WWF(E) Review

[GhostofSalvtore]

new from backlash
Rock after the show announced he would be going back to Hollywood
Rey seems to be pretty banged up and this may make an interesting storyline w/him and the Big Show
Angle may be back with SD pretty soon and do some backstage work
Austin could be returning at tonights RAW as a "rogue GM"

Question of the day
How do you think Goldberg's character is coming along? Alot of people and including Goldberg do not like the development of his character

[Schrat]

[size=1][B]HUGE RAW SPOILER[/B]

[spoiler]Tonight on RAW, Linda McMahon will come out and announce that she is the new RAW General Manager.

She will then hire Steve Austin back to RAW.

Steve Austin will then hire Jim Ross back to RAW.

Should make for good TV.[/spoiler]

According to Wrestlzone.com this is [b]100%[/b] correct...this should get VERY interesting...[/size]

[GotenksSSJ343]

That should be really intersesting but what I want to see is the look on Erics face. heheheh

[Galvatron]

To answer GhostofSalvtore question about Goldbergs development. Im not to happy with it , but hey the fan's still buy the Goldberg thing. Goldberg was a big disapointment at Backlash I thought and the Rock was too.

[Outlaw]

To be fair, there isn't really any other way to take him, unless you made him a heal who spears people allot, instead of a face who spears people allot. And while I was watching him tonight, I noticed something, Goldberg does more spearing than talking. I mean, he speared Steven Richards, Rico, Rosie, and Jamal, which took up more time than his one line of "I came here to destroy anyone in my way." And thats basically it. I just hope they stick with Jericho and Christian verbally assaulting him, as both of those guys are hilarious, and made what I thought was the greatest tag-team since EC broke up.

[Guest Hikaru Ichijyo]

As for the GoldBerg thing I'm a bit disappointed with the way his character is being handled he should of wrestled on TV already by now which he was most famous for in WCW Nitro. As for Backlash overall a big let down, most of the matches I perdicted came true.

As for tonights Raw terrible, there reusing old storylines, and the Austin GM 50/50 angle is probably going to boil down to a match somewhere down the line probably at Bad Blood.

Lastly as for the main event for tonights Raw that was just horrible, they should of done that match before the RVD/Kane vs. HHH/Flair match that way the build up for a likely Kevin Nash vs. HHH title match at Judgement Day could of been set up properly.

Once again it seems that Total NonStop Action, has out classed and out performed WWE with its $9.95 pay per views. I think the only way for WWE to make up for it's loses right now is to lower the price on pay per views. $34.95 for a terrible pay per view like BackLash is outlandish. Right now it's a dark time to be a wrestling fan that's watched this sport since the early 80s.

[Charles]

I'm not certain how I feel about the Steve Austin angle. One of the downfalls of being an Internet wrestling fan, is that you already [i]know[/i] how things work, you know when things are going to happen, and you know well in advance.

Even without Wrestlezone telling me, I knew that Linda McMahon was going to come out and appoint Austin as the co-general manager. Think about it. Why else would the WWE book Bischoff and Trish Stratus as the main event for Raw unless something big was going to happen that would keep fans happy after walking away from the show? So, yeah, it doesn't take considerably good reporting skills to confirm an angle like this--just logic. lol

The issue I take up with the angle, is that I've seen it before, the whole power struggle thing between two completely opposing forces. I've seen the Ric Flair/Vince McMahon struggle, Austin/McMahon struggle (when Linda and Stephanie gave their shares to Austin following the "Greater Power" angle), the McMahon/Helmsly struggle, the Bischoff/JJ Dillon struggle, the McMahon/Foley struggle, and struggles between Ernest Miller and Mike Sanders over the commissioner spot in WCW.

:Phew: And I'm probably forgetting some. lol

The whole Goldberg situation was great last night, in my opinion. The WWE finally made him look like an unstoppable monster. No one can complain about him doing more spearing than talking--because [i]that's his character[/i]. That's what got him over. He's a one dimensional brute who got over by simply manhandling his opponents with jackhammers and spears.

As far as NWA TNA outclassing WWE--I wouldn't go [i]that[/i] far. lol.

I've heard that the booking surrounding the world title is sloppy over there, where Jeff Jarret is being portrayed in a dragon slayer type role. Meaning, he always conquers the heels in such as way that he puts himself over more than he puts them over.

[GhostofSalvtore]

News on Austin
In a WWE.com interview, Steve Austin states that he's done with in-ring wrestling. He claims that his match with The Rock at WrestleMania was his last match.

Austin actually blames his neck problems for the cause of his walkout last year. He said that while political issues and creative problems were the straws that broke the camel's back, they were not the root problem.

Austin says that his neck has been bothering him for a while, but he doesn't openly discuss his health conditions as he wants to save face.

Austin says that he could end up serving in the GM role for several more years as he doesn't want to leave WWE TV.

While he seems to be done with wrestling, Austin did say that this should not mark his official retirement as one should never say never in this business, and he could come back for a match or two; possibly at WrestleMania XX.

He was happy with his match against Rock at Mania, and wouldn't mind calling that his final match.

