Wrestling Rumblings #35
October 2, 2009
By: Jose Marrero of WrestleView.com
It’s been a bit of a noisy week in wrestling with talk about Jeff Hardy’s woes, the upcoming Hell in a Cell PPV, Jim Cornette in ROH and so much more that I couldn?t think of a single topic to isolate and turn into a column this week. So here is what I am going to do, I am going to talk about all that and more as we do headlines this week?you?re reading ?Wrestling Rumblings?.
Headline #1: Bret Hart and WWE rumored to be talking about working together full time.
This rumor came out and everyone and their mother got to talking about the potential of a Bret Hart comeback to WWE. People were mentioning a myriad of possibilities from Bret being GM of a brand, managing the Hart Dynasty, to even maybe having one more match. Don?t ask me why but I think Bret being the smart guy that he is would not exactly bend over backwards to work full time in WWE. I really don?t think he needs the money and I am sure he gets top dollar out doing the convention circuit. So the big question is why would Bret want to come back? Would it really be just to give his family a rub? I sincerely doubt it and I don?t know how good he could be in a GM role. A Bret Hart DVD and Book have already been done as has a multitude of action figures so I really would have to say this generation is as familiar with Bret Hart as they are with John Cena. What is really in this for Bret? Nothing if you ask me which is why I doubt it will happen. Not saying they weren?t speaking but I think that’s just it they were speaking and now more than likely they are not.
Headline #2: Jim Cornette is now the executive producer for ROH on HD Net.
What in the blue hell does that mean? He is in charge of producing a TV show that is missed by majority of the fan base. While I am happy that Jim Cornette is still somewhat involved in wrestling I see this as nothing more than a cash grab. While they did just have arguably their biggest show ever this past weekend in NYC there are many that would argue that ROH is on life support right now as they are hemorrhaging both stars and money. Jim Cornette is indeed a bright mind to have in any locker room but as a booker he hasn?t had strong success on a big stage in over 15 years and there are many that think that perhaps the times have passed him by. It didn?t do much for ROH the first time they had Jim Cornette on their payroll and I am going to say that the second time won?t be much different than the first.
Headline #3: Bobby Lashley may possibly b e joining the Strikeforce MMA promotion.
This could be a potentially bad move for TNA wrestling as it is no secret that Spike TV is UFC territory and with part of TNA’s deal with Lashley including the co promotion of his fights; can you imagine the pressure Dana White would put on Spike TV if a Bobby Lashley vs. Fedor Emelianenko PPV was promoted on the same network as his company’s flagship show? Let’s also not forget that the bigger Lashley becomes in MMA the more likely it is that he may leave wrestling and TNA behind. With Samoa Joe rumored to be a future opponent for Lashley how will TNA feel knowing that they may sacrifice the farm for a one year rental?
Headline #4: Jeff Hardy due back in court November 4th to face indictment on charges of felony drug trafficking.
Sadly we are going to be hearing a lot about this story over the next 5 or 6 months. I personally am a big believer in letting things play themselves out which is one of the reasons why I have yet to really comment on this story. Time has a way of making certain issues die down and I wouldn?t be surprised if that was the case with Jeff Hardy. Just as I did with Kurt Angle I preach patience to everyone as they wait and see what facts might come out of this case. It might not be as bad as some wrestling fans think.
Headline #5 Al Sharpton guest hosts Raw this past week with Ben Rothlisberger slated to appear next week.
I think I might be one of the only people who really don?t have a problem with Raw having a guest host every week. I don?t think Raw is lacking because of it but rather because of creative’s inability to use it correctly. Think about it?if you were in charge of Raw what would you do? I am sure Hornswoggle vs. Chavo Guerrero would not be high on your list of priorities. I think if there was to be some more realism to the booking of celebrity hosts Raw would probably be getting a buzz in the mainstream like never before, however since that is not happening I think this guest host idea needs to end and soon.
Headline #6: WWE is looking to add two more hours a week to their television programming.
I would much rather see WWE focus on the 5+ hours they already have on their programming schedule. Raw has been abysmal at times lately and Smackdown and ECW while they have been solid programs have flown under the radar because of bad channel and time placement and to this day I still find myself arguing with people that there is a Superstars show every week. Two more hours of wrestling a week would force creative to burn through ideas even faster than they are right now and let’s face it there aren?t that many good ideas going through creative right now. I sincerely hope that this move never happens.
Headline #7: Sting may not retire at Bound for Glory after all.
After the previous big ?retirement? with Ric Flair that turned out to just be a break as Ric will be back in the ring this November I no longer care when a wrestler even talks retirement because it’s all BS to me anyway. If a guy needs money, he will come back. Should Sting retire? I will say yes to that argument only because I find him to be a truly unique performer in that I don?t want to see him in main events and I can?t envision him in the mid card either. All I know is I wasn?t looking forward to watching TNA try to re enact the Ric Flair farewell with Sting because with all due respect to the Stinger he is not in the same league as those that TNA tries to put him up there with. I don?t consider him an ICON at all but just a very good performer who like other good performers doesn?t know when to walk away.
Headline #8: Hell in a Cell is this Sunday in PPV.
I?d love to give thoughts here but that would take away from The Predictions from the Faculty column that comes out every weekend right before the PPV. What I will say is that I am looking forward to the card as I think this card is going to really put us on a better track to figuring out how things are going to look as we make that second half turn towards Wrestlemania. I will be attending Hell in a Cell live and don?t be too surprised if I make a cameo on one of the other Wrestleview shows on the Wrestleview Radio Network during the week to share my opinions (cheap plug yes I know).
Now I think I am going to wrap it up on that note for this week. Sorry for the short column I promise next week I will go a little longer and perhaps a bit more insightful on things but well this week things are what they are. Of course I have to take this time out to mention that I have the very best readers in the world as I have been bombarded with email this past week in regards to last week’s column and regrettably as of this writing still have not returned all emails that have been received. I promise to return those emails as well as any new ones this week and of course you can email me at wrestlingrumblings@hotmail.com and well that’s it for this week, next week I will try to do better, and until then I am out.
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