PWTorch Notes (Cena, Umaga Main Event + More)

[Dead Crow 370]

Taken from UKFF/DVDVR

 

 

ECW

 

There is some concern with Dreamer's power since he envisions the new ECW being much like the old ECW, including an opportunity for him to relive his glory days as a top babyface. Heyman, meanwhile, is said to be much more interested in creating a new chapter that looks and feels different than the original, but is true enough to its roots to feel like a good sequel, but not a copy or an exact continuation. It's an uphill battle, though, to convince ECW fans that a corporate ECW is authentic.

 

The talent roster assembled of former ECW names who can work full time (thus excluding Mick Foley and Terry Funk) doesn't include enough durable drawing cards. Dreamer, Sabu, Sandman, Axl Rotten, Balls Mahoney, and Francine make up the core of the key ECW players assembled for the revival. Rob Van Dam will be the centerpiece, and there is consideration given to shifting some former ECW names to the roster such as Al Snow, Kid Kash, Stevie Richards, Nunzio, and Psicosis. Unless plans change, others with ECW experience will not be shifted to the brand right away, such as Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit, Super Crazy, and Dean Malenko.

 

Lower card wrestlers such as C.W. Anderson, Danny Doring, Tony Mamaluke, and Jazz are among those also signed to deals. Lance Storm has turned them down (not wanting to work full time again at this point) and Justin Credible is under contract to the MTV promotion (and awaiting word on whether that project will go forward; if not, he'll be offered a contract to join ECW full-time). Masato Tanaka has been offered a deal. There was talk of even offering New Jack a deal.

 

Tazz took a dig at Michael Cole, by saying he did a nice job calling the Fit Finlay vs. Chris Benoit match, "but not as good as Joey Styles would have called it." It was the only hint so far of Tazz moving to the ECW brand, something that has been considered.

 

Vince McMahon continues to work hard to get USA Network to agree to carry an hour of ECW each week most likely in a late night weekend timeslot. The odds are said to be good, but not a sure-thing, at this point. McMahon is excited about this project, as he enjoys the prospects of expanding the WWE revenue streams with a third major "brand" under the WWE umbrella, and also eating up part of a market that others such as TNA and ROH were aiming at.

 

Booker T and Batista fight at WWE event

 

Batista and Booker T had to be pulled apart after a scuffle at a TV shoot for Summerslam commercials in Encino, Calif. on Monday afternoon. PPV commercials are done far ahead of time in order to distribute to the inefficient cable and PPV industry. Tension built between the two wrestlers, and they had what is apparently a legitimate, unscheduled fight. Both were sporting cuts and swelling later that night and the next day. WWE.com reported on the fight, realizing word would get out no matter what. Booker commented to WWE.com about the fight, saying that Batista wasn't showing enough respect to the veterans who had been around longer than he had. Independent sources tell PWTorch that indeed the feeling on Batist is that he was acting aloof and it irritated the Smackdown regulars who have been carrying the brand in his absenc

 

 

WWE newswire

 

WWE NOTEBOOK

Backstage at Raw on Monday, Luke Perry (of 90210 fame) was backstage with his kids before the show meeting wrestlers. He was shown on camera during the show... Lemmy and Motorhead are regular guests of WWE whenever it's in Anaheim... Music producer Rick Rubin, who also funded Smoky Mountain Wrestling in the early-'90s, was backstage at Raw in Anaheim. WWE.com did a story on Rubin being backstage at the event... Greg Gagne, who asked for a job as an agent at the Hall of Fame ceremony and received one, was on the road with WWE this past weekend... WWE had a great weekend of business with paid crowds in the 8,000 to 9,000 range on Saturday and Sunday in Sacramento and San Jose, and then soldout crowds for Raw in Anaheim and Smackdown in San Diego... Joey Styles rehearsed his pro-ECW, anti-Sports Entertainment speech almost word-for-word late in the afternoon before Raw last week. Anyone in the building early (arena workers, WWE staffers, concessionaires) heard it over the p.a. system. Everyone who needed to approve of the wording and delivery was present to okay it...

