Hey, hey, hey. Welcome to TPWW.net for the Thursday edition of the news and rumors. Coming off of a rather slow news day yesterday, things seem to have picked up today. There are a few interesting notes to discuss today, so without further ado, here are today's news and rumors.
As mentioned in Tuesday's report, Tazz will be a special guest on tonight's "Byte This!" webcast on WWF.com. However, it was announced today that former ECW world champion and recently signed WWF talent, Justin Credible will also be on the show via phone to discuss a variety of issues. That should definitely be a very interesting show. It starts tonight at 6 PM EST and can be visited by clicking HERE.
One thing that I continue to find interesting is that whenever Justin Credible is mentioned on the WWF website, the WWF constantly refers to him by his real name - Peter Polaco. Here's a direct quote: "Also, former ECW Heavyweight Champion Peter Polaco -- known to his fans as Justin Credible -- will also be calling in..." There have been several rumors that we may see the end of the "Justin Credible" gimmick once Credible debuts in the WWF. Jim Ross apparently feels that a name change is needed for Credible, even though he has already established himself in ECW using the Justin Credible name and it would somewhat "wipe out" his successful past to see him in the WWF with a whole new name and gimmick. In other words, why make him start fresh when he has already established himself?
While we're on that subject, several people have sent along e-mails asking what Justin Credible's finisher will be in the WWF, since Tombstone Piledrivers have apparently been banned in the WWF. My answer is that I really have no idea. The same goes for Jerry Lynn, who uses a Cradle Piledriver as his finisher, since the Piledriver is another move that has apparently been generally banned in the WWF (except for situations like the Chyna angle - that's why I say "generally").
Jim Ross has been promoted to the XFL's "A-Team" announce team, according to a story in the USA Today. Officials were apparently high on Ross's performance in week one of the XFL, and he will replace Matt Vasgersian as the play by play man on NBC's Saturday night games, teaming up with color man Jesse Ventura. Vasgersian will be teamed with Jerry Lawler (not sure if that would work out well) on the XFL's "B" games on Saturday night. I have to admit, Ross definitely did do a great job and was far superior than Vasgersian. I think he'll definitely work well with Jesse Ventura. They both should complement each other very well. As for Vasgersian and Lawler, I can't even imagine how that one will work out.
While we're on the subject of good ol' JR, the WCW hotline recently started a rumor that Jim Ross will be leaving the WWF to focus more on his XFL announcing. I have absolutely no idea where they got that from, but I can say now that it's beyond false. Why would Jim Ross leave the WWF to announce on the XFL for another 9 weeks? Does it really make any sense at all?
Speaking of the XFL, in a pretty interesting tidbit, according to Dave Meltzer, the National Mental Health Association has requested from the XFL that the name of the league's Memphis team (The Memphis Maniax) be changed. They apparently feel that the "Maniax" name is demeaning to people who have mental illnesses. As of now, the XFL has not changed the name, and it is unknown if they plan on making the change at all.
Moving on, below is the card you can expect for tonight's WWF Smackdown broadcast. If you'd rather not know the matches you'll see tonight, please skip to the next paragraph.
- The Hardy Boyz vs. Chris Benoit & Perry Saturn
- Rikishi vs. Al Snow
- The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian - Tag Titles
- Raven vs. Harcore Holly - Hardcore Title
- Right to Censor vs. "Right to Nudity"
- Triple H vs. Chris Jericho
- The Rock vs. The Big Show
The WWF has launched a website for their new record label, "Smackdown! Records." The website features previews of a few tracks on WWF The Music Volume 5, as well as more information on the WWF's new record label. You can check it out HERE.
WWF The Music Volume 5 is scheduled for a February 20 release date. Its predecessor, Volume 4, sold 1.1 million copies and debuted at number four in the Billboard 200 in November 1999, according to Billboard.com. Although Volume 5 is missing a few tracks that I'm sure many people are after (Steve Austin, Hardys, etc), I'm sure the WWF has another big seller in this one given the right promotion.
Wrestling legend Killer Kowalski apparently has some animosity towards Chyna, stemming from comments in her autobiography on how she entered the WWF. Chyna's book states that a friend of Chyna's was having an affair with a WWF talent agent, who introduced Chyna to Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and the rest of the WWF, eventually getting her hired. However, Kowalski, who had been scouting potential talent for the WWF, said the story was different, calling Chyna "the biggest liar [he has] ever come across." Kowalski stated that he in fact introduced Chyna to Shane McMahon, telling him that WCW was interested in signing her and the WWF had better act fast. This eventually led to her signing with the WWF, according to Kowalski. Kowalski stated that he has mentioned this to Chyna herself, but was simply ignored. To check out the entire interview, click HERE.
In WCW news, WCW's sale to Fusient Media will reportedly be finalized on February 28, according to Dave Meltzer. Once the deal is finalized, WCW's new ownership can finally officially and completely take over. That's when the expected changes to WCW will finally begin to take place.
On the subject of the WCW sale, there have been rumors that WCW may "shut down" for 2-3 weeks after their next PPV on February 18, Superbrawl Revenge. However, that may not be the case, according to Dave Meltzer, as wrestlers on the WCW roster have already received airline tickets for shows after the PPV, indicating the company will continue to run. Personally, I think it's a smart move to keep it running, since shutting it down may turn die hard WCW fans completely to the WWF, although, now that I think about it, I doubt that would happen with the WWF's recent repetetive product. Hopefully, WCW will do something big to signal the impact of the new ownership. Something that will say, "we're here and there are some great new changes to come, so you'd better watch." Sorta like what Vince Russo did on the infamous April 10th Nitro, having the entire roster in the ring, stripping everyone of their titles, and pretty much just starting fresh. I'm not saying WCW should do all of those things again, but hopefully something is done to let the casual fans know.
Ric Flair's contract with WCW apparently ends in about a month, according to Dave Meltzer. However, with the way Flair is being used now, I'd imagine that WCW would surely re-sign him. But again, you never know with their current "free up money" state. As for Flair in the WWF, I really doubt it, but as they say, anything can happen.
Juventud Guerrera's friends in the WCW locker room are apparently pushing for him to be brought back into the company for their cruiserweight division. With Eric Bischoff coming in, I wouldn't be surprised to see Juvi back, since he's definitely one of the most entertaining cruiserweights in the business.
There are rumors that (the evil) Kevin Sullivan may return to WCW's booking team again once the new ownership officially takes over, according to Georgiann Makropoulos. Although Sullivan was ousted from his (terrible) booking job when Vince Russo came in in April, Sullivan is still employed by WCW, so he continues to sit at home and receive pay checks.
It's just about time to wrap this one up. The problems that we've had with our newsboard and discussion forums have finally been resolved and everything should now be back to normal. Thanks for sticking with us. For those interested, full WWF Smackdown and Heat taping results are available HERE, courtesy of Mike E. Until next time, later.
Triple A
TripleA99@aol.com