I know she was okay with it, but still. Damn was that little promo from Edge way more harsh than it needed to be. Calling her a she beast? Saying kissing her made you vomit? Saying you were glad you two didnt have sex? This was just ten times worse than the WWE going on an 'oink fest' the past few weeks by making horrid jokes about Vickies 'weight' (she is not that big of a girl, WWE). The entire segment was unsettling and classless to me.

ODB and Cody Deaner: ODB needs to get canned this second. I dont see why people are a fan of hers. It comes off as her trying too hard some times, and the gimmick just comes off as badly done. Okay, I get it. She likes slapping her tits and drinks from a flask and does everything a 'lady' wouldnt do. I dont like her matches, I dont like her talking, and I dont like her as a character. The whole "ODB Gets a Date" game show that TNA did was fucking horrid and took up way more time than it needed to ever take up. I just hate her character and cant wait for her to dissapear from television again.

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CM Punk as Mr. Money In The Bank, Twice

What can be said about CM Punk? He is able to have some good matches, his time upon his debut in ECW was rather good and it built him up nicely for the WWE audience, and he has come a long way these past couple of years and is arguably one of SD!'s, if not WWE's, most popular workers. He has also won the MITB match two years running, and cashed in both years to become a two time World Champion, first over Edge last year and this year over Jeff Hardy.

I just cant but help have mixed feelings on the guy. For the most part, I just dont think he is that great. He is good, but not great. It is also hard to get into him at times for some reason. Lack of character? Maybe, but I would be a lying whore if I said his run last year as a World Champion on RAW wasnt booked very well (exception being how he lost the belt). He cashed in the MITB briefcase and won the belt in typical Edge fashion over Edge himself. Is he pushed as someone unstoppable who we are supposed to believe is some sort of bigtime threat to the rest of the RAW locker room? No.

Instead we get the RAW locker room doubting him, saying he doesnt deserve the belt or hasnt earned it or hasnt proven he should be champion, and/or him wanting to prove himself... And that's true. He had only been with the company for a couple of years, compared to Edge who, when he used his MITB briefcase the first time, he had already been with the WWE for close to 10 years. He was an established name and had already been pushed as a major heel. Punk was still relatively new, though. And pushing him as someone who hadnt proven he deserves the belt, as someone who the RAW brand doubts as champion or him wanting to prove himself, was the perfect way to push him, just because it realistically fit him. His first night as champion saw him have interaction with two of the biggest stars of RAW, Batista and John Cena, as well. That alone was a huge rub for the guy. Some may not have liked it, but come on. That was A LOT better than they probably expect from the WWE to do with Punk. I mean, who really thought CM Punk would become a World Champion in the WWE in just two years in the company?

And now the man is a two time World Champion. Just because I may not be interested in the guy or not really care for him at times doesnt mean I am going to write him off. The WWE made me care about him during his first run as champion, and I am going to wait and see if they do it again. Plus, there are some signs of a Punk heel turn, which could be all kinds of good if handled right. The look on Punks face when he lifted Jeff up for the GTS at Extreme Rules, the look on his face when Jeff kicked out, his celebration, him kissing the belt? Definitely looks like him being a dick heel. This title reign should definitely not be about him wanting to prove himself or people doubting him, though.

If he remains a face, this title reign should be about him having nothing against Jeff and that he just took the opportunity to cash in MITB, and him putting the naysayers to rest. Then just book him as a top face champion. You can have Edge doubt him as champion still, if only to put the two 'opportunists' in a feud and for Punk to throw the fact that Edge only became champ using the same strategy again. But that should really be it. Just treat him as a true champion. Give him actual matches that dont always end in DQ this time or anything, and dont have him lose the belt without even being involved in the match (like with that Championship Scramble). From Smackdown! this past week, you have Edge saying Punk idolizes Edge due to Punk cashing in MITB in the same manner, so you could have a feud set right there.

If he turns heel, which is what I think they are going to do and the path Id prefer, I would like to see him try and act like a face, but with dickish heel undertones. Have him say he has nothing personal against Jeff, but took the opportunity to beat the 'spotmonkey after he was tired from jumping around ladders'. Have him try to condone what he did, but still act like a dick. From what I saw on SD! this week, though, he is going to be playing the face role for now, which isnt bad. Have him do that for a while, but then eventually just have him go into full blown heel mode, whether by destroying Jeff (reason to write Jeff off if he does take time off from the WWE) in some hardcore match. It would leave Smackdown! low on top faces, but Im sure someone could step up to fill the gap, or someone could turn face, or somone from ECW could "jump" to the blue show. Could an Edge face turn work? To be honest, Im a bit iffy on an Edge face run. Im sure he's learned a lot since he was a bland face years ago, but his gimmick is pretty much suited for a heel. Short of coming out and saying that he sees that stealing titles by underhanded means is wrong or something that goes completely against his character, I cant see it happening. So that would leave Jeff Hardy (unless he leaves to take time off), Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker (whenever he is around), and John Morrison (if built up more) as main faces.

There is a third option, though. Have the man become a tweener. Have him brag about becoming champion again, throw it in Jeffs face that he lost with heelish tendancies, but also have him stand up against the heels like Edge (simple, "Hey. I might have thrown it in Jeffs face, but that doesnt mean I dont think your an ass still" or something would suffice). He might be able to make it work, it would just take careful booking. You can have him run his mouth like a heel towards the faces, but still stand up against the heels. Make it similar to my idea for Batista that I posted earlier: have CM Punk just worry about himself. If Jeff Hardy gets in his business, have him tell the guy to get over it and that if it wasnt for him being stupid and taking risks, he would have been a champion long before Punk ever was. If Jericho gets in his business, have him go into face mode. Dont have him cater to just one side of the line.

Based on the ending to Smackdown! this week, I would REALLY enjoy a triple threat feud between Punk, Jeff, and Edge. ECW has proven the WWE can do it, and these three I think have just as much beef with one another to pull it off. Edge and Punk have the whole thing from last year, and also have Edge thinking Punk idolizes him. Edge and Jeff still have their thing that could still continue. Then there is Punk stealing Jeffs title from Extreme Rules. If the WWE did this, ECW and SD! would both have better feuds than the RAW main event scene.

Heres to (hopefully) another interesting CM Punk World title run. Will WWE turn him into a fulltime main attraction, or just push him back down the card once they are through with him? Well, lets get into this title reign first before we get into any of that.

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Genuine Smackdown! Review - June 12, 2009

CM Punk gets introduced, and the man does sound like he is getting some jeers from the crowd. Punk mentioning how people had no problem with him cashing in against Edge last year was a good thing to add to the promo, and him not seeing it as him stealing the belt from Jeff Hardy could lead to a heel turn. Punk also saying hes always done whats best for him can also lead to a heel turn that I wanted, which is him only looking out for himself. Could really tell some fans weren't very high on the guy for cashing in his MITB briefcase against Jeff Hardy. And speak of the devil, Hardy himself comes on out to a huge pop. Will be a shame if the guy decides to take a break during the biggest point of his career. The crowd definitely doesnt seem to be okay with Punk cashing in against Jeff. Punk doing the whole "Yeah, you and they are upset, but I did whats best for me and would have regardless of who won" shtick is the right direction for a slow heel turn. I can feel WWE waiting to turn Punk heel completely, only doing it after having a bit of a feud with Hardy that just sends him over the edge. Speaking of Edge... Ouch. Edge calling Punk out by saying he wants to be him, what with Punk cashing his MITB briefcases in the same manner as Edge and Punk being 'straightEDGE'. The segment ends first with Jeff attacking both Edge and Punk, which Im not too sure about. I would have liked to see Punk get a bit more of a moment in the opening segment. Then Teddy Longs makes a number one contenders match between Edge and Jeff for later in the night, with the winner facing Punk at the WWE Three For All next Monday. So the segment was nice, except Punk getting attacked by Hardy so easily. I like that the WWE are putting a potential Punk heel turn on the back burner for now, waiting for it to heat up before throwing it in the fire and having Punk just go into complete heel mode after Hardy sends him over the edge. Having Punk play a bit of a tweener role at first, or even instead of a heel turn, is good because it will give him more challengers for the moment, but I would prefer a heel turn just to see how the guy does as the one being hated. He seemed to have a few small heelish quirks during the segment, such as Jeff calling him selfish and the way Punk mouthed 'Im not selfish' just came off the way a heel would say it to me.

