Mr. McMahon Is NOT Dead!

Just a week after I asked how long it would take Mr. McMahon to get directly involved in Bret Hart's angle as Raw GM, Vince McMahon returned to Raw tonight. I enjoyed seeing him back. Did anyone actually believe those reports that his character was done?

He definitely did plant some seeds of still wanting to screw Bret Hart. It is not too clear what his plan is, but he was his usual energetic self with his promo. It is not like he has to answer to and please those creative writers. He can do pretty much whatever he wants. But what does he have planned for Bret? It seems like he wants Bret to fold under the pressure of being GM. He wants to kill Bret's enjoyment in his job. So far, nothing has really materialized to push Bret in that direction. Will Mr. McMahon have a heavy hand in creating these problems? That question is what will keep the storyline interest going.

Vacation Over For Taker

The Undertaker is officially back. It may have been hard to tell that he ever left, since he did pop up on occasion when the WWE needed him since Wrestlemania. Last year, Taker took a hiatus after Wrestlemania too. That lasted until Summerslam in August. His 2010 post-Wrestlemania vacation lasted until roughly the end of May. Short.

What do you do with him? Yes, he is obviously back in the title hunt again. There is also talk of him taking on Swagger at Summerslam. It would do Swagger good to go at it with a guy like The Undertaker. I know that they did it before on Raw, but it will be for the title this time. It will be a real feud this time. I really do not think Taker will regain the title. I do not think he should so fast. His first few title reigns had been spaced out horribly and did not last long, but his most recent reign made up for that. He defended the title a lot. He defended against a lot of top guys.

If Taker should not get the title back, what do I think the WWE should do with him? Obviously, just using him to put over Jack Swagger in a straight title feud is not enough. Taker is worth more than that. I think the WWE needs to design another epic feud for him. It can be with jack Swagger, but I do not feel the title needs to be involved. Taker has had epic feuds with the likes of Big Show, Edge, and Randy Orton. There is always a series of matches, including some gimmick matches. Like caskets? Burying people? Do I even need to mention Hell in a Cell? These are the kind of feuds that the fans will love to see Taker involved in. Problem is, who should he feud with? I already said that it need not be Jack Swagger. How about the other heel setting his sights on gold? CM Punk. They had a slightly epic feud last year, but I think more can be done. I know many fans were disappointed by the Hell in a Cell match they had last year. Give them another chance? Other than Punk and Swagger, the only other heel really on the rise is Drew McIntyre. Too soon for him? I remember Kennedy feuding with Taker in a series of matches a few years ago. Kennedy was not a main-eventer at the time. He had never held a World Championship. He still has never held one. Nevertheless, feuds like that helped build him. Does McIntyre deserve this? It is an option.

The Undertaker is the legend of Smackdown. With Shawn Michaels gone, Taker may be arguably the greatest legend left in the WWE. Imagine how he can help build the younger stars. Imagine the creative feuds you can have with his gimmick and legacy. I hope the WWE does not waste too much time in planning something good.

Victoria Back To WWE?

Victoria (Tara) is gone from TNA. That is old news. The talk about her possibly returning to the WWE must now come up. I am sure diva fans are clapping their hands and are all giddy at Victoria possibly returning. If I still cared about women's wrestling as much as I used to, I am sure many would be expecting me to have a big smile on my face and give false hope to all the great things that will happen with her potential return. Even if I was writing a pro-diva blog, I would still feel that it would be hypocritically stupid of both parties involved if this deal went through.


Why would the WWE be so specifically eager to get Victoria back? I understand that their recent stupidity has left them with a division needing a little more credible women wrestlers. However, I am sure they can remedy that by finally pushing Serena, Natalya, and Gail Kim better. Repeating what I just said, why specifically Victoria? She did not really reach the level Gail Kim did in TNA. Taking Victoria will not really cripple TNA that much. Let me rephrase the question. Why NOT Victoria? Why should the WWE not want her back? How about how she left the company? She gave off the impression that she wanted to retire. The WWE did not hand her a title in her final match, but they let her give a farewell in the WWE ring. There is a bit of respect to her in that. Victoria goes on to jump to TNA. At least when Ric Flair retired years ago, he initially intended to actually never wrestle again. When Victoria "retired" last year, she knew exactly what she intended to do next, and it was not to retire from wrestling. Fine, maybe she meant "retire" from the WWE. Fine. But now she wants to come back? Why should the WWE respect that? Victoria played with the WWE before. I do not feel that is something they should overlook in deciding whether they want her back.