See I think they are overdoing the spear, that move should be like something special to see, like the People's Elbow, and other specials.

[Jinzouningen17]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by GhostofSalvtore [/i]
[B]News on Austin
In a WWE.com interview, Steve Austin states that he's done with in-ring wrestling. He claims that his match with The Rock at WrestleMania was his last match.

Austin actually blames his neck problems for the cause of his walkout last year. He said that while political issues and creative problems were the straws that broke the camel's back, they were not the root problem.

Austin says that his neck has been bothering him for a while, but he doesn't openly discuss his health conditions as he wants to save face.

Austin says that he could end up serving in the GM role for several more years as he doesn't want to leave WWE TV.

While he seems to be done with wrestling, Austin did say that this should not mark his official retirement as one should never say never in this business, and he could come back for a match or two; possibly at WrestleMania XX.

He was happy with his match against Rock at Mania, and wouldn't mind calling that his final match.[/B][/QUOTE]

Well damn. And I thought Austin was supposed to start a feud wit Goldberg in June(or July. Cant remember when they said). Oh well. Hopefully Austin can pull this GM thing off, atleast longer than he did last time against Shane and Vince(a few years ago).

And speakin of his neck, I wonder if his neck is botherin him because although it was YEARS ago, maybe he still hasnt gotten over that messed up piledriver that Owen Hart(RIP)gave to him at Summerslam 97. *shrugs* Who knows.

All I know is that I'mma miss Austin in the ring, but you know he'll still come out and beat people down like he always does. :D

[Schrat]

[size=1][QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Jinzouningen17 [/i]
[B]

And speakin of his neck, I wonder if his neck is botherin him because although it was YEARS ago, maybe he still hasnt gotten over that messed up piledriver that Owen Hart(RIP)gave to him at Summerslam 97. *shrugs* Who knows. [/B][/QUOTE]

VERY good point. I have a feeling Austin could pull of one more match, and i have a feeling it could be vs. Goldberg for the title at Summerslam. I have a feeling that GB will win the title at Badd Blood and go on to hold the title for awhile.

Some other news, Looks like Jeff Hardy was under some speculation of Drug abbuse before he was released, that could be the cause or it couldnt. Hopefully we'll see him again soon, maybe in a title match for the X title on TNA, that would be great!

And some spoilers for ya, [spoiler] Mr. America will debut at the SD tapings tonite, as none other then Hulk Hogan. He has been spotted backstage at the SD tapings, along with Kurt angle, but it is unlikely that he will appear on camera.[/spoiler][/size]

[Nomad]

News and Rumors for Sunday, April 27

Hey hey hey, greetings to all and thanks for stopping by here at --------.com for the weekend news and rumors, this a special pre-PPV edition. WWE's Backlash event airs later today and so naturally much of this report will consist of the usual preview and predictions that I like to post each month. There's also other general WWE news and notes to discuss including Jeff Hardy's release from the company. So without further ado, here are Sunday's news and rumors...

Raw was an okay show I thought but as I started to get into last week, there are so many things about it that bother me that I usually never find it any different from week-to-week. The program progressed on two main and different fronts - first with Rock and Goldberg moving towards their upcoming showdown at Backlash and then with Triple H and gang headed towards their encounter as well. The Raw main event was solid as Booker T not surprisingly fell short in his quest to become World champion, but they did a good job of building towards the finish and by the time the match ended, I'm sure there were many fans who actually thought Booker T would win. Elsewhere, Rock held his Rock Concert Part 2 but it really was overkill as the segment degenerated into much of nothing with Gillberg showing up and Rock making Goldberg look like just another superstar on the roster. I'll get into this more later, but if you need a Raw Report, click HERE.

Smackdown! was another average show with little direct buildup towards Backlash. The lack of star power on the show is beginning to become an issue as the main event ended up being Brock Lesnar taking on A-Train and the rest of the show was littered with people who ideally should be on Velocity. Nonetheless, the usual cast of stars like Chris Benoit, Rhyno, John Cena, Big Show, Sable and Torrie were all present in some fashion to further their respective storylines. But like I said earlier, it didn't seem like the show did much for Backlash as WWE really didn't do anything out of the ordinary that would entice some fans to purchase the PPV. Anyway, if you need a Smackdown! Report, you can find one HERE.

Ratings for this week provided both good and bad news. First the good - Raw drew a 3.8 two-hour composite rating off of hours of 3.3 and 4.1. That reverses a recent trade which saw the Rating rating fall in like three consecutive weeks and probably has led to many officials in WWE breathing a sigh of relief. With Backlash this week and with the novelty of Goldberg's debut wearing off, it was become ominously obvious that maybe WWE overestimated the drawing power of Goldberg. Well, for now, the jury is still out so I won't pass judgment until after Backlash. The bad news - Smackdown! only generated a 3.9 overnight rating (one of the lowest overnight numbers that I can recall) and that ended up translating into a 3.1 final broadcast rating. Suffice it to say, a 3.1 is not what WWE was anticipating with relatively minimal competition. Weekend ratings were pretty much average across the boards, so I won't get into any details there. If you want the exact numbers, they've available on the newsboard.

