Bleacher Report - Articles by Joe Burgett

If Drug Addicts in Wrestling Didn't Learn Before, They Did Now

Joe Burgett — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:16:50 -0500

As many of you know by now, the wrestling world lost Umaga (Eddie Fatu) yesterday, Dec. 4, 2009. It was quite a shame, too, as Fatu was probably the best wrestler ever at his size.

Over 300 lbs, he could fly around the ring like a guy half his size. He was amazing to watch, in my opinion, and will be missed.

However, as I said when I reported the news on Fatu yesterday, the death is believed to have been caused by prescription drugs. Now, no one is clear on that of course, and until the autopsy comes back in a few weeks, I can't confirm that either.

But we all know Fatu had a drug problem. He was suspended twice by the WWE after failing a wellness test that they instituted around the time Eddie Guerrero passed away. After he failed his second test, he was offered two choices:

Go to Rehab
Decide against rehab, and be released

Fatu chose the release, which is sad to see. It is believed that he had a prescription pain pill addiction and was using them a lot more around the time he failed his second test mainly because he just got back from a leg injury, of which he had surgery and missed significant time away from the ring.

Like a lot of people, Fatu had trouble getting off of the pain pills after his surgery. It is not unheard of for a person to be on pain killers given to them by doctors and then have trouble getting off of them afterward.

In fact, I know a few people who had the same issue. It was believed that Fatu was getting away from pain pills as of late and rarely used them according to those close. He probably thought that going to rehab when the WWE asked him to would hurt him more than help him.

He was said to have had more issues than just a pain pill addiction, and that could be why the WWE wanted him to go into rehab.

He thought he could get off of the pills on his own which is why he decided against it, and as I said before, it was believed that he did get clean.

Of course, no one can keep an eye on him 24/7, not even his wife. So, he could have shown people that he was okay, but away from them he was abusing drugs.

People such as Jeff Hardy were offered rehab and decided against it as well. Hardy, like Fatu, was released as a result of that. Hardy has been known to have had a drug issue, this much is documented.

He went to TNA, where they could really care less about their wrestler's health as long as they are making them money, and wrestled there for a while.

He made his way back to the WWE after his run in TNA, and just when we thought Hardy was doing alright, he gets suspended right before Wrestlemania. And because he was going to be a part of the Money in the Bank Ladder match that year, the WWE took him out of it and he missed the show.

Hardy came back in the summer of that year, and vowed that he made a mistake and it wouldn't happen again. It seemed for a while that he lived up to his word. It seemed that, before he left the WWE a few months ago, he was finally clean and people didn't need to worry.

Then, all the sudden we hear of him getting into drug trafficking charges, of which many believe he was not selling, but using the drugs he had.

Another example is Hardcore Holly, who also had a drug issue, but unlike Fatu and Hardy he decided to go into rehab when the WWE offered it to him.

This is why he left the WWE all of a sudden and his partner Cody Rhodes became the new tag champs with Ted DiBiase.

Holly never really returned, as he left rehab early and it was thought he still wasn't clean. The WWE released him, which was sad to see.

The fact is that rehab was needed for all the above, and they needed to stay there until they were clean. Sure, a former drug addict could always go back to using again, but when a person goes to rehab, a lot of the time they manage to stay clean because they learn how to do so.

Rey Mysterio came out recently and said that he was going into rehab for his pain killer addiction. He said that he had has so many surgeries and injuries, and on top of that, he has to wrestle four to five times a week on the same places he hurt before.

Pain killers were needed for him to even move half the time he said. So it is understandable that he used them, but he said that he abused them a lot, too.

He mentioned that he didn't want to end up like his friend Eddie Guerrero, who died as a result of a heart attack that many believed happened because of his past with pain killer abuse.

I say good for Rey Rey; he has a family and wants to be there for them after his career is over and rehab can help him get clean.

Chris Benoit, a man who many in the wrestling world really hate for killing his wife and child then himself, also had a drug problem.

He never failed a drug test in the WWE, and many wondered how it was possible because the autopsy showed both pain killers and steroids in his system.

It was discovered that he had a brain issue, and that caused him to do the things he did. However, it was believed that because he had so many drugs in his system at the time, that the combination of those drugs caused him to do what he did.

The brain issue was caused by drug abuse according to doctors. It may have not been the steroids that caused it alone, because he combined drugs he went nuts one day.

Some think that he could have had thoughts of doing what he did before, but was not around his family at the time to do it when he went through the rage he was in.

Rehab has been wonderful for many people, and it can help wrestlers out a lot, why not go if you get a paid trip by the WWE to do so?

I am so tired of seeing people with such talent go down this road when they really don't have to do so.

We love watching these men and women, and sure, we want to see them do everything they can to entertain us. But if something is too much for them, they need to say so.

Pro-Wrestlers are used to being these big men or women who always do everything themselves, ones who never need help.

They need to get off their high horses and realize that it is not a question of wanting help, it's the fact that they NEED help sometimes.

If all of the other deaths due to drugs didn't get to them before, after Fatu's death wouldn't you think that something has to click?

You can die at any time for drug abuse, or for a past of dealing with it for so long. When you realize things are getting out of control, or notice something is for someone else, ask for help.

It doesn't make you weak to save a life, especially if it's your own.

Former WWE Superstar Umaga Hospitalized-In Life Threatening Condition

Joe Burgett — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:03:41 -0500

It is being reported from various news outlets that former WWE superstar Umaga (Eddie Fatu), 36, has been hospitalized and is in life-threatening condition according to a long-time friend.

Details are not clear at the moment, but some are saying that Fatu feel asleep watching TV last night and several hours later, his wife found him not breathing with blood coming out of his nose. He was then rushed to the hospital.

Many believe it was drug related, simply because he has a history with drugs. I will not say that, for certain, Fatu is in the hospital over a drug overdose. However, even if he was clean at the time he was hospitalized, his past drug usage may be to blame for what happened.

We have seen people die from drug use some in the wrestling world. Eddie Guerrero was a guy who had a problem with painkillers. He was clean at the time of his death, but many believe, including doctors, that his heart attack was caused by his past abuse.

Rey Mysterio came out and said that he went into rehab for painkillers simply because he didn't want to end up like Guerrero. He mentioned that he has had so many injuries to his legs and he competes a lot in the ring, so the painkillers were needed. He knows that if he gets hooked now, when he probably needs them, it could cost him his life.

Fatu is another type of person. He has abused painkillers before, but he also got caught with marijuana. There are apparently other drugs he had issues with, too, but no one is giving specifics, so I won't post all that are out there.

In any case, he was released by World Wrestling Entertainment months ago because he failed the WWE Wellness Policy for the second time and when offered rehab, he refused.

Jeff Hardy also refused rehab when he was caught a while back and Jim Ross, who was the head of talent relations at the time, told Hardy he would have to go to rehab or leave the company. Hardy chose to leave the WWE instead of rehab.

He left the WWE and was said to have gotten clean before he went to TNA Wrestling. When he left TNA and came back to the WWE, he failed another test, which resulted in a suspension and also kept him out of Wrestlemania.

With all the problems he is now suffering because of drugs, it looks like rehab may have been a good idea in hindsight. So, if anyone is offered rehab, taking it would be wise.

If Fatu doesn't make it through, and it is proven that drugs did this to him, other wrestlers with drug problems should sit back and think, "Do I want to end up like that?" Especially if they have a family.

Now, I am discussing all things drug related, as if Fatu being hospitalized was caused by it. But I just want people to know I am not saying Fatu was hospitalized due to drugs, even though it makes a lot of sense due to his past.

Also with what little information given, drugs make sense as well. I mean blood coming out of one's nose doesn't happen for just any reason. If he is not breathing, and his nose is bleeding, he could have drawn a line or two, if you catch my drift.

I hope Fatu gets better soon and if drugs are the cause, wouldn't one think that rehab is a good idea at this point? I'm just saying...

UPDATE: Pro-Wrestlers have come out tweeting about Fatu such as Bobby Lashley, who tweeted: "Very sad day. A good friend is gone" and he is right from what reports are now saying.

I can now confirm to you that Eddie Fatu has passed away after suffering his second heart attack within 24 hours while in the hospital. He was taken off life support earlier in the day and doctors told his family to get in town and to the hospital quickly when things looked grim, which was why the plug wasn't pulled sooner when they found no brain activity.

People are saying he this is a result of abusing prescription pills, but until an autopsy is performed, no one can confirm that. My condolences to his family.

It is indeed a shame to see him pass on, as he just got back from Hulk Hogan's Tour in Australia and said that he may be returning to the WWE, which no one could confirm yes or no on. It is a big loss, as he was one of the best wrestlers ever at his size. He moved so quickly for a guy over 300 lbs and was said to be a good person.

As I mentioned earlier, this should open people's eyes. Death can happen at anytime, especially for a person with a drug problem, and Fatu was believed to have had one. Anyone with a drug problem should have learned from past deaths of others who also did, but maybe this one will be the one that finally makes them say no more. We can only hope.

Breaking News: WWE's ECW Brand Set to Die in 2010

Joe Burgett — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:10:41 -0500

In a very sad story, it is being reported that WWE's ECW Brand will most likely end in early 2010. The WWE has been meeting with the SyFy Network the past few days about re-branding the show.

Both the WWE and SyFy are in agreement that WWE’s ECW has been a bust and plans are already being made for a new weekly series. Several ideas have been tossed around including a magazine-style recap show.

However, as of now it appears that WWE wants to make the new Tuesday night brand a “WWE Minor League” and feature young up-and-coming stars.

This most likely means that the big name stars on the brand or people good enough to leave will move to RAW or SmackDown at some point in 2010, even before the annual WWE Draft.

ECW has been in the WWE for about four years now as it launched early 2006, the WWE saw the amazing success of the One Night Stand PPV and the "Rise and Fall of ECW" DVD and decided to make it a new brand. When we first saw it in the WWE, the normal ECW rules were around and the brand was doing well.

The WWE put ECW originals such as RVD, Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, and Sabu on the brand to give the fans some of the same faces they loved. Then we saw the addition of Kurt Angle and Big Show which also helped get attention to the brand.

It was doing very well, and then all the sudden we start seeing the WWE take it over and put their style in it. ECW of old was gone and we see what we do today. If we were seeing the same ECW show that we once loved, then of course the brand would get higher ratings.

It is the WWE that killed it off, simply because they knew the show would be bigger than either RAW or SmackDown if the hardcore action was around under the WWE Banner.

The ECW letters will disappear, and no one is clear on what the new name. Some are thinking because it could be a minor league, that FCW will be the new name seeing as that is the WWE's developmental brand.

It is clear to me that if they make the new brand a minor league, we will see a lot of the FCW youngsters come up to WWE TV pretty fast.

I don't know what they would name it, but that would be my only guess as of now, if you have one then by all means leave a comment below telling me what you would name the new brand.

ECW will be hard to not see anymore, but it is clear that the ECW of old has been dead and gone for a while now. I feel bad that ECW died, but it is not surprising the WWE basically killed it off for good.

I think that the new minor league show sounds cool, as we will see a lot of new stars. It is the reason I, along with many others watch ECW anyway, so why not?

If they are not going to give us the ECW we once loved, and basically make their own brand out of them, then changing the name in the end has no effect on me.

One thing that will be something to wonder about will be the ratings. ECW currently has some draws in Shelton Benjamin, Yoshi Tatsu, Christian, and a few others. If those people are gone, then really who is going to be their top guy?

I would think the WWE would have guest stars from RAW and/or SmackDown come on the show, seeing as ECW tapes with SmackDown a lot, we could see more SmackDown stars there than RAW.

I personally do not want to see another Superstars show, as I feel it has no substance, the new brand with the people no one has really heard of would be interesting, simply because we will see people that we never have before.

People from FCW such as Justin Angel and Kris Logan are very interesting guys, who could be huge for the WWE. Giving them some limelight on TV would do wonders for them.

People like seeing new stars, especially if they are good, so the new show will have views. But of course, since they are new, you'd have to watch the show to be a fan of anyone on there, or know them from seeing them in another promotion or something.

If people don't have a fav on the show regularly, such as Benjamin or Christian, will they watch anyway? It is something the WWE needs to think about. But like I said, seeing guest stars every week would most likely help that out.

Also, how would the minor leagues work? If they suddenly get popular will they be put on RAW or SmackDown? Or will they have to be there for a certain amount of time?

The WWE has made loopholes before, such as putting Sheamus on RAW out of nowhere. So that could be possible.

The weekly recap show seems to be a dumb idea, seeing as we see enough recap on WWE.com and the other two brands. So the minor leagues seem to be the big idea as of now.

The ECW letters may be gone soon, but many fans will remember the once great promotion. WWE can't stop them from that, I'm just saying.

Is the Rock vs. John Cena at Wrestlemania 26 a Done Deal?

Joe Burgett — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:31:41 -0500

With all the news that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is wanting to do something special in the WWE, some speculated that he was bringing a new show to the table. While that appears to still be rumored, another big rumor has come out recently.

John Cena has been kind of on Johnson's case for a while. When he was promoting the WWE and 12 Rounds , he took a few shots at Johnson. He claimed that he left the wrestling fans after saying he loved them and the business.

He has said for about a year now that he would love to face Johnson one day. And Johnson has been asked numerous times about that in interviews. He never really said anything about it, other than "John Cena is a funny guy."

So it looked like he figured it was said in a joking manner and he didn't want to dive into it that much. For some time now, people have wanted to see a marquee matchup such as this.

Last year we saw a big match in the Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels, which was my personal favorite Wrestlemania match of all time. And at Wrestlemania 26, we could be seeing John Cena/The Rock.

Many feel it would be a passing of the torch moment of some sort. We saw Rock/Hogan at Wrestlemania 18, and that was supposed to be the defining passing of the torch moment, but Rocky left the WWE full-time just a few years after.

