It’s been a long time but I’m back with a new edition of Branded! If you don’t know what Branded is I’ll tell you. It’s a Month In Review which covers show highlights, news, rumors and commentary concerning both the SD and RAW brands. Well let’s kick things off with my editorial entitled:
Cena & JBL: Was It All A Fluke?
One’s a young jersey and fitted cap wearing hip hip-hopper from outside of Boston whose “character” represents the working class ticket buying fans of wrestling; the other’s a loud mouthed, wealthy Texan business tycoon who’s wears his “thousand dollar” ten gallon hats and rides around in a white limo with longhorns. Sound like night and day don’t they? Well, even though putting the two of them, with all of their differences, together has the makings for the formula of a sitcom, (Think of something like “We’re Opposites!” or “Bosom Buddies 2”) there’s actually many similarities between them.
They are both:
1) Named John.
2) Have a lot of names (Imagine JBL VS. JFAC.)
3) Are “brawlers”.
4) Wear (or used to wear) specific ULTRA gimmicky gear for their characters. (They’ve toned it down so that it seems more natural now).
5) Used to play football in college.
6) Used to be considered annoying assed heel characters.
7) Used to be considered fluke champions.
Now let’s talk about number 7 on the list. When JBL broke out of his beer swilling bar fighting role nobody believed this new guy who emerged: A self-proclaimed financial analyst who is a snobby, albeit cartoonish, heel. And when he won the championship from our beloved Eddie Guerrero, many of us just shook our heads asking ourselves, “What the hell were these guys (the writers) thinking?” ‘JBL The Windbag’ just came out of nowhere!
But over time, JBL, his promos and his ring work have grown on me. You know what I like the best about JBL? He’s not afraid to take chances. During his promos, he really gets into his character and you can tell that after awhile he’s just saying what’s on his mind and what comes naturally. He really becomes the asshole he’s trying to portray himself as. Sure that gets him in trouble sometimes (can anyone say Germany and CNBC?) and sure, sometimes he can go on way too damned long in his promos, but overall, he’s clever, funny and believable as the big bad egotistical snob. He says some “out there” things in his promos that make you wonder if anyone has OK’d what he’s telling to the audience. He goes that EXTRA MILE to be a jerk, bordering on the all too realistic when the tells crowds of working class people that they are losers and underachieves in their jobs and personal lives who use wrestling as a means for escape from their mundane existences. Is it just me who sees this as too close for comfort? He claimed, and still claims in every promo that the people have come to see him triumph so that they can live vicariously through him, and worship him like a “wrestling God”. However, when need be, he makes his character look buffoonish and makes fun of himself to put whoever he’s working with “over” or to make his character work.
As far as his ring work, he’s busted his ass in some really good matches including the one with Eddie in a cage and The Undertaker match where he was choke slammed through the roof of his own limo. When he first debuted as this new obnoxious guy challenging Eddie Guerrero for the title, being racist against Mexicans and giving old ladies heart attacks, I really didn’t like him. But I think with every new character or new gimmick one has to find his niche, and I think JBL has found his. Even during the times when he made me roll my eyes and say “Gimme a break”, I couldn’t imagine SD without him. I can’t imagine SD without him now. Can you? And last year when I (and everyone else) just KNEW that the title would be up for grabs for JBL and Cena, I just couldn’t believe that these two could carry the entire show. I couldn’t see them as the future of the brand, but look at what’s happening now.
Cena, like JBL debuted in annoying and obnoxious manner. His clothes were all wrong (like your middle-aged dad trying to be “hip”), he said goofy things all of the time in his raps and he had the nerve to believe he could beat another beloved guy…The Undertaker. I rolled my eyes believing that this “white rapper” gimmick was just a stupid rouse, but then as time went on I began to like John Cena. Yeah, that’s right. When none of you gave a rat’s ass about him I began to laugh at his clever yet silly rhymes once the writers let him do what he wanted to do. Once he stopped wearing the tacky cheap “hip hop gear” that the company supplied him with and began wearing his simple throwback jerseys and fitted caps he became less of a clown and more of his personality began to show. Good looking, charismatic and getting pops when even featured on the show for small amounts of time, I knew one day he’d be over like rover, and he was. Fantastically, he had also found his niche.
