This is a pretty slow news day. Not much to get into. First up, though, is a question about why The Rock doesn't wrestle anymore. He had done just about everything there was to do in WWE, and got some pretty lucrative offers in Hollywood, so he decided to take that route. I don't really know much beyond that. As for why he isn't wrestling in his comeback (until WrestleMania that is), he's got a good deal on his plate already with filming, and an in-ring return that big being saved for Mania (in Rock's hometown) makes a lot of sense for the company financially.
After the break, I go into all of the day's news and PWInsider.com questions, starting with an evaluation of the controversial Muhammad Hassan character.
1. I do know that he got a LOT of heat from the fans as that character. I don't remember much as far as his ring-work goes, but the promos were fantastic at riling people up. I don't think he was booked as a terrorist until the Undertaker angle. His whole gimmick was that he was an American citizen who had lived here for years, and everyone started judging him unfairly after 9/11. As for the incident with the 7/7 bombings, that was a case of unfortunate timing. They had taped the angle before those occurred, and there wasn't enough time to edit it out of the show, so it was aired. Even if they didn't air that, I think they'd make mention of the bombings at some point after the fact, which would probably also get people complaining. There were rumors that he was supposed to be in the main event at Summerslam, facing Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship in the champion's hometown of Washington, D.C.. That would have been a huge storyline. As for whether he would have been "good enough" to be World Champion, it's tough to say. He was pretty young at the time and mostly a promo guy. It usually takes a while for me to see someone as a potential World Champion, and he wasn't there all that long.
2. You can never say never as far as Vince returning as an important part of the show. He'd been in the role so long that I pretty much assumed that he'll be back running things on-screen at some point. It's going to take a while for me to believe that the angle isn't just a temporary break from the well over a decade of Mr. McMahon in charge. He has been appearing less and less, though, so he could very well surprise us and not be "re-instated by the Board". And I definitely agree that unless Triple H is coming back to the ring for a meaningful angle, he shouldn't go around Pedigreeing people or anything of the sort. The "Board" should make sure that he'll face fines or disciplinary action if that goes down. Though that brings up the question of what to do when Undertaker returns.
3. That sounds like it would top the list. If it weren't for the "major WWE/WCW wrestlers" requirement, I might have suggested something with Jay Leno or Jenna Morasca.
4. To some degree I see where he's coming from. Being the guy who pretty much always has to be the butt of the joke or loser would take its toll after all those years. He did get to work there for 10 years (and would have almost certainly been kept if he didn't want his release), and presumably make a lot of money in the process. He just wanted something else in his life as a father who didn't need the money, and I don't really blame him for that. It'd be different if he was demanding to be WWE/World Champion or something. I always liked his work, but he certainly got a lot farther because of his last name. Do I think he should have been pushed more these last couple of years? Honestly, not really. Again, solid worker, but one who'd been there for a while and is now 40. He was better used in helping the younger talents improve and get over more. He could have probably been put in better roles and places to do that, but in the end, there wasn't all that much left for him to do there as a performer. So, it's kind of a mixed bag.
5. The odds are pretty low. Rock and Cena will physically interact at Survivor Series, but they'd be crazy to do the match there instead of Mania (where they've already sold plenty of tickets based on a Rock/Cena match). I'm a fan of Punk's, but even with his recent push I don't think he's as big of an opponent to Rock as Cena is. There's personal history between Cena and Rock dating back years, and a lot of people see similarities in the characters. It makes a LOT more sense to go with the more built-up match with the man who's been WWE's main guy for years than the relative main-event newcomer in Punk. Not to mention that more of the mainstream knows who Cena is than Punk (there's a reason he's booked for guest roles on shows and gets to appear at awards ceremonies), and they're trying to bring in some of that audience for Mania.
Here's the trailer for Randy Orton's upcoming DVD.
The former Billy Gunn/Kip James has signed on with Lucha Libre USA, presumably making him ineligible to return to WWE or TNA. He'll be on Season 3 of their MTV show. Stevie Richards is also now part of the promotion.
Finally, longtime wrestling fan Billy Corgan will soon be starting his own wrestling promotion "Resistance Pro". Might be cool.
That's all for Sunday's news. More to come tomorrow. Thanks for reading!
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