 

Stephanie McMahon continues to travel to the shows and act as head of the creative team despite being far along in her pregnancy... John Cena got good crowd responses in the California swing, including at Raw on Monday, as it seemed the crowds had a lot more families filling what had previously been empty seats at other recent shows, drowning out those booing Cena. Cena continues to be a merchandise juggernaut, which one WWE insider says is the main reason Vince McMahon is hesitant to turn him heel. "They'd be crazy to turn Cena heel and lose out on the merchandising revenue," says the insider. "Plus, he's such a great ambassador for the company. His streak of time away from home and doing appearances for the company rivals any previous champions we've had. He gets no time off, and Vince loves that work ethic"...

Although it didn't air on USA Network, during Raw on WWE.com's bonus coverage during USA commercial breaks, Vince McMahon was shown backstage with Candice Michelle after RVD retained the IC Title in the four-way match. Vince told Candice that he had a problem called "shaftivitis" and it could use some rubbing. Then they made out again... WWE has already sent TV ads to cable companies advertising the return of DX. Monday night, ads in Charlotte, N.C. during Raw advertised a DX reunion at the June 25 Vengeance PPV. Triple H and Shawn Michaels are expected to reunite within the next three weeks on TV. Hunter will be receiving a WWE Championship match against John Cena next week on Raw with the storyline that Vince McMahon signed the match. The DX reunion is considered a short-term angle, so don't expect new or returning faction members to be part of the reunion... On an upcoming Legends Reunion event at the Cleveland Convention Center the weekend of June 16,18, Captain Lou Albano, King Kong Bundy, Iron Sheik, Brian Nobbs, Greg Valentine, Nikolai Volkoff, and Bruno Sammartino are the former WWE stars scheduled to appear... The WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 video game will be released this fall featuring an interactive fighting area within the crowd, among other new features...

In a Business Week article this week on pressure within NBC Universal to increase viewership on its stations, WWE was brought up. Excerpt: "Spending lavishly has never been a hallmark of General Electric. But to lure highly rated Worldwide [sic] Wrestling Entertainment Inc. back to NBCU's USA Network from Spike TV last year, Zucker promised big bucks to promote WWE events on prime time. 'He can be very persuasive,' says Linda McMahon, WWE CEO"... USA Network announced via press release this week that it will be developing action-adventure movies aimed at the WWE audience, at times featuring WWE talents in prominent roles. "The return of WWE to USA has been a knockout for both parties," said Hammer. "We're looking forward to building and expanding on our audience as well as the Raw fan base with high impact, adrenaline-fueled, larger-than-life action just like they'll find in the ring. We're particularly excited about the chance to develop action movies that are compatible with the WWE brand and, when appropriate, will feature roles for the WWE Superstars. It gives us a phenomenal opportunity to utilize the Superstars' talents in a way their fans have never seen before"...

Rey Mysterio needs knee surgery soon. Rey, who is the current World Hvt. champion, is in good standing with management and he should be in line for a strong push after surgery. Although there's a lot of criticism of how Rey has been pushed as champion, and a lot of second-guessing the decision to return the belt to JBL at Judgment Day, Rey needed time off because of his knee problem which pretty much forced WWE's hand in taking the belt off of him. It's not being interpreted as a sign that he "failed as champion," as most realize he never really had a chance. He is expected to get a nice push after he recovers from knee surgery, perhaps getting WWE Title rematches. With Batista scheduled to return in July, though, he is expected to quickly move back into a top babyface spot, so rematches for Rey might not fit into the picture. Rey is known in the WWE locker room as one of the most easy-going, non-political wrestlers on the roster. He doesn't create waves, he shows up for work, does what he is told, works hard, and is friendly and affable with most everyone...

WWE anticipated that the Anaheim crowd on Raw wouldn't be receptive to ECW-related segments. The majority of fans who attend WWE TV in Southern California are generally casual fans. WWE is not panicking because Anaheim isn't a market where they plan to run ECW-brand house shows... One of John Laurenaitis's pet projects, the establishment of a second developmental territory, Deep South, is going so poorly that there is already talk of shutting it down and shifting the talent to OVW or cutting them. Jody Hamilton is getting the blame internally in WWE for doing a poor job running the territory. Mark Jindrak is the most notably name working recent events...