The big news this week in pro-wrestling was the release of Jeff Hardy. WWE stated it in very blatant terms on their website, I believe using the word "severed relationship" as the official word. Judging by the emails I have gotten, Jeff's release has bothered a lot of people but it seems like many don't understand the specifics behind it, namely the nature and reason for the release. First off, it was a MUTUAL release not a direct release, in that both Jeff and WWE sat down and decided that this was the best course of action. WWE didn't just call him up one day and say "Jeff, you're released. Bye." Instead, Jeff WANTED this. It is no secret that over the past few months and perhaps even past couple of years, Hardy's heart just hasn't been into wrestling. He began showing up late to numerous events and those who knew him commented that his passion for the business began to wane. WWE officials also noticed this and tried almost everything in their power to remedy the situation. They gave him a lighter house show schedule, they told him to take time off but apparently none of it really worked as Hardy continued to act like "his heart wasn't in it". Sources indicate that over the past six months, Jeff personally went up to WWE management (I'd assume VP of Talent Relations Jim Ross or maybe even Vince McMahon himself) and asked them to let him out of his contract. Reportedly, he wanted to concentrate on his music and didn't care about wrestling anymore. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but obviously they convinced him to stay probably working with him in every possible way to make him happier. The thought is that WWE always went easy on Hardy because they felt he was the key to their young female demographic. It's probably true because even when he's losing in a mid-card match on Raw, Jeff still gets popped. In the end though, none of it mattered as all parties involved decided that it would be best if he left WWE to concentrate on other ventures.

Now as soon as the news broke that Jeff Hardy was gone from WWE, speculation started that the NWA-TNA might be interested in his services for their promotion. I don't have any inside information to draw the following from but I don't think he's headed there anytime soon. As stated above, Jeff reportedly isn't interesting in wrestling right now so I don't see what point it would serve him to join the NWA-TNA apart from the fact that it would be a lighter schedule, but again, WWE already worked with him on that. In addition, we don't even know the details of his release as often when WWE lets a wrestler out before their deal expires, they end up instituting a clause which prevents said wrestler from wrestling for a competing promotion. I'm not saying that is the case here but there's no way WWE would release someone like Jeff if they had any inkling that he'd join NWA-TNA. As for Jeff's future, I suspect he'll stay out of wrestling for the forseeable future though I definitely have a feeling that he will be back sooner or later. Not only because he is over with the fans, but because he didn't leave on good terms. Also, Jeff's brother Matt is still with the company in good standing and there's always the potential of WWE reuniting the Hardy Boyz later on as that would be received by a lot of excitement from many people.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the preliminary Wrestlemania 19 buyrate information is in and the number fell well short of expectations. Reportedly the PPV generated about 525,000 to 550,000 buys, which ends up figuring into a buyrate barely over 1.0. Those figures are about 35-38% below what WWE officials internally projected and the figures that Linda McMahon told to investors at their most recent conference call. To say that it's a disappointment would be a huge understatement as Wrestlemania is the WWE's biggest event each year and they basically stack the card and pull out all the stops to make the event a success. The WM 19 buyrate not only was much lower than expected, but it was the lowest Wrestlemania since the disastrous 1997 edition which was a flop on all accounts (some people consider it as the lowest point WWE has ever reached though the way they are headed, maybe these people will change their minds?). Whether this leads to WWE re-evaluating the state and direction of their company remains to be seen but with Backlash this Sunday, I guess they have the perfect opportunity to start changing everything that is wrong. By the way, the lower tha expected performance of Wrestlemania 19 apparently put WWE about $5.6 million under budget. Ouch.

According to 1wrestling.com, WWE has little interest at this time of bringing back Lex Luger. Earlier this year, there were a lot of rumors that the company was toying around with the idea of bringing Lex back and when they started signing and bringing in people like Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Sable, etc., it further fueled the speculation. I'm not quite certain on this, but I believe Luger himself started telling his friends that he'd be joining the company sooner or later. The way he saw it, Vince was getting desperate at seeing the sliding fate of his company and was bringing in past star after past star in hopes that they bring back some of the lost fanbase. Luger is also a big guy size wise and as history as shown, Vince is pretty much infatuated with such men thinking that such wrestlers are what the fans really want to see (this is probably partly why the Cruiseweight/Light Heavyweight division has never worked). Anyway, the bottom line is that Luger probably won't be coming in any time soon though this doesn't change the fact that WWE is still very interested in bringing in Sting. And I'm sorry to say, but I still hate the idea of bringing back wrestlers who peaked in the 90s.