So even though I never actually “hated” Cena the way I used to hate JBL, I began to develop many of the sentiments that many of the IWC had once the actual overall quality of his performances began to decline. It was a strange thing…the more popular he became, the less entertaining he was, and the less he pulled out in his matches. The rose-colored glasses came off and I began to see him in a much different light. His power move the FU? Kind of Corny. His wrestling? Basic and declining in quality and passion. And the fact that he wasn’t really saying anything anymore bothered me. It was like he was just coasting on the waves of overdom without a care in the world. I resented this. Why? Because I was anticipating this powerhouse of a guy who was going to finally get to infuse his ingenuity and his passion into everything he did once he’d captured the spotlight. I thought he was going to be the next Rock.
Sadly, in my opinion this did not happen. Maybe the music, and the movie filmings and the new found popularity distracted him. Maybe he’s just not the next Rock. All I know is that there was a point last year when I tried to look ahead at a future where he and JBL carried the brand and I couldn’t. I knew it was going to happen, I just didn’t respect the possibility. Ironically, I began to “like” JBL way more as a wrestler and superstar than Cena, considering JBL more of a favorite.
But over the past few weeks Cena has made me pay attention again. Sure he’s not rapping anymore, (on Good Day New York where he flirted with the anchor woman interviewing him, he declined rapping for them because he didn’t want to “give away for free” something you could all be buying) but he’s funny and passionate again. His head seems to be in his promos. He hadn’t been doing much wrestling that made me take notice until J-Day though, and that’s when both men finally pulled it together and created a match that was believable, entertaining and memorable.
So now I’m just thinking about how a lot of people didn’t believe in these guys and I don’t know, maybe you still don’t. But you can’t deny that they are the faces of SmackDown! and have become main staples of the brand. When they first came around as the people they are now, who’d have thought so? And two guys with seemingly so little in common should understand each other by now because they have one thing in common: bearing the weight of the doubt of all who didn’t believe that they could be taken seriously on their shoulders. I don’t know, maybe there’s some IWC smart ass who’s reading this and saying, “Well I don’t take them seriously anyway.” To you sir (or madam) I say: stop being a douchebag.
You might not ever like JBL, Cena might never be The Rock, but give props when props is due.
This Month On RAW: May 2005
This Angle Is Golden (and expected)
In an effort to find a new Number One Contender for the World Title, Bischoff has ordered the Gold Rush Tournament.
Kane, Shawn Michaels, (after and AWESOME match with one of my new faves Shelton Benjamin) Edge, and Chris Benoit make the first round. Eventually Edge and Kane beat their other competitors out to make it to the finals but what happens next may shock or surprise you…but only if you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks.
Kane and Edge match up to see who gets the Number One Contender’s slot, and Edge managed to steal the win (giving him two title shots now along with his “Money In The Bank” shot that he won). So what else did he steal? Kane’s wife. That’s right, Lita turned on Kane and helped Edge win the match by slipping him that stupid black briefcase he carries around. He struck Kane with it and made a cover.
Following this debacle, Edge and Lita cut a promo (filmed backstage) about how Lita has been sneaking around cheating on him behind his back. It sounded all too real if you know what I mean. Anyway Lita tells Kane that she’s filed for divorce and that he’s like a “fourth grader in the bedroom”. Umm…I don’t want to know how she knows how a fourth grader in her bedroom is like, but anyway she proceeds to flush her wedding ring down the toilet. Then, Kane and Lita swallow each other’s faces in a gross kiss. This is all on Jumbotron during Kane’s appearance on Jericho’s Highlight Reel where he asked Kane if he had some sort of sexual dysfunction which led Lita to leave him. No Jericho, it wasn’t sexual dysfunction. Lita is just a straight up slut. (And so is Edge). Surprisingly, Kane didn’t murder Jericho, instead he looked as if he were in agony and about to cry or something. First he loses his baby, then he loses his title shot, now he’s lost his woman, and he held all three dear to his heart.
But there is some justice in this world. See Edge lost his shot (one of them) to Batista the following week.
