Smackdown Plans Altered; Bret Hart Remembers Test

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Vince McMahon has been changing the creative team’s plans again. Edge vs Big Show was originally scheduled for the 500th episode of Smackdown but was instead moved to Raw. Vince turned down several requests from Michael Hayes to make the 500th episode a more loaded card, including a Raw vs Smackdown match, in order to focus on the build to WrestleMania instead of Smackdown’s anniversary.

Bret Hart was in regular contact with Test over the past year after they worked a European tour together. He said that Test was clean and clear-headed during that tour, even driving the likes of Sabu and Balls Mahoney crazy by repeatedly telling them to live cleanly, yet he had a major relapse afterwards. Hart heard from Leon ‘Vader’ White that Test was in bad shape and had passed out whilst on the phone to him. White tried to call him back several times but did not get through. He called Hart to tell him and that was right before Hart got the call about Test having passed away.

Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 30th March 2009 (subscribe here)