Kurt Angle underwent successful neck surgery two weeks ago and by most accounts, he's feeling much better and is still targetting a return to the active roster sometime over the next two months or so. This is probably public knowledge by now, but Angle decided to go with Pittsburgh neurosurgeon Dr. Hae-Dong Jho instead of WWE's surgeon of choice, Dr. Lloyd Youngblood. The two doctors promote radically different types of neck surgeries but for the sake of clarity, Dr. Jho's surgery is less extensive and would only sideline Angle for about six weeks, whereas Dr. Youngblood's surgery is the one that people like Steve Austin, Chris Benoit, Rhyno, Edge and Lita have had with a recovery of time of at least a year. Even though Angle was backstage at the Smackdown! tapings this past week, and even though Dr. Jho has told him that he could be back in the ring as early as six weeks, I don't think anyone in WWE wants to rush Kurt back which if true, would mean that he probably won't be back until about Summerslam or so and it is expected that at that time, he would re-enter into a feud with Brock Lesnar over the WWE title. In regard to Angle's wrestling future, most medical experts anticipate that sooner or later he will need to get the fusion surgery (the one Dr. Youngblood recommended) which as of now, Angle is saying he will get after he retires. In the meantime, if Angle's current surgery suffers from no complications, look for WWE to pretty much recommend all their wrestlers to him because the recovery time difference is invaluable to a company like WWE.

Wow, this report is already getting pretty long and I haven't even got to the Backlash predictions, so I'll start those right now...

The Rock vs. Goldberg - WWE has tried to make this seem like a "dream match" that everyone is clamoring to see, but they've done an awful job on so many levels trying to accomplish that feat. The most glaring problem has been how Goldberg has been portrayed as "just another guy" when instead he should be made out to be almost invincible since that is literally the only thing he has and ever had going for him. Right off the bat when they made Goldberg feature into that "comedy" skit with Goldust, you knew they were already ruining his character as Goldberg should never ever ever ever be in such silly segments. Then this past week, Rock basically made Goldberg look mortal or dare I say inferior by beating him up with a chair and hitting the Rock Bottom, something which I felt should not have been done. Anyway, what this likely does say is that Goldberg is surely going to win on Sunday as a loss would not only be completely pointless, but he'd be regarded as a complete joke by the fans. Oh, this could also potentially be Rock's last match before he takes off against to shoot another film, yet another reason why he will probably do the job. Prediction: Goldberg.

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar - With Kurt Angle needing neck surgery as described above, WWE went scrambling to find a top heel to replace him opposite Brock Lesnar. After much internal debate, it was decided that Cena's push would be hastened and he'd be put into the Backlash main event for the title. Some will and already have questioned this move as Cena's push has been a lacklustre and not too many people even believe that he has much of a chance against Lesnar. If rumors are to be believed, Cena is almost a stop-gag solution as WWE bookers probably have little confidence in him (yet) as the top heel and speculation persists that next month, Chris Benoit or even someone like the Big Show will instead be penciled in to face Lesnar. On the virtue of that and basically taking everything else into account, Brock surely won't lose this match. But I still would have liked to see Chris Benoit involved in the mix, perhaps even in a triple threat match. At least that way, we'd be guaranteed a good match. Prediction: Brock Lesnar.

Triple H, Chris Jericho & Ric Flair vs. Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels & Booker T - Ah, the Cliq strikes again as this "storyline" has been all about Triple H, Nash and HBK and nothing about Booker T or Chris Jericho. One just had to look at the Raw main event where Booker T came within inches of winning the total but the show ended with Triple H and Kevin Nash yapping at each other with Booker nowhere to be seen (reminiscient of RVD vs. HBK a few months ago where RVD lost, rolled out of the ring and left Trips and Shawn to hog the spotlight). Anyway, I see the faces going over here mainly because Kevin Nash is back and probably getting ready to work a program against Triple H. Furthermore, the heels got the last laugh on Monday and history has indicated that WWE ends up flipping roles at the PPV. I think we can ignore Jericho and Shawn Michaels as they are more or less secondary characters in this match. Much of the attention will instead fall upon Nash and Triple H and to a lesser extent, Booker T. With rumors circulating that Triple H will defend his title against Nash at one of the upcoming PPVs, it seems to fall into place that at Backlash Big Daddy Cool will pin Triple H to set up this "much anticipated" showdown. Prediction: Nash, Booker T & Michaels.

Team Angle vs. Los Guerreros - This is probably the only match that will be worth watching if you're a fan of actual in-ring wrestling. There's not much to say here except that Team Angle continues to gain momentum as a tag team that fans can take seriously and I think they definitely need the belts much more than the versatile Guerreros do. With their "leader" Kurt Angle sidelined, I fear that Team Angle without the belts would just fade into obscurity as the bookers would more or less stop concentrating on them. On the basis, I will say that they will retain their tag team titles. Prediction: Team Angle.

Dudley Boyz vs. Kane & Rob Van Dam - I honestly have no idea where they're going with the entire Dudley Boyz storyline. First I thought maybe they were setting up the two to split up and feud against one another and then I thought, nah, they're just gonna end up turning face for what seems like the millionth time. As of now, I still have no idea and honestly, it's not even interesting to the point where I could actually care. I guess I'll just predict that the Dudley Boyz will win via the help of Chief Morley and then maybe afterwards, they'll make their face turn by telling the Chief that they didn't his help, they only look out for each other, blah blah blah. Prediction: Dudley Boyz.

