JBL is announced as facing Shawn Michaels this week on Raw. It is thought to be a case of intentional false advertising, as with Edge being unable to wrestle recently due to his jaw injury, because the company feels they can get away with it now that business is up.
Vince wants JBL to get back into the ring if possible. JBL will be undergoing a new treatment for the broken vertebrae and herniated disc in his lower back, which caused him to retire last year rather than win the World Heavyweight Title from Rey Mysterio. The treatments will stretch his spine, allowing the discs to relax and sink back into place. He has had various problems as a result of the injuries, including loss of bladder control and numbness in his legs and, right now, is not physically ready to wrestle. The belief is that JBL doesn’t want to come back and wrestle regularly, and certainly doesn’t need the money, but probably will do occasional matches in the future if he can.
Also being advertised for tonight’s Raw is John Cena taking on one of Shawn Michaels’ former Mania opponents, Chris Benoit, in a match that – if they give it time – has a chance to be one of Cena’s best ever. In case you’re doubtful of the magic that is Benoit, he had a thirty-minute match with MVP at the 10th March house show in Liberty, NY, which was said to be excellent. On the other hand, Kane and Khali had a WrestleMania warm-up match in Springfield, MA, on the same date that went less than five minutes and was said to be beyond bad. They also had a no-disqualification match in Lowell, MA, that afternoon that ended in a double DQ.
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