There are rumors circulating that Kane could be considering running for political office in 2014. From what I can gather, he's a pretty mild-mannered, intelligent person outside of the ring. Would people be willing to look past his career as a wrestler and vote for him? As awesome as it would be for him to platform "in-character", I don't know how well it would work for him. He's had a very long and fruitful career, so I think if he's ready to hang it up, he's earned it.
Here are some (generally kind of boring) notes about WWE's business. Don't expect Khali to go away anytime soon. Trust me. I'd love for it to happen, too. As for doing something like Ring Ka King, it's an interesting idea but I see his point that WWE is so big that they'd probably do better with their own performers.
Here are some updates on the WWE Network. I love that they acknowledge that there are a lot of people who won't pay $50 for a PPV every month, but aren't going to drop prices. Sigh.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
Shawn Michaels will be a part of "Bret Hart Appreciation Night" on Raw in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Show that headline to someone in 1997 and they'd think it was a rib. It's a shame we can't "go back in time" to when both guys were still in their prime and have one last match between them.
Booker T. underwent elbow surgery recently, but will be back on TV in a few weeks. Honestly, they're not really missing much with him gone. They have Teddy. They don't really need both unless there's going to be some kind of angle between them.
WWE has released a number of talents from NXT:
-Derrick Bateman, who had a unique look, a lot of charisma, and some solid chops in the ring. They definitely had something with him and it's a shame that they didn't take a chance with him.
-Briley Pierce, the younger brother of Dolph Ziggler. He apparently hadn't done all that much in his time in developmental, so I can't really complain about them cutting him.
Update: Ziggler commented on his brother's release. A lot of times it just comes down to whether anyone in power is pushing for someone to be kept. Politics in wrestling are nothing new...
-Sakamoto, formerly Tensai's manager. Another person they hadn't really been doing much with. If they had to cut someone in NXT, it made sense to cut him.
-Audrey Marie. This one's a bit of surprise, since she had been pushed as one of the top Divas there before the recent Paige/Summer Rae feud. I would have liked to have seen what she could do on the main roster.
-Brandon Traven, another name I don't recall seeing a lot of. So theoretically it's not a big loss if they weren't using him? He'd only worked 2 matches in NXT.
-Percy Watson, who was another favorite of mine from previous seasons of NXT. Very athletic and clearly connected with the crowd. They really missed the boat here. Was he (or Bateman for that matter) a future WWE/World Champion? Maybe not. But both guys showed potential as acts who could have contributed to the main product.
-Anya, who had some good size and was a former Russian kickboxer. I'm thinking injuries did her in. It would have been interesting to see how she fit in with the other Divas.
Dixie Carter was interviewed in the UK, talking about being open to a WWE vs. TNA event. I know some people are going to attack her for that, saying it looks "Bush League", but she was asked about it and gave an honest answer. I don't see it happening unless WWE gets really desperate or buys TNA. It benefits TNA a lot more than WWE, and Vince isn't really the type to do something that doesn't benefit him. No idea if HHH or Stephanie would be open to it if/when they take over, but I really don't see it happening any time soon.
Bruno Sammartino was honored on the 50th anniversary of his first WWWF Title win. Why has this guy not been on WWE TV yet?
Former X-Division Champion Zema Ion had an emergency appendectomy recently. A tumor was found on his colon and surgery is necessary. That sucks a LOT. I wish him the best.
The viewership for the most recent Impact was 1.05 million, notably lower than they've been doing. The show's been better lately than it has been in years, so this is really disappointing. Maybe the lack of strong, viable babyfaces is hurting things? Aces and Eights have taken out pretty much everyone. Jeff Hardy and RVD are gone (Hardy's presumably temporary), Hogan and Sting are "old", AJ Styles is a tweener, and James Storm is stuck in the Tag Team Title picture. Hopefully things rebound as they presumably build up to AJ vs. Bully at BFG. But they're telling really good stories.
There are NXT signings upcoming as people have been successfully put through medical testing. It's just a matter of putting pen to paper. I'm excited. There are a couple of people on the main roster I can think of they could easily cut to make room.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. There's not much to add here. There's no set formula. It depends on a LOT of factors: what the promotion can afford (or is willing to dish out), how "big" or important the star in question is, where the promotion is (wrestling's hotter in some areas than others), etc..
2. Not officially. Time will tell.
3. No one jumps to mind who I'm familiar with who hasn't already had a chance in one of the major companies (Colt Cabana, Jay Lethal, Shelton Benjamin). Callihan and Cole are names that are thrown around a good deal. Ditto for Mike Bennett, who they didn't mention. I think all three are on WWE's radar (or were recently).
4.There's always a chance that he could come back or go to WWE if he felt it would benefit him (i.e. he'd get the right schedule, prominence, and pay), but right now he's a free agent.
I'm not familiar enough with the Wild Samoans to answer 5. Sorry.
More wrestling tomorrow, including how I'd book Extreme Rules.
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