Chris Jericho wanting a chance at the World title for tonight, but just ends up getting put into a match with CM Punk in a nontitle match.

Dolph Ziggler vs The Great Khali: I just love Ziggler. You think about his gimmick, someone that just introduces himself to people, and it sounds stupid. But the guy makes it work and he has a great heel presence in the ring to me. The Great Khali turning face has been a nice change of pace for the guy as well, and he even got a decent pop from the crowd here. I think the crowd actually cares more about Khali now than ever. Ziggler winning by countout after keeping Runjun Singh hostage was smart to keep this little feud going. Id love to see Ziggler get into the IC title scene soon after his shtick with Khali comes to a close.

Eve and Melina vs Layla and Michelle McCool: Damn. This was a rather nice divas match. Didnt last long or anything, but the second Melina got into the ring it was nice. Melina is definitely Smackdown!'s number one divas in terms of ring skills and entertainment, and the finish of her trying to hit her finisher on McCool, but Alicia Fox giving the distraction so that McCool could hit her Facebreaker was a cool little sequence. I dont see why people hate on the current batch of divas, because they are either alright to rather good in their own right. Are they the batch from 2003-2004? No, but stop comparing them to Trish or Jazz or Lita or Victoria and accept them for who they are and what they can do with what they have to work with. Even Michelle McCool isnt as bad as some people say (outside of mic work I would say). She isn't the greatest ever, but shes good.

John Morrison and R-Truth vs The Worlds Greatest Tag Team: Now that Im done dancing in my seat to R-Truths entrance. Ive always been a bit of a fan of R-Truth as a nice midcard act. He was entertaining as the 3LK in TNA and with Road Dogg in the WWE. His promo before the match was entertaining. Oh, and an occassional tag team of Morrison and Truth known as "Hollyhood?" I would mark just for their name. This match was extremely good. I enjoyed Haas doing the whole impersonation bit, but seeing him go back to the aggressive heel is good, too. Morrison as a face is just great and I cant wait for a main event run from the guy, much like I would enjoy an IC run from Truth, and these two pick up the win following Morrison pinning Haas. The match was very exciting and didnt really suffer from the commercial break, which does hurt some matches.

Chris Jericho vs CM Punk: Jericho carrying Reys mask to the ring for the match is great heat. Jericho pulling the mask off mid-619 was just PERFECT timing from those two. His promo pre-match is just more Jericho goodness. 99% of us are liars, cheaters, and failures though. I may lie, I may cheat, and I may fail, but... Wait. Fuck... I just love the whole heel trying to do/thinking he is doing good, but pulling it off in a total dick way, and Jericho does it very well. I want a similar thing to occur with CM Punk in some fashion; different enough not to be a total ripoff, but similar enough that the two are using the same basic gimmick outline. Punk got SOME positive chant at the beginning. The match I thought was only good, with some nice spots here and there. I think some of their past encounters were a bit better. Not bad, though. The crowd was definitely cheering Punk by the end of the match, but then again he was going up against Jericho, who is an instant heat machine.

Edge vs Jeff Hardy: CM Punk on commentary put over the "nothing against Jeff" card at the beginning of this match. Punk coming across very face-like during it all, making it seem like they aren't exactly going with a heel turn for the guy. Could just be smart booknig by having the heel turn be more of a surprise and a bigger moment, though. Edge throwing Hardy into Punk led to Punk attacking Edge, thus the DQ. The three having a little brawl at the end with Jeff hitting the Twist of Fate on Edge and Punk the GTS on Jeff was a nice way to end the show, with Punk looking strong in the end. Teddy Long announcing the three facing eachother in a triple threat for Mondays Three For All should prove to be great.

A rather nice Smackdown! with some decent to good matches. This show is miles ahead of RAW right now. I am actually now questioning whether Punk will turn full fledged heel, or if WWE will just have him try to pull of a tweener role, or even just keep him as a face. The guy did come off very face-like during commentary, saying that he just took the opportunity and everything, but I am sure he could still be turned (fans not believing him/upset regardless, Hardy still wanting Punk to prove he can beat him, etc. pushing him over the edge, as I have said twice already), but the WWE does have me wondering.

Be sure to catch my posts in the blog this weekend. I will be posting my thoughts on Punk being MITB twice and becoming champion again, and I will be posting a little "segment" called The High Five & Down Low, which will cover my personal 5 favorite matches from the past week, 5 stars that I personally enjoyed/was entertained by/caught my eye, and 5 things from the past week that I found to be stupid, bad, or just didnt care for.

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Current TNA Slammiversary '09 Card Thoughts

Quick notice: Sometime next week I will be doing a little "Slammy-versary" post in honor of the Slammiversary event taking place on the 21st. I will give a list of the top 7 non-KOTM matches in Slammiversarys history, and also list my personal top 3 King of the Mountain matches as well.

Currently, Slammiversary only has 5 matches scheduled, with this year being the first time that two King of the Mountain matches take place in one night, as the X Division are getting their own this year.

TNA Knockouts Championship - Angelina Love(C) vs Tara: Despite the feud not really having much heat yet, this has potential to be a good womens match. Tara is able to produce good matches more or less consistantly, and Angelina Love is a nice worker to have on the roster. Both are hard working Knockouts, and I look forward to see what both can pull off against eachother in a PPV setting.

King of the Mountain Match for the X Division Championship - Alex Shelley vs Chris Sabin vs Consequences Creed vs Jay Lethal vs Suicide(C): Having the MCMG in the match makes me interested, and it being an X Division KOTM match means there could be some nice little spots for the guys to do. The entire basis is all four of the former participants want to reveal the identity of Suicide, so it will be interesting to see whether it becomes a 4 o 1 affair or if it will desolve into every man for himself, or go from 4 on 1 to 2 on 2 on 1. I hope Suicide drops the belt here, because I cannot stand the character. I think it is a shitty gimmick and he needs to be unmasked ASAP.

Daniels vs Shane Douglas: This one hasnt actually been confirmed yet, but Im assuming it will be next week. I wont really care for this match. I dont care about Douglas, and the only reason I will watch is to see whether the match itself is any good. Hopefully Douglas doesnt stick around for long, because again, no interest in seeing him.

TNA World Tag Team Championships - Beer Money vs Team 3D(C): This feud has been done very well, so I applaud TNA for it. They may fuck things up more often than not, or have bad booking decisions, or just bad decisions in general, but they are able to do a simple feud like this right. Beer Money are a great tag team for TNA, and Im sure they could go on to become a great tag team of the future if they remain together and dont split up (although Im sure a split up is inevitable). I havent cared for Team 3D in years, before they came to TNA, but I will still watch this match just to see the two teams go at it, especially now that it isnt just heels attacking faces, but more about respect.

King of the Mountain Match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship - AJ Styles vs Kurt Angle vs Jeff Jarrett vs Mick Foley vs Samoa Joe: Kind of a nice mix of people in this match. You have Angle/Joe getting continued, Jarrett/Foley getting continued, and then the wildcard of AJ. Personally, Foley should drop the belt here, because I dont think he should be anything more than a transitional champion. I hope TNA don't have him retain as, while I have found him rather entertaining with his heelish tendencies, he needs to drop the belt so that it can be shifted into the Mafia stuff again so that putting over and building up a new star can be better done with the use of a championship win (assuming that is where TNA ends up going, and not just casting everyone else aside for the veterans).

Thus far Slammiversary has two matches I will actually look forward to, one that could be decent for the high flying and spots, one I am only going to watch to see whether the match is any good or not, and one that is probably in the middle. Im sure this years KOTM main event could be nice for the most part since you have a nice little mix of styles.

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Genuine Superstars Review - June 11, 2009

Beth Phoenix and Rosa Mendes vs The Bella Twins: Not a good match. Rather below average here, but that's what you get when really only one of the divas involved is really good and experienced. The right team won with Beth picking the pinfall up. The Bella Twins and Rosa Mendes could turn into decent divas given time. All three are still relatively new, having only been with the WWE for two years (of that, most was in development), and young Trish Stratus didn't really break out as the performer people know and love for a couple years after her debut either.

