ECW latest: Vince McMahon has decided to go ahead with Dusty Rhodes’ vision of using the brand as a final level of developmental, with young stars working with a supplement of strong veteran workers to prepare them for going to Raw or Smackdown. However, given Vince’s current tendency to be indecisive about most things nowadays (MNM, Hardys, Vickie Guerrero, ECW Tag Team Titles, Divas, etc.) not many people in WWE are all that convinced about the latest plan. Vince re-wrote more or less all of Dusty and David Lagana’s 5th June ECW show to incorporate his rocking chair.
Chris Jericho latest: he won’t be back until at least the fall. Canadians get confused by falling leaves.
Smackdown latest: in Rey Mysterio’s absence, the strong Hispanic demographic has fallen nearly in half.
WWE has approached Len Davies, promoter of Real Quality Wrestling in London, about setting up a developmental territory in Europe. Davies is well-off financially, runs his own production and media company and was flown to Detroit at WrestleMania to discuss the WWE’s proposal. A decision is expected to be made in July, one way or another. British wrestlers Chris Gray/Chaos, Drew Galloway and Seamus O’Shaunessey were all recently signed to developmental deals.
The Wrestling Observer is reporting that referees are being kept in the dark about finishes for random house show matches. This is part of WWE’s latest random policy about having them officiate as though the matches were real. In general they are told about the finish but on occasion the agents will give the talent a different ending, which keeps the referees alert and allows people to get used to improvising when necessary. On other nights, perhaps once a weekend for both brands, they will post a fake line-up for both the wrestlers and refs, then switch it ten minutes before the show begins and so have new matches in a new order with new finishes. Okay, then.
Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 13th June 2007 (click here for subscription information)