He’s Back…(with a vengeance)
“Did you think I would just go away?” Trips said addressing Batista after his short absence from RAW. Soon these guys are going to have a Hell In The Cell match a match that will “shorten [Batista’s] career and your life”. This is the next big thing that’s going to happen on RAW besides the draft. Who knows when Edge is going to use his “Money In The Bank” title shot. I’m so tired of him carrying around that stupid briefcase.
The Draft
Vince announced that there would be a month long draft beginning in June in where any of the talent (including announcers and the like) could get switched to another brand. Captain Charisma shows maybe some interest in going to SD in order to challenge John Cena but he’s really over on RAW right now. I never did understand the Peep phenomenon myself, but Christian’s not obnoxious to me anymore so it’s fine with me.
Viscera & Lillian
I have no idea what this is all about but apparently Big Vis is hot for Lillian. He’s been gyrating his hips, eating nachos, serenading her and kidnapping her from the ring during her participation in a swimsuit competition (before we got to see her in a swimsuit no less). And though she’s acting like Viscera disgusts her, she’s not exactly running away from him. I don’t want to picture Viscera having sex with anyone, ever. But he keeps on flicking his tongue, pumping his pelvis and making sexual innuendo. One of these days I’m just not going to be able to take it anymore and there’ll soon be projectile vomit on my TV screen. Gross. Who knows what he was doing to her backstage.
Victoria Hates Hemme
During the swimsuit competition this month Victoria goes psycho on all of the contestants (except Lillian who leaves the ring when Viscera carries her out of the ring before she can bare it all) when she loses to Christy Hemme. When I say she went psycho, I mean she went psycho. I mean she whooped all those chicks asses with a passion, in fact she even went off on King, (who single-handedly judged the contest himself), when she kicked him right in the grapefruits. Aside from him, no one got it worse than Christy. Vicky was all over her with kicks and punches. It definitely broke up the monotony of this soft porn segment. After this, during an interview Victoria expressed her disdain for Hemme and it was appearant that she’s been jealous of all of the attention Christy has been getting. This is the makings of a new feud well, because they have nothing else better to do with women on this show.
Banning The Letters E-C-W
Bischoff has been ranting and raving about how ECW and this whole One Night Stand PPV is garbage. He has vowed to send a group of RAW stars to the event to mess things up. Edge is his “ECW General”, and he’s going to lead the pack in throwing a wrench in the inner workings of the PPV. Eric got angry one week and told everyone that the very letters E C W are banned from RAW itself after he foiled an “ECW Rules Match” that Tajiri and Benoit took it upon themselves to book. Eric actually had a funeral for ECW, which ironically was on the same night of the anniversary of Owen Hart’s passing away. During the “funeral”, it was the first time Eric Bischoff, Vincent McMahon and Paul Heyman were in the same ring together at the same time.
Other Things To Mention
- R.I.P. Chris Candido.
- Newcomer Chris Masters is still doing his “Masterlock
Challenge”. The only who has even been close to breaking
it is Val Venis. Val Venis. Where has he been?
- La Resistance have issues with each other. Will they break
up?
- Hassan is making a name for himself. He and his manager Daivari
are excellent on the mic. However, a turn is probably near for
Daivari to turn face since Hassan treats him like crap.
- The joke is on Maria. In an angle that exploits her real
life idiocy, they make fun of the air headed female all of the
during her interview segments. Now she’s saying “The Edge”
on purpose.
- Randy Orton appeared on the show looking very thin. Vince
McMahon called him out on this when he talked about the month
long draft.
- Viscera does this thing where he “humps” his opponents
while they are face down on the mat. (I’m going to hurl).
- Stacy has settled in as the “superhero” valet for
Hurricane and Rosey. She has her own cute little costume. Awww.
- Jericho will probably turn heel as foreshadowed in his “I
don’t really have time to think about wrestling” talks with
Benjamin.
- Speaking of Benjamin, he’s just so awesome.
- If there is a God, he will cancel the Lance Krall Show.