Evan Bourne vs Zach Ryder: Two men who I am fans of facing off? No. Two men who I love to see on television facing off is more like it. When Striker isnt talking in that soft spoken voice of his, the ECW commentators are really great, and this is one of those times where they shine (minus them going silent for a minute). This here was a VERY nice match between the two. I cant wait to see some more matches between them, maybe even a little mini feud. Bourne picks up the win with his BEAUTIFUL Shooting Star Press.

Chris Jericho vs John Morrison: Ready for a fantastic main event here, and I think we got JUST under a truly fantastic match. It wasn't really a PPV quality match, but for free television it was still a really nice pairing. I would like a feud between these two as well, get some more lengthier matches out of them. The latter half of the match, post commercials, was the truly fantastic part. Nice fast paced action, nice reversals. The match ends with a roll up style pin with Jericho holding the tights. Rather enjoyed the match, and Id throw it in as one of the High Five (next Monday) matches of the week. Two thumbs up from me.

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WWE RAW Goes PPV for June 22

Source: PWInsider.com

Quote:

-- For the first time, ever, in RAW’s history, the June 22nd edition of Monday night RAW in Green Bay, Wi will broadcast live with no commercial breaks. The show will remain uninterrupted from start to finish. WWE’s creative team will treat this show as a PPV, since they will have no breaks throughout the entire broadcast.

So it really isnt going PPV, just going uninterrupted by commercials. Honestly, I would care more if it were Smackdown! or ECW going uninterrupted, because RAW really just bores me this days. The only reason I tune in is out of habit, to write the review for this blog, and to see The Miz. Sometimes there are rather nice matches, but everything else is uninteresting. Even Santino, one person who I always tuned in to see, has been hurt by a face turn (and the horrid Vickie feud).

I wonder how WWE will make revenue for that week without commercials. Someone mentioned having a split screen with the action taking place on one side and ads being promoted on the other, similar to how the WWE shows replays. Or perhaps we will get a Spacejam-esque ad placement scene from Randy Orton. "Triple H.... Im gonna put on my Adidas, kick your ass ALL over this arena until you cry like a baby in Pampers, then Im going to drive my brand new Honda to Autozone to fix it up, stop at Burger King so I can have it my way, then pay your wife a little visit!"

Maybe not. The idea is interesting, and it would probably make me wanna check it out if I wasnt currently watching RAW anymore, but I just can't see the idea being that good in delivery, outside of some matches getting more time and thus delivering more and better action. So make sure you tune into RAW on June 22 and see how this uninterrupted-by-commercials broadcast goes.

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Genuine Impact Review - June 11, 2009

So we open up with a promo from TNA Champion Mick Foley. Ill be honest. When Foley first became champion I pretty much shat on the idea. I thought the guy was way past his prime and should not be a World Champion in 2009, especially when TNA should have been focusing on the Frontline/Mafia feud in order to build new stars. But Ive rather enjoyed Foley with his new little heelish persona. He has some nice segments, some bad (Furley eyes, anyone?), but Im not shitting on the idea like I originally did. As long as he drops it soon, that is, since he shouldnt be a long term champion.

So Foley's promo was about Foley losing his smile because of Jarrett or something or another. He calls Jeff Jarrett out, saying to do things face to face pretty much. So the opening segment is about Jarrett hitting Earl Hebner last week. Due to this, Foley threatens (I say threaten because I dont think itll actually happen) to suspend and fine Jarrett. Long story short, Jarrett is given the easy or hard road, and Jarrett takes the latter, getting beaten down by Foley's new security force/the Mafias old security force. But the segment doesnt end without the face comeback. More threats from Foley to throw Jarrett out of the Impact Zone. So the segment was pretty much just to continue the little feud between Jarrett and Foley, with Foley trying to act like the face and be concerned about Earl Hebner, but pull it off in a heelish way.

Interview with Team 3D, who go on about hating British Invasion. In the middle of the interview the camera shows Raven sitting down on the side. Team 3D giving props to Beer Money is good. I enjoy that the feud went from Beer Money being the heels to it becoming about Beer Money actually respecting (at least it seems that way to me; I havent been a regular viewer) and their upcoming match with 3D being about just who the better tag team is. I still find it hard to give a crap about Team 3D, but if they end up putting Beer Money over and turn them into big tag team, itll be a job well done. Just dont let this be like the 3D/X Division feud that never even gave said X Division any sort of big rub or anything.

TNA Video Vault plug.

Some more Jarrett, who admits he lost his temper last week and can see where Foley is coming from with the Hebner thing. Jarrett challenging Foley to throw him out of the building. Eh. It is hard for me to get into Jarrett. I just dont like seeing him as a main eventer. I just dont know if I can really be interested in this Foley/Jarrett feud. Just as long as it doesnt come down to Foley dropping the belt to Jarrett at Bound for Glory or something. I still firmly believe TNA should put a young guy over at that event.

Alex Shelley and Jay Lethal vs Team 3D: I noticed in a Botchamania video that TNA are miscalling the tag belts from New Japan. Instead of calling them the IWGP Tag Team Champions, they call them the New Japan Tag Champs... Not a big deal, just something I noticed in a Botchamania video I was shown and noticed during the name card during Team 3Ds entrance. Quite surprisingly an above decent match. Shelley at the beginning worked the agility card well against Brother Devons powerhouse physique. Off topic note: I have fallen in love with Don West on commentary. A few months ago I could not stand the guy and thought he was just beyond horrible, but his little heel turn has turned the guy into something I look forward to seeing when I tune in. He just plays the whole obnoxious heel commentator role extremely well. Back to the match, it wasn't a grand match, but it was a nice little tag match that pitted the X Division tag teams against the more powerhouse tag team of 3D. Nice spot during the match was Lethal and Shelley both going for suicide dives on 3D to the outside, but instead hitting their partners. Following the double team headdrop move 3D do, British Invasion (only two) came out and got knocked off the apron by 3D, and the third attacked Devon from behind with the briefcase. Sorry, I just dont care for British Invasion, nor do I really care about Jay Lethal anymore, and I never really cared about Creed. MCMG, though, I quite love. They are a superb team I think. Very entertaining both in and out of the ring. I would give the match no thumbs up or down. It was above decent, but really just average with some nice short spots of Shelley getting shots in. I hope British Invasion get taken care of and are taken off tv or just dropped down the card, unless TNA can make me care about them somehow (attacking 3D doesnt make me want to hate the team to be honest).

Mick Foley having more security detail to help him "single handedly" take Jarrett out of the building. Not bad. Foley is just dead set on tossing him out of the building over the Hebner situation, despite not really caring and just wanting to throw Jarrett out and now having a reason. That's what I think anyways. And after a commercial we get Foley going into Jarretts locker room, with Jarrett saying he will leave before he does something he regrets. Not before telling Foley to reevaluate his role in the company.

Booker T and Scott Steiner backstage with Borash... Booker shouldnt have been allowed to talk. Hard to understand what the hell he was saying and it sounded like he was just overacting. Even if it is part of his gimmick, it just comes off bad. Steiner took care of the segment; though, it was missing calling Joe fat like last week. I seriously loved that, partly because I just do not like Joe at all, and because the way Steiner said it was just hilarious. Go and look for the Mafia sitdown interview with Mike Tenay from last week and tell me you dont laugh at that part.