Kurt Angle is being held off TV longer than expected to have more time to heal. There was originally talk he'd be back on TV later this month, but since he can't wrestle yet and isn't scheduled for a PPV match anytime soon, he'll be kept off TV longer, selling the injury angle more convincingly... Ric Flair recently had eye surgery. He is currently recovering and expected to be back on TV before the June 25 Vengeance PPV in Charlotte, N.C... Shawn Michaels was never scheduled to have an actual partner to play the role of God at the Backlash PPV. The angle was always formulated to be an excuse for Vince McMahon to "riff on God" for a few weeks and play off of Michaels being a Born Again Christian... The Chavo Guerrero "retirement" storyline is not over. There is another chapter in the story, which one source tells PWTorch will be controversial. Chavo is being held off TV until after the Smackdown PPV...

Although plans can change depending on crowd reactions, Umaga is being built up for a main event-level push after Summerslam, likely as a top heel challenger to Batista after months of plowing through opponents... Members of the New Japan front office were invited backstage to the Smackdown taping in San Diego. WWE VP of Talent Relations John Laurenaitis was backstage at the Inoki Dojo show in Santa Monica, Calif. on May 7. Frankie Kazarian, who recently cut his hair, asked to be booked on the show. He teamed with Aaron Aguilera... WWE and Mark Henry recently re-structured his ten-year contract signed in 1996. He is being paid less money and he is signed through the end of the year...

At the May 7 Raw house show in San Bernardino, Calif., WWE restricted handicap access inside the Coussoulis Arena on the campus of Cal State San Bernardino, forcing fans in wheelchairs to have to leave the building to go to the bathroom rather than take an elevator that had previously been utilized. This time, the elevator was off-limits to all but WWE staffers and talent. Torch correspondent Adam Crites says, "This edict came directly from WWE. The arena staff was not happy about it, but they did the best they could and were nothing but professional in dealing with everyone."... The fighter former TNA co-owner Jerry Jarrett brought to WWE HQ in 2005 for an interview wrestled his first match against Rob Conway at the May 5 Raw house show in San Jose. The initial indication is that Oleg hits hard, but he isn't impressive and the fans aren't sure how to react to him...

Great Khali did not wrestle at the May 7 Smackdown house show in Fresno. He attacked Undertaker after he beat Mark Henry. Khali is considered so bad in the ring that he's a danger to his opponents and a risk to himself. Khail was also pulled from his scheduled match in mid-Aprils European tour for the same reason. His match at Backlash against Undertaker could be his only high-profile WWE match before being cut loose because he's so inept... Jim Ross was honored in Westville, Okla., the hometown where he grew up. The Chamber of Commerce hosted a dinner with his recipes and changed the name of a street to Jim Ross Street. He also was the Grand Marshall of the local parade... John Cena received strong reactions around the horn. The California arenas were packed with families and kids, who cheered for Cena... A seat in the front section at the May 5 show in San Jose cost $55. The highest price for any ticket at a Raw or Smackdown taping is $40... WWE road agent Ricky Steamboat was special referee for the John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Edge main events on Friday and Saturday Raw house shows... WWE is in trouble with the athletic commission in Kentucky, which bans blading and bleeding on pro wrestling shows. Triple H bladed during his match and Shawn Michaels suffered a broken nose and bled. If someone bleeds accidentally, the wrestlers are supposed to go right to the finish (a result of public outcry over bloodfests promoted by indy promotion IWA Mid-South a few years ago)...

The Apr. 28 Smackdown drew a 2.4 Fast National rating. The May 5 Smackdown drew a 2.3 Fast National rating. Those numbers are down compared to last season on Thursday nights. UPN drew a 1.6 Fast National rating on Thursday, May 4, so the replacement programming for Smackdown isn't performing nearly as well as Smackdown overall, although due to advertiser preferences and demographics, it might be considered more lucrative for the network and its affiliates. For two weeks in a row, during May sweeps, the Minneapolis/St. Paul UPN affiliate preempted Smackdown on Friday night and moved it to Saturday night at midnight. The station aired movies in its place. The reason is that sweeps is so important to setting ad rates for the local newscast that typically follows Smackdown, and Smackdown doesn't have a strong record of providing a strong lead-in audience for the newscast. The movies do a better job of that. Since this UPN affiliate will be independent next fall when UPN and WM merge, there is no loyalty toward the UPN line-up, so the station is apparently looking out for its own best interests. The same situation appears to be playing out in Houston, Tex., also... The May 1 Raw drew a 4.0 rating and the May 8 Raw drew a 4.1 rating. The May 1 main event of John Cena vs. Spirit Squad's Kenny with Triple H and Shawn Michaels as special referees drew a 5.0 rating. It's rare a segment hit the 5.0 mark, so it's no surprise Spirit Squad main evented this week's Raw, also...