Sean O'Haire vs. Rikishi - O'Haire is finally back in WWE but he's still not by himself as WWE figured sticking him with Roddy Piper would help him get and stay over. I'm not one to argue with that as I think it's the best way to use these old-timers so in the end, I think it will help O'Haire more than one would assume. Meanwhile, Rikishi is back on TV in the same role we've seen him for YEARS which makes it quite obvious that the guy is stuck in neutral with no chance of really moving forward or backward. They have him with Jimmy Snuka now and feuding against O'Haire but it doesn't change the fact that not too many people care. Conversely, O'Haire is actually a fresh character so I think he'll score a pretty clean victory here, and if not, possibly with some help from Piper. Prediction: Sean O'Haire.

Jazz vs. Trish Stratus - Oh boy, another Jazz/Trish match. I think it's time to face the fact that the women's division is pretty much dead once again and though it will always be a part of WWE TV in some form or another, it will never amount to much. Jazz has recently been repackaged of sorts and even though she's still being showcased as "the *****", she's now joined forces with Theodore Long and Rodney Mack in a continuation of their little racist angle. Since Jazz has Long and Mack backing her up, I'll say one or both of them will help her score the win because you know...Jeff is gone and as such, there's no one there to protect Trish! Prediction: Jazz.

Big Show vs. Rey Mysterio - Last week I mentioned that I didn't understand why WWE insisted on misusing Mysterio by making him wrestle Big Show. To clarify that, I don't think Mysterio needs to be put into the ring with guys that are so much bigger than him and certainly not Big Show, who is the largest wrestler on the roster. Mysterio is small - we all know that, but when he has to wrestle against a 500lb giant who "wrestles" (I don't know if you'd want to call what Big Show does as wrestling) a totally different style, it exposes Mysterio's weaknesses and shortcomings. Either way, Big Show is no doubt the favorite to win this match because since he's a large man, he automatically will get numerous chances to main event and again, the word is that he may actually face Brock Lesnar as early as Judgment Day in May. Prediction: Big Show.

And that'll wrap up this edition of the news and rumors. We'll be having live Backlash play-by-play later today starting at 8pm EST so if you can't watch the PPV, stop by to find out the results. A few of you have asked about the status of the column applications that we were accepting a few weeks back. We have a little over a hundred more emails to get through but hopefully within the next week or two, we'll be contacting whoever we feel would be a good addition to the site. So if you haven't heard anything from us yet, don't worry...no one has. Anyway, that's about it. Later.


[size=4][color=green]NEWS AND RUMORS, IF PAGE LOADED HERE, GO BACK TO TOP[/color][/size]

[Jinzouningen17]

*Shakes head in shame* Man, Hulk Hogan could've done ALOT better to disguise his identity of bein Mr. America. I mean, just a regular blue mask with a big *** white star on it? What kinda bull ish is that!? But the rest of the outfit actually looks pretty decent. Plus he's coverin up his bald spot now. But that mask is SOOOO old school. He looks like Mr. Wrestling #1(old wrestler from like the 60's and 70's) or somethin wit that mask on. lol No one wheres masks wit the pointed nose anymore. *shakes head*

Other then that, Smackdown was pretty decent tonight. My favorite part of the whole night though would have to be that little rhyme my boy Brian Kendrick did against John Cena. And that referee up there bein the human beatbox?! Now that was hot. :D

Also, the little angle they got wit Los Guererros and Team Angle is pretty hot. I love how them Guererro's keep stealin Team Angle's stuff. I may actually get Judgement day just to see those 2 teams wrestle....nah. I aint about to spend another $40 on a PPV. I'll just wait and see if it turns out to be a good match, and then show on the New Years Eve edition of the WWE. But we'll see what goes down.

But all in all, pretty decent show of Smackdown. I just wish Kurt Angle would come back soon(well, get better soon. I miss Kurt already. :( )

[Outlaw]

I'd have to agree with you on Smackdown Jin, the Cena/Kendrick bit was great, and man who woulda though Brian Hebner could beat box like that. Hell, they sould stick him in a manager role with Cena.

Also, with Hogan, I wish they would just leave him home. I mean, he could have gone out in a big hurra after Wrestlemania, but now we've gotta put up with his crapily slow old man matches for probobly another year until Wrestlemania XX. Not only has he lost all his novelty, but hes taking away air-time from the people who really deserve it, like Beniot, Rhyno, and Hardy. I think that Beniot deserves a serious push in the business, and with Angle out of the picture for proboly another month, this would be the perfect time for him the capture his first WWE title. Than they could have another feud once Angle returns, since their rivalry i personally think is one of the best since Edge and Angle. Unfortunatly, McMahon's big man obsesion will most likely keep these guys away from serious title contention for a while.

Speaking of big men, why the hell is Biggy gettin another push at the WWE title? The mans got no charisma, no wrestling talent, and the only good thing that comes from their feud is that Biggy gets owned by Brock's F5. Wait a sec, Big Show getting hurt is a good thing. Yes Brock, drop that 500 lbs sack of crap on his head, take him out for good. And while your at it, do the same to A Train, or atleast make him wear a shirt.

