Vince McMahon looks to expand his empire into his own network, Jeff Hardy says goodbye to the WWE Universe and Rey Mysterio is forced to sit the bench for 30 days.
Opening Witty Banter
There was a sneaky amount of solid news that came out of Titan Tower this week, so I’m going to cut the BS and get right on with it.
Let’s take some ‘E…
The News of the Week
On Tuesday night at the SmackDown television tapings in Phoenix, Arizona, Jeff Hardy said goodbye to World Wrestling Entertainment.
In the TV taping’s main event, new World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk beat Hardy in a “losers leave WWE†steel cage match. The match was a rematch from their TLC match that happened two nights earlier at SummerSlam. In a storyline stipulation that follows real life, the “loser leaves WWE†stipulation will stick for the time being as Hardy wanted to leave WWE under his accord. His previous contract expired in July 2009, and he had been working this past month as a way to properly end this chapter of his WWE tenure.
Hardy has said that he is not leaving the company due to unhappiness, but rather burnout. He wants time away from WWE’s hectic road schedule and a chance to once again live life at his own pace. This departure his reminiscent of Chris Jericho’s from 2005, in which Jericho left WWE after SummerSlam ’05 to work on his writing, acting and musical projects, only to return in 2007 under his own accord.
Many insiders Hardy will follow the same type of formula, and return when he is willing and ready. WWE management has told Hardy that the door is open for his return. They also plan to help him out with any of his outside projects, including the promotion of his band Peroxwhy?gen and his potential reality show, citing company synergy. The Hardy name will not disappear from WWE television as Jeff’s brother Matt is remaining a vital part of WWE and is expected to be a upper-card star on SmackDown in his brother’s absence.
The company has also praised Hardy for the hard work and great results he produced in these final months he was with the company. They feel Hardy was able to help produce CM Punk into a top-level talent within the company.
Hardy truly did step up his game this past year and it was great to see him turn into the true superstar everyone pegged he would be ten years ago.
On Thursday it was announced on wwe.com that WWE Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio has been suspended for 30 days for violating the company’s Wellness policy. No reason has been given as to the nature of the offense that caused him to be suspended. His suspension will officially next Wednesday, September 2, the day after the weekly SmackDown tapings.
Therefore it is presumed that Mysterio will lose the Intercontinental Championship next week at the tapings before he leaves to serve his suspension. The question now becomes, who will become Champion in his absence? Dolph Ziggler just won a triple threat match on tonight’s Superstars television broadcast to become the number one contender for the Intercontinental Title so he seems to be the most logical candidate, but nothing is set in stone for sure.
On Saturday, the recently suspended Rey Mysterio talked to Mexican newspaper The Record to explain the reason for his suspension.
According to Mysterio the subscription that caused him to fail his test was a legal prescription for some nagging knee and arm injuries. The oral medicine was prescribed by Mysterio’s personal physician, but apparently did not have clearance in to WWE physicians in the allotted time.
He claimed he had been on vacation and promoting SummerSlam throughout Spain and Germany, and when he returned stateside he was informed that he needed to have proper clearance for the medicine or he would be suspended. So even though he had a legal prescription for the medication, the fact that all the paperwork wasn’t into WWE offices is what caused Rey to have to “sit the bench†for thirty days.
In the interview Mysterio said he wanted to clear the air and avoid any untrue rumors that may start about his suspension.
Not surprisingly WWE was none to pleased to find out Mysterio gave that interview. I am now really intrigued to see what comes of Rey Rey on Thursday. With Rey on the shelf for a month and Jeff Hardy gone it truly is time for some young guys on SmackDown to step up their game. (Damn I sound like Jim Ross with a statement like that.)
Vince McMahon has aspirations of running his own television network.