 

ROH NOTEBOOK

 

If anyone is able to pin Nigel McGuinness in the Four Corner Survival match on May 12 in Long Island, N.Y., they will be granted a shot at the Pure Title... Dunn & Marcos vs. Homicide & Ricky Reyes has been signed for May 13 in Edison, N.J. The match is being taped for ROHVideos.com... Production is nearly completed on the April 1 "Better Than Our Best" and April 22 "The 100th Show" releases. ROH DVD's can now be as long as 3 ? hours long, which means that home releases will include full entrances for wrestlers and more promos... As part of an ongoing storyline with CZW, Bryan Danielson has sent out an open contract for any CZW wrestler to sign to face him on July 15 in Philadelphia, Pa... ROH Video Recap #6 is available to watch on ROHVIdeos.com... Matt Sydal will be making his final ROH appearances on May 12 & May 13 before heading to Japan to wrestle for the Dragon Gate promotion... ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson and KENTA will hold a special training seminar at the ROH Wrestling School on June 18. For more information write ROHHelp@AOL.Com... Al Snow is scheudled to do several editions of Secrets Of The Ring with ROH... Samoa Joe vs. Necro Butcher will be the main event of the May 13 event in Edison, N.J... Conrad Kennedy 3 has been added to the June 23 in Detroit, Mich. and June 24 in Chicago Ridge, Ill. events...

[Murph 93]

Woah!!! a 5.0! Kaziiiing!

[The Icon 152]

Thats a lot of news.

 

Khali is considered so bad in the ring that he's a danger to his opponents and a risk to himself. Khail was also pulled from his scheduled match in mid-Aprils European tour for the same reason. His match at Backlash against Undertaker could be his only high-profile WWE match before being cut loose because he's so inept

 

It would be good if he was cut.

[Guest Danny Styles]

great so WWE hire the Khali guy who is a danger in the ring.. what idiots!

 

sad about Rey loosing the title at JD and i don't think JBL should havei t but there you g, i'd love Rey to come back get the title and be booked PROPRERLY, but i know that will never happen

[Guest horsemansmiler]

The Chavo Guerrero "retirement" storyline is not over. There is another chapter in the story' date=' which one source tells PWTorch will be controversial. Chavo is being held off TV until after the Smackdown PPV [/quote']

 

 

ANy chance and this could be a a bit of a long shot but i good angle to my mind. that chavo cost Rey world title. Pulling the angle that he is jealous of rey succeding in honouring eddie and getting strap that he could not????

[Guest Danny Styles]

ANy chance and this could be a a bit of a long shot but i good angle to my mind. that chavo cost Rey world title. Pulling the angle that he is jealous of rey succeding in honouring eddie and getting strap that he could not????

 

 

could be, i'd put my money on something insulting to people, either Kerwin White's return

 

i doubt it would be something insulting towards Eddie though.. at least i hope

[Guest horsemansmiler]

could be, i'd put my money on something insulting to people, either Kerwin White's return

 

i doubt it would be something insulting towards Eddie though.. at least i hope

 

 

Oh god please not kerwin white. Yeah well if he comes back and pulls my angle it would be contrversial without disgracing eddie.

[Guest Slim Jim]

Kerwin White > Chavo

[DC 536]

Oh god please not kerwin white. Yeah well if he comes back and pulls my angle it would be contrversial without disgracing eddie.

Well....whatever floats your boat............perv!!!!;)

[Guest horsemansmiler]

dammit someone picked up in my hidden innuendo