[GhostofSalvtore]

lots of news for the day

-Kanyon will make a return , his gimmick could be the one used in WCW by John Sullivan where he says he was trained in Tibet by a "master" of the tree of woe. Also Jackie Gayda is looking to be his valet.
-Tonights RAW could be built around the Austin/Bishoff GM angle, w/Austin bringing back JR,Lita, and the Dudleys.
-Also a rumor is that the IC title will be brought back so that people will care bout the lower card matches at a RAW only PPV.
-Rock's return date is looking to be early 2004, where he could wrestle Goldberg in a rematch at WMXX
-Goldberg and Jericho are looking to feud for the next few months, where he would later get pushed for the World Title.
-A match rumored for Judgement Day is UT, Nathan Jones, BEnoit and Rhyno vs FBI and John Cena.
-Nicole Fink(Nikita) is rumored to be revealed as Vince McMahon's illegitimate daughter.
-Sting and the WWE seem to be settling into a deal, and he could be with the WWE by this summer.
Question of the Day, what roster looks better for a PPV, Raws or SDs?

[Jinzouningen17]

I think I have just seen probably the best ending to a show in a long time. Stone Cold and Goldberg standin in the ring together...gettin damn drunk. LOL I never thought I'd see Goldberg and Austin in the same ring together, but together drinkin beer? That has got to be the funniest thing I've seen in a while. All them fools out there, drinkin all that Canadian beer. And wit all that beer he drunk, I think he did exactly what he said he was gonna do. He drunk Canada dry. lol

But all in all, Raw was pretty hot tonight. HHH gettin beat down by Kevin Nash was hot, that match wit Booker T and Lance Storm was pretty good, JR CAME BACK!!, finally got to see how Goldberg is since his WCW, and all sorts of other stuff. Raw was definetly a good one tonight. I'm soo glad I recorded this ep, especially for the end wit Stone Cold and Goldberg in the ring together. You KNOW that is gonna be up on alot of wrestlin sites tomorrow. The scene we thought we'd never see. Austin and Goldberg face to face, and then Austin and Goldberg drinkin together wit all them Canuckaz. lol

[Outlaw]

That was a hilarious ending, thou it really went on a little long. But it was worth it to see Austin trying to swim in the puddle of bear he made in the ring. Plus, by the end you could see Goldberg getting pretty tipsy, sorta stumbling around.

The one thing I really loved about tonights show was the fans. They went crazy for all the right people, ie Jericho and Christian, and booed all the right people, ie Nash. I was really hoping there would be a better Main event, as the Los Gurerros v. Team Angle ladder match and IC tourny are going to be amazing.

Also, a few more rumors on JD:
-Biily Gunn is seceduled to come back soon, possibly in the IC match. Also, Morley may return for that match, as he was an IC champ as Val Venis
-The stage seems set for Test/Steiner v. The Frenchies, as T&S attacked the two tonight after they hit in Stacey
-Sable v. Torrie is also a rivalry in the making, with a possible match at Backlash

[Jinzouningen17]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Outlaw [/i]
[B]-Sable v. Torrie is also a rivalry in the making, with a possible match at Backlash [/B][/QUOTE]
.....you mean thats gonna be a year long feud? Backlash just ended 2 weeks ago and the next Backlash wont be until next year at the same time.

I'm just messin wit ya. I know that was just a typo. ^_^

[ThePikasElbow]

I wonder if Kanyon will actually make an impact this time. When he first debuted, he was an interesting goofy character that actually won some titles. He had a brief comeback, but then faded away. Let's see how his new gimmick works out.

And I'm glad to see that the IC title might come back. I thought taking it out was silly, as it would give the low and mid carders nothing to shoot for.

[GhostofSalvtore]

-Big return for J-Day-
Ultimo Dragon has been telling the Japanese media that he'd be debuting with WWE at Judgment Day in Charlotte.

I actually broke the news back a few months ago that the two parties were close, and they just recently signed a deal.

WWE has not officially announced Ultimo's return for Judgment Day, but one would imagine that Ultimo Dragon would not have made such a statement, knowing it was false. If, for some reason, his debut is not at Judgment Day, he still will be on WWE TV very soon.

[Charles]

I'm not too excited over the return of Ultimo Dragon. Due to various injuries he's suffered, he's not the wrestler he once was.

That being said, my main concern doesn't lie there. I'm a bit skeptical in regard to how the WWE will book him. As many of you know, the WWE is the land of the giants. So, I'm sure that we'll be seeing Ultimo jobbing to the likes of Big Show and A-Train within weeks of his debut. lol

[Guest Hikaru Ichijyo]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Charles [/i]
[B]I'm not too excited over the return of Ultimo Dragon. Due to various injuries he's suffered, he's not the wrestler he once was.

That being said, my main concern doesn't lie there. I'm a bit skeptical in regard to how the WWE will book him. As many of you know, the WWE is the land of the giants. So, I'm sure that we'll be seeing Ultimo jobbing to the likes of Big Show and A-Train within weeks of his debut. lol [/B][/QUOTE]


-___- Don't diss my favorite wrestler again, or I'll have to put you in the Dragon Sleeper Charles. I'm rather thrilled about the Ulitmo Dragon's return wether he's at 100% or not we need to see some of the original innovators of the cruizerweight title.