Now, the reason rumored matchup came about was because next issue of Inside Wrestling features The Rock and John Cena on the cover of the magazine with a headline reading: "Hot WrestleMania Rumor—John Cena vs. The Rock."

This is a sister company of Pro-Wrestling Illustrated, who is a very notable and legit source. So they wouldn't do something like this if they didn't think it would be possible or even hear about it from anyone within the WWE.

The synopsis of the article says:

"The relationship between The Rock and John Cena is strange. Cena respects all The Rock has accomplished yet seems to resent it at the same time. That is why "The Champ" is pining for a match with The Rock at WWE's showcase event. Word is, this mega-bout is close to being signed."

The magazine hits news stands Dec. 8.

As I mentioned, Cena has been clamoring for it to happen. And Johnson came out in an interview saying that he wanted to do something big with the WWE and felt he had more time to give back to the fans.

This also could be the year that The Rock goes into the Hall of Fame, so many speculate that he would do this as a last favor to the WWE.

It is said that he will be hosting RAW in January to promote The Tooth Fairy , which is a Disney Film about a hockey player (Johnson) who hits people so hard that he knocks out their teeth, so much so that he acquires the nickname "The Tooth Fairy." Somehow he has to repay a bad deed by becoming the real life tooth fairy.

Seems interesting, but has the same sort of plot The Gameplan had. Of course, Johnson said that he loves working on Disney projects because they are something his daughter can watch. Hey, if you get paid for it and can make your daughter happy, then why not, right?

Still though, many feel that once he comes in for the hosting gig that the storyline will be set up for he and Cena.

There is a rumor that Cena could be facing The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 26, but if Rocky signs on to work at Mania, then that will be scratched, of course. 'Taker can face anyone and put on a great show at Wrestlemania, so I'm not worried about what he will do.

Would we see Johnson come in weekly around Wrestlemania time for storyline purposes though? I'm not sure. One would think he would if there is a match between he and Cena.

I mean there is a lot of greatness that can be done here. And if treated right, this could be a massive Wrestlemania.

And one thing people would love to see is a Cena heel turn. Believe me, if he faces the Rock he won't be the face, so a heel turn for the storyline seems right to me.

Again, this is rumored as of now. And I can't say that this is close to being signed like some are. But, do I think it should happen and would be great to see? That would be a heck yeah!

It's a Fact: WWE's Shane McMahon Will Invest in UFC

Joe Burgett — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:52:11 -0500

Last week, it was reported that Shane McMahon, son of WWE owner Vince McMahon and a well-versed WWE executive in his own right, met with UFC President Dana White.

Many speculated as to the topic of the meeting. Dana White, being the secretive man that he can be when he wants to, said "no comment" every time he was asked about the meeting.

Now, it has been reported from both MMA and wrestling insiders that Shane McMahon will be buying into the UFC.

MMA fans, more specifically UFC fans, need to be happy about this, and I'll tell you why.

Shane O'Mac may be well known in the pro-wrestling circle, but he is a business man first and foremost. He brings a lot of business know-how to UFC, and, as a former VP of Global Operations for the WWE, he brings so much to marketing—not to mention that he has friends in high places.

Many are hoping he could help the UFC get an international expansion, and that is not out of the box either. The UFC can do it if they have a guy who has been there, done that. McMahon is that guy.

He has helped the WWE get into about 30 or 40 different countries outside of North America. He closed a massive deal with Brazil about a year ago, which made the wrestling promotion millions.

McMahon is incredibly smart to come in now because he can easily buy into UFC. If they were already international, he couldn't. Not because he doesn't have the money. For the amount he'd have to put in right now, he would be able to buy a good chunk of the company. But had it been international, it would have only been a small chunk.

He took out $50 million in WWE stock about two weeks ago, and no one knew why. We know now that he could be purchasing a nice chunk of UFC; $50 million for a very well-known international company wouldn't buy 10 percent of it.

As a matter of fact, Shane only owned about 2.5 percent of the WWE when he had $50 million in it. Because it is a well-known, billion-dollar international company, $50 million is nothing to it.

UFC is not a billion-dollar business yet, but Shane can get it there. He brings so much business know-how to the company, it's crazy.

If you want a great guy for marketing and international business, Shane is your guy. He brought millions to the WWE as VP of Global Operations, and will do the same with UFC once he arrives.

Because he is still holding his post as VP of Global Operations until Jan. 1, 2010, many believe nothing financial will happen on Shane's end of things until then. So, I'd expect UFC to start the year without Shane O'Mac by their side.

But by February or March, I could see him investing in them.

UFC, here comes the money!

Let's Not Focus Only On Sheamus Challenging Cena, But On WWE RAW Itself

Joe Burgett — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:42:03 -0500

With everyone talking about Sheamus going head to head with John Cena for the WWE Title, I wanted to focus on RAW itself. See, I have no issue with Sheamus in the World Title hunt, at least for one PPV.

I mean think about it, who else could they put in there that we haven't seen before? Orton? Triple H? Shawn Michaels?

Then you have people such as The Miz and Jack Swagger who seem to be in a small feud together, so they are out. Of course Kofi Kingston has one going with Randy Orton, so both of them are out.

Obviously, Sheamus was a smart choice both for the sake of the fans and the sake of the show.

I was talking about this great Irishman down in FCW called Sheamus for some time now and when he finally made his debut, I was excited.

I mean this guy was the FCW World Champion, and he was kicking butt and taking names down there. He was far better than anyone there and deserved to be on a main roster.

He was put on ECW and did well, then went to RAW and since he has been there, he has gone roughshod on all he has faced. The issue is that it has been against smaller people and no-name wrestlers.

Then he took out The King, which was not a match, but a cheap shot outside the ring.

I thought RAW was great. When Jesse "The Body" or now "The Governor" Ventura was announced, I was not really expecting a wonderful show.

But if you ask me, we saw a great one. Ventura is easily near or at the top of list for my favorite guest hosts. I personally like a guy who speaks his mind and doesn't care what people think.

He did that and it was great. There were two things that stood out to me that I thought were quite stupid, though:

One thing was that Mark Henry was in the Breakthrough Battle Royal match. Now don't get me wrong, I like Henry. However, the rules that Ventura made said that no former World Champions could be in the battle royal.

Now, he broke the rule for Randy Orton. However, people forget that Henry was a former ECW Champion. The WWE has been saying its a World Title, but then they do things like this, contradicting themselves.

This is an excerpt from Matt Hardy's WWE Profile page on WWE.com:

"Apart from his sibling, Matt has achieved success in solo ranks as well, including United States, Hardcore, European and Cruiserweight Championship reigns. The greatest achievement, however, came in 2008 when Matt triumphed in a Championship Scramble Match to capture the ECW Title; his first taste of World Championship gold."

Now, the WWE says right here that the ECW Title is a "World Championship", yet they totally contradict that by putting Mark Henry, a former ECW Champion, into the battle royal.

By the way, Hardy actually won the title from Henry, as Henry was the ECW Champ going into the Championship Scramble match.

The match last night was said to only be for people who have never held a World Title.

Maybe instead of putting him in, you could put another SmackDown Superstar in the match-up, as R-Truth was the only one. And by the way, he was the first eliminated.

Now, Henry didn't win, but it did prove one thing; the ECW Championship is not a World Title and the WWE needs to just come out and say it. The signs have been there for so long anyway.

I mean look at the title for starters, it's platinum or silver if you will. They changed it to give us a new belt, which I have no problem with, but the old ECW Title had gold all over it, where as the new belt is only silver.

Therefore, having the ECW Title is just as big for someone as the Intercontental or US Title, as it is mainly a secondary title.

It's silver, showing us that the title is not a World Title, the gold if you will. As we all know by watching the Olympics, the silver is second place, never first.

Leaving from that little spill, we now go to the last segment of the night. Now, this segment was the contract signing for the WWE Title at the TLC PPV. Cena and Sheamus are in the ring and we all know that something will happen.

I expected the heel Sheamus to put Cena through the table. That was a bit obvious to me, but the thing I didn't expect was what Ventura had to say about Cena.

He said that it was a conspiracy theory in the WWE to keep the WWE Title belt around Cena's waist. He went on to say that Cena was the perfect yes-man, while he was never like that and because of it, he never got World Title matches.

To me, this is stupid for the WWE to do. Cena already gets flack from the fans for things like this.

People do not like that he is in the World Title matches a lot and the WWE is entertainment, so its not like its a real sport where a conspiracy could happen to keep one champion.

If you check all of Cena's World Title matches for the title or to retain, he wins them clean if he is set to win.

So, for the writers to have Ventura try to sell his new show even more so by having him say it was a conspiracy between Cena and the WWE to keep the title on him because he was their yes-man, is stupid.

It made me very irate because the WWE uses Cena as their top guy because of what Ventura was saying true, but because he sells. Some people may have gotten tired of his character, but he still sells a lot of merchandise and is cheered everywhere he goes.

There is a mix of boos sometimes, this is true. But, he still does quite well. He sells moves as good as any other in the WWE other than Shawn Michaels, but seriously, not a lot of people can do what HBK does. Just look at the match he had with Hulk Hogan to see how much he sells.

A lot of the criticism is not fair toward Cena and people forget that he is only doing what he is told to do and because of that, he is rewarded for it. People like Ventura never got a World Title shot in the WWE because he didn't belong in them.

The dude was not nearly as good as the people in the matches. So, the WWE could care less what he was saying, in fact he was put on the mic because he was entertaining.

The reason he was never a World Champion in the WWE was because he simply was not as good as people such as Hogan, Sheik, Hart, Andre, and others.

I know the WWE is scripted entertainment, but you are killing Cena's character when you cross certain lines like that. He is already suffering with the fans from the lack of character depth you have given him, why hurt him worse?

Some are going to agree that he gets in the World Title hunt a lot, but so does just about all of the people in them.

How many times did we see Orton in the World Title hunt? Just about all year, pretty much since he came back from injury in 2008, he has been in the hunt or was the WWE Champion.

Then you have Triple H who was in them a lot, as he always is. Undertaker is in them a lot, CM Punk has been, Chris Jericho has been, and countless others.

This is why I like that Sheamus is going against Cena at TLC, because it gives us some new meat in the title hunt.

For idiots to come out and say Orton or anyone else who has been in the hunt or have been champion all year should be in the title match should really punch themselves in the face, which will hopefully snap you out of whatever stupid trance you are in.

Finally we are seeing some new feuds, be thankful about that. This could be the only time it happens all this year or next year.

Of course. people who know the WWE should know now that these are probably going to be the feuds that last all of 2010. So while they may be new and fresh right now, they may be old and stale by June when the same are still going on.

While RAW was good, there are things that made sense, then other things that were so stupid, I thought 3-year-olds were writing the show. Which some would say has been the case all along.

Seriously, this makes me want to see B/R Writers run one show and show the WWE how it's done. I'm just saying.

A Broken Rey Mysterio Finally Taking Time Off for Much-Needed Surgery

Joe Burgett — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:12:51 -0500

Last night at WWE Survivor Series, we saw a pretty good match between Batista and Rey Mysterio. Now, leading up to the PPV, these two put on a solid storyline with one another.

Mysterio came out looking like he had the edge over Batista in the few weeks leading up to the PPV, but in the end Batista walked away the winner.

A piece of news came out about a week or two ago saying Mysterio has been wrestling hurt, and many think that he could cause serious damage to the injured area if he kept on wrestling.

It is said that Mysterio has a PCL and ACL injury, which can seriously cause problems if it is not taken care of. Mysterio has had knee surgeries before, and two of them made him miss significant time, over a year even.

He has been back on WWE TV since he was drafted to RAW in 2008, in the past draft he was sent back to SmackDown however. It's a good thing that he has been alright, but it is said that he has had these leg issues for a few months now.

Nothing has been said regarding how each injury happened, but it is believed he could miss at least six months to a year after his surgery to repair his PCL and ACL.

Many are thinking he could be contemplating retirement, or only wrestling for another year or so upon his return.

With as many injuries and knee problems he has had, and the way he wrestles, that statement doesn't seem too far fetched.

He could easily stay in the WWE if he wished, as the WWE would never want him to leave because of how much he impacts the Hispanic viewership for them and the fact that his merchandise sells pretty well.

We shouldn't be surprised that he is leaving for surgery. The WWE gave every indication that he would be.

The fact that they did an angle where Batista made Rey sign a contract saying he cannot sue him for the damage he does to him in their match should be a huge sign.

Then he of course hit three Batista bombs, and if I remember correctly Mysterio was taken out on a stretcher.

I don't know how they are going to sell a leg injury with all of that seeing as the Batista Bomb really has no effect on the leg area; neither does the spinebuster which was done on a chair.

If it was a neck or back injury, or even a collar bone injury, I could see that. In any case, the continued assault made the time off believable. So, if you ask me, the beat down could make me or anyone else believe that Rey needs the time off.

But, I just don't get why they didn't put Mysterio's leg in a chair and have Batista stomp on it or something, to at least give us a reason to see him off TV for his leg, not his back or neck.

Because when you think about it, the WWE will tell everyone that Mysterio is going in for surgery. Will they just say that he is going in for a surgery or be specific about it? We will have to wait and see.

In any case, this really hurts the face depth of the SmackDown roster. Many are speculating that a trade of some sort could happen, seeing as the WWE stupidly made Batista a heel when they had no one to replace him as a top face.

Think of this, the main event faces there now are John Morrison, Undertaker(who could be taking time off after the TLC PPV), and you may be able to throw Matt Hardy in there, despite him being a legit mid-carder right now.

The WWE is hoping that they can make R-Truth a main eventer, but it won't be believable for some time.

So, can we saw the stupidity of the creative team has come full circle now? I think so. Some think that Big Show may turn face, but that won't really help SmackDown as he is a part of the RAW roster at this point.