This Month on SmackDown!: May 2005
A Turn For The Worse
Eddie turned heel and made rivals out of his now former best friend and “familia” Rey Mysterio. The reason for the turn isn’t really clear but its being implied that Eddie is just bitter about all he’s gone through the past few months (losing the championship, and being stressed out). He’s also has some resentment towards Mysterio because for the past few months he couldn’t beat him…in fact I don’t think Eddie has really beaten anyone. He’s been on an ugly losing streak. Mysterio began to look stronger and more popular than Eddie in matches. It didn’t help that Chavo Guerrero was instigating matters between the two of them via backstage one on one talks. And Carlito also added fuel to the fire by interviewing them on his Cabana segment. They could no longer shrug off the miscommunications and conflicts they’ve been having ever since WrestleMania, including the loss of their tag titles to newcomers MNM. Eventually tensions boiled over.
Mysterio had been getting hints that Eddie wasn’t as “true blue” of a friend as he once thought, but the ultimate betrayal came after a street fight with Chavo. Mysterio was being brutalized by MNM and Eddie ran out to the ring as if to make the save. After chasing MNM out of the ring he embraced Mysterio and just when you thought everything was okay, Eddie attacked him. By the end of SD he left Rey a bloody broken up mess, his mask torn and about to fall completely off of his face. After this, the feud officially begins.
Eddie warns Mysterio on the very next show that he shouldn’t show up for their match at Judgment Day, because he’ll “take his life”.
Fast forward to the end of the month at Judgment Day, and Eddie gets DQ’d for beating down Mysterio with a chair. And during the last show of the month Eddie sneak attacks Rey right as he was heading to the ring for the Winner’s Choice Battle Royale.
This feud is far from over. And Eddie is definitely “heel” for now. Check out his new “evil” remix of his theme song.
Newbies On The Scene
Fairly “new” superstars like stable MNM and Matt Morgan have settled in this month in their own respective storylines and angles. MNM which consists of Mercury, Nitro and Melina are a send up of Hollywood “celebrity”. Vain, shallow and snarky, the group of three come of as if they believe that they are really special, rich and famous. They name dropped during their first time on the show saying they personally knew the likes of Nick and Jessica and Ashton Kutcher, and they have a red carpet rolled out and fake paparazzi mob them during their ring entrances. Besides being the ugliest stars on the roster (all three of them, including skanky Melina) they’ve also managed to wrangle themselves the titles from Eddie and Rey (which only added toward their tension with each other) and seem to constantly fight and successfully defend their titles against Charlie Haas (He’s back!) and Hardcore Holly by using dirty heel tactics. MNM has recently been in alliance with Chavo Guerrero with whom they both share disdain for Rey Mysterio, rivals to them both.
Matt Morgan, who if I’m not mistaken actually debuted a long time ago (with Nathan Jones on SD) is being put over as a “new” superstar who stutters. That’s right. His gimmick is that he has a speech impediment. He’s recently teamed up with Carlito to be his “bodyguard” filling the void for a now released Jesus. At Judgment Day he F-5’d the Big Show and handled him as Carlito would put it, “like a little baby!”
Kurt & His Fetish
This angle began at the very beginning of the month when Angle verbally attacked Booker T’s wife Sharmelle, referring to her as a “gutterslut”. In the weeks before these two had tension building up between them , which was depicted during brief encounters where they’d exchange hostile and petty banter with one another. While it makes more sense for Sharmelle to participate in such a “sass battle”, Kurt is a grown assed man. Keyword: Man. The clean cut American hero who should know better…right?
After calling Sharmelle a gutterslut, Booker became livid. Angle had became his new object of hate and rage. During a match that aired on the fifth, Angle nearly puts the Angle Lock on Sharmelle. The week after he says that he wasn’t actually trying to physically hurt her because he “makes women feel good”. He’s revealed that he has a “fetish for guttersluts”, and is infatuated with Sharmelle. He wants to have “perverted bestiality type” sex with her. Both Sharmelle and Booker appear to be furious and disgusted.
After Angle confessed his penchant for sluts of the gutter variety, he was put in a match with Booker T. He could’ve won the match easily towards the end, but instead of an Angle Lock and then a cover he runs backstage searching for Sharmelle. He went into Booker’s room, where she was and closed the door. What went on in there in the time it took Booker to find him and his wife is anyone’s guess. When Booker finally entered the room Sharmelle was cowering on the floor shrieking and Kurt attacked him from behind and continued to beat him down.