As for yesterdays Raw it really didn't have any decent matches and that Goldberg/Christian angle has been going on longer then I would of liked for it to go. Hopefully next week will put an end to this fued and give Goldberg a decent adversary at the next Pay Per View like Jericho. As for the ending though it was pretty good, having Austin and Goldberg drinking beer was almost perfect, though I sort of felt a bit let down by the rattlesnake when he didn't give Goldberg the Stunner! I was waiting for that! :(

[The Vampire: Ed]

Yeah, sadly injuries have been a pretty big reason why I have some doubts about him myself. But he was a great wrestler, and he has put on some great matches as well. Dean Malenko vs. Ultimo Dragon was a great match in WCW.

Well, if he can wrestle anywhere near as good as he use to be able to then I think it'll be an awesome addition to the cruiserweight roster.

Sadly, I must agree with Charles on this subject. WWE is the land of the giants, and it's pretty obvious when a talentless piece of garbage like Big Show is so high up in the ranks. I mean the man is supposed to be punished for the way he recklessly dropped a helpless Rey Mysterio on his head, but instead gets to face Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship for about the eighth time.

WWE has their heads nestled snugly up their asses.

[GhostofSalvtore]

Well the Big Show, Lesnar match was set up a lil while ago, but the WWE was considering pulling Big Show from the match and putting someone in his place because of the Show/Mysterio incident. Also they may put the title match on just a Smackdown card instead of a PPV, so who knows what they will do, but it looks like SHow will be getting his match against Lesnar at J-Day, and he will lose..............hopefully.

[Nomad]

[size=5][color=blue]SMACKDOWN! SPOILERS[/color][/size]

[spoiler]May 6, 2003
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Report by: Jasin Pettis, --------.com reader

Smackdown!

OPENING.... Vinnie Mac.....

Vince grabs the mic and says hes glad that everyone wants Hogan to be there but the fact of the matter is that he has Hogan Via. Satelight in Tampa. So he's sorry to say Mr America won't be here..... The Crowd chanted "*******" and "You Screwed Bret"... to which he replied something to the affect "you damn right I did and I can screw anyone I want"... He called Stephanie out and asked what the details of the contract was. She said, to sum it up, Mr America cannot be suspended or fired unless he is unmasked to be revealed as Hulk Hogan. Then He had Hogan VIA sattelight (wink wink) to tell him his schenadigans were up and that he would unmask him to be Hogan. Hogan swears that he is not Mr America, but thinks Mr America is great, and liked it the other night when he kicked Mc Mahons ***. Mc Mahon vows to unmask him....

Now pardon my order...

Matt Hardy W/ Moore, Crash Vs Eddie Gurrero
For some reason I am fuzzy on the outcome but I think Eddie wins. Team angle comes out and steal the Medals back.....

Brian Kendrick vs Jamie Noble
(short on unhurt talent?? they should bring up some fresh OVW talent like Nova or Basham. Wierd to see Noble fight twice). Great Match. With Kendrick hitting the Sliced Toast 2 ( think I heard someone say that what it was called)
*winner Brian "Spanky" Kendrick

They Show a bunch of wresltlers in the back hanging around when Mr America Walks by....

Hogan urrr.... Mr America comes out to the loudest PoP of the night. The CRowd went off for about 10 mins. Great to see Hogan in person. He played the crowd well and Halifax loved Hogan.(probably the loudest/longest pop for anyone in all the tapings here in Halifax) Vince came out, and then called out Steph. They get in the ring and Vince low blows M.A. He tries to remove the mask. M.A throws Vince off, knocking him into Stephanie. M.A gives Vince some python punches and then carries Steph off to the back.

Sable comes out.

Torrie Vs Dawn Marie
Very Short Match, with a roll up by Torrie for the win. At the end , Sable grabs the mic and again harasses Torrie. Challanges Torrie to a bikini contest. (REMEMBER THE HAND PRINTS PEOPLE???)

Rikishi & Tajari Vs Team Angle
I forget who gets the pinfall again , but I do know that The Gurreros come out and steal the medals back and also the picture of Kurt Angle...

Kendrick comes out again, to do ringside commentary....

Rhyno Vs. The Man with the Ph.D In Thuganomics... John Cena (crazy underground video on Cena... that rocked *Note previous ----- Post)
Great Match.... Cena came out and rapped dissing Spanky and Rhyno. Funny freestyle. See saw battle, Kendrick interfears and Rhyno wins.

Future Spanky/Cena feud a brewin'...

They show the FBI in the back locking Brock Lesnar in his locker room, soldifying the door with a forklift. (The door at which they actually broke instead of holding shut). Which left Benoit with no partner....

Crippler Benoit Vs A-Train & Big Show...
Large pop for Benoit. (He was first class at the press conferance last Thursday, he put the mayor of Halifax in an armbar....he shoulda applied the Crossface..haha) Benoit puts up a good fight for a while and actually locks in the crossface. But these two simply overpower Benoit, and he loses with a choke slam by the Big Slow. Then they strap Benoit to the Medical splint and Lesnar pops out. He beats Albert and Slow for a minute, including an F-5 to Albert. But they beat him down, and Show chokeslams him. Then he gets the, "I got a mean angry face" look and leaves Lesnar in the ring. Show Over....

Lesnar gets up and salutes the crowd in Halifax... (too bad we didn't get to see Lesnar actually wrestle) Big Pops.

This was an incredible two days. Two tapings in a row was just too much. My only gripes with Smackdown was that there was no Piper's Pit (the Hagus??) . On the preview on WWE.com, they even billed "Pipers Pit". I Had no signs this time to plug ---, I was in the Club seats, which were plush and awsome, but positioned right beside the camera spot in the centre of the arena. So there was almost no chance we got on TV... Nonetheless, had great seats to see a great 2 days of shows... Hopefully next time it will Be a PPV!!! [/spoiler]

[size=5]Now For Some News and Rumors[/size]

[spoiler]

[b]ULTIMO DRAGON INFO[/b]

Submitted by ----- on May 06, 2003 at 9:03 PM

- Ultimato Dragon has officially signed his contract with WWE and has been asked to start later this month, likely at Judgment Day. When it was first decided that he'd be brought in, it was going to be on Smackdown! with Paul Heyman booking him but since Heyman has been demoted, it remains to be seen when or how he will debut.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter.


-------------------------------------------


- Reader Infestasyde sent this in:

CIMA defeated Ultimo Dragon on 5/6 in Korakuen Hall, defending his new UDG Title. After losing in 20:04 after a Mad Splash, Dragon finally announced that would be leaving Toryumon to go to the WWE. The match was put over as a passing of the torch to CIMA, who was one of Dragon's first students.


[b]STRATUS INFO[/b]

Submitted by Richard on May 06, 2003 at 11:05 AM

Trish Stratus recently did an interview with The Halifax Herald Limited. Below are some highlights coming from the article.
-She confirmed once again that she would not for Playboy Magazine. As many are aware other professional wrestling superstars such as Chyna, Rena Mero, and Torrie Wilson have all posed in the magazine. Trish was quoted as saying, "It's not my thing...It's so huge I think it might overshadow anything I might do in the industry or the ring."

-The piece talked about Stratus going from a medical student at York University in Toronto, to a fitness model then into the unexpected career as a professional wrestler.

-Trish commented on wrestling by saying, "My favorite part about wrestling is probably the fact that I get to be athletic and entertaining at the same time."

-The article confirmed that RAW last night sold over 9,000 tickets in Halifax at the Metro Centre.

- Stratus went on to talk about her fans and how they are everything to her success. Stratus confirmed when she is not traveling with WWE she does not leave her house and spends a lot of time watching movies, playing games, and other things that don?t require much energy.

- Stratus also touched on Torrie Wilson, Jazz, and trying to overcome the stereotype of being the eye candy.


[b]TOUGH ENOUGH, STING, STEPHANIE MCMAHON INFO[/b]

Submitted by ----- on May 05, 2003 at 8:13 AM

The following news and rumors are from The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Subscription information & prices are available at wrestlingobserver.com

- As reported before, it appears as if WWE's Tough Enough series has been cancelled. WWE took down their Tough Enough website and removed the show from its listing of programs apparently because MTV did not want to run another season and may not want any wrestling on their network.

- As of this writing, Sting has not signed a WWE contract and internal sources from within the company have conflicting reports on whether he's coming in over the summer or even if talks have taken place.

- Stephanie McMahon has been pushing to get more involved on Smackdown! from a storyline perspective, specifically to work a side program with Sable.

Source: Re-written from The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Subscription information & prices available at wrestlingobserver.com.


[b]ROAD WARRIORS[/b]

Submitted by Richard on May 03, 2003 at 4:19 PM

Various sources have been reporting that The Road Warriors have came very close to landing a WWE contract and should be in the company very soon. From what I have heard, Vince McMahon plans to bring them in for a dark match so he can take a look at them. We will have more if we get official confirmation that they have signed.

[Source: 1Wrestling.com]
[/spoiler]

That's it for now, so what do you all think of all that information?

[Jinzouningen17]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Nomad [/i]
[B]As reported before, it appears as if WWE's Tough Enough series has been cancelled. WWE took down their Tough Enough website and removed the show from its listing of programs apparently because MTV did not want to run another season and may not want any wrestling on their network.[/B][/QUOTE]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! My favorite MTV reality show has been cancelled!? Come on now, thats just messed up. And I was lookin forward to a TE4. Oh well, thats alright I guess. I still have Road Rules and the Real World/Road Rules Challenge whenever they come back. :D

Anyway, as far as the rest of the rumors go, mainly on the Road Warriors thing, I heard last night that they were supposed to be makin their return on Raw this comin Monday night(I heard that before I read this). So who knows what is exactly gonna happen. We'll just have to watch Raw and find out for ourselves.

And wit Stephanie wantin more time on TV...I'll admit, she needs it. I've been missin her alot as of late. As long as she doesnt scream, and just shows herself off, then I'm all for her workin wit Sable and what not.

But anyway, thats just what I'm thinkin. I doubt that I'll watch SD tonight, but I may. *shrugs*