Hey there TPWW readers and welcome to today's News and Rumors Report. I'm really struggling to find newsworthy tidbits on the Internet today, which is pretty odd considering today is the day of WWF Backlash. There are some interesting bits out there though, and I've done my best to uncover them. If you're still with me, let's get into the News and Rumors for Sunday, April 29.
Jim Ross confirmed that he has met with Sean O'Haire, Chuck Palumbo, Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Reno (a new name). He was apparently very pleased with the work ethic and appearance of all four of the wrestlers, but seemed particularly pleased with O'Haire and Palumbo. He was pleased with the condition that all of the wrestlers are currently in, and encouraged them to work more dates on the road. Ross apparently also talked to some WCW legal people, in an effort to get some big names (DDP, Steiner, Booker) free from their current contracts. No update on that front yet, however.
Jim Ross also released a list of the names that the WWF still has under contract. They are as follows: Mike Awesome, Lance Storm, Hugh Morrus, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Shawn Stasiak, Johnny the Bull, Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, Evan Karagias, Chuck Palumbo, Sean O'Haire, Mike Sanders, Mark Jindrak, Elix Skipper, Allen Funk (Kwee Wee), Lash LeRoux, The Wall, Kaz Hayashi, James Yun (Yang), Jimmy Howard (Jaime Knoble), Miss Hancock, Reno, Sam Loman (Kid Romeo), and Jason Boils (EZ Money/Jason Jett) (Ross spelled his name wrong, but thank God he's still on the roster).
Ross plans on meeting with The Wall (a waste) and Ms. Hancock next week, as well as all the "Florida based WCW wrestlers." Jim sure is busy nowadays, with all these meetings.
As reported yesterday, Jim Ross met with Rob Van Dam last week. Ross reports that it was a very profitable meeting for the two, and that a deal is only a short while away. His exact quote was "I think that it's just a matter of hammering out a deal that makes sense with everyone involved." He finished by saying that Van Dam is a great talent, and would be a major player if signed by the WWF or WCW.
The tentative (there's that word again) start date for WCW is currently June 13th, with a June 16th television start date. This still hinges on whether or not the WWF secures a time slot to air WCW on TNN, which is yet to be finalized.
Ross can't say enough good things about Tommy Dreamer, who he observed at a recent UPW show. He says that Dreamer has lost considerable weight, and that he's one of the most dedicated and loyal guys in the business. He also adds that the WWF can't wait to do business with Tommy, and that he'll certainly be involved with the WWF or WCW very shortly.
Josh Wilcox (the XFL player who thanked ECW last week) is apparently going to be involved in the new WCW. Ross is very interested in getting Wilcox involved in the federation, and thinks he could be a solid hand down the road. The last thing WCW needs is another Kevin Greene or Mongo McMichael, so let's hope that Wilcox is better than those two.
Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, William Regal and the Acolytes all had some role in Memphis Championship Wrestling's show that aired last night. Regal appeared in vignette form only, but still cut some hilarious promos. The Acolytes squashed the Island Boys tag team, with Bradshaw getting the win following the Clothesline From Hell. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit wrestled a good technical match up, which went to a disqualification when Russ Haas interfered.
Perry Saturn broke his arm at the Smackdown tapings on Tuesday, taking a stiff bump into the steel steps during the Matt Hardy vs. Eddie Guerrero match up. He's been wearing a half cast, but will probably just tape it up and may be at ringside for his Radical team mates in the near future.
Kurt Angle received a stinger on Monday night, getting some numbness and soreness in his shoulder and neck. Luckily he's recuperated all week, and will be ready to go tonight at Backlash. Speaking of Angle, he's going to be inducted into the Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame next month. Quite a prestigious honor for the Olympic Champion…I wonder if that will turn up on WWF television?
Jerry Lynn made his first televised WWF debut tonight on Heat, taking on and defeating Crash for the Light Heavyweight Title. Jerry Lynn received a good pop from the Chicago crowd and picked up the victory with a rollup and a handful of tights. He still received a big pop for the win.
Speaking of Lynn, he will be hosting Raw from WWF New York tomorrow evening. Though he's wrestled several dark matches for the WWF, this is Raw television debut. Should be interesting to see where the WWF writers go with this angle tomorrow night.
WWFShopzone has released a number of new, very cool T-shirts for preorder. The most recent are Kaientai's "Indeed" shirt, Kurt Angle's "I'll Make YOU Tap" shirt, Stone Cold's "Do Unto Others" shirt and Raven's debut T-shirt (very cool). They've also released a "Foley is Good" book set, which comes bundled with a Mr. Socko puppet.
To elaborate a little further on a story Triple A reported yesterday, Simon Diamond and Dawn Marie have officially signed contracts with the WWF. They are going to begin in MCW immediately, and work on honing their skills there. I personally thought Diamond was superior to Credible, who debuted without a developmental contract. In any case, it's good to know both of these talented superstars are on board the WWF/WCW machine.
I know this was a very light report, but it really is all that's available on the Internet right now. It's been pretty much bone dry as far as big stories and rumors go, unfortunately. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this report, thanks for reading, and I'll see you back here next weekend.
Corey Silvia
Corey@tpww.net