The very next week, though Angle is not there, he’s issuing a forced apology via satellite from Connecticut (he was banned from the building by Long) for his actions last week when he left a match to go after Sharmelle. However, even though he did what he was told by “apologizing”, he doesn’t take back the fact that he believes Sharmelle is a gutterslut. Kurt alleged that he and Sharmelle kissed and that she…fondled his privates. He asked Booker if he really knew what went on in his locker room between Kurt and Sharmelle last week right before he busted in to be attacked.
Angle threatened that he’d not only dominate Booker T on Judgment Day, but his wife as well. In fact he actually bought some handcuffs into the ring on Judgment Day. They were actually used against him. As he was handcuffed to the ropes Sharmelle went crazy on him and kicked him in his “special area”.
The following SD Kurt wins the Winner’s Choice Battle Royale where you get to pick your opponent. He chooses to fight Sharmelle.
Bad, Bad Men
This month John Cena’s first full-length album was released as well as his music video for “Bad, Bad Man”. Of course JBL has bad things to say about John, his video and any audience he appears in front of. This leads to an “I Quit” match being set at J-Day.
Over the last month these guys fight and insult each other, but it wasn’t until Judgment Day that all of the “talk” turned into action. It was the first time I’ve ever seen John Cena bleed, and the first time in a long time where he actually has put on a good match. That being said it’s also the first time where he and JBL have actually had a good match together, possibly the most memorable and/or best matches of each man’s career. Either way, John kept his title and in the SD following J-Day JBL tells John that he might not ever be able to beat him (though he’s beaten everyone else) but he knows that he’ll burn out soon. He compares him to Mike Tyson, James Dean and Kurt Cobain, and says that all of the frenzy behind his music and movie career will burn him out in the ring and in real life. Cena says that if he “goes out it’s gonna be in a blaze of glory!” and tells JBL that he lives each day like there’s no tomorrow. Meanwhile, while JBL’s compares Cena’s “fifteen minutes of fame” to his own longer lasting “legacy”, Cena shows that JBL’s legacy is one of the Most Celebrated Quitter. Cena airs a “tribute video” for JBL, which basically shows and replays him saying “I Quit” over and over again. Is the beef between these two over? What happens with JBL now? Only time will tell.
Other Things To Mention
- Big Show had to have his stomach pumped after eating one
of Carlito’s “Poisoned” apples.
- Orlando Jordan has a new hairstyle in which it sticks up
straight out of his head making him look like Sonic The Hedgehog.
- Heidenrech turns face with his “friend” gimmick.
He picks little seemingly bored boys out of the audience and
befriends and reads them poetry right before a match.
- Josh tried to “rap” during an interview with John
Cena. Hilarious, but no one’s offering him a record deal anytime
soon.
- Matt Morgan thinks that the way Funaki speaks is funny. Ironic
isn’t it? When he made fun of “SmackDown’s Number One Announcer”
Funaki just poked him in the eyes.
- Nelly shows up in a segment to give Cena’s video and new
single “credibility”. Are you impressed?
- Tazz was angry enough to take off his shades and stare Kurt
Angle down during Kurt’s promo against ECW where he said “ECW
can kiss my ass!” He also personally directed the comment
to Tazz that he’d be bouncing around Tazz’s ECW friends like
“Paul Heyman’s checks.”
- JBL spanked Spike Dudley with a leather belt during an impromptu
(and very unofficial) “I Quit” match right before J-Day.
- Haas is back and he’s on fire.
May’s WWE News Items
So what happened in May? Find out here:
To Firefighter From Just Plain Flaming—Rico has decided to retire from wrestling altogether to become a firefighter in Las Vegas. He decided to quit the All Japan Pro Wrestling Group shortly after he had a match where another wrestler decided to shoot on him in the ring.
Hart, Rhodes In Hall of Fame?—Dustin Rhodes and Bret hart have been made the offer to be inducted in the Class of 2006’s Hall of Fame.
Do We Really Need Another One?—Diva Search 2 is slated to take place from June to August. Get ready for more “Generic Babes In Swimsuits”. Was this really all that popular? How about some real female wrestlers?