Was the grass not greener, Victoria? It is not hard to see why Victoria wanted to "retire" from the WWE when she did. She was not being respected. Last time I checked, things are getting worse, not better. Is Victoria that desperate for money? The fact that she was not enjoying her treatment before is obviously a main reason in her decision to jump ship. The treatment will not improve. Does she not remember being left off of a commercial for the Smackdown women that included everyone else but her and Natalya? I remember her complaining a few months ago about the WWE not showing proper appreciation to her when they left her off a list of influential women in the WWE. Really, Victoria? The WWE dropped both Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair from their intro since they went to TNA, but you expect them to include someone they saw as a tool like you on a list honoring women, none of whom were in TNA at the time but you? I do not feel Victoria may properly appreciate working in the WWE. Then again, maybe the fact that she left TNA may have opened her eyes. The WWE does treat their women like crap. But if you want to return their, you better be prepared for it.


Victoria played with the WWE. The WWE mistreated her. Why would either of them want to enter this again? Victoria has not gotten any younger. She has not done anything to really warrant the WWE to take her back. The WWE has been putting titles more and more on the eye-candy women. That is a sign of the direction they are headed. If Victoria actually wants back in the WWE, and gets it, I hope she gets exactly what she deserves.

McIntyre Still Going Strong

You can have the best of both worlds sometimes. I wanted Kofi Kingston to win the Intercontinental Championship, and that happened. However, Drew McIntyre was not exactly kicked to the curb. Right after the loss a few days ago, McIntyre got some segment time to still show his character. On Smackdown, he proved that he still has Mr. McMahon on his team. He still has his angle going for him. In the end, that will count for so much.

What does the future hold for Kofi and McIntyre? The WWE booked Kofi's last title reign very well in one way. He got a lot of title defenses. What it lacked was storyline creativity. Will that happen to Kofi again? It depends whether he even gets through McIntyre, who has a rematch coming. I would hate to see them give the title back to Drew so fast, but you never can tell with the way they book him. I would rather see Drew continue his feud with Teddy Long without the title. It may do a lot in sending Drew to the main event. That is where they want him, right? Just like Sheamus?

Mr. Anderson Has The Mic

The angle between Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson is pretty good. Mr. Anderson, Kennedy to the WWE Universe, delivered pretty well with his promos on Impact this week. Whoever said this guy lacked charisma and mic skills? But I really did like it especially this week. Jeff Hardy did his thing too.

The angle revolves around Kennedy trying to turn face. A lot of examples of this in pro wrestling history. In recent memory, and since I used to write about divas, the WWE had Maryse play respectable and good for a few weeks with Gail Kim. Maryse ended up only faking the turn to have fun at Gail's expense. TNA is not throwing things clearly into one direction to make you think that Anderson is either face for no hidden reason or heel in sheep's clothing. That added element of uncertainty is not the only reason I like this story more than what the WWE pulled a few months ago. As I said before, Kennedy is delivering with his character. Maryse did not do that. I do not care if Maryse wants to play evil in French. Anderson does not need to bust out a different language every five minutes to keep me interested. I do not care about any homosexual tension between him and Jeff. I say that because I recall some fans seeing lesbian tension between Gail and Maryse. Wow! I do not need that. Lastly, I am liking this angle more because I do not think it will get a lackluster finish or development like the WWE diva angle got. Gail reveals she speaks and understands French. Then? Done. Stupid. Maryse gets the title. This TNA angle can possibly be what I wanted to see from the WWE diva angle.

I am not going to try to predict what TNA has planned for Kennedy. Is this all part of a cunning heel plan? Will he try to be face, but then some issue with another face forces him to snap and go heel again? Will Jeff turn heel? I have my doubts on that last one. I am just going to sit back and enjoy it. This is something I actually can enjoy.

Batista Is Gone

How could I not talk about Batista leaving the WWE? I was talking about the new GM? The U.S. title? Bret Hart? The Great Khali? What about Batista? Mr. Spotlight! Quite possibly the biggest ass in the WWE for a long time! How can I not pay tribute to him?

I thought Batista was an idiot since they really started pushing him. Before that, while he was Devon's sidekick, I did not care about him at all. He got on the right peoples' sides and became a star. He became huge. I cannot deny that. After reading a lot of reports, I also cannot deny that this guy has been an ass to many, both men and women, both fans and wrestlers. I do not really want to hear what story he has to tell about the tough life he has had, that does not give him a right to be a jerk.

Most people will find Batista funny for the little awkward moments he has had. Basketballs don't hold grudges? Always asking for rematches? Yes, he created fads for many Internet fans. In how stupid they were, even I got some amusement from them. And I have to admit that I did find his final run as a heel funny, especially when they had him become a total ass to get heat. He was not really getting it before he took his character there. However, part of me believes that it was really not that hard for him to pretend to be a jerk and ass. For Dave Batista, it seems to just come natural.

With the way he went out, part of me does not think this is over. He may just return one day for something. I doubt he will go to TNA. They probably could not afford him. If he wants to do MMA, fine. Acting? Go ahead. I do not really care. I will not be tuning in to check up on him.

