Last night’s 6/16 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw drew a final 3.3 cable rating. Both hours of the show drew a 3.3 rating. This is up from last week’s 3.0 rating.
The following is courtesy of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
According to a new report, Michael Hayes is expected to return to WWE either this week or next week. There was talk that he was supposed to be at last night’s Raw taping in Salt Lake City, but he is scheduled to be at the June 24 Smackdown tapings in Houston. Most of the booking for Smackdown has reportedly been in a holding pattern since Hayes was suspended. Upon his return to WWE, Hayes will be brought back as a writer, but he has been demoted from being a company Vice President.
Hayes’ suspension from WWE was more than just a punishment with two months off. In addition to losing two months of salary, Hayes had to go to sensitivity training and alcohol recovery classes. As a result of his demotion, Hayes will not be eligble for stock grants and performance bonuses, which are said to be well into the six figures if profit goals are reached. So, Hayes took quite a financial hit as a result of his suspension. Most feel the demotion is justified seeing as the company doesn’t want a Vice President who is now known to have used racial remarks.
In addition to the sensitivity training and alcohol recovery, Hayes also had to agree not to drink alcohol while doing anything associated with the company. This applies to on the job in Stamford, on the road and even after shows and at parties with talent. There was said to be talk of having Hayes take antabuse, which is medication that makes someone vomit if they consume alcohol. It’s no secret that Hayes’ drinking lifestyle is legendary among those in the business, but his behavior in the past is what has gotten him into trouble. Alcohol has been a huge part of Hayes’ lifestyle for the last 30 years, so many aren’t willing to bet his return will be a successful one.
It should also be noted that Hayes had to sit down with Mark Henry to clear everything up. While this hasn’t been confirmed, there was talk Hayes would be doing the same with other African American wrestlers in the company as well. At this point WWE is going ahead with the mentality that Hayes is a strong part of the creative team, but they have also realized that they can live without him during his time away. Many feel one more screw up from Hayes will cause him to become more of a liability than he is really worth. Believe it or not, during a Legends roundtable edition of WWE 24/7 with Hayes, Mick Foley, Dusty Rhodes, Pat Patterson and Gene Okerlund, Hayes mentioned an angle where Harlem Heat debuted shackled in chains in WCW. Hayes was working in WCW at the time and he expressed his disgust with the angle saying it was wrong, outdated and a narrow-minded idea.
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |