Thanks for the Fish

Three predictions for tonights show - #1. JBL eats an "inadvertent" superkick during or after the match between Cena and HBK #2. Since the stipulation in the Regal/Punk rematch is that if Regal gets disqualified Punk wins the title, expect Regal to get counted out. #3. DH Smith will debut tonight as part of The Legacy, and all three members will completely destroy Kane. Their destruction of Kane will help get the faction back on track, as he'll be decimated "as never before". Also it could set up a DH Smith vs Kane feud down the line, which could be interesting. I'd love to see Kane's face targeted, so he'd come back wearing the mask, but that's asking too much.

A couple of updates on The Legacy stable from pwinsider (via idiotsrunningawebsite.com) - I'm torn on what Smith is said to have done here. Maybe he figures that once he gets his foot in the door he could help out TJ (and Nattie). Also what about looking at it the other way in that TJ was keeping DH down. I like DH in The Legacy stable, I think it's his best chance to break out. The other idea of a "next generation" Hart Foundation, I feel it would have never got over because no Bret Hart kids were involved. I think a better tag team to emulate would have been the British Bulldogs as Harry could have brought Davey Boys power, and TJ could compare to Dynamite Kid in flying and technical ability. I completely agree with Randy here, and I'm glad he's taking ownership of the group. Manu just didn't fit - though I'm not down on his talent as others seems to be. Orton/Rhodes/Dibiase/Smith is a damn solid group with each wrestler having crazy potential.

Earliest memory of Kaientai was when Justin Hawk Bradshaw was Gulliver to the lilliputian Kaientai attack. I thought ithat was their debut, but their wiki says they debuted attacking Taka. I still think the better conclusion to the "chopee chopee your pee pee" angle would have been Val opening Raw all crestfallen, like he did in the original, but instead of bringing out John Wayne Bobbit and explaining shrinkage to the masses, he would have opened a bag and dumped out the shattered Samurai sword which was no match for Val Venis and his Penis of Steel.

It sounds like Harris went in with a bad attitude, or at least got one as soon as he arrived and realized he wasn't going to get the star treatment. I like new character vignettes and it surely would have helped his debut, however I think the wwe might have soured on him when he showed up out of shape. Then again, maybe the wwe had no plans on pushing the kid and just wanted to shit all over a TNA original. John Cena didn't have pre-debut vignettes, either did Orton or Batista. More recently pre-debut vignettes are hit and miss, some talent - Kingston, Kizarny, R-Truth, Carlito, have got the vignette treatment whereas Evan Bourne, Jack Swagger, Ricky Ortiz, and DJ Gabriel all debuted under the same NTI program that Braden Walker did, Gavin Spears did as well but has already been released. Scotty Goldman and Braddock just appeared on SD! with no fanfare. Ted Dibiase got a bit of a build-up, Manu came out of nowhere but got the second generation push, Dolph Ziggler had backstage bits before his first match. I think it's a case where both parties soured on each other to the point it was a toxic relationship.

Just wait until the yearly Playboy storyline that leads into WM. I wonder if will come in coloring book form for the kiddies... Also JR answers the STFU question in a blog follow-up today:

What about a little intra-PPV storyline, or more specifically an intra-Rumble storyline where Hacksaw Jim Duggan enters at #13 and lasts until the 3-4 competitors. Duggan won the first ever RR of course, entering at #13, and if sold properly I think folks would be pulling for the old timer come the end of the Rumble.

Only relevant if you believe Batista was born in 1966 rather than 1969. Batista claims the latter, meaning when Evolution was formed in January 2003 he was 34 years old. Now if you believe he's lying about his age and really born in 1966 making him 42, then yeah he would have got his big push at 37. Of course then you'd have to consider that Batista is 6'6" 300lbs whereas Sim Snuka is 6'1" 235lbs. I think there was certain staying power in being Snuka Jr, but I don't think it's an upper card act and definitely didn't fit in The Legacy.

Snuka is 37 years old, Manu is 24yo. Ok and? And I don't think the wwe is going to choose to push a 37 yr old basically from scratch, or less than scratch since Deuce jobbed a helluva lot.

Snuka is 37 years old, Manu is 24yo.

I hope the match with UT makes the bookers realize that Benjamin is ready for the next step. Hell, I'm sad they gave it away on free tv rather than building to it on a PPV. Benjamin vs UT could have been an interesting program.