Sure, he along with Chris Jericho are the Unified Tag Team Champions, but seeing him in the main event on SmackDown often is highly unlikely.

You can't turn Batista face now, seeing as he just took out Rey Mysterio. Sure, he got some face pops last night, but keep in mind that the PPV was in Washington, D.C., Batista's hometown.

A trade is highly needed, and if the WWE can make stupid, nonsensical ones when they are not needed, surely they can make them when they are.

Many want Christian or Shelton Benjamin to head to SmackDown, and that seems likely to me. Christian is the current ECW Champion, but he could lose it to William Regal or someone at the TLC PPV and then head to SmackDown, he has had a nice run as champion anyway.

Benjamin was put on ECW to look like a big fish in a small pond, yet he hasn't been that in my opinion.

However, the WWE has not really given him any big time storylines either. So, it may just be bad booking that is hurting the Gold Standard, that and his mic skills.

Other names such as Ted DiBiase have been thrown out there. I doubt that would happen, but he is getting better, so I'd have no issue with it. He has a new DVD to promote anyway, so he kind of does need some more spotlight.

If you ask me, the WWE is really in a need for another main event face on the SmackDown Brand. If they don't get it, it is going to hurt them, plain and simple. So, don't be surprised to see some old faces in some new places

But back to Rey Mysterio.

Mysterio fans, have no fear, he will be back. However, it won't be for some time. My guess would be right before Batista is set to leave the WWE, which is close to June. That is about seven months, so, it could work.

The Rock Returning To WWE, Possibly For a New Show

Joe Burgett — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:48:49 -0500

When Dwayne Johnson, better known as The Rock, left the WWE to pursue an acting career, I was happy for him. As a fan of his work, I was happy the dude was doing something successfully where he didn't have to put so much pain on his body.

Would I like to see Rocky back in the ring? Yes. As I said, I am a fan. But would I like him to leave Hollywood to come back to a world full-time that could bring him pain? No. I feel if one can be successful in a place where they don't have to hurt themselves frequently, then they should stick to it.

If he wrestles every once in a while, then there would be no issue on my end of things. In any case, Johnson is not coming back full-time to wrestle for the WWE again. Part-time if anything.

Johnson shouldn't feel that he owes the fans anything. Sure, the fans got him to where he is, but his talent kept him there. He moved on to bigger, and better things. So people such as John Cena who come out and say that Johnson said he loved the fans and then all the sudden left, should really shut up.

Keep in mind that the WWE let Johnson's contract expire without renewing it or even letting him know about it until it was too late. So, we were lucky we saw him after that at all. He only came back for the fans, and came to the Hall of Fame for his family.

It seems Johnson let anything he had against the WWE go and is OK with Vince McMahon. It seems people always end up OK with him at some point.

In any case, Johnson is coming back to the WWE. Now, he is set to host RAW at some point in January. It is mainly to promote two movies of his, Planet 51 and Tooth Fairy. Planet 51 is coming out soon, but I am sure he will be promoting it as well as the movie coming out during the time that he is there in the Tooth Fairy.

Isn't it funny how once the WWE went PG, Johnson starts doing Disney stuff? Kind of funny how that works out, I'm just saying.

Now, during an interview recently, Johnson had some vague yet interesting things to say regarding his future with the WWE. Check it out:

"I love that world and being able to entertain, especially if I could go back whether it's on Smackdown and do a promo or guest-host or we could create this cool show, whatever that may be," Johnson said. "Especially now, I'm at the point where I can go back and give back to the fans and help out the guys in any way I can."

He later went on to say, "Right now we're trying to put together—there is always something cool and interesting for me to do. I would like to do something more than just host the show." Johnson added, "I'm in the process of creating something really cool for the fans, something very special and unique. It will be something like one big entertaining show."

Now, when I first saw this, I got the impression that Johnson would do more than host RAW when he came in. He would most likely wrestle on that night. It seems obvious, right? And while that may happen, I read it again, then I read it more and more. And then I had this epiphany if you will.

It seems that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson may have signed a non-wrestling deal with the WWE.

Now, the WWE has been wanting to put out a WWE Channel. This does not mean that all shows on the channel will be wrestling shows. Many are speculating that he could possibly be the star of a new WWE Talk Show.

Talk shows are usually pretty good for the people who host them and the channel they are on, and why not get someone in who could really do well in something like that in Johnson?

The WWE is getting bigger and bigger in the pop culture and entertainment world. And because of that, Johnson is not hurting himself what so ever by coming into the WWE and doing shows with them often.

Having a talk show where they could get celebs in more and more would be great.

Now, Rock wouldn't be the first former wrestler to have his own talk show. Sting actually had one for a little while.

Sting was a former wrestler at the time he did the show. As we know, he is an active wrestler at this point.

In any case, we will have to wait and see. However, the WWE is getting closer and closer to getting a channel out. The talks for something like this have been going on for well over a year now, and many internally believe it would easily be a success.

Seeing as the WWE has thousands of hours of wrestling in their archive that is from the WWE, AWA, WCW, WCCW, and a lot of others. On top of that other shows that we see on WWE.com normally could be on there.

Then you could have FCW shows, re-runs of RAW, ECW, Superstars, and SmackDown. Put movies from WWE Studios on. TV shows such as sitcoms could even be a success.

The channel has endless possibilities and the WWE knows this. They easily have the money to make this happen too. All the while Johnson could be involved. And could you find anyone better? I don't think so.

He would also be able to do movies on the side, so he is definitely able to do whatever he wants with the WWE. We will have to wait and see what develops as I mentioned before, but if you ask me, we will be seeing a lot of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on WWE TV in 2010.

Has CM Punk Been Demoted To Mid-Card Level?

Joe Burgett — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:40:26 -0500

As most of my readers know, I have never been a massive fan of a certain individual in the world of professional wrestling. I like to be in the middle in a way. I feel by taking sides, creditability will go out the window half the time when talking about the specific wrestler.

CM Punk is one of those people that I am a fan of, but I am not a massive fan that can not see the truth when it comes to him, unlike his fans. Punk is killing on the mic right now, as a heel, I don't think there is another heel besides Chris Jericho who is better.

I still feel, as I mentioned before numerous times, that Punk sends out a good message in being straightedge. Which means you don't drink, don't smoke, and don't do drugs. It is a great lifestyle and many of the kids should look up to Punk and follow that.

However, the WWE made him a heel, which means everything he says is pretty much garbage in the fan's eyes. The message being sent out to the kids is not getting into their brains simply because the fan's know they are not supposed to like the heels.

Do people like them anyway? Heck yeah! I am a fan of Edge(even though it is said he is coming back as a face) and Jericho myself, simply because they are entertaining.

The WWE is in PG right now, which means they are trying to make the WWE more of a family environment. When you have a guy like Punk who is supposed to be sending a great message for kids to follow, and he makes the message heelish and annoying where the kids would never want to be like him, then you kill the message he is sending.

Sure, most adults know drinking, smoking, and doing drugs are not good for your body. But as an impressionable child, you do not know that. So when you have a person who can reach out to the children as a figure head for what to do right, then you make him look good in the eyes of the people he can reach out to.

Otherwise, you don't use the straightedge gimmick. Make him a regular, run of the mill heel.

If this was the WWE of the attitude era or even the PG-13 WWE, then I'd have no issue with how Punk's character is used. But in PG, I do a lot.

In any case, the WWE does like Punk, it is why they gave him back to back money in the bank wins. He has won three World Heavyweight Titles and is the fastest to attain the triple crown(World Championship, secondary singles title, and tag team title) in WWE history.

He is being used well if you ask me, and fans need to see that. And there is a reason why he is not in the main event right now. He has been outside of the World Title hunt pretty much since he lost to The Undertaker at Hell in a Cell.

And right now, he has been put him a small program with R-Truth. Truth is a mid-card guy who could use a push. He has not been wonderful on the mic since his arrival, but over the past few weeks he has gotten a bit better in my opinion.

The WWE feels that Punk can help him along. He is sorely needed as a top face seeing as the WWE stupidly made Batista a heel. And it looks like Rey Mysterio will be leaving soon because of a leg problem.

So, two top faces gone and really no one to take their place. I guess I wasn't wrong in saying Batista shouldn't have turned heel. But that is another story for another day.

Truth could be great as a top face, and the WWE really needs him to be. So lets hope he does well.

Now, there is a belief that Punk could possibly cut his program with Truth short and take on Undertaker or whoever wins a Survivor Series for the World Heavyweight Title at the TLC PPV next month. He is on the promotional poster for the PPV, which doesn't always mean a wrestler will be in the main event, but it does mean they will have a marquee match.

Right now, Punk is also kinda one of the few on the SmackDown roster that has ladder match experience anyway. And it looks like Taker will take on Jericho at Wrestlemania, so its doubtful they will ruin a possible Mania main event at TLC. So, Punk seems to be the only one.

Also, it is doubtful Undertaker will lose the title at Survivor Series. Because if he does, then it will have to be to Jericho and he would need a person to face. It won't be John Morrison because he is doing a program with Dolph Ziggler, which only leaves Matt Hardy.

And because he is not being used as a main eventer, I doubt he will be in the match.

So, the WWE will most likely have Taker come out as the winner somehow. Now, Undertaker has TLC match experience. But he is not exciting, nor will be the highlight real guy we want to see. Punk can be, so he would be the guy the WWE would want to put in the match.

So Punk fans have no need to fear. It looks as if Punk will be pushed into the World Heavyweight Title match and possibly win the title for the fourth time.

Report: Brock Lesnar Back In The Octagon In Six Months?

Joe Burgett — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:06:57 -0500

In a surprising story, Brock Lesnar's longtime friend and Jiu-Jitsu coach, Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros tells TMZ.com that the UFC Heavyweight champ "will" return to the Octagon within six months.

He went on to say that "(Lesnar) is getting better and that is the most important thing...He will be fine and be fighting again within six months."

Now, Mederios knows about the world of martial arts, as he is a seven-time World Jiu-Jitsu Champion, so he is not just some coach who never made it or anything. But, he has never had a surgery like Lesnar's. In fact, not many fighters have while active, if ever.

Having a hole in one's intestine is quite rare anyway, and I doubt there is even two percent of the World's population who has ever experienced it or even heard of it for that matter, other than doctors.

Medeiros, like Dana White, never misses an opportunity to promote Lesnar. He had this to say to end things, "I can just say that the heavyweights can stop laughing and get ready to start crying because the champion will be back soon."

He needs to realize that while Lesnar was not 100 percent for the past year because of the hole, and will surely be a force like he always was when he returns, adding a timetable of six months is pretty ridiculous right now.

Keep in mind that he just had surgery a few days ago, and he is now going to the Mayo Clinic for more testing. He will probably be there for a few weeks, and he still has to slowly recover from intestinal surgery, which, knowing that part of the body like I do, I can tell you it does not heal at 100 percent fast.

Will it get there? Yes. The surgical procedure they did was said to have gone well, and everything worked out for Lesnar on that end. However, he still has to get back in shape and also prepare for the fight.

Saying he will be back fighting in six months in competition is stupid, but I think he probably meant training. Even so, it would be light for some time as the intestine still has to heal.

I would be this time next year Lesnar would be back in the octagon going full on, not this time in May or June of 2010.

It is good news to see that people have optimism. After what Dana White said a few days ago in that Lesnar may never fight again, at least we know he will.

The problem is that we don't know when that will be. UFC hopes that Lesnar can be back in six months, but if you hope in one hand and pee in the other, tell me which fills up first.

The fact is that UFC will push Lesnar, but realize he is not ready to move that fast. What Lesnar has to do now is put himself before his career. He needs to realize that he doesn't need to come back too quickly.

The competition will still be there, and he will still get opportunities at the gold if they take the title off of him.

Most think there will be an interim title match, possibly at the next UFC PPV. So, he could face the winner of that. It would be similar to what UFC did with Randy Couture a little while back.

In my opinion, Lesnar's trainer and UFC can hope all they want for Lesnar to be back within six months, competing in the octagon. But Lesnar will of course be the ultimate decider in the end.

"Psycho" Sid Vicious Headed To TNA Wrestling

Joe Burgett — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:17:10 -0500

It is being reported from Psycho Sid Promotions today that he will be heading to TNA Wrestling. He has been making his way around the Indy scene for a little while now, and was actually rumored to be going to the WWE about a year ago.

However, when asked if he could "get clean" to work for the WWE by officials, Sid said no. Sid has been on the juice and has admitted to such. TNA has interest in any old wrestling name, so it's obvious that they would take him. And they could care less if he is on anything as they don't have a Wellness Policy similar to the WWE.

Here is the announcement from Psycho Sid Promotions, an entity affiliated with Sid:

"The Return of the Master and Ruler of the World "Psycho" Sid Vicious is coming to TNA Wrestling! Spike TV Thursday Nights! We warned WWE that this would Happen. Never say Never! Stay Tuned—Psycho Sid Promotions"

Many are speculating that he is not coming in long term, but only for Jay Lethal's open challenge to any Wrestling Legend.

Others are saying that he would debut doing that, but would stick around and wrestle more with the company.

Also, they warned the WWE that this would happen?

Should the WWE really be hurt by this? I mean Sid was ok back in the day, but now he is pretty washed up. The dude can barely go in the ring now from what I have seen, and it is not a wonder he has not been put in the WWE Hall of Fame.

The WWE didn't really need him when he was there, neither did WCW when he was there. And they don't need him today.

I have to admit I was never the biggest fan of the guy, so this is seen through the eyes of a guy who could care less about Sid.

The guy is a washed up has been who would like to think he can still go in the ring with the likes of Styles, Daniels, and others. However, the people who are actually watching him know full well this is not fact, and that he is just as good as I am in the ring.