Booker T and Scott Steiner vs Samoa Joe: First blood match here. Since I actually paid attention, there DOES seem to be a point to this, what with Joes new 'sadistic' gimmick he has going on and wanting to spill the blood of the Mafia. But these gimmick matches need to be used less on Impact. My personal opinion, but I just think TNA need to make the gimmick matches mean more by building them up instead of just throwing them out there with little explanation/reason or not a good enough reason. Case in point, Cody Deaner vs British Invasion Member in a ladder match; total waste of a ladder match, even IF the briefcase was in play. Anyways... I find it hard to care for Joe. His little pissy selfish prick phase from a few weeks ago was bad, because he should have been doing the Frontline thing instead of that (for whatever reason), and him on the mic is just not that great these days, and his new look is horrible and just comes off as an Umaga ripoff. The match with Steiner was not anything great. The match with Steiner was busted open after a little trash can action, and now comes Booker T. The match with Booker was a joke. It lasted all of 3-4 minutes. Once again, I just dont care for Joe. His new Nation of Violence gimmick is something that could work. Him FINALLY going after the Mafia is the right direction at least. Now all that needs to happen is to get AJ and Daniels in it as well and fight alongside Joe to make it more than just a one man army getting the rub of beating the Mafia (if TNA doesnt end up jobbing Joe out to Kurt/Sting in the end). I just dont really care to tune in for Joe right now. I dont know if itll change in a few weeks after the feud with the Mafia goes on for a bit more, or whether I just cant ever get into him again. I mean, I can understand what he is doing and understand it is the 'right' thing to do, him taking the Mafia out one by one until he gets to Angle, but it's still just hard to get into him. Probably because of how his new character was booked prior to a couple weeks ago where he issued the statement of taking the Mafia out one by one, what with carrying a shitty looking knife around and acting like some killer and all.

Random shot of Raven backstage sitting in the corner in the same room with the Mafia, who are checking on Booker and Scotty.

AJ Styles vs Shane Douglas: I dont care for Douglas returning. Some may love that he is back, but he is just taking up the time for someone else that could use it, and I dont see exactly what will be accomplished. Beating him wont boost anyone up. But maybe he can pull out some nice matches. The match was not that good. I would rate it below decent. Just not interesting really. Post match with Daniels coming out and getting handcuffed to the ropes was... interesting. Samoa Joe comes running out to save AJ from a beatdown from Shane Douglas. So does this mean Douglas is with the Mafia or soon will be? Joe actually saving AJ and Daniels was good, because at least it shows he is on the same page that they are. Or were, at least, since I dont even know if either Daniels or AJ are involved in the feud against the Mafia at this point. Joe gained a point from me for that at least.

And more of Raven. This time chasing the backstage interviewer into a bathroom, followed by some screaming and slamming. Ah. Daffney. My love. Dont quite understand it, but Daffney is involved. Automatic care and love of the segment, even with the overacting from inside the bathroom. And another Daffney segment, this time beating up Taylor Wilde. Steven Richards little "Sorry Taylor... This is all the time we have for this week" was actually a nice line. And now I get it. Raven was in shots of Lauren throughout the show, and Lauren is friends with Taylor Wilde, and Taylor is the enemy of Daffeny. Slow brains ahoy.

Nice little interview with the Beautiful People. Borash being called an idiothole was great. TBP are nice at the whole pretty but dumb but still aggressive shtick. Was a fun interview. I find Borash to be rather bad, mostly for his stupid little facial expressions, but he can serve the role of a Kevin Kelly/Coach rather well when need be.

Another Cody Deaner/ODB training video... Just no. I do not see what is so great about ODB. She is horrible and not funny in the slightest.

Kurt Angle angry towards... Samoe Joe? Hmm. Good. I was actually expecting Angle to be upset over Sting being the new Godfather of the Mafia, so that was nice (even if he is facing Sting later in the night). Pretty simple little segment this was. Now TNA just need to build up Angle/Joe well. Even though I dont care for Joe right now, TNA need to build new stars up, and Joe could be one of those stars. TNA just need to bring AJ and Daniels, or someone else, into the mix, because I dont believe Joe should get the glory of taking out the Mafia himself. Like I said, though, I think the problem I had with Joe was how he was booked upon his initial return with this new gimmick. Thinking about it as the show is going on, and now that Joe is now going after Angle after having taken out Nash/Scotty/Booker, I kind of want to see where things go from here. His look is still daft, but him pretty much going back to his original gimmick from when he debuted in TNA of just being a badass in the ring added with him being a man on a mission to take the Mafia down is the right way to go with things, and him taking out Nash, Scotty, and Booker helps build him back up as said badass.

Madison Rayne vs Tara: Off the bat, I havent cared for Victoria as much since she dropped the psycho gimmick in the WWE a few years ago. That didnt take anything away from the match, though. Not great, but it was entertaining and serves as a way to build up the Tara/Love feud. Little nitpick, but Im not a fan of some one word names. Abyss works. Kane, Batista, Sting, those work. Tara is eh, and Daniels is just bad. It doesnt make a whole lot of difference, but I wouldnt have minded having her be called Tara Vachon or Tara Marie. Again, not biggie, because I think Tara works better than Daniels does.

Now we go to a segment with Eric Young explaining his recent actions. Young states hes been taken advantage of by everyone, even the fans. And Young knocks Borash out... Ya know... I could never stand Eric Young. I thought he was overrated and just was not entertaining. But now that he is pretty much saying "screw you" to the fans, he could be somewhat interesting. I didnt think a heel turn would make a difference, but eh. Im not saying Young could be main event material, but I could actually be a bit interested in the guy with this little heel turn he has going on.

Daniels promo from the back wasnt really anything to judge. Just Daniels challenging Shane Douglas to a match at Slammiversary: Shane wins and he gets Daniels' spot in the company, but if Daniels wins then Shane gets his ratty ass out of 'his' company.

Kurt Angle vs Sting: Okay, Angle/Sting shaking hands? TNA? Thank. You. I am fucking glad that TNA are not doing another Sting/Angle feud, and Angle showing good sportsmanship means he isn't going to throw any egomaniacal hissy fits over not being in charge. So that is really a sigh of relief from me, as I was just waiting for Angle to throw some sort of hissy fit this week or something over the whole ordeal. The match, before the first commercial break, was slow and boring, but it was only a few minutes so nothing horrible. Before the second commercial break, eh. Thus far the match hasnt really been anything special at all, just rather average. Part three of the match was better, but it's the final part so that would be it. The match itself still wasn't that great. I'd call it an average main event with some hot moments towards the end. Matt Morgan coming out? Eh. I'm not sold on the guy. He has a good look, but I dont think he is as great on the mic or in the ring as some make him out to be. Morgan costing Sting the match due to last weeks confrontation between the two is good continuity. Could this mean Angle puts over Joe and Sting puts over Morgan? I probably wouldnt care for either man, but it would be good if TNA create two new stars of their own. Angle gets the win and is added to the KOTM match at Slammiversary (thoughts on the current card to follow). Sadly my DVR cut the show out about a minute before it ended, so the last thing I saw was Angle looking in awe at Morgan clapping in the ring after costing Sting the match. I can see this going one of two ways. Sting remaining the face and Morgan remaining the heel, but Angle not condoning nor happy that Morgan helped him win, or Angle happy about Morgan doing what he did, and the whole thing turning into Angle/Morgan against Sting/Joe with a loose alliance. EDIT: I was told that Angle got in Morgans face and wasnt happy with him getting involved, so again bravo to TNA for actually having Angle and Sting remain on the same page like this. I am pleasantly surprised.

So, all in all an alright show. Nice womens match, Eric Young may interest me for the first time ever, Joe is now on the right track (though again, I still cannot get into him), the first blood matches were rather meh and serve as proof that TNA need to stop giving away gimmick matches on free tv unless there is a good enough reason/backstory to do so or they can have the gimmick matches actually live up to their hype... TNA actually shocked me by having Angle and Sting shake hands, and also by not really showing much sign of Angle getting pissy over Sting being the new leader.

I usually hate on TNA, but sitting down and watching a full show to write a blog was good. If I hadnt written the blog, I probably would have just skipped over most of the Joe, Foley, Jarrett, and Young stuff. I dont think TNA are suddenly great or anything like that, but yeah. I'm going to try and not worry too much about what TNA may or may not do, may or may not fuck up, in the near future and just focus on the shows as they occur.

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Final Update on Umagas Release

Three blogs for one man. First there was no reason for Umagas release, then one site reported a reason, and now here is another report:

WWE ANNOUNCES UMAGA RELEASE WAS DUE TO WELLNESS POLICY VIOLATION AND REFUSAL TO GO TO REHAB
by Mike Johnson @ 9:06 AM on 6/11/2009

World Wrestling Entertainment posted the following on their website:
As reported on WWE.com on Monday, June 8, 2009, WWE Superstar Umaga (Edward Fatu) has been released from his World Wrestling Entertainment contract.

