One last news roundup before I call it a night, including the first match announced for Smackdown’s 500th episode and a former WWE creative team member on Test’s death, and what responsibility he think WWE has for it.
WWE has announced, via their Smackdown page, that Shelton Benjamin will defend the US Title against MVP on Smackdown’s 500th episode.
The L.A. Times’ Kevin Baxter has an article on the history of Lucha Libre and its growing popularity in the U.S.
Former WWE creative team member Seth Mates remembers Test at the Steel Cage Blog. It includes this eerie comment from Test following Eddie Guerrero’s death:
“I’m actually wondering who’s next? Who’s next to die? I can think of at least 15 to 20 people who have died from various things – mostly prescription pain killers.”
That turns in to a cautionary tale from Test about the consequences of getting the business and losing your spot due to injury. Mates goes on to talk about WWE’s responsibility in his death and how little he thinks of the Wellness Policy.
Paul A. Anthony at GoSanAngelo.com interviews some young, hardcore fans at a WWE house show in San Angelo. One of them was nearly driven to tears when Shawn Michaels no-showed the event (to be fair, it was a 17 year old girl).