Yesterday, August 24, the LA Times released a great piece highlighting WWE’s recent change to TV-PG television programming and more family-friendly characters and storylines. The story featured comments from John Cena, Triple H, Ted DiBiase, Jr., Maria and even Vince McMahon himself. Cena and DiBiase emphasized the family-friendly change, and the performers’ own departure from their predecessors’ rock ‘n’ roll like lifestyles. Maria spoke for the female performers, who are now encouraged to dress “a little more sophisticated,†which is a far cry from the days of WWE Divas appearing nude in Playboy, something Maria did herself in 2008.
But the true nugget of information to come from the story was the revelation that the company has plans to launch their own cable network, with hopes of getting it and running within two years.
“We have a lot of clout,” McMahon said.
Late that day, Joe Flint, writer of the first piece, wrote more on his blog discussing WWE’s plan to launch their own station. Even with its own network, WWE has no plans to move RAW of off the USA Network, or to move any of its other programming.
“It won’t be a threat, it’ll be an integration,” McMahon said. “It’s good for RAW to be on USA. Having your own network allows you a lot of leverage.”
World Wrestling Entertainment certainly has enough programming to sustain a full 24-hour network. Their WWE Classics on Demand is doing well as a monthly video-on-demand subscription service and their companion WWEClassics.com is also a big hit. Many disenfranchised wrestling fans of today have been turned off of WWE’s current product, but still yearn for the action of the “old days.†In addition to the thousands upon thousands of hours of programming WWE has in their own vault dating back the 1960s, the company has also purchased the video libraries of such defunct organizations as World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Class Championship Wrestling, Smokey Mountain Wrestling, Stampede Wrestling and Championship Wrestling from Florida that would give them many more avenues for programming.
Combine that with the six hours of original programming produced each week, their own WWE Films-produced motion pictures, the random specials created intermittently and the fourteen pay per views produced each year means that the company is never in danger of running out of content. Plus an entire network would allow the company to create brand new, original programming, for better or worse. The possibilities are really almost endless on how they could structure the station in order to not burn out on programming too quickly.
Despite many factors that would seem to work against World Wrestling Entertainment (a bad economy, a general stigma against pro wrestling, a loss in popularity in recent years) the company continues to thrive. The network would work best as part of an extended cable package (despite McMahon obviously wanting to be part of a baseline package).
Finally there would be a place to catch those old XFL football games, WBF bodybuilding competitions and Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling cartoon.
Speaking of Vince, he upset GLAAD after his comments on Monday when he “belittled” the Cirque du Soleil performers by saying their masks were “really gay.†Here is what GLAAD said:
I must say I did laugh out loud on Monday when McMahon said that because it seemed so out of character for him. It definitely wasn’t something McMahon should have said live on RAW, but that’s the danger of live television. I’m sure nothing will really come of this; GLAAD is still angry about that gravy boat they gave Chuck & Billy and never got back.
WWE is now offering “Talent Life Skills” to their performers. Here is scoop on the workshops, according the company’s corporate website:
WWE provides our developmental talent with a Life Management workshop. This workshop provides practical skills and solutions to manage out-of-the-ring issues that can adversely effect their careers, particularly during initial adjustment into WWE. The program focuses on communication between personnel and a utilization of resources and is conducted by Dr. Earl Suttle, who administers similar programs for the NFL and NBA. To read Dr. Earl Suttle’s bio, please click here.
Personal Finance Education
Each year, WWE conducts a workshop for our talent that details the importance of financial planning. Conducted by Fidelity Investment representatives, the workshop offers talent an overview on how to save for the long term, balance their portfolios and manage other financial responsibilities.
Health Insurance Education
Each year, WWE holds a workshop for our talent that explains the value of obtaining proper health insurance, detailing the unexpected occurrences and costs of healthcare that may arise. It also gives talent the tools to explore healthcare options at any time.
Media Training
WWE offers media training to our talent to teach them how to best present themselves and the WWE brand to the media and our audience. Our media training gives them the tools to effectively translate their message and image to all media outlets, both domestically and internationally. The training curriculum is presented by Kathleen Hessert, President of Sports Media Challenge.
Hey I’m all for more ways to help these young guys not end up broke and miserable like some of the big stars of yesteryear.