However, consistent with the practice of announcing wellness policy violations, it should be noted that Umaga's termination was due to his second violation of the WWE Wellness Program and his subsequent refusal to attend a rehabilitation facility.

So, Umaga obviously has a problem with drugs if he refuses rehab. You don't refuse rehab unless you have a problem but won't admit to it or don't want to get it fixed. The guy should have taken the rehab, cleaned himself up. I don't see the WWE wanting to bring the guy back unless he cleans up. It is a shame, but I blame Umaga 100% here. So, case closed.

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Rumor Concerning Chris Benoit Having a Mistress

The following e-mail was sent to this website concerning Chris Benoit's alleged mistress on the road in the months prior to his double murder and suicide two years ago:

"This information was told to me from someone still close to the remaining Benoit family:

It has always been well known among the locker room that Chris had a mistress on the road prior to the tragedy. Details which were previously being kept covered up by the inner circle are now just finally beginning to surface publically some two years later, as certain workers have now been let go from the company.

Let it be known that the unknown female was Lisa Marie Varon aka former WWE diva Victoria.

He chooses to remain anonymous for obvious reasons. But further states- "I don't know how she can still live with herself."

These details have been verified by 1 current WWE worker, and 2 former. All 3 of which were employed by the company between 2006-2007.

Also, the tabloids once speculated on this mistress as being Michelle McCool due to her supposed reputation of making rounds with the upper card guys at the time.

However, Michelle was never ever with Chris. That rumor was absolutely false."

This person is also saying that one of the WWE names is a creative team writer who is still employed to the company. Another one of the WWE names is a wrestler that was recently released with two "K's" in his ring name.

pwpix.net

This is the kind of bullshit reporting that makes other respectable wrestling news sites look bad. I mean... First of all. The entire article comes off as halfassed. And we are supposed to believe this "mystery person?" For all we know, someone could have emailed this site with this fake story, claiming to be someone else, and this site published it. No real facts, no real research, no real effort put into it. Sites like this should do what they do best: take news from the more respected news sites and change a few words around to make it seem like they are reporting it entirely themselves.

Lets take a look at the writing of the article... 'She was never ever with Chris. That was absolutely false.' Why does that seem like a shitty attempt at writing? Oh, wait. Here's the true gem. A recently released worker with two K's in his name... Hmmmmmm...... I just WONDER who that could be. It's a real head scratcher. I mean, seriously? Just come out and say "One name was revealed as being Ken Kennedy." Don't try to pull some "oh we wanna keep it a secret but hey HERES A HINT!" bullshit. It makes the article seem even more pathetic. One final nitpick about the contents of the article: IF this is true, and I doubt it is since Victoria was on RAW during the time while Benoit was over on Smackdown!, why would she have trouble living with herself? For having a fling with the guy? It isnt like SHE led to the double homicide/suicide, so yeah. Why exactly would she have trouble living with herself? Just because she had a fling with a guy who ended up committing the aforementioned act?

I mean... If someone came forward with this stuff, why would they send it into PWPIX.NET? Why not a site that actually matters, like PWInsider? I dont know if this is up on that site, or 411Mania or The Observer or anything like that, but if it was, Im sure I would have heard about it before hearing it from THIS site. Another thing, and Im not too sure because it was three years ago. But... If it was so well known Benoit had a mistress, why wasnt it reported on when Benoit was still alive? I cant remember there being any reports about Benoit having a mistress, and you would think if it was as well known as this site is making it out to be, SOMEONE would have ended up passing it on to one of the wrestling news sites. Correct me if Im wrong, because I honestly do not remember any such reports.

Like I said, these sites need to stick to the one thing they are good at, and that is plagiarizing news articles from other sites. These secondrate shitty dirtsheet sites aren't any good at reporting news on their own because it wreaks of tabloid bullshit with bullshit writing.

Overall... Who gives a shit anymore? Have we not gotten past the Chris Benoit thing yet? Do we REALLY need to hear about what he did with what people or what his last meal was or anything? Just let the topic die down. There is no need to bring it up with useless 'news' on the guy when it will just bring up bad memories for people.

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Mr. Kennedy: From Mr. MITB to Mr. Released... Released

So as everyone knows by now, WWE RAW superstar Mr. Kennedy was released last week. I dont think a reason was actually given to his release, as rumors of him being released due to inuring his wrist were laid to rest when Kennedy himself posted a video of him flailing both wrists around, proving he was fine. I think the accepted reason had to do with Vince being in a bad mood that particular Monday Night, and Kennedy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Something along those lines.

So, what is the Genuine Thesis on Kennedy being released? No big deal.

First, let me say that when Mr. Kennedy debuted, I laughed at his gimmick. I mean, someone saying their name twice? Come on. But then I saw him in action. I thought he was great from the second I saw him. I thought he was a great heel and had loads of potential. I expected him to become World Champion in a few years time. He was even the last person Eddie Guerrero wrestled before he was tragically taken away from the wrestling world much too soon. So what happened?

Well, first came one injury. No big deal. Wrestlers get injured. He returned from that and was still popular, I still enjoyed him. He even went on to become Mr. Money In The Bank in 2007. That was pretty much a dead giveaway that the guy was about to be pushed into the main event, and him announcing in advance WHEN he would be cashing in his MITB briefcase was a change from cashing it in without anymore than a couple minutes notice.

Then another injury, forcing him to drop his MITB briefcase to Edge due to it being thought that he'd be out longer than he actually was. THEN he was actually rumored to be the one who would end up revealed as the illegitimate son of Vince McMahon... But he got suspended for the steroid scandal. Another shot Kennedy had at breaking out as a main star ruined.

This is where I feel Kennedy just lost anything he had going for him. Mostly, from this point on, I found Kennedy to be boring, uninteresting, and lackluster in most of his matches (few gems here and there).

And yet another injury came along, after he filmed his Behind Enemy Lines movie, turned face, and was drafted back to Smackdown!. The face turn, in all honesty, just killed Kennedy, especially for his time on Smackdown!, which only consisted of him making bad shills for his movie and making fun of MVP for losing matches. I would think MVP should be making fun of Kennedy for, you know, actually getting to wrestle.

So really, Kennedy was just his own worst enemy. He couldnt keep off the shelf long enough to capitalize on ANY opportunities that he was given, and his constant injury rate made it impossible for the guy to sustain any form of an aura or momentum. The fact that he denied using steroids only to be caught in the steroid scandal, and subsequent comments about using steroids/believe he should be allowed to do what he wants to his body, didnt do him any favors either. It became hard to really get behind the guy when you just didnt know if he would end up getting injured in a few months time or what. Kennedy went from someone I loved seeing on television to someone I just could not care about at all and didnt want to see, both in segments and in matches.

Now that he is gone from the WWE, maybe Kennedy will go to Japan or go to a few indy promotions and keep working things out. If he can show improvement in his ring skills and prove to not be as injury prone, Im sure the WWE would take him back. If that ever happens, I will gladly give the guy a second chance to see if he can go from Mr. Injury Prone to Mr. Momentum once again.

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Update on Rey Mysterio Giving His Notice

Since we've been asked about Rey Mysterio not appearing at the Smackdown taping this past Tuesday, I asked around and was told that he had been scheduled to miss the taping due to a lingering knee injury. His absence had been planned prior to the Intercontinental championship loss to Chris Jericho at Extreme Rules and there are plans to continue the Rey vs. Jericho storyline.

Credit: F4WOnline.com . So there it is. Rey isnt giving his release according to this and, as I said in the previous post shortly before this, he is just taking time off for nagging injuries.

Not bad. As I stated, the guy has always been a good talent for the most part, maybe give or take certain times where his work was less than stellar. His feud with Jericho has been rather good, except for his mic work to be honest, so it continuing is a good thing.

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Update on Umagas Release

Credit: F4WOnline.com

- The latest news regarding Umaga is that he was in trouble with WWE management and ended up quitting the company because of it. If his release was drug-related, WWE would have posted something about it publicly on their website. The whole thing went down late last week and Umaga was originally scheduled to defeat CM Punk at Extreme Rules.