And I am not good in the ring, as I am not even a wrestler. I know I know, you are all surprised by this turn of events.

This is not massive news that will change the wrestling world as we know it. Its as big as seeing Kenny Omega jump ship. Which is not a huge story unless you are a big ROH fan. He is not leaving to let you know, it was just an example.

I feel that TNA and Sid are the only ones really excited to see him come in. It will not help ratings.

Lets hope this is not what the Hogan signing did for the promotion. More and more washed up has beens? Can't say TNA is really taking off guys. It's a shame too, as they have a lot of talent there that gets over looked so much.

The Real Reason Brock Lesnar Is Sick: A Hole in His Intestine

Joe Burgett — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:10:54 -0500

In a very eerie story, UFC President Dana White told Yahoo! Sports today that Brock Lesnar's real reason for being out was a hole in his intestine. This is not a good thing, whatsoever.

Apparently the surgery the other day was to repair the hole at the same time they dealt with his diverticulitis. They must have seen the hole when they went in to repair the digestive issue. It is said that Lesnar may need to go back in for another surgery.

It also turns that Lesnar has not been 100 percent for an entire year. Here is the Yahoo! article's quote from White on Lesnar:

"Brock was in big pain, he was hurting...We don’t know if he’ll ever fight again. He had a hole in his intestine. The [stuff] was leaking into his stomach. That’s what was causing him so much pain. That and he had abscesses. The doctor told him he hasn’t been right for a year. His immune system has been trying to fight this thing and that’s why he was susceptible to getting sick...We’ll find out more next week. We’re going to send him to the Mayo Clinic for a couple of days. I don’t know what to say. It’s looking better now than last week, but what that means, I don’t know."

Lesnar is scheduled to visit the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., early next week for a series of tests. They will most likely do some wonderful endoscopies and colonoscopies. If they are smart, they will make him swallow a camera.

See, there is this pill that the gastrointestinologists have developed. It is basically a camera in pill form. They hook you up with patches and whatnot, then have a tape record everything going on.

The wires connected to the patches are also connected to a belt you wear. You then eat something they make up for you that is radioactive. It doesn't hurt you; it is just something that you can eat and they can follow on tape.

It's pretty much an all-day thing, but it is the best way to check everything out in the stomach, intestines, colon, and bowels. The procedure may find more things in Lesnar we don't know about.

The part of the story I thought was most compelling was White mentioning that Lesnar has not been 100 percent all year and that the hole has been there for some time.

This means that he unknowingly has been fighting with this condition, only carrying a slight notion that something was wrong. Lesnar is lucky he got mono, the illness which spurred doctors to thoroughly check him out.

The one thing that people need to keep in mind is that if Lesnar would have gotten hit numerous times exactly where the hole was before, he may have died. The intestines would have given up as the hole got bigger. The more impact they took, the worse it was for Lesnar.

The hole is said to be smaller than people think. However, it could easily get bigger. Especially when you take a lot of blows.

It is a good thing he was so dominant and was beating everyone so severely. I don't mean "beat" as in win, but "beat" as in the literal term of beating someone up. That is Lesnar's style, which probably kept him alive.

The fighter will probably compete again, as the hole can be repaired. However, it will take time to heal. But this is not the only issue with Lesnar. He is not just going to the Mayo Clinic because he wants to be put up by UFC in a nice hospital room for a few days.

He is going there to do these tests to see what else could be wrong. As of now, diverticulitis and a hole in his intestine were the two things found. Now we will have to wait and see if anything else comes about.

Lesnar's trainer, Greg Nelson, spoke to the Star Tribune this week and said, "No one can tell, but it seems right now it's something he'll definitely recover from."

Nelson stressed that it's too early to tell when Lesnar will fight again. This appears to be "damage control" from Lesnar's camp, according to some.

Of course, White, ever the promoter, said of Brock Lesnar's future in the Octagon: "If he's done what he's done at less than 100 percent, then imagine how he'll be if he is 100 percent."

Good job, White. Keep everyone's hopes up on Lesnar. However, we should keep that in mind. We have seen Lesnar dominate fights with a hole in his intestine. Whenever he gets back, I hope I'll see a more dominating Brock Lesnar.

All I have to say is: "Here Comes the Pain."

ROH Tag Team Stars Jay and Mark Briscoe Headed to the WWE?

Joe Burgett — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:42:33 -0500

Mark and Jay Briscoe—The Briscoe Brothers. In my opinion, they are one of the best Indy tag teams out there today. They are currently under contract with ROH but wrestle both there and in Pro Wrestling Noah, as well as Full Impact Pro.

ROH gives them the opportunity to wrestle other places, similar to TNA. And of course they take full advantage of it. However, most of their time is spent inside an ROH ring. They are a tremendous team to watch, and it is obvious places like TNA and the WWE have noticed them.

Since ROH arrived on HDNet and the Briscoes finally made their much-anticipated debut together, the WWE has had an interest in getting them on its roster. Which is why last night, before the ECW/SmackDown tapings, they had something called an informal tryout.

Basically this means that the WWE brass will not offer them a contract or anything just yet. They basically wanted to observe the team and decide if they want them or not.

ROH was nice enough to give permission to do the tryout when WWE extended the invitation. They have been known to do that for others, so it is only right in my book.

Also, ROH cares about the futures of its wrestlers, and why burn any bridges? They could probably help you out later on.

The WWE desperately needs help in the tag team department. While Jerishow and The Hart Dynasty, as well as Legacy, are good teams, they are not going to help out a tag division and get up there with the likes of TNA.

It also seems that the WWE wants to use Chris Jericho and Big Show in the singles department more and more. Sure, they wrestle with each other, but they are both in the World Heavyweight Title match at Survivor Series.

They are not really the kind of people you want holding the Undisputed Tag Titles, mainly because, while they are good as the tag champs, they are better in singles.

The Briscoes could really be a boost to the tag division. They are proven champions too, so they could hold the Undisputed Tag Titles proudly.

They are 14-time tag team champions (five with ROH) in their independent careers. And they did well with the titles. On their fourth reign, they became the longest-reigning ROH Tag Team Champions too. In ROH they were money makers as the champs, and the WWE loves money of course.

I didn't see the tryout match, so I don't know how they both did. But, if they are as good as we have seen them be, then it's obvious the WWE will sign the team.

Now, because they are under contract with ROH, they cannot sign with the WWE yet. However, a tryout before a contract is up is not uncommon between ROH and the WWE. In fact, Bryan Danielson had a tryout with the WWE earlier this year while still under his ROH contract, and when it expired, he signed on with the WWE.

This is most likely what will happen with the Briscoes. However, ROH has been known to let talent out of their contracts early to leave for TNA or the WWE. So, the Briscoes could be able to leave ROH and go to the WWE if the WWE offers a deal and ROH feels it doesn't need the Briscoes enough for them to finish out their contracts with the company.

I don't see ROH letting them out of their current deals. Which means we will have to wait for their deals to expire before we can see them on WWE TV. I also am not sure when their contracts end, either, so I can't give you a timetable on when they will be there, sorry to say.

By the way, Becky Bayless, who has worked for both ROH and SHIMMER, also had a tryout at last night's Smackdown/ECW tapings. It would be interesting to see her in the WWE.

What do you think of the Briscoes joining the WWE? Good or bad move for the duo?

Big Update On Brock Lesnar's Health

Joe Burgett — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:19:20 -0500

As many fans know, the MMA world was turned on its head with the news that Brock Lesnar's health could keep him out for an undisclosed time or possibly forever. All fans wanted more information, especially after UFC President Dana White came out and said Lesnar may never fight again.

White also mentioned that Lesnar had an intestinal problem and needed major surgery. Now, as it stands, Lesnar did have surgery yesterday. However, it was a minor not major surgery. Also, it was not for some bacterial infection like many are reporting.

Lesnar has something called diverticulitis. For those of you who are not familiar with this disease, it is one that forms small pouches in the large intestine and the colon, which is no fun whatsoever.

It was set off most likely by mono, considering mono both attacks the spleen and intestines. The disease may have been dormant until he was sick, then suddenly came about.

This happens to a lot in people, so its not uncommon for Lesnar to be fine one day then out of nowhere have something wrong.

The illness has been known to be found among bodybuilders that eat high-protein diets with little fiber. Sure, others can get it too, but the cases in bodybuilders that do as I mentioned have a higher chance.

Now, diverticulitis doesn't always require surgery. However, I would think White and Lesnar agree that it was necessary for him to go ahead and get it now to possibly stop it from getting worse.

It has been known to go into remission on its own, but the chances of Lesnar fighting with it only in remission and possibly coming back are not good. Lesnar should still keep in mind that it doesn't matter if he gets surgery or not, diverticulitis can come back.

So while the surgery may help for now, the chances of it staying away forever are not high.

The doctors are most likely going to give him a diet plan, which will most likely result in him losing significant weight. Also, just for being sick, he could have lost some weight too. And of course, pills will be taken. Adding fiber is one big thing, and if he is not getting enough they will make him take fiber pills and possibly water pills if things get worse.

It is said that diverticulitis, even after getting things surgically taken care of, can take a lot of time to heal. Some have mentioned that it takes a year or longer to feel 100 percent.

Also, most people are not MMA Fighters. So Lesnar may hurt himself even more in his intestinal and colon area if he continues to fight on a full-time basis. While he is good at what he does, he has a greater chance of doing further and life-altering damage to himself by fighting.

While his fans want him to come back, I would take the safe route and call it a career.

Diverticulitis may be the thing that is hurting him now, but it won't be the only thing if he continues on.

Am I saying I don't want to see Lesnar fight? No. I love watching the guy, but as a human being who cares about one's life more so than his career, I would want Lesnar to stay out of Mixed Martial Arts competition.

I would love for him to still be involved with it in some way, but as a competitor, not so much. He has a better chance at being a pro wrestler than he does at coming back to MMA, simply because in pro wrestling people are not trying to hurt one another, in MMA they are.

Who is going to stop an MMA fighter from going straight for Lesnar's weak spot if he returns? UFC? Fans?

No, every single fighter who knows about Lesnar will go immediately for that area to beat him. It is simple fighting mentality. Sure, it may seem wrong to do something like that, but they are there to win, not care for one's livelihood.

What do you want them to do, not try?

Winning is the whole point, and if a fighter knows a way to win he will take it. Therefore, if Lesnar wants to continue to fight then so be it. But he is risking his life by doing so.

He used to tell others, "Here comes the pain," but now he may be telling that to himself.

Can Bobby Lashley Replace Brock Lesnar in UFC?

Joe Burgett — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:02:24 -0500

While Bobby Lashley has not signed with UFC, there has been some speculation that Dana White (UFC President) wants to bring in the former ECW Champion. It was said that White offered him a chance to be on UFC's Ultimate Fighter , and Lashley mentioned that he would have loved to do it, but had to decline because of a fight with Bob Sapp that was being done during the taping.

White is still interested in bringing him in, but will never come out and beg Lashley to make his way into the company. However, he is sorely needed at this point.

Lashley mentioned that he would still love to sign with UFC, and that he wanted to have at least one fight with Brock Lesnar, but that is not going to happen right now, if ever.

He'd be better off signing somewhere else if that is the only reason he wants to come in. He has an offer from Strikeforce, which he could easily take if UFC doesn't come in and offer him a deal.

If you remember, Strikeforce signed Fedor, who could have really helped UFC, but now they will never see him there. If they get Lashley, they could really compete with UFC.

Does UFC want to be the second best or most popular in the world?

Lashley is a great talent, and right now he is probably the hottest MMA free agent around. UFC would be wise to bring him in.

There are many out there who are not high on Lashley as an MMA Fighter. As a wrestler, he could sign anywhere, but if they see him in their precious UFC they will freak out.

However, isn't it proven that former wrestlers do well in UFC? I give you Josh Barnett and Brock Lesnar for a few examples.

You may not like them, but the fact is that they are just as good or better than any other UFC Fighter, and it seems that the heavyweight division that UFC was known for is now depleted.

Frank Mir, Randy Couture, and others are not the highlights of that division any longer. Brock was the big name, but they need another.

I wouldn't go as far to say that he should get a title shot immediately. I'd prefer he work his way up, but give him good fights. Give him some with Carwin, Mir, and others to see if he is good enough to carry the division into the future.

Lesnar was that guy they could rely on, but with all the problems he is having, they need a big name to take his spot. Lashley is that name. He could probably do well there if given the chance.

I am so tired of hearing fans that don't want to see UFC turn into the WWE. It is not turning into the WWE, stop being paranoid. These men are coming in to do a different job. Sure, wrestling we see in the WWE, TNA, ROH and other places is predetermined entertainment, but MMA is not.

MMA is 100% real.

Wrestling has a lot of real things going on in the ring, but not nearly as much as MMA. Wrestling fans know that, MMA fans know that, and the whole world over the age of 11 knows that.

If these men from the WWE or any other wrestling promotion want to come in and fight, let them. Cheer or boo, but don't disrespect them unless they deserve it, and half the time, they don't.

You'd figure fans would stop labeling WWE guys who wanted to transition into MMA when Lesnar came in and dominated the heavyweight division, but it seems they still do not get any respect.

Am I saying all wrestlers could come into MMA and be better than all the MMA guys already there? No. MMA is not for everyone.

However, for people like Lesnar and Lashley, MMA is their calling. They are good at it, just like Mir, Carwin, and others.

Still, unlike Lesnar, Lashley has had a few fights outside of UFC and he is undefeated in MMA competition right now.

He has done well, no matter how he has won. Its like SEC football games, the favorite may not always win big, but they still win. That is what separates a champion from a pretender.

Lashley is a champion that deserves his spot in the best MMA company in the entire world. They need him too.

There is no one who could come on this article and leave a comment telling me otherwise, because if they do, they are sorely wrong and need to look at that division a little better.