This past week, Maria, Eve Torress, Batista and Dolph Ziggler taped fie episodes of the syndicated Deal or No Deal game show. Maria and Eve were briefcase girls and Dolph Zigglerw as the banker. Apparently Batista was “around” but he didn’t appear as part of the show. The episodes should air around the third week of November.
Good to see a guy like Dolph Ziggler get some mainstream exposure like that. I must say I did not think that character would last when he debuted last fall on RAW with the one-note introduction gimmick.
The UK Sun got comments from Randy Orton, discussing the release of Nick Dinsmore. Orton said, “Nick is a good friend of mine. I pulled some strings to get his job back and he comes back all overweight. So all in all, I am a little upset with him right now.”
I can’t picture Orton and Dinsmore being friends on the outside, but I’m sure they bonded quite a bit in Ohio Valley. That sucks that Orton used his pull to get Dinsmore back only for him to blow his chance. I didn’t think Dinsmore looked that much worse than he did the last time he was on TV. While I’ll miss Dinsmore getting another chance on TV I sure as hell won’t miss “Eugene.â€
While there will be special pre-sales before, tickets for WrestleMania XVI will go on sale to the public on November 17th, 2009. Tickets will be priced at $755, $255, $155, $100, $80, $60, $45 and $25. The $755 price will mark the highest ticket price ever for a WWE event. WrestleMania XVI takes place on March 28th, 2010 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona.
Okay, I said I was going last year and didn’t make it, but this year I’ve made it a big goal of mine to make it to “The Showcase of the Immortals.†But $750? I can count on one hand how many cards WWE has put together in their existence that were worth $750.
The Road…Breaking Point
I Quit Match for the WWE Championship
John Cena v. Randy Orton (c)
World Heavyweight Championship
Undertaker v. CM Punk (c)
WWE Unified Tag Team Championships
MVP & Mark Henry v. Chris Jericho & The Big Show (c)
Wrestler of the Week
Week of August 24 – 30: CM Punk
For the fourth straight week the Wrestler of the Week goes to the new World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk. He has been nothing but money all summer and this week was no different. After becoming a three time World Heavyweight Champion this past weekend he officially put his rivalry with Jeff Hardy to bed, and looks on to be a true WWE superstar by walking into a huge rivalry with the legendary Undertaker.
RAW’s On Tonight!
RAW is live tonight Detroit, Michigan, and “The American Dream†Dusty Rhodes is in control. With only two weeks before Breaking Point expect the card to shape up even more. Plus expect fireworks between Dusty and his youngest son Cody, who just happens to run with Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase, two people who aren’t strangers (or friends) to Rhodes either. The United States Championship scene continues to heat up as The Miz, Jack Swagger and Carlito all staked their claims to Kingston’s Championship. Also MVP and Mark Henry staked their claims to be the number one contenders to the Unified Tag Team Championships so expect the inevitable giants battle between Henry and The Big Show. Plus expect John Cena and DX both to be up their cheeky, TV-PG rated fun at the expense of Legacy and whoever else crosses their path.
On Last Week’s Episode…
Eison covers a great SmackDown featuring Jeff Hardy’s last match for the time being.
Eison reviews Superstars that features Dolph Ziggler essentially securing himself an Intercontinental Title.
Innarelli gets EXTREME…you know it!
PK covers a Money-themed RAW.
How They Rated
Superstars (8.20.09) – 1.0
SmackDown! (8.21.09) – 1.9
A.M. RAW (8.23.09) – .75
RAW (8.24.09) – 3.9
ECW (8.25.09) – 1.2
This is Boring, What Else is There to Read?
Wheeler continues his run of reviewing every WWE show under the sun.
Ditch continues to educate me on the career of Misawa.
Johnson scours the indys for best local wrestling.
Marshall keeps tabs on TNA.
For more relevant, interesting and exciting wrestling information from your truly, check out my gig as the Pro Wrestling Examiner over at Examiner.com.