A couple of interesting points from JR's latest blog - You knew this was coming, and I don't have any issue with it. I wonder what the STFU will be switched to - If we're really lucky he might just drop it from his repertoire. What came first with Cena regarding the STF - The move or the name of the move? I think I'm in love.

I heard Bundy deflowered 14 yr old Stephanie McMahon back in the day...

Well a rumor, but wwe.com did have an "Hell Yeah he's going into the Hall-of-Fame" splash up for a period of time. Pwinsider linked to the page, you'd think they'd have screen capped it at least.

It wasn't announced anywhere - pwinsider had a story up about how on the wwe hall-of-fame page there was a splash about Austin being in the 2009 HOF class. Shortly after pwi reported it it was taken down. One theory is that some disgruntled employee posted it for being fired. I think that's a little CT and far fetched. If anything the web designer was working on the splash for the eventual roll-out and probably mistakenly posted it, or was trying it out and didn't figure somebody would be actually viewing the HOF subsection at that time.

I don't think she has been released - Has she? I threw her name out because she's been obviously snakebitten ever since she returned and has thus regressed terribly in the ring. On Raw she's like the fourth face Diva behind Mickie, Melina and Kelly Kelly, and heck even Beth has her fans. She's sorta busted these days, like she has had too much work done on her face and having already done Playboy, is of little use to Vince anymore.

What, nobody watch the show? The prospects of three HHH matches didn't entice you? I might have to find UT vs Benjamin somewhere, as that sound like something I'd dig.

Does he still have his private jet? The way the wwe is cutting you'd think they were looking for a government bailout. Seriously though, even though the driver is a working man, it's symbolic to the office workers. I mean you can't cut 10% of their workforce while getting chauffeured around, that's brutal for morale.

Add ECW's Gavin Spears and longtime developmental Mike Kruel to the list. Spears had a horrid debut as part of the new talent initiate in ECW, it was bland as hell, as was his whole existence in the wwe. He's actually decent in the developmental as "The Canadian Bad Boy". Mike Kruel was lost in the shuffle in FCW, had a decent run in OVW but truthfully I never really believed he had a chance to make it in the show. Sorta reminded me of Matt Striker.

It's not that he botches, but rather the decision makers feel that Truth is all sizzle and little steak.

So far the only talent that was released were folks who were rostered but unused, or referees that 99% of the viewing audience will not know is missing. Add Christian, Tomko and Low-Ki and subtract Val Venis, Kevin Thorn, D'Lo Brown and Bam Neely - I bet Christian costs more than all four, and all referees combined. Of course Christian draws/makes money for the company whereas those cut are basically dead weight. These talent cuts were basically for show - it's the 10% of the office worker cuts that was the cost cutting.

If Holly survives it's probably because he was recently in rehab for pain pill addiction and it could be bad PR to fire the guy, especially when the wellness policy is front and center again with the transcript releases (even if Holly never failed a wellness test but was caught stealing pills from another wrestlers bag).

How is this going head to head? It ends when Impact begins. I guess it won't then. I thought TNA aired from 8-10pm. I don't watch it when originally runs, though sometimes catch the replay. I still think the competitive juices won't allow the wwe to lose the ratings war to TNA when the show airs on the same night. It will be interesting to see if the one-hour wwe show leads to wwe fans watching TNA the following two hours or it gives folks their wrestling fix and they ignore TNA. I mean if your a wrestling fan who watches both companies are you going to sit and watch three hours of wrestling in a block like that? Or will it have no noticeable effect at all?

Kevin Thorn was going to be brought up as one of the minions of the unnamed Hade Vansen character that was dropped after that one promo that aired. Vansen, Thorn and developmental Black Pain were all told they were getting the call-up only to be told a week later than plans have changed. Thorn was originally pegged to be the red neck tag partner of Lance Cade before Trevor Murdoch snagged the role. Thorn is another one where they tried too many gimmicks to get him over that he was unbelievable as a character anymore.

I still contend that he had a shot with the Chief Morley character. That was his chance to rise above the porno gimmick and they gave up on it much too soon. I assume he'll retire from the business.

According to pwi you can add referee Jimmy Korderas to the list of those canned. Korderas had been with the company since 1987...