If true, that is a crying shame. From the sounds of it it looks like Umaga got in trouble and took the little kid approach and slammed the door; except in this case the door Umaga slammed was the front door to WWE Emloyment.

It may be a while before WWE brings Umaga back, or before Umaga wants to go back, depending on just what he got in trouble for. Im still a fan of his character, though. I try not to let off-screen things affect my opinion of an on-screen character/feud/match/etc.

If Umaga was supposed to go over at Extreme Rules, one has to wonder just how that would affect Punks cashing in of the MITB, if it would at all (I dont think it really would; it would have just given Punk one more challenger). Though, Umaga supposed to be going over the guy who went on to win the World Title later in the night? Not sure how likely that would be. Then again, it isnt like Punk won the belt in an actual match, so a loss to Umaga REALLY wouldnt have hurt him, and it would at least give him Umaga to continue feuding with over the belt for another month or so.

So there it is. A reason for Umagas release/quitting, kind of. Cant say I condone just up and quitting over getting in trouble about something, but it does depend what exactly went down between Umaga and the WWE. Will he return to the WWE one day, or will he go back to Japan or possibly TNA? Time shall tell.

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Rumors of Rey Mysterio Giving His Notice

Credit: F4WOnline.com

Dave Meltzer is reporting that Rey Mysterio was not at the WWE's TV tapings this week. According to Meltzer, the word going around backstage is that he gave notice and is leaving the company. However, this story has not been confirmed yet and therefore it remains only a rumor. Mysterio is currently still on the lineups for this weekend's house shows.

Im just basing this blog off that report, which I believe was taken from the newest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

If Rey DID give his notice, I have to say that I won't be sorely dissapointed. The guy can have good matches depending on who he is wrestling (Bourne, Jericho, Edge, Triple H), but I dont think losing him will do much harm to the WWE, outside of the Latino market Smackdown! gets. Smackdown! will lose another top face, though, and they really cant afford that with Jeff Hardy apparently wanting some time off. That would leave the top face scene to Punk (for now), Undertaker (when he is around), and John Morrison. So actually, it WOULD be a nice kick to the shins for Smackdown! if Rey did leave.

The guy has always been, for the most part (give or take a couple years where he wasnt at the top of his game), a great fast paced wrestler and he is a great merch pusher for the WWE. The feud with Jericho has been quite good, though I could do with less Rey promos.

Another reason why Rey may have not been at the tapings is to possibly sell Jericho having stole his mask at Extreme Rules, or maybe some nagging injuries, or something as simple as that. I just wanted to address the current rumor as it stands now. If any more information becomes available I will definitely write a followup post.

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Genuine ECW Review - June 9, 2009

I really do love ECW. People can whine about how WWE is crapping on the original ECW's legacy or whatever, but I love the WWEs version of ECW. Id rather they create their own legacy with their own version of ECW rather than try to live up to a legacy of the original, a legacy that would only be good to bring the original ECW fans in (they wouldnt watch even if WWE did keep true to the old ECW). It is such a simplistic show: simple storytelling, simple show layout, simple storylines. It is a PERFECT one hour show and brand.

Tommy Dreamer is the NEW ECW Champion. My thoughts? On one hand, congrats to the guy. Im sure he does deserve it for all he has done. But on a personal level, I cant say Im really all that hyped about it. I dont think Ill hate his reign; Im sure itll even surprise me, but at the moment I'm just not like a lot of others who are marking out over it. ECW GM Tiffany welcomes the new champ for his new contract now. Now, I only just recently began watching ECW every week, but I dont see any problems with her. She may not be the best, but her role is simple: just act as a figurehead when ECW needs one. She doesn't need to be like the Vince McMahon of the 90's being on screen all the time or anything. Plus, shes quite easy on the eyes. Back to Dreamer now. His little victory speech was nice and short, to the point. Simple, effective. And here we have Christian coming out. Note: I LOVE his new version of 'Just Close Your Eyes', but HATE people just taking the original Waterproof Blonde version and changing the tempo/pitch and claiming it as his new one. Christians little nonchalant insults ("Thanks Swagger, you dork!") are loveable.

What isn't loveable is a Jack Swagger promo. No, I jest. I actually dont mind Swaggers mic work. His lisp really doesnt bother me, especially when Dusty Rhodes had a lisp as well and people dont seem to be bothered by it. I must say, though... Mister Swagger? What exactly is a "High Defininin Image?" Swagger gets the crowd to hate on him rather quickly, though. The entire opening segment was well done I thought. Swagger wanting the belt stripped off Dreamer, Christian upset he didnt get pinned, and both seemingly upset that the match was a triple threat. See? Simple storytelling. Christian putting Dreamer through the table... Heel turn? No. Dreamer attacked Christian before their title match, so I see it as the same thing here. Then again, maybe Christian WILL be a heel from now on. We will find out next week. As Striker said, "Opportunity knocks," and Josh Matthews said, "They're even."

Guy in green? Please let The Hurricane return. Honestly, I was much more interested in Helms as The Hurricane than I was as him playing generic arrogant heel Gregory Helms.

Woah. Christian powerbombs Dreamer, his partner for tonights main event, through a table, and now Dreamer is unable to compete. Christians new partner? Jack Swagger. I just have to reiterate just how well ECWs booking is due to the simplicity.

Tony Atlas vs Evan Bourne: Atlas looks ripped. In such great shape. You can smell an Atlas/Henry feud coming somewhere. Ill be surprised if the WWE doesnt go that route. I would rather enjoy a couple matches from them, just because Atlas was Henrys manager so he knows him and how he works; plus he looks like he could split Henrys wig. Bourne continues to be a great presence in the ring. Oh yeah. Bourne getting tossed to the outside, Atlas distracting the ref, and Henry not attacking Bourne? Definite feud between Henry and Atlas, who showed off some good power during this match. Bourne has such a BEAUTIFUL Shooting Star Press. Henry attacking Bourne after the match... Maybe to throw it in Atlas' face? The match wasn't bad. Id rate it as average or so. Nothing special, but nothing bad on the eyes either.

Woah woah woah. Kozlov... SMILING?! No! I want army outfit wearing Kozlov! The one that talks about... stuff... on the mic! Damn. For a handicapped squash match... Kozlov threw in some nice moves during it. I already liked Kozlov as it was since I have the softspot for the bigger guys in wrestling. Face turn for the guy? Could be interesting.

Oooooooh Yeee-ah! Macho Madness DVD! Dig it! And buy it!

So we get John Cena, Triple H, Randy Orton, and Big Show involved in next Monday Nights WWE Championship Three for All match and Tommy Dreamer taking on Christian as well.

Christian and Jack Swagger vs The Hart Dynasty: I love love love The Hart Dynasty's theme remix of Bret Harts theme, and they look like a great trio of wrestlers. Natalya working the mic for them is good. It gets her involved instead of just being eye candy. Already at the beginning of the match we get a bit of miscommunication on the side of Christian and Swagger. It is great that these matches in ECW arent just squashes; Tyson and Smith given time to get offense in and made to look like threats just builds them up very well with small steps. Swagger shoving Christian both off the apron to tag him in and then shoving him from on the apron, sending Christian into a dropkick from Kidd is just more simple story progression that ECW is superb at.

All in all, this match was rather nice. I would give the match One Thumb Up for being entertaining, two thumbs up for progressing the Swagger/Christian/Dreamer rivalry and for helping put The Hart Dynasty over throughout the match. Make sense? No? Eh. It's the style I'm going to be using. Natalya works great as the manager for Kidd and Smith. She gets involved during the matches not by physical means, but you can hear her from the outside going, "harder David, harder!" The ending of the match began getting a bit more fast paced and exciting, and Swagger costing himself the match just to screw Christian over like that was good. Plus, its always a welcome to see The Hart Dynasty hit the Hart Attack for the win. Dreamer coming out to save Christian from the three on one beatdown is typical face procedure, showing that even though Christian attacked him earlier he still wants Christian to be healthy enough for their rematch next week on RAW. d

The show I would rate as good. Only three matches, but I enjoyed all three, each for their own reasons. I do wish ECW gets more new stars to build up. Oh, and no Ryder? Sad panda it makes me.

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Update on Batistas Injury

According to WWE.com, Batista will be going in for surgery on his right bicep. This means he will be out of action for four months.