Name one person out there in that heavyweight division who could give you the numbers Lesnar could.

Mir? Herring? Carwin?

The fact is that even casual fans of the UFC bought the Lesnar vs. Couture or Lesnar vs. Mir fights on PPV . Then you have wrestling fans that like him too, which adds to the money.

Money talks and Lesnar won those fights, at least the ones for the title. Sure, he lost to Mir the first time around. He did get caught in the end, but that was only after dominating most of that fight. Then the next time they fought, he made sure to not get caught, and totally dominated Mir in the win.

Lashley should be signed to some type of deal where he could come in and fight in the UFC. UFC is in need of him, and he wants to be there.

There is only one issue though: Lashley is currently a member of TNA Wrestling.

If he signs with Strikeforce, they will let him do both wrestling and MMA, but UFC may not let him wrestle.

If they do, he would sign immediately because that would give him the opportunity to do two things he loves. If he can do both and be ready to compete, there should be no issue.

I remember seeing Frank Trigg wrestle in TNA, even while being employed with UFC. So, it's possible.

Lashley doesn't have long before he has to retire from MMA competition. At 33, around the same age Lesnar, he could compete for possibly another five to seven years if he stays healthy.

For now, UFC could take advantage and use him to help them out. They need someone to replace Lesnar, and they have that with Bobby Lashley. You may not like him, but the fact is that he is good for business. I'm just saying.

Brock Lesnar Needing Surgery, May Never Fight Again

Joe Burgett — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:34:37 -0500

According to reports, Dana White is trying to get UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar into the world famous Mayo Clinic and tells TMZ that Lesnar has some kind of intestinal disorder that will require major surgery.

White has told people that Lesnar is very, very sick. And he could possibly never fight again. It is said that he had collapsed in Canada a week ago after going there to rest up after being diagnosed with mono.

People need to realize that it's possible the mono, which makes people sick for some time, is most likely the reason Lesnar collapsed. And people shouldn't hinge on the word "collapsed" either. As it may be that he was running a fever and the room started spinning and he fell over. So, its not like he went into a coma or started seizing.

Mono has been known to be vicious on people. Most people are sick for weeks with just the normal kind of mono, but it can get far worse. Which has to be what Lesnar has.

The intestinal issue, better known as a gastrointestinal issue, is something I am very familiar with. As I have a similar issue. I can tell you that if he has to have major surgery, he will heal very slowly.

The intestines, which would be where the surgery would take place, heal slower than any bone, muscle, etc. As organs that do so much for one to break down food and get to the bowels for it to, well, exit the body. Both the small and large intestine are very important to the body.

The one thing that will be noticeable is the loss of weight, which, as a fighter, is very important. He runs close to 270 when he fights, and if he goes down say, to 220, that is a significant weight advantage lost for Lesnar.

Also, right now if the intestines are not working well it causes the gallbladder to do a lot. Which, if it has to do too much, causes gallstones. It's possible that if it has to do too much, that it will completely stop working one day.

Which would make him end up having to take it out. It's not a terrible surgery, as it is usually done with lasers. I have had mine out, and the toughest part is the first week. I missed only two weeks of school and it took maybe 3 to 4 months for to be at 100 percent.

But I am not a professional athlete. Lesnar could do better if he has to have it taken out.

The intestines are something that you cannot play around with. Even after surgery and rehabbing to get better, there may not be a future as a pro fighter. Simply because the intestines cannot take punishment all the time.

As an MMA Fighter, people will go after his abdominal area. And if he comes back to fight, people will go straight for his weakness. You cannot blame them for that, as they are supposed to do whatever they have to do to win.

If it's legal, they will do it. Heck, sometimes they will even if it's not.

The intestinal area may take a lot to come back from, and through it all they will probably give him dexpanthenol and choline, which, when compounded, can really help the intestinal area break down food and help it move better through the intestinal tract.

It is given more commonly to people who have impaired stomach emptying, and it could work for Lesnar now.

Still, it is only to treat the intestines and not something that will heal them. Lesnar may never fight again simply for his health. He could either fight through the pain (literally) in every fight and for the rest of his life, as it will cause even more damage to the area. Or he could possibly let his intestines heal and live a normal life outside of the octagon.

Now, White has not been saying much. Just filling in the media little by little, while trying to keep things private. Which is understandable. And he claimed that he knew what was wrong with Lesnar but wouldn't reveal it.

Still though, if we ever see Lesnar in the octagan again I'd be surprised. But, if he does come back it won't be for a long time, maybe years. And even if he does come back, he probably won't be the same dominating Brock Lesnar we are used to.

He'd be an older, possibly lighter, shell of the fighter we saw him as before.

Breaking News: WWE's Shane McMahon Possibly Buying UFC

Joe Burgett — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:29:56 -0500

Ok MMA fans do not be alarmed, as a wrestling writer I try to keep anything regarding wrestling out of this area as much as possible. But, when there is news like this you have to tell it, ya know?

In any case, it is now confirmed that the son of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon met with Dana White who is the President of UFC. Considered to be the top MMA company in the world, UFC is growing more and more.

However, there is a problem in that their Global Market is not as big as many think. They are not seen everywhere unless one owns a computer, and they obviously want to get more and more fans in from outside of North America.

While they are shown in other countries, it is not nearly as big as what the WWE has done. Of course, the WWE has been around a lot longer, so it is understandable that is has a higher market.

Now, why am I telling you this? Well, Shane McMahon is currently WWE's Executive Vice President of Global Media. It is a job he has held for quite some time now and one he is very good at. If he wasn't Vince would never let him do it. Sure, he is the man's son, but if you know anything about Vince McMahon you know he will do anything that is right for business.

Shane resigned from the WWE a short while ago and the resignation will become effective January 1, 2010. So for now he still has his job with the WWE, but he is naturally considering other offers.

People should not be worried about UFC predetermining choreographed fights or anything like that, everything will stay the same as far as real fighting goes. Many think that McMahon would most likely be coming in to do a similar job that he had in the WWE.

However, he never would have left the entertainment giant that is the WWE only to go work for UFC doing the exact same job for a smaller paycheck. So, many believe he will be doing far more than just working in the Global Media area of the company if he comes in.

People are speculating that he may buy into the company, which would be great. He recently took out 50 million dollars in WWE stock, which no one would do unless they had a plan for it. Simply because the stock is pretty good for them. He is a millionaire in his own right, which means he could pay more to possibly buy the entire company.

However, when White was asked about the meeting, he said "No comment". So no one really knows what they were talking about. But it was obviously business.

Also people need to keep in mind that while Shane was a part time wrestler and has been a wrestling fan all his life, he is also a huge MMA fan. He has been to several UFC shows and has told people that he would like to be involved with it someday.

While nothing has been confirmed with Shane, people need to take notice about this. UFC could really use a businessman like Shane McMahon. Like his father, he could easily take a company like UFC and take it to new heights.

Many in the MMA world may hate on wrestler's coming into MMA. But Shane would not be coming in to do any fights or even book them(although some believe they could use a new booker). He would only be coming in strictly for business.

His ability to seal TV deals outside of America should be one huge thing that appeals to any company he sends a resume to. In the WWE alone he is responsible for massive pick-ups outside of America.

One big one was Brazil not too long ago, and over half of Europe. The WWE owes him a lot, and he could do wonders for anyone he works for.

The man is money, which is basically why he was called that in the WWE. If he does work with them, UFC will be saying, "Here Comes The Money".

Ultimo Dragon: Pro Wrestling's All-Time Greatest International Star

Joe Burgett — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:11:05 -0500

When you think of some of the greatest wrestling stars of all time, you may think of people such as Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock. The popularity of these two men in America made them a house hold name across the world.

However, America is not the only place wrestling takes place. Japan actually has some of the greatest wrestlers of all time, and they constantly put out great wrestlers every year.

It seems ever since pro-wrestling was seen in Japan, the Japanese loved every minute of it. It is so popular now that you can go into places like the Tokyo Dome and see as many people there as you would at Wrestlemania.

The difference between their market and America's is that they sell out that arena every time a wrestling event is present. Unlike in America, where only the major pay-per-views are sold out.

The fans seem to love it and cannot get enough. It is treated like a sport there, and while many know it is predetermined entertainment, they just don't care. Everything that goes on in that ring is considered just as real as a basketball or baseball game to them.

They have to be the best wrestling fans in the world if you ask me. People there don't grow up wanting to be a basketball player, they grow up wanting to be wrestlers or fighters

A man by the name of Yoshihiro Asai was no different. He grew up like many in the country, idolizing the sport of wrestling. He wanted his game to be different than anyone else's.

He thought that the Japanese style of wrestling was great, but adding more to it would be better. He could add the American style, English, Lucha Libre, and Japanese style to seemingly make one super wrestler.

He was taught his Japanese style of wrestling, and while in Japan, he was trained in Martial Arts by the legendary Bruce Lee. He was the last student Lee ever had, and Asai felt compelled to make sure the legend of Bruce Lee lived on.

He added the martial arts style to his wrestling performance, and it seemed that once he started doing it, the trainers in Japan did the same. Before Asai, there was some martial arts that took place in the ring.

However, it was nothing near what Asai would do. In the 80s when Asai was coming up, he would shock and amaze us with his Japanese performance. But, he always felt something was missing.

So, he went to Mexico where he learned the Mexican style known as Lucha Libre. He seemed to transition into it quite well, and earned the name we know him as today, Ultimo Dragon.

The name means Last Dragon, which was the best way Asai knew to honor his former teacher Bruce Lee. Because he was the last student of Lee and Lee's nickname was Dragon, it only seemed right to go by that name.

People were reminded of this for a while, but the gimmick was forgotten until he came back to America and wrestled with the WWE. Still, the name always stood.

Ultimo was an innovator in the ring. Because he knew of so many styles of wrestling, he put them all together to invent some phenomenal moves. One move though, is remembered by all fans.

The move is called the Asai Moonsault. It could be hit from anywhere seemingly.

But the place a lot of people know it from was when it was hit on the outside of the ring.

Ultimo would pop off of the middle rope doing the moonsault in the air and hitting his opponent outside the ring.

It seems like a normal everyday move to some now, but back then, Ultimo was considered the best high flyer alive doing it. That was a huge thing for him, because Mexico had some amazing people such as Mil Mascaras and Dos Caras Sr. there.

In 1987, he debuted in New Japan Pro Wrestling where he amazed everyone. But, he left the promotion along with his mentor, Gran Hamada. They both formed Hamada's Lucha Libre promotion, the ULL. The promotion later went into decline, and Ultimo moved to WAR.

Even after working in Mexico and Japan, he still felt as if something was missing. He knew he could go anywhere and do well. And the place that would give him the ultimate opportunity was WCW.

In 1996, he debuted with World Championship Wrestling. He originally went by the Ultimate Dragon for several months. But, WCW realized the error of their ways and he finally was called by his normal ring name, Ultimo Dragon.

He worked as a heel for a while there, and had a manager by the name of Sonny Onoo. He ended up winning the cruiserweight title for the first time from Dean Malenko at Starrcade in 1996. He was allowed the entire time though, to wrestle overseas.

In October of 1996, Ultimo won the J-Crown, which was a unification of eight junior (lightweight) division titles from various international promotions. At the time, he also held the NWA Middleweight Title.

Then, after winning the cruiserweight title in November, he had 10 major singles titles. But, people forget that he also held the WAR six-man tag team title, making him the only person ever to hold 11 major titles at the same time.

He is the first and last person to ever do so.

Later on, Ultimo dropped the cruiserweight title to Dean Malenko, but he became a big player once again by capturing the WCW television title only to lose it to Steven Regal later on.

After that, he then turned face by dropping Onoo as his manager and won back the Television title from Regal before losing to Alex Wright at the last Clash of the Champions.

He then won the WCW cruiserweight title for the very last time by beating Eddie Guerrero.

In 1998, Ultimo sustained an arm injury which required surgery. But, the surgery was botched and caused nerve damage. Many thought that this would be the end of his career, but he never announced retirement.

He did take extended time off, though, during which time he became a trainer.

Imagine, having one of the best wrestlers in the world as your teacher. He could teach you styles of wrestling that hardly anyone could do.

Ultimo taught three classes of students:

Toryumon Japan

Toryumon 2000 Project (T2P)

Toryumon X

In 1999 a promotion named Toryumon opened with almost every member on the roster being ones Ultimo had trained. The promotion's name was later changed to Dragon's Gate, and continued to carry that name soon after Ultimo parted ways with the promotion. However, he continued to train students at his gym.

Ultimo then had surgery once again to repair his arm, in hopes of making a return to the ring.

In 2002, Asai underwent another surgery to repair the damage done to his arm in hopes of returning to wrestling. In late 2002 Ultimo Dragon was in talks with the WWE about coming in. To get back into ring shape he returned to action for his T2P and Toryumon Mexico promotions.

In the spring of 2003, he signed with the WWE to accomplish two lifelong dreams. One was competing at Madison Square Garden and the other was competing at Wrestlemania.

One goal was given to him from the start. He debuted as Ultimo Dragon at the Madison Square Garden arena where he beat Shannon Moore.

He never competed at Wrestlemania, but did give us tremendous matches with Rey Mysterio while also competing for the cruiserweight title. His contract expired and was not renewed in 2004.

Since then, he competed in the CMLL which is the oldest wrestling promotion in the world. He worked in Japan once again, and in Canada.

In 2008, he starred in two movies, Bloodstained Memoirs (which starred a few other wrestlers) and Ultimo Dragon (not about him, but it is about a heroic martial arts story)

He still wrestles today at the age of 42 off and on. And he still gives back by training young wrestlers as well.

Ultimo gave his life to wrestling, and I think I can speak for all wrestling fans when I say, thank you Ultimo Dragon!

