WWE Rumors: Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels, Big Show and Friday's Top WWE News

When Raw goes to three hours this July, its transformation into WCW will be complete. We have talked about this issue in these posts since it was announced last week, but the more you see what is happening with botched storylines and poor builds, it has never been more true. 

WWE is not in jeopardy of going out of business, or anything like that. But there is no reason that this many errors should be happening. With so many people backstage to keep track of these things, Michael Cole should not have to do a 180 in the middle of Raw to clarify an angle that the fans pointed out on Twitter was messed up.

Things are not looking good for WWE at this stage of the game, but at least the company has another hour of television to look forward to producing each week.

In the meantime, here are some news and notes to get you through SmackDown tonight and the rest of the holiday weekend.

VINCE MCMAHON LIED ABOUT WRESTLEMANIA BUYRATE

When the numbers for WrestleMania 28 came out, WWE was so gung-ho about it setting a new record with 1.3 million pay-per-view buys. It turns out the Vince McMahon and the rest of WWE jumped the gun on that one, because new reports have the show doing roughly 1.21 million buys. 

Question on Everybody's Mind: Did Vince have bad information?

Our Take: Pay-per-view estimates are usually on the high end, so it would be somewhat unfair to blame Vinny Mac for this one. Certainly, if there was a number he wanted to hit, he was always going to tell people WWE hit it prior to the actual numbers coming out. He does it with attendance figures all the time. 

Hype Meter: 5 out of 5 False Buyrates

In the scheme of things, this isn't a huge deal. WrestleMania 28 was still the most profitable event in WWE history and the company will be able to brag about that for a long time. Just remember this for next year, when Vince claims WrestleMania 29 did 1.5 million buys. 

Deeper Dive

WrestleMania 28 Buyrate (Wrestling Observer Newsletter h/t NoDQ)

-------------------------------------------------------------

SHAWN MICHAELS OPENS UP ABOUT HIS WWE RUN

During Shawn Michaels' final stint with WWE, there was something different about him. He wasn't the same person he was when he was raising hell on a weekly basis in the early- and mid-'90s. In a recent interview, HBK talks about his first WWE run, saying that his problems backstage started with his strong disagreements with the creative team

Question on Everybody's Mind: Does WWE have anyone now as creative as Shawn Michaels?

Our Take: If it did, the company would be in much better shape than it is right now. Michaels was one of those people who had a feel for the business and fans, which is so rare in today's WWE. Some have one or the other, but rarely both. 

Hype Meter: 5 out of 5 Super-Kicks

The best part of Michaels' final run with WWE was how open and honest he was about everything. When he was a young man, he seemed to be confrontational just for the sake of being confrontational. 

Deeper Dive

Shawn Michaels Interview (Miami Herald)

----------------------------------------------------------

BIG SHOW IS THE NEW TENSAI

In keeping with their epic new storyline that involves contracts, handshake agreements and knocking John Cena out, Big Show will be teaming up with John Laurinaitis at house shows to take on Cena. 

Question on Everybody's Mind: WWE is going to make this a PPV main event soon, right?

Our Take: It seems a natural progression, if you want to call it that. We have had Cena vs. Laurinaitis already. We get Show vs. Cena at No Way Out. Perhaps WWE can drag this out long enough to put the handicap match on at SummerSlam, just to prove it doesn't care how well that show does. 

Hype Meter:  4 out of 5 Epic Tag Teams

The only thing that would put the cherry on top of this whole thing would be WWE putting the tag team championships on Big Show and John Laurinaitis. It's not like anyone cares about those titles as it is, so why not?

Deeper Dive

Big Show and Johnny Ace Teaming Up (Wrestling Observer Newsletter h/t Wrestle Zone)

--------------------------------------------------------

MARK HENRY UPDATES HIS STATUS

It has been a few weeks since we heard anything about Mark Henry after he underwent surgery to repair some lingering injuries. He has provided a minor update on his condition, using his Twitter account to deliver the news. 

"

What up twitter nation I'm healing well,no complaining from me I man up.

— TheMarkHenry (@TheMarkHenry) May 24, 2012"

Question on Everybody's Mind: Will Henry be back and better than ever?

Our Take: It would be hard for Henry to top his run last summer, as he won his first world championship and actually turned into a slight ratings draw for SmackDown. He had everything working for him then. That likely won't be the case when he comes back. 

Hype Meter: 3 out of 5 Strong-Man Contests

Henry's run got cut off in a hurry because he got hurt. Things were compounded by the fact that WWE kept bringing him back before he was ready, making it impossible for him to find his mojo from 2011. 

Deeper Dive

WWE's Worst Finishing Moves (B/R)

-------------------------------------------------

Check back for more on the WWE as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s wrestling page to get your fill of the WWE. For more WWE talk, check out Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics you just can’t miss.

Follow @adamwells1985