On one hand, it's never a good thing to see a guy go down with an injury, no matter how much you may hate him. Wishing an injury on a wrestler is a horrible thing.

But on the other hand, I can't help but be glad that Batista won't be on television. I admit, when he returned on RAW as Vince McMahons replacement for the Backlash Six Man Tag (Legacy vs Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Batista), I was shocked and actually glad to see the big man back. That buzz wore off rather quickly, though.

The problem I find with the guy is that while he does get good crowd reactions, his character is just stale. He has one of two modes: calm and cool sunglass wearing Champ, or "rawr me want title!" His face run is just getting boring because there is just so many times you can see the guy get upset and Batista Bomb a heel before it just gets to being the same old stuff all the time. The guy is a good performer when he isn't on the shelf, but he needs a new act quick.

I wouldn't even suggest a full fledged heel turn. If I may fantasy book for a moment, I definitely wouldnt mind seeing Batista return from injury to continue gunning after Orton, but not to help Triple H out (IF Triple H and Orton are still feuding by then, which hopefully they wont be). Have Batista not care about anyone but himself, i.e. become a tweener. Don't have him go out there and beat up just the heels. If a face gets in his way, have Batista rain down a shitstorm on them with Batista Bombs, too. It isn't a major change, but it could be just enough to put some interest in the guy. Or DO a full heel turn. Have him return from injury only to go after Triple H. Turn it into the complete opposite of their 2005 feud: Batista as the angry heel who believes Triple H just returned to take his spot and Triple H as the face. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing that, especially if it meant seeing Batista be more heelish in his assaults on a face.

That is what I believe it would take to make me interested in Batista again, because right now I have no desire to see him come back and get involved in the title picture. It is either change his alignment a bit and make him either a full heel or a tweener that just cares about himself, or let the guy go.

Crazy idea? I really wouldn't think so. The WWE let go Kurt Angle when he was one of the top guys in the company, so I can see them releasing someone who is as injury prone as Mr. Kennedy (blog soon to follow), but wasting more of the WWEs money by never being around enough to make up for it with PPV buys or anything.

I do wish Batista a speedy recovery, though. As much as I dont want to see him return to TV, I also dont want him to suffer with an injury either.

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Genuine RAW Review - June 8, 2009

As usual for any post-PPV show, we get a quick glimpse of Sunday nights Extreme Rules event. Then we get right into a promo from the NEW WWE Champion, Batista. First of all, I have to say that Batista is just not an interesting character anymore. The guy has two modes: calm and cool champion, or "rawr I want belt." Batista defeating Randy Orton at Extreme Rules is a decision I don't agree with, partly because I just did not want to see Batista walk out as champion, partly because Batista had an injury. The WWE knew about this injury for three weeks apparently, yet still had Batista demolish Randy Orton and become champion. It just ruins Orton for me that much more, although someone did raise a good point that Orton's character is about using Priceless to help him out, and without them he isn't meant to be on the same level as the likes of Batista. Still, though, Orton should have walked out as champion following some shenanigans instead of Batista walking out, especially when the guy is injured.

But this isn't an Extreme Rules review. Back to RAW. So Batista cuts a quick promo about him taking the belt from Orton is only the beginning, and Orton interrupts The Animal. After a slow... slow saunter, all three members of Legacy hit the ring. Batista does his best to fight back, but a chair shot to his left arm takes him down. I would be lying if I said the beatdown on Batista didn't look great. Orton Pilmanizing Batistas arm and then just grabbing it and snapping it looked great from the camera angles they showed. And now our WWE Champion is out of action, being taken away in an ambulance.

Kofi Kingston vs William Regal: Not a bad match, could have gone on longer I believe. William Regal heeling it up by saying a Jamaican shouldn't be a United States Champion, but that HE (a wrestler from Blackpool, England) would be the savior for the fans was good. Hopefully the two get some more time with eachother as I would like to see what they can pull off in a 10-15 minute match.

Randy Orton says he is cashing in his rematch clause for the belt, and that either Batista shows up or he forfeits the match AND the belt. Always a nice heel tactic, and it just makes Orton look like an even bigger dick.

Kelly Kelly vs Maryse: It was an okay match I suppose. Nothing to orgasm over. The whole point was to build up a Maryse/Mickie James match from what I could tell. Note: Mickie James, do not do commentary again. She wasn't bad during her whole psycho heel role with Trish upon her debut, but as a face.... ehhhh. At least she corrected Michael Cole by reminding him Maryse is the DIVAS Champion, not the Womens. Maryse is a nice little cocky bitch I must say, and I mean that as a compliment.

Speaking of Maryse, her segments with The Miz, though scarce, are just superb. Not only does Maryse have the whole "Im too good for you/Im not interested in you" act down pat with her little facial expressions and body language, but The Miz is just an absolute pro. He has this obnoxious slash arrogant heel shtick down perfect. "I'm... AWESOME!" Yes you are, Miz. Yes. You. Are. Him doing the whole kiss-kiss thing in the air to Maryse with her just acting repulsed is another great treat with these two. The Miz is going to be a GREAT big time player for the WWE one day. Coming from someone who used to think the guy was useless and uninteresting, that is saying something.

Chavo Guerrero, Jamie Noble, and THE Brian Kendrick vs Festus, Goldust, and Santino: You HAVE to love Festus. I know the gimmick is a little corny, but he just pulls it off so incredibly well. And pairing him with GOLDUST? I fucking love the golden wonder. I hope Festus, Goldust, and Hornswoggle get a few of their own segments similar to BookDust got years ago. That said, I must go on record by saying that I would have loved a Festus and Kendrick teaming so much. Just having Kendrick use a wrestler that is really a face to the crowd and making him do his dirty work, having Kendrick walk around with a bell around his neck to ring when he so pleases... Oh man. I would have cared SO much more for Kendrick if that team was formed. But then there is Santino. A guy who I used to tune into RAW for, I am now getting sick of. Maybe now that his "feud" with Vickie is over he'll become good once again, because I was seriously getting sick and tired of seeing Santino make oinking noises again and again. Anyways... This match wasn't really anything you had to see. Santino got the win in the end.

John Cena vs The Miz: The Miz cut a nice promo before the match, and I totally marked for the "He may not be Tim Allen, but ladies and gentleman... It's TOOL TIME!" line. Seriously. Give Miz time every week. NEVER have him miss a show. This "match" just proves The Miz is 7 times the wrestler than Cena. Well... He is. He beat Cena for the 7th time this week. Oh, AND he beat The Big Show! I know. Miz is the new Giant Killer. I'm rather upset that the WWE are continuing the Show/Cena feud. Having them in a Submission Match at Extreme Rules was such an absurd decision, and I am just not interested in them feuding. Although, maybe now that Miz just went berzerk with the steel chair over Shows head, the WWE will turn it into a three way feud? I would actually enjoy that. Have Miz be the guy that Cena and Show aren't really worried about until he does something to get their attention. I wouldnt expect Miz to WIN in the end, but it would give him a huge rub for hanging with the big boys for a bit.

Matt Hardy vs MVP: I might be in the minority, but I don't much care for MVP as a face, and you could tell the crowd really didn't on RAW either. His gimmick is just best suited for a heel, as are other gimmicks out there (another blog for another day). MVP gunning after the WWE title could either be good or boring, depending how the WWE runs with it. I can't see him getting involved JUST yet, so maybe they'll just have him remain in the midcard until a little space opens up for him to get a quick two month feud with Orton in. As for this match, it wasn't anything amazing. I haven't cared for Matt Hardy since his initial V1 gimmick, and when he first turned heel again this year I still didn't care at first. But then I saw him one week and immediately thought, "Damn. I like Matt again." It seems WWE is taking that away now, though. Moving him to RAW was a mistake I must say, but they had to seperate the Hardy Boys so the feud could end so I can understand the decision. I just hope the man gets a bit of a push once his injury is 100% better. Let him continue with the cast, though. MVP wins with the Playmaker, by the way.