Why Batista's Heel Turn Could Really Hurt Friday Night SmackDown

Joe Burgett — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:01:24 -0500

After watching Bragging Rights , I, like others, thought that we were just seeing Batista get ticked off after not winning the World Heavyweight Title and hurt Rey Rey out of anger.

But when SmackDown rolled around, he seemed to be a totally different character. He now looks like a heel, and that was the dumbest move the WWE could make at this point.

He was brought to help the face side of things, not the heel side.

Think of this, there are many main-event caliber heels there already.

You have CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Chris Jericho, and you could consider Big Show a heel there, too. Then you add Batista to that, and the main event face scene is scarce.

You only have John Morrison, Rey Mysterio, Undertaker, and maybe Matt Hardy. Other than that, and you have no one to be a big-name face there. Taker and Mysterio are the two big names, and even though Hardy and Morrison have a nice fan base and are well known, they are not huge main event names just yet.

And there are others who are good, too, but just can’t be considered main-eventers week in and week out yet.

After Hardy faced off with Batista last night, it looked as if the WWE was pushing Hardy a bit more. I mean, usually Hardy would face off with mid-card guys, so it's nice to see him take on Batista.

He didn’t have a storyline with him, though—at least not a big one—so they don’t believe in Hardy much for the main event scene. I mean it was just a small one that helped transition over into this week so they could have a match with each other.

It was nothing big that would throw Hardy into the title hunt, especially after he only won by DQ.

The fact is that because Jeff Hardy left and Edge is still on the mend, the WWE does not have a guy who could be a big name face. They brought Batista there to be that face for them, but now it's gonna be tougher on the creatives to give us realistic storylines weekly.

I am not going to lie, I love the Animal like Batista. This is the kind of character that made him in the beginning. But right now is the wrong time to do it. Sure, with the new DVD out and the whole “I walk alone” thing coming into play, it's a “nice” idea to put him into this character.

But, right now, you have to think of what you are going to do creatively rather than selling a DVD, which probably won’t sell any better than any other DVD the WWE has sold.

This is Batista’s last run in the WWE, and I get that. However, you can still make him a World Champion without having him flip out into an animalistic rage.

If Jeff Hardy or Edge were currently wrestling on SmackDown , I’d have no issue with the Batista heel turn. But the fact is that Jeff could be gone forever, and Edge is not scheduled to return until late January or February, or longer.

You also have the prospect of seeing Undertaker take some time off after Survivor Series or the new TLC PPV, because he is still hurting in his knees. So then you are down another face, and you’d only have two or three realistic title contenders on the face side.

The move to make Batista turn heel was a dumb and premature one made by the WWE. It will hurt far more than it will help the show. If they are smart, they will turn him back into a face character as soon as they can, because it is sorely needed.

This is a reposting of the same article on Ring-Rap.com, where you can find great opinion articles along with wrestler interviews, news, and rumors from across the net. Not only are we a wrestling site, but we post MMA and Boxing articles as well; there is truly something for everyone, so check it out now.

Make sure to check the site often in the coming weeks, as we are going to be posting an interview with Amy Dumas, better known as WWE Diva Lita!

B/R Wrestling Section Competition: The Best International Star

Joe Burgett — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:10:16 -0500

After coming up with the last competition which had the B/R Wrestling Section come up with who made the biggest impact on wrestling, I had to think of what I could come up with next.

I knew I wanted to do another one, because the section had some of the best writing I've seen in a while during the competition.

However, when I saw who people were coming up with, I saw mostly Americans or people from North America in the competition. So, that got me to thinking.

Is it just Americans or people from North America who were or are the best wrestlers in the world?

I just couldn't see that as a fact. Because even now we are seeing some great talent from outside of the North American continent in both the WWE and TNA currently.

And in the past there were so many great stars, so here is the open competition to anyone who wants in. You don't have to be a certain age, a member of the site for a long period of time, or even have an article written before now to apply.

Here are the rules:

You must be a member of B/R, if you are not already you can create an account for FREE and you'll be all set.

You have to pick someone from outside of the North American Continent. Now, they could have wrestled there, but they could not have been born in the Continent.

For those of you not familiar of the North American Continent, the countries inside are Canada, America, and Mexico.

So that means no Bret Hart, Rey Mysterio, Edge, Christian, Dos Caras, Mistico, Eddie Guerrero, etc.

You have until midnight eastern Sunday to apply. After that, you're out. NO EXCEPTIONS! You have the right to trade with anyone you wish before the article on the wrestler is written, but they must have already been in the competition, though.

The competition starts Monday and ends Friday afternoon at midnight eastern. The results will come this time next week. But, we'll go over that later on.

All you have to do is write in a comment who you want to write about. Make sure you do it fast because they could be taken shortly.

My Pick is the guy in the pic above, Ultimo Dragon.

Now, get to picking!

SORRY EVERYONE, THE COMPETITION SIGN-UP IS NOW CLOSED AS THE DEADLINE HAS NOW PASSED!!! GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF THE PARTICIPANTS WHO MADE IT IN

Latest On Jeff Hardy's Court Case: Was He Innocent?

Joe Burgett — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:18:55 -0500

As we probably all heard by now, Jeff Hardy's court case was set for today, November 4, 2009. He was arrested on drug trafficking charges and possession. I would think it is more so possession than anything else, but you all know my opinion there.

In any case, there was nothing special that happened today. He was not charged for anything or found innocent. He will return to court December 2nd for a probable cause hearing.

Hardy did not appear in court today, and was instead represented by his lawyer Jim Van Camp. During a recess, Van Camp claimed that Hardy planned to be in court, but they did not receive a report from the drug lab, which is apparently can be a reason for not showing, who knew?

The probable cause hearing would be where they see if they have enough evidence to convict Hardy, if not then he will not go to jail. But, if they do have probable cause, Hardy's case will move to the grand jury.

If he is indicted there, this case will move to the superior court where he would be tried on the charges and be at the mercy of the court, or he would do some sort of plea bargain. Most would take the plea bargain.

This is only if it gets past December 2nd. See, that is the big one. If he does get convicted of the crimes, then for drug trafficking he is looking at a minimum of 3 years in prison.

Even as a first time offender, people who are found guilty of drug trafficking have to serve no less than 3 years in prison. It is unlikely Hardy's would be over that for the amount he had and how much they cost.

The total amount of money for the drugs was a little over $2,000, so he won't get a massive 19 years in prison like what is rumored. He'd have to have either been charged with drug trafficking before(which he hasn't) or have a larger quantity of drugs.

From what I have heard, the amount he had at the time was not too far over the North Carolina limit in weight. So, it is highly unlikely he would serve anything more than 3 years. That is only if they do not find anything else. If they do then he would obviously see more jail time.

As I reported earlier, there is a lot of rumors that say Hardy is innocent here. Of course, the rumors are just that, and should not be taken as confirmation just yet.

But, as I have said in the past, there is some truth to every rumor. So, do not dismiss everything in them.

Most feel that he will see some sort of probation, which I also see. The drugs of his are said to have a prescription, but the cocaine will be what gets him. Because he has never been convicted of a drug crime before, the small amount of cocaine he had will not be enough for him to see jail time.

The most he would see is probation and/or a fine of some sort. Maybe community service if need be.

It seems everyone I talk to wants to know if he will return to the WWE or go to TNA. There is no clear cut answer, as everything will hinge on what plays in court. But the WWE is said to be releasing the Jeff Hardy DVD in mid-December no matter what the outcome.

So, Vince McMahon will make money off of him no matter what. Now, if he is found not guilty there was a rumored reality show in the works. Also, there is another rumor stating that he may be back around Wrestlemania 26. I guess we will have to wait and see.

Check back here and Ring-Rap.com for more on Hardy in the coming days.

Big TNA News: Top Star Committing Career Suicide and Hogan Is a No Show?

Joe Burgett — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:51:10 -0500

As many of you have heard by now, Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff have signed with TNA Wrestling. Now, this came at a good time because TNA could really use some help these days. They are really progressing after the signing, and there are some big things happening there now. We can safely say the signing has helped moral there, but we will have to wait and see if it helps the company in the long run.

However, with the news that has recently come out about Hogan, the moral may have taken a hit. TNA scheduled iMPACT tapings for this week which would have given both Hogan and Bischoff plenty of time and notice about showing up on the show.

Hogan is not going to be there, and some are not sure if he will ever make an appearance on the show itself. The Hulkster has said in numerous interviews that he is still unsure if he will ever get back in the ring on TV. He said that he knows he won't get in a TNA ring until after his Australian Tour.

That Tour is not for a little while, so Hogan will not wrestle at least at this point in TNA. However, like he has done thousands of times before, he could make an appearance or two. TNA iMPACT actually did well last week, as it went up a few points.

Keep in mind it went up against the World Series, College Football, and the NBA. So, for it to not lose, but gain, is pretty good. Had it not have gone up against all three powers, it may have gone higher.

So Hogan does help ratings, and I am sure other big names would as well.

TNA is upset about Hogan missing the taping, but there is word that Bischoff will be there. TNA officials believe that if he also does not show, that the partnership will not go as well as they planned as they assumed the two would make appearances, even coming on as regulars.

Many feel that if he works the show that it will show interest on both sides, but if he does not show, then they believe Hogan will never make a show. We will have to see, but that is what is going on now.

I would assume that Bischoff would appear, mainly because TNA needs him to and he does like public attention. I say expect him to be there, but his role on the show is yet to be determined.

In surprising news, prowrestling.net is reporting that Frank Kazarian known as "Kaz" and "Suicide", has asked for his release. He feels that his character is being misused terribly. He feels the creative direction of Suicide has gone downhill, and he really wanted to go.

TNA management initially granted the release, until AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels smoothed things over. The release was never finalized and Kazarian is still with the company. Some believe that because he is so sick of how Suicide is being used that the character will finally be cut.

Similar to Curry Man, Daniels knows the trials of working a completely different character than what he is used to. Which is probably how he helped to smooth over the situation with Kazarian.

But, Daniels will tell you now that he likes the Daniels character better. I feel Suicide has run its course. The character was developed to help spark interest in the TNA iMPACT video game which came out last October.

Kazarian was initially hurt and unable to work as Suicide, so Daniels covered for him until he was able to work the character. But, he was used incredibly well at the time, even winning an X- Division Title.

But the character has gone south since, and now he is just another mid-carder. So, the only way I would think Kazarian would stay is if Kaz would come back soon.

It looks like we could see a Suicide unmasking, which would be far better than the way Curry Man went out.

Like others, I miss the Kaz character which we have not seen in over a year. He was used well, and was World Championship material. But, he was pushed into doing the Suicide character that he was said to have not had early interest in playing.

But because he is a team player, he did the character anyway. With early success it was easy to be Suicide I'm sure, but now that TNA is not using him as well as before, Suicide is getting stale and creative probably does not know a great way to use him. Which is why we have not seen a great angle with him in some time now.

I say look for a reveal within the next month or two, Kaz will most likely be coming back.

Breaking News: Major Update On Jeff Hardy Drug Trafficking Issue

Joe Burgett — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:52:22 -0400

As I reported here on Bleacherreport.com yesterday, Breaking Rumor: Jeff Hardy Could Be Found Innocent of Drug Trafficking Charges, there was a rumor floating around about Jeff Hardy's drug trafficking charges being bogus. Some people were a bit confused on what I reported regarding drug trafficking and wanted more confirmation.

People should first off keep in mind that Matt Hardy and Hurricane Helms tweeted my last article out, meaning they see some truth into what was said in the article.

If you are caught drug trafficking, you are sent to jail, you do not pass go and do not collect 200 dollars. However, you can get bailed out like Hardy was a few hours after you are taken to jail. Then you will have a trail date set, and if convicted, the minimum is 3 years for first time offenders.

He was not caught selling anything though, he randomly picked up a package and took it inside. That is not selling anything, thats taking your mail in. Because of that fact, the police could not really arrest him at the time for drug trafficking as far as selling drugs, only drug "possession". Because they would have to add their pills to his.

You can arrest a person on drug possession and then set bail for them a few hours after they are behind bars. Which is what happened. Hardy was really only arrested for drug possession, because it looks like the police couldn't confirm the trafficking issue selling wise, only by the weight he had in the drugs. Which is technically trafficking, but it is more so possession.

As we all know, you can be arrested for drug possession without having the amount of pills Hardy had. You could have a small amount of pot on you, and that is good enough to warrant a trip to the big house.

As I mentioned in the last article regarding Hardy, trafficking is judged by the weight of the drugs you have in your possession. So while he may have had a large quantity of drugs with him, it was only the box of drugs(which are believed to not be his) that put things over the top.

Of course I would love more confirmation just like all of you too, which is why I have been digging more and more to see what I could find. Now, I have been able to confirm one thing. There was a package delivered to Jeff Hardy's home, and the contents inside of the package were some of the drugs that Hardy was charged for.

Hardy did have some of the drugs at his home. And those drugs were said to have a prescription, but that has not yet been confirmed.

After speaking with Jason Powell of prowrestling.net, he claimed that the talk going around the WWE locker room was that there was a man who came in contact with Hardy. He was said to have wanted to do "business" with him. Now, this man is said to be a drug dealer.

Hardy was said to have denied the "business" option. Yet, the package was still delivered to his home. Many believe that the man who wanted to basically sell Hardy the drugs was a police officer posing as a drug dealer.

The anonymous "tip" given out to them was months before Hardy left the WWE, and the man (supposedly a disguised policeman) finally got in touch with Hardy right after he left with the company. Which was why he was not arrested until after he left the WWE.

What many find puzzling is that Hardy was arrested on something he didn't have to do, which was why it was hard for people to wrap their mind around him selling drugs. And I am sure he knew that as much as I do. See, trafficking is usually done to get more money flowing into your home.

