Batista, Edge, Mysterio, Orton & WWE Creative News

News

Batista wanted to take time off after WrestleMania but WWE requested that he stay active due to a perceived lack of roster depth, which only got worse as various injuries and suspensions occurred. He has been unhappy in recent times, feeling that he will never be the hottest guy in the company like he was a few years ago when feuding with Triple H. Given his age, he realises that he has a limited time left and that the schedule is taking a physical toll on him. This has caused him to talk about trying out Hollywood although those close to him feel this will not happen as taking time off at this stage in his career only cuts down the finite number of years he has left as a top full-time performer. Batista has a reputation for loving the WWE superstar lifestyle, the adulation and the star treatment but has still been unhappy with the way he has been booked this year. Like many others, he felt his match with John Cena should have been saved for WrestleMania or at least given a better build-up. That WWE gave him the win there was meant to have been a sort of vote-of-confidence in Batista from management.

Meanwhile, Edge is expected to return soon. They wanted him to take some time off to sell the firey finish of his Hell in the Cell match with Undertaker, as well as giving them enough time to set up Taker in a new program. There has been talk of involving him in the finish of the Triple H and Jeff Hardy match at No Mercy, perhaps screwing one of them out of the win and entering a feud with that person.

Rey Mysterio has signed a new three-year deal, despite an audacious bid by AAA to sign him to a seven-figure per-year deal. Such an expensive contract would be unprecedented for AAA but they felt it had to be made in order for them to compete in negotiations. They were also hoping that the prospect of Mysterio being their top star and gaining all the perks that came with it could have tempted him, since he would never get such autonomy in WWE.

WWE are tailoring their broadcasts of Smackdown on TV Azteca to the native Mexican audience, including a number of video inserts introducing their wrestlers during the show. Shane McMahon assured that WWE was not heading to Mexico to destroy AAA or CMLL but there are still a lot of concerned people in those promotions who recall what happened to the regional territories in the USA during the 1980s expansion of the WWF. Others feel that WWE’s presence will increase the general popularity of wrestling, which they can then exploit since they will tour all over the country on a regular basis but WWE will only run a few shows per year in the big cities.

Raw will be running another three-hour episode on November 03 in Tampa at the behest of the USA Network. Vince McMahon is not particularly pleased about it, having come to the conclusion, following the limp performance of Saturday Night’s Main Event, that WWE is overexposed and should not add any extra TV shows. The main idea being pitched for the show is another ‘homecoming’ theme, which could refer to Vince or Steve Austin or perhaps even Hulk Hogan.

In addition to the overexposure concerns, WWE has a new mandate to slow down the pace of angles, taking the Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho angle as an example. Randy Orton was originally to have taken leadership of the Ted Dibiase, Cody Rhodes and Manu group two or three weeks after it was first teased, yet they have slowed the pace in the hope that it will be more effective in the long-term.

Orton has recently spent a total of 30 hours getting new tattoos on his arms, which are now completely covered. One is of a biblical verse and reads: “Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about seeing who he may devour.”

Jack Swagger has a lot of support from WWE at the moment. He is being mentored by Arn Anderson and is perceived to be the best athlete of the current crop of younger stars being given their breaks. WWE is changing the names of most of their developmental talent as they want to own the names of all their stars so they cannot go elsewhere and use it. A few exceptions are being permitted for obvious reasons, as with Ted Dibiase Jr, yet for the most part people will be renamed as they are brought up.

Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 29 September 2008 (subscribe here)