Damn, Vickie. Despite the hate the woman may get on the internet, I LOVE her character. She gets heat like nobodies business, and her overacting at times is just great. I just HATE that the WWE, for the past few weeks, have been going along with this "lol she fat oink oink like a piggy cuz piggies is fat too," crap. Okay, she isn't as thin as Kelly Kelly, but she isn't Rikishi levels of fat either. It just became pathetic seeing Santino go "OINK OINK!", and then Jerry Lawler making the "funny" joke of "I got flulike symptons" for the "Vickie is a piggy so he gots SWINE FLU from her!!!!" joke was just bad. Her quitting as GM, apparently to be around her kids more (which I think is a good move on her part), is something I wish didn't have to happen. I love her playing the GM role. Another reason why I wish it didn't happen was so that Edge didn't have to come out and just verbally beat the ever loving shit out of her. I mean, I know Vickie deserves some comeuppance for being such a bitch, but wow WWE. Edge just laid into her to the point where it went from "Yeah! Show her Edge!" to "Um... Okay... You can stop now..." That was just a classless segment. They could have just done with Edge admitting he used her for her power to become champion and that he wants a divorce. They didn't need to throw in the "thank god we didn't have sex/kissing you made me throw up/people thought you were my mom you shebeast" stuff. I just feel bad that Vickie, as a person, had to put up with all of that, even if she was okay with it. Vickies overacting at the end saved the segment for me, though. Some think it was just too over the top, but she just get verbally shot in the baby maker and is now going through a divorce. Her losing her mind like that and just screaming "Noooooooooooo!" is more than an acceptable reaction in my books.

Carlito and Primo Colon vs Priceless: I'll be honest. I would care A LOT more about Dibiase and Rhodes gunning for, and eventually winning, the Tag Team Titles if it wasn't for one thing: They are nothing more than Randy Ortons version of the Edge Heads. The team was A LOT better before they got together with Orton. Now all they do is take beatings from Ortons current nemesis, help him conduct beatdowns, or run in to save his ass from a beating. The team is just not interesting in the least bit anymore. This match was not anything special, either. The only thing that was interesting was seeing Priceless actually do something that DIDN'T involve Randy Orton.

Randy Orton comes out for his title match with Batista... And he gets a huge surprise once the ref reaches an 8 count for the count out for Batista. Camera shot of the backstage area. We see the ambulance backing up. The backdoors of the ambulance open and...

Triple H is back on RAW! The Game walks down the hallway, sledgehammer in hand, and Priceless react accordingly by getting two steel chairs. Triple H makes his entrance into the arena and takes both Dibiase and Rhodes out with ease. From here, the beatdown on Orton is wonderful. This is how their WrestleMania match should have ended, following a ref bump of course. The crowd was just redhot for Triple H's return, too. They were chanting "Pedigree! Pedigree!" once the two were done fighting in the crowd and got back into the ring. Triple H gets the big face pop for taking out the dick Orton, who just got the crowd to hate him more after taking Batista out at the beginning of the show. I can see why Batista might have walked out as champion last night: it allows Orton to just beat the ever loving piss out of the guy, leading to the ambulance scene, thus leading to this entire shpeal right here. I'm sure it could have been done with Orton retaining, though. Orton retains, cuts a promo on Batista, Batista interrupts to say he wants a rematch, beatdown and 'arm breaking', same setup for the rest of the show, except you have Orton say that "Vickie is enacting Batista's rematch TONIGHT!" instead of saying "Im envoking my rematch clause for the belt."

My only concern is that I was getting tired of Triple H and Orton before, and I don't want to see it happen again. They need to put the nail in the coffin of this feud and have it end for good. I'm sure there are others out there who are sighing and rolling their eyes at a Triple H return, but considering how bad RAW has been lately, he could be a nice change of pace for the brand. I don't expect him to suddenly turn RAW back into a must see show or anything, but if it means making Orton an interesting character again and having an interesting main feud on the brand, then I'll take it, especially when the only reason I feel I should tune into RAW for is The Miz and sometimes the Womens division, barring Santina.

With next weeks RAW being the Three For All (three hour RAW, all three brands, all three main belts on the line), I expect an Orton/Triple H match to officially crown a WWE Champion, since we really didn't get any clearcut decisions concerning that this week. I expect Orton to win, maybe hold the belt after one PPV match with Triple H, then dropping it at SummerSlam or something. At least, I would like to see it happen like that, just to close the book on Orton vs Triple H. Also next week, we get to see the Smackdown! World Heavyweight Champion and the ECW Champion defend their belts, so I will definitely be tuning in for those matches, what with Smackdown! and ECW being miles ahead of RAW in levels of interest.

All in all, I don't think this RAW was as bad as the past several weeks have been. The opening beatdown was good, the Vickie/Edge segment was memorable (though not really a good thing), The Miz continues to be awesome, and it looks like the Divas division is getting back on track after being shoved to the side for the incredibly horrid Santina/Vickie "feud". I would give this show half a thumb up, because star ratings are just so last decade.

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Umaga Released from the WWE

As of June 8th, Smackdown! Superstar Umaga has been released from the WWE. Coming off of WWE Extreme Rules in a Samoan Strap Match with CM Punk and having spoke for the first time in his Umaga gimmick, this was quite a shocking and out-of-nowhere release.

Personally, I think this was a bad decision, depending on exactly why he was released in the first place (since no reason has been released as of this posting). If he was released due to some incident involving him or a Wellness Policy strike, then I can understand why the WWE would want to let him go, at least for now. If his release has nothing to do with those two reasons, though, then bad move on WWE's part.

Umaga is a great big man to have on the roster because he has the brute strength and that menacing look that makes him a guy that you just do not want to mess with, but at the same he was able to move quicker than some bigger men out there. Sure, he may not be a Samoe Joe or anything, but the Umaga gimmick is about bulldozing through his opponents, as his moniker suggests (and my feelings about Samoa Joe are for another day). He had quite a good list of matches going that I would personally rate with two thumbs up (Last Man Standing versus John Cena, Royal Rumble 2007; Battle for Brand Supremacy versus Batista, WrestleMania 24; Falls Count Anywhere versus Jeff Hardy, One Night Stand 2008), he was involved in one of the highlight matches at WrestleMania 23 by being The McMahon's handpicked opponent for Bobby Lashley in the Battle of the Billionaires, and I personally believe he has the potential to be a great World Champion for the WWE, if only for a couple of months or to act as a thorn in the side of a top brand face.

It's just a shame that the man hasn't really been relevant as of late, due to being drafted to Smackdown! in the 2008 draft and sustaining an injury in the latter part of last year. I think the WWE could have turned things around for the guy by turning him face at some point down the line, especially since the SD! brand seems to be getting close to running low on regular top faces. Just take the character and have him start going after the heels and I think he could get a rather nice reaction from the crowd.

Not to say that his release means he won't ever return. This could just be a way for the WWE to see how the man reacts at being released (if his release has nothing to do with any incidents or Wellness strikes). If he continues wrestling and shows great heart in it, I can see him being brought back at some point down the line. I hope to see the Samoan Bulldozer return to a WWE ring soon, as I've always been a big fan of his since he debuted the Umaga gimmick with Armando Estrada at his side. The character isn't for everyone, though. Some may dislike his finisher, the Samoan Spike, and some may put it down as something that isn't a realistic finisher, but I disagree with that. I love him using The Spike as a finisher. If a simple back bump can be labeled as a Rock Bottom and a simple front bump can be labeled as a Pedigree, I think a thumb jammed into someones throat would be enough to keep them down for three seconds. Although, I wouldn't have minded seeing him have a combo as a finisher: Samoan Spike followed by a top/middle rope splash? Yes, please. Some may just not be interested in the gimmick or his wrestling style, which is their right. I, however, will always be a fan of his.

So as for the release, I am just assuming that his release has nothing to do with him being involved in an incident or a Wellness strike. I don't want to jump to those conclusions. For now, I will just say that I am dissapointed to see him released, but hope that he keeps going strong in the business and will await his return to the WWE, hopefully to go on to become a World Champion at least once.

Oh, and to see the WWE make a bigger deal about the guy talking on the mic for the first time. I disliked that JR and Todd Grisham put zero reaction into Umaga, the man who has really been silent outside of yelling and screaming and grunting up to that point, walking over and grabbing a microphone. But that's just a small nitpick.

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