Hardy still has money from the WWE, and a bunch at that. On top of this, his merchandise is still being sold in the WWE, which he gets a percentage of. And to pile on top of that, he was said to have a reality show coming out on MTV (before all the news came out about the drug charges).

Then to give even more to Hardy's income, the WWE is still going to release a Jeff Hardy DVD in December. Do you really think he needs to sell drugs? I don't think so.

If anything, he would be using. Which would make far more sense. However, I personally don't think he was using all of those drugs at once. Nor would he need to have so many at one time, especially now that he is not an active wrestler.

As a pro-wrestler, you are in pain a lot. And, doctors will give you prescriptions for pain killers to, well, he kill the pain. So, why would Hardy need so many pills at one time, when he could easily get more drugs by prescriptions.

Another thing Hardy was "said" to have was steroids. And how appropriate for a pro-wrestler to have steroids, right? Because that must all be on them. I just don't think Hardy used 'roids to get bigger or anything like that.

But, they were said to be anabolic. And those steroids are used for faster recovery. They are usually given out in a small dosage and under doctors care. Hardy was in a TLC, Steel Cage match and other matches that could take a tole on ones body, before he left the WWE.

So, he could use the steroids to help to heal better and faster. They can help diminish pain, which is good for a guy like Hardy who put his body on the line a lot. However, the amount he had was a bit puzzling. Which meant that Hardy probably wouldn't have a prescription for such a large amount at one time(if we count what was in the box). No legit doctor would give out so much at one time.

And, even after the doctor writes the prescription a pharmacist must know if something is too much. He would have to confirm everything. Which is why something of such a large quantity could not be given out at a pharmacy like Walgreens or Rite Aide.

It would have to be ordered online or from a shady character. This was where the man who wanted to do business with Hardy came in. He knew Hardy needed drugs to heal after all the matches he was in. And he was contacted at a time when he was leaving the WWE and resting off all the hurt. So what better time to offer his "services"?

But when Hardy denied, that didn't work out for what the police needed to happen. Because they needed to get into his home and take him in for questioning, they had to take the package to Hardy's home. They had to get in, and this seemed to be the only way in their opinion.

In conclusion, the police most likely tried to get Hardy by trying to sell drugs to him, which would give them plenty of right to invade his home and arrest him for questioning. He decided against working with this "businessman", and because the needed to get in to know more, they delivered the package of drugs anyway, and watched as he took it inside.

They watched because they wanted to make sure "he" was home, so that they could arrest him if they found what they needed or what the anonymous tip said he had. They were said to not have found anything though, so of course they took him in for questioning to see what he knew.

It looks as if the drug trafficking charge will not hold ground when Hardy goes to court Nov. 4 because of the lack of evidence. Because the drugs delivered to Hardy's home are said to have no paper trail leading back to him.

Hardy most likely will have a prescription for the drugs he already had(other than the cocaine), and the police will have to come clean and tell the court that they had to bait Hardy to see what he would reveal.

The problem is that he revealed nothing, simply because he probably had nothing to reveal.

From the way things look, or are rumored right now, Hardy will be found innocent on the drug trafficking charges. There will be more coming out up until and after his trial next week. Make sure to stay tuned to bleacherreport.com for more details.

Breaking Rumor: Jeff Hardy Could Be Found Innocent of Drug Trafficking Charges

Joe Burgett — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:38:35 -0400

First off, I want everyone to know before you read this that a lot of this is only a rumor as of now. So while it could be proven as fact later on, nothing is confirmed as of yet.

People should keep in mind that there is some truth in every rumor. While not everything rumored will come to pass every time, something rumored can be the truth, and that should not be overlooked.

Now to Jeff Hardy.

As most of us know by now, Jeff Hardy was arrested early September on drug charges. But the big charge that people focused on was drug trafficking.

The reason it is considered trafficking is not that he was selling the drugs, but because of the weight of the drugs he had.

Different states have different rules on how much weight the drugs can be before a trafficking charge will be filed. If all of the drugs that were found had a prescription, then no charges would be filed as it is legal to have any drug with a legit prescription.

Now, the way they caught Hardy was off a supposed "tip" from an anonymous party. The cops laid out a package for Jeff, he took it inside, and they invaded the home shortly thereafter. It was sort of a sting operation.

The package had most of the drugs Hardy was said to have had. The police set him up by packing on charges that were not needed, such as added what was in the box to what he had in his home already. They arrested Hardy and once bail was set, he was bailed out and went home.

The trafficking charge was added because of the weight, so because the police added what Hardy had already to what the package had, the trafficking charge came about.

Because they added their drugs to Hardy's, the trafficking charge should be dropped when Hardy goes to trial. The police padded charges, which is not right, but they did it as a way to check his home.

They apparently couldn't invade his home while he was out to check what he had, so they set him up to get in. The reason is simply because they wanted to get him, not so much the drugs.

The tip given out said that Hardy could be selling, using, etc. And because of that, the police had to question him and therefore took him in. So while they could have searched his home, it wouldn't have done any good in the end, because just as they searched it this time around, nothing was wrong.

They had to arrest him to go through with everything. And they couldn't even get their story straight on who bailed out Hardy, which is sad. First it was Matt, then it was Shannon Moore, then Beth.

In my opinion he was jailed over no reason. He should have just been brought in for questioning, not have to go through all this to get him in and then add charges just to get him in court later on for more questioning with a large quantity of people. He did have the drugs in his possession, but they were not his drugs.

Possession is 9/10ths of the law, but if you add 8/10ths of the drugs to what Hardy already had, how is that fair?

He was said to not even have an idea of what was in the package until he opened to find drugs that he did not order. And while it's obvious you have to open a package to know what is inside, usually if you are expecting something you know what is in the package and you know the address it is mailed from.

Hardy was said to have barely got the package open before police raided his home.

The one charge Hardy will have against him will be the cocaine. It was a small trace, which meant that he probably wouldn't get jail time for it. He has never had drug charges filed against him, which is surprising, I know.

He was suspended a few times from the WWE, but he never saw jail time or fines from police. So, this would be his first drug charge. And because it is so small, it could have been old cocaine that he used a while back, yet was never seen until the police checked every part of his home with drug dogs, drug identification machines, and what not.

But no one has a clear-cut answer on how old the cocaine was. I still see some sort of charge, but no jail time.

If this rumor—that the police padded charges just to get into Hardy's home and question him over a supposed tip—is true, Hardy will get off. The worst he could see is some sort of probation.

Again, I want to stress that this information I revealed here has not been confirmed. As of right now, it is considered a rumor floating around. However, there are a ton of Jeff Hardy fans out there, and I want to keep them updated as much as possible.

Hardy's trial is set for Nov. 4, so we should be finding out more from Hardy and others by this time next week. Stayed tuned to Bleacherreport.com for updates.

Here is my latest article with more insight on the subject, confirmations, and more information all regarding Jeff Hardy.

Breaking News:Major Update On Jeff Hardy's Innocence Of Drug Trafficking

TNA Putting a Second Show Out On Monday Night? TNA Says Expect It To Happen

Joe Burgett — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:33:59 -0400

There is a lot of TNA news coming in, so this article may seem like nothing if everything I am hearing comes to pass. There are things such as Ric Flair coming in, and a few more ROH wrestlers also making their way to the company.

Not to mention, there is the rumor that Eric Bischoff, along with Hulk Hogan, could be booking the shows for TNA and the fact that Kevin Nash was recently suspended by TNA and that Booker T is officially done with the company and much much more.

But the rumor a lot of us are interested in is when TNA will go to Monday night. This rumor came about when a TNA insider got in touch with a few different sites, and he mentioned that when he was listening in, he heard that Eric Bischoff is trying to get a second show out on Monday Night.

As of right now, Bischoff is trying to get them going to Monday to kind of rival WWE RAW. RAW normally goes from 9-11 ET. The new TNA show would be from 8-10 ET, which would go into the first hour of RAW , but RAW would have its second hour all to themselves.

Now, we should keep in mind that TNA could go to three hours like Nitro did. The issue with that is that it was very hard to do a three-hour show consistently, which is why you heard horror stories from old WCW talent who had to experience the controversy of Nitro every week.

But Nitro did have the first hour all to themselves, which helped them. However, they had to go through the three-hour show to make sure they competed with RAW from start to finish weekly.

I don't think TNA would go that route, especially knowing what it did to WCW and having many people there who knew how hard it was to go three hours weekly. There is also a rumor that they would test the show out at this time, then move to the 9-11 ET time slot to compete with RAW if it was successful.

We should also keep in mind that this is a second show and iMPACT will stay on Thursday night. Also, this new show is said to be like RAW, which means LIVE weekly. If it comes from the road, like the WWE does, or from the iMPACT Zone is yet to be talked about.

Nothing is concrete though, because TNA has yet to make an announcement saying they will be on Monday night every week.

In the past, TNA said that they want to move to Monday night to compete with RAW, but knew they couldn't because it was just to hard to compete with their starpower.

But now that Hogan and Bischoff are there and many other big names are rumored to be coming in, they could probably compete.

The Monday Night Wars would be great to see again, but this won't be a big thing rating wise as it used to be. When WCW was going head to head with RAW, we couldn't watch both shows on our TV in their entirety.

Unless you had a VCR recording Nitro or RAW on another TV in the house, you couldn't see both shows every week, you had to choose. And unless you were a diehard fan of both shows, you didn't bother recording one show weekly. Also, think about all the tapes you'd have to buy.

But now with the invention of TivO and DVR, you can record a show and watch it later like you could with a VCR, except no tapes are used. Also, the recordings count as a rating for the show if you watch it within a certain period of time.

So, realistically, RAW and the new TNA show could get the same ratings they would usually get.

We should keep in mind that even though TNA has done a lot as far as getting starpower in recently, the weekly iMPACT show still gets a 1.1 on a good day. To compete with RAW, they would need at least a 3.2 or higher every week.

Also with USA being an NBC product, I would hope that TNA would get on a channel that got as much exposure as USA does. With the new deal TNA has with Spike TV, they are allowed to shop around on different networks.

So it's possible they could be on Spike TV and another big channel, too. Which would be good to see as far as TNA is concerned.

I would wait off to see what the iMPACT ratings are like with the new acquisitions, before suddenly thinking they can move to Monday and compete with the powerhouse organization that is Monday Night RAW though.

But, because wrestling fans are just clamouring to see it and TNA wants to be in the same league of the WWE so bad, I expect TNA to go for the new Monday show. Whether it pays off or not will be something we will have to wait and see about.

Breaking News: Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff Sign With TNA Wrestling

Joe Burgett — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:23:21 -0400

In a very weird story, it was just announced by TNA that they signed WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan today. There is a teaser video out online already for his TNA debut, which could be as soon as next week.

One would think he wouldn't be on Thursday, seeing as TNA already taped that program. There was a rumor that TNA was going to tape another program next Tuesday, but that is not confirmed.

In any case, this comes as a shock to many. I wrote a piece on Hogan after I heard a rumor of him signing with TNA a little while back, but I didn't think TNA would actually do it.

Hogan does need the money, which is why he wanted to sign. The WWE has no reason to sign him to a deal, seeing as they don't need him.

I don't think TNA does either, but I digress. What is even funnier about this whole issue is that Dixie Carter said she would be willing to part ways with Vince Russo, who is the head of both the writing and creative team, if Hogan wanted to come in.

She felt that she would have to do it seeing as Russo and Hogan do not get along, and because Hogan is a big name, she would take the dumb approach and sign him for a short time.

I see it as a bad idea, seeing as Russo does so much for TNA Wrestling. However, it was also announced that Hogan's buddy Eric Bischoff has also signed with TNA. This means that Russo's departure may happen and Bischoff would take his place.

But contrary to popular belief, Carter won't release Russo. In fact, Bischoff and Russo would work together and Bischoff would do a lot of the on-camera work like he used to.

Hogan may not wrestle as often as he did before, but there is no doubt that he will see ring time.

There was also talk from Taz a little while ago in an argument with a fan that insinuated Paul Heyman may work with TNA in the future or is already working for them secretly.

There is no confirmation if Heyman even associates with TNA or not, but it would be nice to see Heyman back in the wrestling world.

There are more names rumored to be coming in along with Bischoff and Hogan, more specifically Ric Flair, who many think will not wrestle considering his loyalty to the WWE. But we will have to wait and see on that.

I would say keep an eye on anyone who is on the Hulkamania Tour (which is still scheduled to go on despite the Hogan signing) because many of those names are rumored to come in or were rumored to come in before, such as Umaga and Ken Anderson.

There is also talk of Nick Hogan coming in too, that would be "interesting" to say the least.

The Flair sign would be the biggest other than Hogan. But having Bischoff help out in any way would be a boost for TNA in my opinion, as he does have a good mind for business.

I'd assume anyone else who is a bit older will be helping on creative, which is thin last time I checked. Having Hogan and Bischoff help on that end would be good, as they are currently only 4 or 5 people on the whole creative staff.

However, the signing of Hogan is a huge deal for TNA, especially media wise. Hogan was going to come to TNA years back, but he was hurt and unable to come in. Instead Jeff Jarrett "took TNA to Hogan" during a press conference.

It was a big deal for TNA history, but it didn't really help them out as much as it would have if Hogan would have come in.

There is a possibility that Jarrett could come back seeing as Hogan is now in the company. And how could TNA resist doing an angle from the past with the two?

I don't know if we could see Jarrett after all the issues between he and Kurt Angle, but why not when you have a storyline starring you right in the face?

It is a possibility we could see them debut at the next TNA PPV if TNA doesn't do another iMPACT taping before then. And because they usually tape them all in one week after a PPV, the only time TNA even does a televised show is at the PPV.

However, the online teaser going around is for iMPACT. So, there is some pondering to do here. I would assume that because it was already announced by TNA, that they would try and get ratings by having him at an iMPACT taping after the PPV.

But of course, we will have to wait and see.

