Yo, yo, yo. Yeah, I'll start it the way Trips started his news and rumors reports. Well, first of all, let me introduce myself... I am Paul Nemer. I have been in the Internet wrestling scene for four years, going on my fifth, and I've been an avid wrestling fan for well over a decade. I will be substituting for Triple A occasionally, since he has taken a while off. He's going to try to get back into the swing of things soon, but has called on me to help out until then. I haven't done a long news and rumors post (like this one) since maybe 1998. I hope I haven't lost my touch. Oh and trust me, I know my stuff! :-) So, enough about me... let's get down to business.
First of all, I would like to send my condolences to the Hart Family on the passing of Helen Hart. I've never met her, but I have a couple of friends who are very good friends with the Hart family and they had the pleasure of knowing Helen Hart. They told me that Helen was such a sweet lady, she was one of the nicest people you could ever meet. It's such a tragic loss, and my prayers are with the Hart family.
Speaking of the Hart family, it's been like a road of bad luck since 1997. It all started almost exactly 4 years ago from today, November 9, 1997 in Montreal, Canada. Let's recap this real quick... As you guessed it, it all started with the 1997 screwjob. A few months later, you had arguments within the Hart family. Diana and the British Bulldog split up, a major family feud was going on, and of course, in 1999, there was the tragic loss of the late great Owen Hart. Not along ago, Stu Hart was in critical condition, but recovered and just last Sunday the Matriarch of the greatest wrestling family passed away. Then, Diana Hart's book came out this past week and this is causing more trouble than ever. From what I am hearing, there will be law suits towards Diana Hart, in relation to her book.
After watching this week's Raw, I can now honestly say "Who's booking this crap?". I mean, you had Jericho winning the WCW title less than a month ago and just this past week they scripted the Rock into regaining it. In my opinion it was too soon and it was a stupid move. Now don't tell me "it was for the ratings", that's bullsh*t! I don't think the ratings can get any lower than they are right now anyway, and keeping the strap on Chris Jericho would not bring the ratings down. I am pretty sure you have heard this before, but I'll say it for the millionth time... when you have no competition, this is exactly what happens. Also on Raw, we saw Test become the new Intercontintal champion. It's a well deserved push and it's about time, although Edge didn't hold on to the title long enough. But this is what happens these days...titles change hands weekly.
This week's Smackdown received a 4.1 cable rating, meaning a total of around 6.6 million viewers. Raw received a 4.0 cable rating. Now let's compare those to last year's ratings... On November 6, 2000 Raw pulled in a 5.1, so if you're a mathematical genius, you've figured out that it dropped by 1.1. On November 9, 2000, Smackdown pulled in a 4.9 rating.
For all you freaks out there, some good news on Scott Steiner... Scott Steiner's AOL/Time Warner contract expires on December 1st. According to 1wrestling, Scott Steiner has been added to the WWA tour that will take place in the United Kingdom. Steiner is expected to be with Midajah. Steiner is definitly in need of this tour, since it will really help him get back in shape and work on some moves. As far as him being in the WWF, the WWF has made it very clear that once Scott Steiner gets back at 100% from his leg injury, they will sign him.
Yesterday, Joanie Laurer (Chyna) was on TSN's Off The Record and, well, she had a lot to say. After watching the interview, I can say she sounded bitter and angry, but she mentioned in her interview that she wasn't...she's only disappointed. About what? About her split with HHH. Chyna said she didn't know that Hunter and Stephanie were kind of seeing each other and she was shocked when she found out. The host of the show asked Chyna about what she thought of Stephanie and Chyna said that Stephanie is immature and that she hasn't found her true identity yet. To read the full interview and to view some pictures of her appearance, click HERE.
The WWF reportedly has a lot of upcoming roster cuts planned. Thus far, they have fired 30 to 40 non-wrestler employees. According to Dave Scherer, the WWF wants to tighten their budget, due to the recent losses in revenue streams. The WWF is also planning on releasing a few wrestlers in the near future. The rumored date for the wrestler releases is said to be January 20, 2002. Most of the wrestlers they will release are said to be from their developmental territories (OVW and HWA), although, this doesn't mean there won't be cuts from the WWF roster itself.
Eddie Guerrero was arrested under DUI charges yesterday morning near his home town in Land O'Lakes, FL. Guerrero had been in rehab for a few months now, which is why he had been absent from WWF programming. The timing of Guerrero's arrest definitely doesn't bode well for his future in the WWF, given the fact that they are looking at cutting down their roster already. To read an article on Guerrero's arrest from the Tampa Tribune, click HERE.
Rhyno will be out of action for six months to a year due to a neck injury that has been bothering him as of late. Rhyno underwent successful neck surgery recently and will be out for 6-12 months depending on how fast he heals.
Here are a few more injury news and notes from the latest Ross Report: Kanyon's surgery was also a success and he will be out from four to six months. Taka's surgery was a success too and he will also be out from four to six months. Hugh Morrus is experiencing pain in his shoulder and will have an MRI done in the next few weeks. Jerry Lynn will be seeing his doctor on November 16 and is expected to be released by December from patella surgery. Rikishi is aiming for a December return from his shoulder injury. Bob Holly's arm is healing well and is pain free, but he still still a few months away from returning. Jim Ross explains that these dates provided for the individual's injury are estimated dates that the WWF staff received from doctors. Wrestlers heal at different rates, meaning one can take longer than the other to heal from the same injury.
Anyway, that's all for today. Thanks for checking out today's report and be sure to stop by for more reports in the near future. Be sure to send feedback at the e-mail address below.
Paul Nemer
PaulNemer@tpww.net
Previous News Update >>> WWF Raw news and thoughts, Tough Enough contestants make wrestling debuts, ratings, Chris Benoit's TV return, Kurt Angle's book, WWF lawsuit update, and more. >>>