The WWE is not crippled with the less of Dave Batista. Raw was stacked with heels. Both Jericho and Edge, who turned heel on his first night back on Raw, were sent over from Smackdown. Sheamus is still being pushed hard. A guy like Miz practically has one foot in the main event. Smackdown has Swagger, Punk, and can build new stars, such as Drew McIntyre. With Batista gone, there may actually be more freshness in the WWE. Well, depending on how fresh you think John Cena vs. Sheamus or John Cena vs. Edge or John Cena vs. Orton can be. Just toss all four in the same ring. That is your next PPV.

New Raw GM? Bret Hart!

Not only is Bret Hart not going away, he has been made the new GM of Raw. Well, there are a few good things from that. First, guest host crap should be less worse now. Second, Bret Hart will probably not be "wrestling" as much now. He should not have been in matches in the first place, but at least now he has a role that will see him facing people less. Third, he vacated the U.S. Championship.

R-Truth defeated Miz to win the vacated title. About time R-Truth won a title since coming back to the WWE. He is popular and entertaining in the ring. The WWE seemed interested to push him for a while now, but giving him the title will make that easier. I do feel bad for Miz. Loss after loss. They had built him up so well a long time ago. I am not saying they are undoing him. He lost in a good match and had promo time before the match. I just hope they find something for him. As for the title itself, I think it would have been more creative to prolong a feud until the PPV to crown a new Champion. Do something like they did for the Diva's Championship, only not kill the hype in favor of Smackdown's Trish Stratus.

Back to Bret Hart. Vince McMahon does still run things, right? All the reports about them killing his character off aside, even if it was possible to wipe him out of history without faking another death, he is still the figurehead. Just like the WWE continues to bring up Trish Stratus's name as some kind of diva goddess every other woman must strive to be like, Vince is still being brought up. Sooner or later, he will return. I am anticipating some kind of good swerve. In terms of storyline, what evil motivation led to Vince allowing Bret to be GM? This may not come to fruition for a while, if at all, but I guess that is what will keep viewers tuning in.

Randy Orton Injured At Over The Limit

Hilarity on a pole! Randy Orton injured himself at Over The Limit while doing his act before trying for an RKO. Some kind of arm injury. Kofi Kingston should be asking Randy Orton who is stupid now. I have always said I like Orton's taunts, but the guy can go overboard sometimes. I will admit this. If he really got upset about Kofi Kingston not giving him enough time for his act a few months ago, I hope he enjoyed having all the time in the world tonight to get injured. Besides, getting injured like that is just too funny. Vintage Orton!

Of course, I am hoping he recovers soon. I am still an Orton fan. If he is on the shelf for a while, his feud with Edge will have to take a break. The match ended in a double countout. Nothing can be settled like that. We will see what Orton comes back with next. He should just stick to the Orton pose.

Carlito Released

Carlito has been released by the WWE for apparently something related to their wellness policy. So much for The Colons. The WWE is not in too tough a spot, since it looked like they were going to get used, but not get a real great push anyway. Regal and Kozlov can fill in as a heel tag team on Raw.

I can keep this simple. No real sorrow for Carlito being released. On some occasions, it was clear that he was not enthusiastic about working for the WWE, and I am not talking about just complaints he made on TV in kayfabe. He seemed to just want his release at times. He got it. I am not putting full blame on Carlito. If he was not happy in the WWE, if he feels the WWE was overlooking him, if he is upset about his treatment, I can understand that it is sometimes hard to put your heart in your work. He is a good worker deep down inside. Some people can absorb mistreatment and still give it their all. Others have a bit of self-respect that demands they take only so much. It is not always easy to condemn either of these type of people. Carlito has wrestling in his name. I am sure this is not the end of him.

Big Show Has A Chance?

A few weeks ago, I said that Big Show pretty much had no chance of winning the title with Jack Swagger. Time has gone by. The WWE had a chance to develop this feud further. The PPV is this Sunday. How have things changed?

It is still pretty obvious that Jack Swagger will probably walk away with his title. Nothing wrong with that, since he has really only had one successful title defense at a PPV so far. If they really care about him becoming a big deal, they really got to build him up against stronger main-eventers. That is why Big Show is a giant tool.

For the sake of making things more interesting, I do wish they shifted momentum throughout the weeks better. And I am a little disappointed that Big Show was not featured at all last Monday. Swagger was. They flew in Taker. Vickie was there for a segment. Big Show may not mind, and maybe many of his fans may not either, but that does not seem totally respectful to me. Big Show is in the Smackdown main event right now. If you are going to have a special Raw, and one right before a PPV, and one that will feature Big Show's opponent anyway, why not have him do commentary or something?

The way Big Show has been built, how can you not feel that he is something of a big bully? Some may actually want to see Swagger win. Maybe that is what the WWE wants. Don't just expect it, want it. And since things look so bad for Swagger going into his big match, I am expecting a successful defense. Again, I am not saying I do not want it, but where does Big Show go after?