Trish’s Absence—If you were wondering why we haven’t seen Trish throughout May, it’s because she’s been suffering from a nagging back injury. Hopefully she’ll be back soon.
Nathan Jones In New Jet Li Movie—The ex-superstar will appear in “Legend of A Fighter”. Nathan Jones once debuted on SmackDown! with current superstar Matt Morgan. He left the company voluntarily citing the hectic schedule for his reasons.
He’s No Conan—Since the directing talent for a sequel to “Conan The Barbarian” has changed, it looks like HHH will not be considered for the lead role any longer. The previous director John Milus has left the project and been replaced with Robert Rodriguez, who apparently is trying to lure Arnold Schwarzenegger back to the role.
A Surreal Life—Hulk Hogan will be using footage of his return to the WWE over the past few months for a new reality show he’ll star in on VH1.
Matt Hardy’s New Character—Hardy has a promo up on his website as a character type he created called “Angelic Diablo”. (www.thematthardy.com) On the front page it says: “This Scar Will Become A Symbol. A symbol of truth, justice, retribution and punishment!” Now, make of that what you will.
Also in Matt Hardy news, he’s been talking in interviews about how he was going to propose to Lita this past Valentine’s Day, “but then it happened.” He says. Oh well. You win some, you lose some guy.
What I don’t get is that he says he can forgive Lita, who he makes excuses for as “confused”, “way in over her head” and “didn’t know how to get out of it”, but not Edge who he says was plotting and manipulative from the start. MikeMooney.com: “I had considered Adam one of my closest friends – the kind of friend you could trust your life with. It seems like he very much had an agenda going into it. I think there were things he did to lead Amy on and to get inside her head. Adam was leaving messages telling Amy he loved her, that if she stayed with me, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. He was trying to put a guilt trip on her….It’s just a tough situation. Not only on a personal level but a professional level. Amy and I were a professional couple on TV. Christian has known Adam all his life, and he told him what he did was just wrong. It sickened him. Your true friends will tell you what they believe is true.” Hardy says of his ex-best friend, that he has “issues”. “I don’t think he knows what love is.”
And I don’t think you know what self-respect is. Screw them both and move on. Stop trying to be Lita’s buddy. She sucks.
Anyway Edge is currently banned from doing any media interviews about the subject.
Oh My Gawd, Are You Serious?—Even though Batista’s B-Day is listed publicly as January 19th 1969 he was really born in ’66. And get this he has three daughters: 20, 14 and 12. This shocked me because even though I knew Batista was no spring chicken, he never struck me as some middle-aged dude with a twenty-year-old daughter. I thought he had small children. I don’t know he just looks really young to me. Oh well, he’s still hot.
JBL & Holly Confront Storm—Lance Storm, a trainer at OVW (Who will no longer be in July since he’s given his notice) has instructed future wrestlers not to come off as having an attitude problem by telling them not to be like JBL & Hardcore Holly. Both guys are known for bullying. When JBL and Holly found out about this, Holly basically told him to “F***k off” and JBL openly challenged him to a physical confrontation. Laid back guy that he is, Lance ignored the both of them. Good for you Lance. They’ve just given you even more reason to tell wrestlers not to be like them.
Is He For Real?—Sean Waltman has said that he will not be returning to TNA to wrestle until he gets the pay he feels he deserved. He said that he was promised several checks which would be given to him whether he worked or not and he has not received them yet. He also says that TNA isn’t returning his phone calls. I’m serious. He’s actually talking to HHH about coming back to the WWE. Why? I don’t know. All we know is that he says he’s basically quitting TNA unless he gets the 10,000 dollars he says he’s owed.