In any case, it is confirmed that both Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan have signed with TNA Wrestling.

There is a lot going on in TNA right now, I'd say stay glued to your seats for the next few days. And make sure to come back to B/R often as I assure you, there will be updates.

WWE Bragging Rights: Where The Cena/Orton Rivalry Finally Came To An End

Joe Burgett — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:31:58 -0400

Last night while watching WWE Bragging Rights, I was a bit skeptical. Before the PPV, I kind of saw how things would play out in my mind. I was surprised though, which is something I like the WWE to do.

I thought with all the talk about RAW being the better show, that SmackDown would come out and win. The ace in the hole was Chris Jericho's tag partner, and RAW team member, Big Show.

We all should have seen it coming, those who didn't should really be ashamed if you ask me. Simply because Jericho and Show are freakin tag partners and heel tag partners at that. The moment Show ended up on the RAW team, I was skeptical.

I mean, Show on the RAW team? Jericho on the SmackDown team? Didn't anyone else see this as a set up? I know I did. It was only a matter of time before Show would help his partner out.

I am sure something will happen with these two tonight on RAW. But of course, we will have to wait and see on that.

I saw this one pegged for SmackDown, but I would have liked to have seen John Morrison go over on The Miz to get Smackdown a victory. The Divas match-up ended up going to SmackDown, which undoubtedly had the better female competitors.

But, Morrison in my opinion is far better than Miz. Apparently with all the Marty Jannetty comparisons for Miz, the WWE didn't want him to have that over him so they gave him the victory over Morrison who is the better of the two.

I think Morrison will end up having the better career if he stays healthy, but Miz will also do well. He is great on the mic, unlike Jannetty. MJ was around during a time that you had to stick out by what you did in the ring or have an interesting thing about you.

Michaels had that and MJ didn't. Which is why MJ fizzled out and Michaels became a wrestling legend. Miz nor Morrison will be the next Marty Jannetty, because they are both very good.

However, even though Morrison is better I understand why they gave Miz the victory. It is simply because he needed it and Morrison didn't.

One issue I had was in the World Heavyweight Title match, which saw The Undertaker retain his title. Batista went off on his "friend" Rey Mysterio.

Both discussed how they wouldn't hold anything back in the title match on SmackDown ever since the fatal four way was annouced. Mysterio was supposed to go out and do anything he could to win, and Batista would do the same.

If both knew that going in, wouldn't they be ok with each other doing what they warned each other they would do? I think so.

Batista beat up Mysterio, which did two things. Number one it ended his friendship with Mysterio, but it also makes him look like a heel. The WWE does know that Mysterio is HUGE with fans, just like with Jeff Hardy, and if you are against him you are the bad guy, right?

To me, they knew what they were doing, and I personally think its really stupid. They are going to make a heel out of him, which is crazy considering they brought him there to help replace Jeff Hardy.

Edge isn't coming back for at least another three to four months, or longer. Undertaker cannot work full time anymore, so he will need a break within the next few months. So, Batista as a heel is stupid when you already have plenty of heels there.

CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho, Kane, and Drew McIntyre are all heels on SmackDown currently. All of them have been in the limelight and main event scene. While all have not been in World Title matches, at least two of them will be there by Wrestlemania.

So, Batista going off like this is completely idiotic when you need him as a face on the show. Turning him heel now would only hurt the creative aspect of SmackDown.

One match that didn't disappoint was the Ironman match for the WWE Title. Randy Orton took on John Cena, and if Cena lost he had to leave Monday Night RAW. If Orton lost, he would have no more rematches for the WWE Title as long as Cena was champion.

Which probably means Cena will drop the title at some point within the next few months.

Because you cannot keep Orton out of title matches for a long period of time. Otherwise Ryan Michael (president of the Orton fan club) and all the other Orton fans will kick the doors down at the WWE Headquarters and make them put Orton back in the title hunt.

Also, Orton is too good to keep out of the WWE Title hunt for a very long time. So, I see a reign of maybe 3 months for Cena. Cena could hold it until No Way Out, or possibly the Royal Rumble. Which would get Orton in the title hunt by Wrestlemania.

The question is though, who would be the third man in the mix? Could it be a younger person on the roster? I guess we will have to take a wait and see approach.

Cena winning kept him on RAW, and now Orton is out of the title hunt for now at least. But don't fret Orton fans, for you will see a great storyline with Orton and Legacy coming soon.

Also, I love the fact that this PPV was called Bragging Rights. Why you ask? Well, our esteemed Community Leader, Shane Howard and I decided to do a little bet.

Whoever picked the winner of the Cena/Orton match would have a tribute article written on them by the loser, and the loser also couldn't write another wrestling story for two days to make sure that article got a lot of attention in the section.

Guess who picked John Cena. Thats right, Joe Burgett picked Cena.

And now, I have the Bragging Rights on B/R, at least over Shane. Thank you John Cena, you never let the Chain Gang down!

Hungry Like the Wolfe: Nigel McGuinness Makes an iMPACT On His First Night

Joe Burgett — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:32:58 -0400

As you probably have heard by now, Nigel McGuinness signed with TNA Wrestling a few days ago. The day he signed, he made his debut at one of the tapings under the new ringname, Desmond Wolfe. However, it seems he will be called Wolfe more than his full ringname.

It is said that he came up with the new name himself, which makes sense because this name is not near as bad as some other ringnames I have heard. And we all know there have been some crazy ones.

People that I have spoken with who know his old ROH character Nigel McGuinness, do not like the new name. And that is understandable, considering you are used to hearing him called Nigel McGuinness and not Desmond Wolfe.

A lot of people had to get used to Matt Sydal's new name in the WWE, Evan Bourne. But, people know him more by the Evan Bourne ring name than his old Matt Sydal ring name now.

This will eventually happen with Wolfe. And, it is just a name we are going to have to hear a lot and then we will get used to it. I know, I know, its not his old name. But, we can't change it now, so whats the use in complaining every time there is an article on the guy?

In any case, he made one of the more impressive debuts I have seen in a while for TNA. TNA must really think a lot of Wolfe, because he made his debut by attacking the top guy in the company in Kurt Angle.

Keep that in mind, Kurt Angle. This isn't some guy that you can realistically go out and beat to a pulp on any given night. He is a 13 time World Champion, and Olympic Gold Medalist.

I am happy to see TNA give us an impressive debut with Wolfe because usually this does not happen. For the longest time the focus was not on the young guys coming in, it was only on the veterans like Angle, Nash, Booker T, and Steiner.

And while they are big names and deserve some hype, you just don't see a young guy like Wolfe come in and make a debut like this, especially on a veteran like Angle.

Wolfe was not a big name coming in. Sure, die-hard wrestling fans know the guy, but the casual fans have no clue who he is. Or, they just heard of him when ROH made its way to HDNet earlier this year. Either way, TNA decided to give us something new.

The focus is finally on the young talent, not the old, tired vets. While I do respect the veterans and what they have done, they are not the future of the business there. People like AJ Styles, the MCMGs, Jay Lethal, Daniels, Matt Morgan, and even Wolfe are the future.

Right now, TNA seems to have turned Angle face. This is the first time he has been a babyface in over two years. So, he is probably due for the turn. Wolfe coming in and doing what he did to Angle, which was attacking him in the back, then blindsiding him at ringside, is huge for the new heel character Wolfe is.

People were forced to take notice of Wolfe, which is definitely the key in a good debut. Because a first impression is what tells the fans who your character is and how compelling it is to watch. This was so good, I think TNA has a main event feud right off with these two.

Wolfe is a great wrestler, and so is Angle. Imagine the matches they can have. Also, you make Wolfe an even bigger star if you have him compete against a big name like Angle and have him go over on him a bit.

Sure, Angle will probably win the feud in the end. But, how Wolfe does in the storyline between the two will be what we need to watch though. Can he live up to the hype he had from the IWC coming in? And, can he live up to that impressive debut?

Time will tell, but if he is the same guy I watched in ROH for years, he will live up to the hype in my opinion.

The Real Reason Nigel McGuinness Signed With TNA Wrestling; Failed WWE Test

Joe Burgett — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:42:37 -0400

According to Nigel McGuinness himself yesterday, he decided to go to TNA instead of the WWE because it took too long for him to get a contract. However, this is a lie. He actually failed a certain WWE test.

It should be noted that McGuinness didn't fail a drug test, it was said to be medically related. See, McGuinness does have a history of injuries, and he just came back from two bicep injuries that he was sidelined months for.

He is said to be better now, but apparently not well enough to pass the WWE's prescreening test. The reason TNA signed him was because they do not have a prescreening test for their talent.

It is uncertain if he told TNA the truth or not when he signed, but he did make his debut last night at one of the iMPACT tapings. He has a new name, and goes by Desmond Wolfe. Its not nearly as bad as some other wrestling names have been of course, but one has to wonder why TNA changed it.

The reason Elijah Burke's and Victoria's name was changed was simply because the WWE owned both names, and TNA was forced to use different ones. McGuinness owns the name, as he used it in the independents for years and made the name popular.

I know they want to be like the WWE in that they can just give a guy a new name and make that name big, but if McGuiness left at any point, his name would get him anywhere. The Wolfe name will not be nearly as popular if you ask me.

Either way, one has to wonder if this will hurt his TNA status. If he can't get it done, then he will be let go, and if he signed a deal to where he is guaranteed money, then TNA have really screwed themselves over.

McGuinness is a great performer, this is not under question. But he is 31 and that means he has maybe another good seven to eight years left in him.

And because he has had some injuries before, one has to wonder what would happen if he hurts himself again in the same areas he injured before; would he be able to come back?

One thing I should point out is that TNA Wrestling probably need to get off their high horse on this one. Daniels and others came out via Twitter and other ways to kind of brag because they signed McGuinness and the WWE didn't.

The truth is that the WWE killed off their verbal commitment when he didn't pass the prescreening, which means he was rejected from the WWE. The WWE was not his first choice and TNA didn't lure him away. TNA was his number two pick, and his last resort outside of going back to Ring of Honor.

Its a nice pick-up for TNA, but there will be no "revenge" against TNA over this one. Basically all they did was get a WWE reject when you boil it down. They didn't pull one over on them at all.

It should be noted that there is currently no heat at all on WWE Senior Vice President of talent relations John Laurinaitis. The WWE feels that he was "only doing his job".

source:prowrestling.net

Sorry WWE: Nigel McGuinness Signs On The Dotted Line With TNA Wrestling

Joe Burgett — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:43:17 -0400

In a very surprising development, former ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness has signed with TNA Wrestling. This according to prowrestling.net.

ROH sent out a press release a little while back that said McGuinness agreed in principle to sign with World Wrestling Entertainment. However, Nigel came out a few days later and said he didn't sign anything as of yet.

He claimed that he met with WWE officials, and they asked him about coming in. McGuinness agreed that he would come in, but since nothing was signed that day, he was a free man. His ROH contract expired also, and when he told ROH that he would be leaving after being in talks with the WWE, they assumed he had signed.

McGuinness probably wanted to go to the WWE and not TNA, but he said that the WWE took too long to get him a contract, so, TNA came in and signed the British Superstar.

He is confirmed for the iMPACT taping tonight, which means he should be on this week's iMPACT show. There is a rumor that he could be doing something with the British Invasion, but nothing is confirmed on that end.

Also, there is a name change. So, if you don't see Nigel McGuinness in the iMPACT spoilers, don't be thrown off. His new name is Desmond Wolf.

Apparently when the WWE took too long to get McGuinness a contract, he saw it as a slap in the face. Also, there was a chance that he could be put down in FCW for a little while, then go to ECW.

It would be good for him to go to the WWE and no doubt he would be a Champion there, but TNA may be the best place for him in terms of his age. McGuiness is not in his mid-20s or anything, this man is getting on up there in age.

He is in his early 30s, 31 to be exact, and if he were to go to the WWE, there is a chance that he wouldn't get too far before he'd have to retire. TNA would give him the opportunity to be a star right away, which is one perk TNA has over a place like the WWE.

Although the WWE can make you a massive star and pay you well, it does take time for you to make it up the ranks there. There are so many superstars there already, and more keep coming in.

McGuinness is not so focused on money as he is on being a big star in the professional wrestling world, and many others are like that too. Sure you have guys like Kevin Nash who do it for the money, but he will even tell you that when he was younger he did it for the fame, then as he got older he grew wiser knowing that it is about the money in the end.

Wrestlers do not have retirement plans, or health benefits. You get hurt and it could be all over for you. Nash knew that he had to get paid well, so that he could have a future after wrestling, which is smart.

McGuinness will learn that too, but for now he just wants to get his name out there. While some of us know who this man is, he is not the kind of star John Cena, Triple H, Kurt Angle, and others are.

So, you can easily see why he wants to be noticed. And he should get some exposure, because he is a very good wrestler; one of the best on the planet if you ask me.

McGuinness should be the fastest to get a World Title in TNA history if TNA uses him right. He could be there version of Goldberg, a powerhouse who can beat anyone he faces. Except McGuinness would be a far better wrestler than Goldberg ever was.

Or, he could be just another face in TNA. If that happens, then the move to TNA instead of the WWE will be all for not.

He should also make sure that he gets paid like the veterans there, because if you read my last article, you know that TNA only pays their under-card and mid-card talent by the match, and thats under contract people!

There is also a rumor that another former ROH Champion in Brian Danielson could be following his pal McGuinness to TNA. However, even though TNA would love to get Danielson in too, it is believed that Danielson has already signed with the WWE. And the only reason has not been seen in FCW or on a main roster is because he is finishing up with ROH.

I'd love to see them both together, because as we have seen in the past, Danielson/McGuiness is one of the better matches you can see.

No word on if McGuinness will be a heel or face at the taping tonight, my hope is heel though. Because he plays it to a "T".