Eric Bischoff was interviewed on a number of topics. Part of me really wishes I was around covering WCW, as it sounds like it was quite the train wreck at times. It's nice to see confirmation that Russo was a short-term planner. Hopefully now they think more long-term (which seems to be the case to some degree now).
Ted DiBiase's ankle injury could be worse than initially believed. He suffered a Grade 2 tear to his deltoid ligament and a fracture in his heel bone. More on this in future posts as it comes in.
Update: He posted a photo of his lower leg in a cast.
Update: There was no torn tendon, so he won't need surgery. 2012's going to be an important year for him. If his career stalls now, it might be tough to get it back on track.
For my take on PWInsider.com's 3/8 questions:
1. I was also pretty young at the time when he was popular. I really enjoyed what he brought to the table, but that could be the "nostalgia goggles" clouding my view. I'm a bit surprised that they haven't done a similar character to his given the popularity of MMA, but that could be exactly why they haven't! I guess some would say that they did something somewhat similar with Sylvester Terkay and Vladimir Kozlov, but they also had more size going for them. And I'm guessing they weren't as successful as WWE hoped given where both men's careers went. I'm not too surprised he never became WWF Champion.
For everything else from 3/8, hit the break. Next up, a question on the push of Garett Bischoff.
2. There's at least one person in the company who thinks that Garett Bischoff is ready, brother. He gets it in a way that those other knuckleheads don't, jack. He's not like these "TNA originals", dude. Etc. While I like the story itself (with Gunner injuring people and them building things up for months instead of throwing a bunch of stuff together within a few weeks), I agree that he's not a strong enough performer in the ring or no the mic to warrant his story being so heavily pushed. I see why they're doing it given the players involved, but I'd be hard-pressed to disagree about the push being linked to his last name. A shame to see really. As for the other names, some of them are getting some decent TV spots. I'm very curious what the future holds for RVD given his lengthy absence. I also loved the Blackman line. I picture a group of people on an old coach with beards and giant cheese hats on their heads.
3. I'm not anything close to a regular ROH viewer, but I can see how that would get really repetitive. I'm starting to get the sense that fans aren't as devoted to the company as they were in years past, and that it's becoming way too much about going all out and having big matches instead of building angles other than "who's the best wrestler?". I haven't seen enough to give a qualified personal opinion, though.
4. I noticed that, too. Very interesting. It could be the new Creative approach at work. I can kind of see splitting Angelina and Winter, but Sarita and Rosita seemed like a pretty natural pairing. Maybe there's something a little deeper at play here that we don't know about yet.
5. Jeff was recently re-added to the roster on their website, which spawned speculation of a comeback. Nothing on Karen that I'm aware of. Given how much TV time Jarrett got in years past for the company, it's been kind of odd seeing him less often. I get the feeling that they're going to become "McMahons" in the sense that they'll pop in and out from time to time when it's thought that they'll add to the product. That's pure speculation, though. They could very well end up back full-time down the line.
Edge was interviewed on a number of topics, by two places. Very interesting to hear the original plan for the Del Rio feud. There were quite a few people who felt they blew a star-making moment at Mania. Thankfully they were thinking of doing something big for Del Rio the next month. He and Vickie made a great couple as far as drawing heat. Fans cared about booing those characters, and they had few if any redeeming qualities. That's what generally makes for a good heel. He brings up some good points about Cena vs. Rock. I'm very glad his career wasn't over in '03, as he did some really good stuff after then.
Zack Ryder was also interviewed. Good piece. It is a shame that we won't get Ryder vs. Edge, but maybe that can be partially reconciled by us getting Ryder vs. Christian again. I remember raving about the match they had on the ECW brand, and that was earlier in their careers so they might be able to top it. I kind of wish we got more in the vein of guys like Edge being paired (or facing off) with up-and-comers with potential like Ryder and Hawkins. It certainly did a lot for Batista and Orton.
There is currently (as of 3/8) no timeframe for a full-time WWE return for Kharma. Given what she's been through lately, I'm not altogether surprised.
There is, however, a loose timeframe for the return of Sin Cara: late June-early July. Hopefully he can make up for the early setbacks in his career then.
That's all for Thursday's news. More to come after the Smackdown post tomorrow. Many apologies for being so late!
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