The Buzz About The Champs Backstage—The general feeling by many in the WWE backstage is that Neither Cena nor Batista can be compared to the likes of Stone Cold, The Rock or Shawn Michaels when they were at the highest peaks of popularity in the babyface stage. McMahon is saying that the reason Cena and Batista have their current positions is that there is a lack of fresher “more ready” options. He believes it’s fine if they make some mistakes along the way, and even if they never get the pops that past stars like The Rock and Stone Cold have. Many officials are saying the two got chosen because of their charisma and marketable looks. From Wrestlinginc.com:
“At this point, both Cena and Batista are being labeled by those in the company as “projects” who have some weaknesses that were expected, but with some work and tutoring they could eventually become reliable stars. ‘Neither of them is better than mid-carders by the standards of 15 or 20 years ago, but they have varying levels of charisma and marketable looks,’ said one WWE source. When it comes to talking on the mic, Cena is obviously considered the stronger of the two. Plus, with youth on Cena’s side, there will be much more patience for him. Batista on the other hand is considered much weaker on the mic, but more over at this time as a top draw for the company. Despite this taking place, one top WWE source is disagreeing with the approach adding, ‘How many examples are there of more seasoned wrestlers who are more ready for this kind of push who have been saddled with lame comedy acts which mean nothing, while Batista is being pushed into this top spot prematurely.’”
I think it’s obvious that these two cannot be directly compared to Stone Cold or The Rock. However, Cena does have more time, more mic skills and it’s been reported that he’s been getting HUGE pops during SD tapings (it’s hard to tell on TV since a lot of “audience reaction” is edited in). I don’t think any of these guys are viewed as stars who are as special as The Rock or Stone Cold, but Cena has potential. The question is has he already reached his peak? Also, did wrestling already reach its peak in the nineties? Perhaps The Rock and Stone Cold were hugely over because more people were passionate about the programming. Or, perhaps that there will be no one in the company who can ever live up to Austin and “The Great One”. Only time will tell.
Piper’s Return—It’s being said that Roddy Piper will return to the WWE in an angle where he joins Shawn Michaels against Hassan and Daivari.
Eugene, Gangrel Returning—Eugene is recovering from knee surgery and is just waiting to be placed into a storyline. Gangrel has just signed a deal and is waiting for further developments as he works in OVW.
Romeo’s No Heartthrob—Romeo Roselli of the new RAW team The Heartthrobs is said to be a huge pain in the ass. People are saying that his television push is getting to his head and he’s asking different promotions for more money to do shows because he’s a “TV star” now. Many are saying that he’s just lucky not to be on SmackDown, because then he’d have to deal with JBL and Holly who’d really set him straight in a hurry.
The Rock Is Back!—From Wrestlinginc.com: “The Rock and Vince McMahon are on good terms and Rock is back with WWE. As it stands, he will work whenever they are close to him if his schedule allows him to do so. For details on their reconciliation and the Rock’s comments about it, go to http://wrestlinginc.com/winc/html/article12708.shtml”
Hemme Will Probably Be Re-signed—People love Christy Hemme backstage. Everyone’s saying she has a great attitude, and once her contract is up, she’ll probably be re-signed. You know, I once used to despise Hemme during her competing days in the RAW Diva Search, but soon I realized that she had more fire, spunk and positive energy than all of those girls put together. Even frosty ice princess Carmella Decesare got along with her, and that’s saying something since EVERYBODY else, including all of the other contestants hated the snooty chick’s guts.
The Miz Coming Back—It’s expected that Mike The Miz Mizanin will be signing a developmental deal with the WWE. Good for him. He seems like a cool dude.
SmackDown! To Friday Nights—You all know this by now don’t you? SD will be moved from 8pm-10pm in the fall. Be afraid. Be very afraid. A UPN executive comments that the show could be canceled. The show will now be pre-empted for most of the MLB Yankees season.
Superstars Procreating—While Taker’s wife Sara just had a baby, it’s rumored that Dawn Marie is currently pregnant.
Ouch!—Former WWE announcer Kevin Kelly didn’t hold back his feelings regarding several superstars and situations in the WWE. He says that though Lita has no real wrestling talent, what she does have is “an ability to pleasure men away from the ring.”
OUCH!
Next up, he says HHH will ALWAYS make sure that no one else is a bigger star except him, and he feels Benoit deserves a bigger push.
And he says about Hardy, “”Sitting at home and crying about it on your computer, you look like a big puss. Either do something about it, or shut up and move on”.
Well Damn Kevin.
I thank the following sources for providing the information compiled in this article:
Wrestlingobserver.com
Wrestllinginc.com
Saltyham.com
TheBalrogsLair.com
Thematthardy.com
You’ve been Branded! Hope you liked it.
Write to me at Jbrad618@yahoo.com
