WWE News & Notes from the 11/15 Observer

[Enigma 0]

NOTE: My WON subscription has expired and I don't have the $90 to put down for more issues right now, so this will be the one of the last posts I will make about WON-related stories until I get a new subscription. If you enjoyed them and have the money, support Meltzer and get a subscription. The stuff I post is probably 20% of the actual newsletter, so there's lots of great stuff that doesn't make it here.

 

Ric Flair will be out of action for the next several weeks after suffering a ruptured blood vessel near his groin while taking a suplex from Randy Orton on the 11/1 Raw show in Des Moines. He could barely get up to walk to the back and was in great pain, but it wasn't until a few days later when it swelled up badly that it was diagnosed. He'd been working on it as a nagging injury for weeks, believing he was working through a groin pull that he was no selling to almost everyone, but the thing burst during the match. Between his age, the way he works, and his near total denial of injuries based on what he'd been bred in the old business, something like this, and maybe worse, was bound to happen. Flair may also have a hernia, which would be more serious. As noted, he was hurt in the match after the announcement, his being replaced by Gene Snitsky at Survivor Series was not done to the injury, but because Vince McMahon wanted it that way, with Flair as a manager. As it turns out, either way, it was going to end up like that now. Not sure if Flair would be working or able to do much as a manager at Survivor Series, since he's supposed to stay off his feet for two weeks, although he was at Raw in Austin and not used on TV. They were hoping Flair could start back on Raw doing promos (and boy did the show need him) in the next week or two.

 

Dan Madigan from the Smackdown writing team was fired on 11/5 by Stephanie McMahon. Madigan, who penned the movie "Eye Scream Man" that WWE Films is doing (the Kane vehicle), was not a big favorite of a lot of people on the writing team, as his most talked about ideas were the Booker T voodoo gimmick, which was going to climax in some sort of an Exorcist like deal, and was thankfully dropped after a few weeks, the Kenzo Suzuki "Hirohito" gimmick, which Vince McMahon & Stephanie Lévesque liked so much they were going to have him headline two PPV shows this past summer against Chris Benoit for the Raw title until they found out just how badly it would have played in Japan and nixed the idea; and "The Frozen Nazi," an idea where Heidenreich would be a guy who gets thawed out after being frozen in 1939. He also created the idea for the Mordecai character for Undertaker, and that was dropped pretty quickly. The story going around was Madigan took a few days off to attend his father-in-law's funeral, and was never in touch with Stephanie via e-mail or phone during that period, and when he came back, he was let go. Stephanie was also mad at him for sending mid-card wrestlers to see Vince about their creative ideas, instead of having them talk with the creative team about them. The current protocol when it comes to creative is that only main-eventers are allowed to see Vince when it comes to issues with creative, and the rest are supposed to resolve it directly with the writing team.

 

Just as he was getting momentum, Carlito Cool was injured on 11/7 in Fort Myers. He suffered what is believed to have been a shoulder separation, but the severity of it is unknown right now pending results of an MRI. He will at some point need surgery. The belief at press time, and this could change depending on MRI results, was he'd' work Survivor Series on the injury, and maybe even drop the title at Armageddon before getting surgery and taking a few months off. But everything is really up in the air. John Cena is coming in from Australia just for Survivor Series. Carlito was injured in a match with Bob Holly. They had just started the match, with Holly doing two stiff chops and grabbing Carlito's hair for the old woman's match hair-throw spot. Carlito landed wrong on his shoulder. He rolled out of the ring. Holly jumped out to go after him when one of the security guys told him Carlito was really hurt. In what came off as awkward to the fans, Holly stopped and left him alone. The agents came out and told the ref to count Carlito out and give the match to Holly. Carlito was helped out.

 

The clueless-ness continues. Stephanie McMahon hired Tom Chehak for the new job of Managing Editor of the writing team, and was calling him her new "right hand man." Chehak has no pro wrestling background, but has a long list of TV writing credits on such shows at VIP with Pam Anderson (a wonderfully written show), Hunter (where he also served as producer in the 1998-99 season), Alien Nation, Diagnosis Murder, Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (somehow I think they'd be better off with someone who could explain the concepts of how Eddie Graham got Jack Brisco over than someone who wrote Adventures of Brisco County Jr.), Oldest Rookie, Scarecrow & Mrs. King, Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, and the 70s cult classic WKRP in Cincinnati.

 

Nelson Frazier (Viscera) hasn't signed a contract, but was told he'd be used whenever they came up with an idea for him.

 

It is not definite whether Josh Mathews will be used more as a wrestler or not.

 

Jakks Pacific has even more problems stemming from the recent WWE lawsuit. The law firm of Lerach, Coughlin, Stoia, Geller, Rudman, & Robbins filed a class action suit against Jakks Pacific on 11/5 on behalf of everyone who purchased stock in the company from 2/17 to 10/19. The complaint charges that Jakks Pacific listed positive investment earnings reports over the period, and mentioned the increases in sales of WWE merchandise. The suit claims those statements were both false and misleading, but said the company also failed to disclose WWE was attempting to get out of the deal, that WWE was considering suing based on how the original deal was made through a pattern of commercial bribery, and the company knew they were at a heightened risk of both losing the deal and of a lawsuit which they didn't divulge. It wasn't until 10/19, just before the WWE's lawsuit was filed, that Jakks issued a press release saying it was "engaged in discussions with WWE concerning the restructuring of its toy license with WWE and THQ with respect to the restructuring of the Jakks THQ Joint Venture video game license agreement with WWE." Since the lawsuit, Jakks stock fell from $24.15 to $12.96.

 

Even though Charlie Haas came out on crutches on Smackdown last week for the Heidenreich attack, he's fine. He was also, in a continuity faux pas, working house shows and not selling the knee at all the weekend before Smackdown.

 

A funny coincidence is that on 11/10, the day after the TNA taping, WWE was filming its Royal Rumble TV commercial at Universal studios in Orlando.

 

Ashley Fliehr, Ric's daughter, who is a star volleyball player at Providence High in Charlotte, led her team to its second straight state championship over the weekend beating J. H. Rose High of Greenville in die finals on 11/6 in Raleigh. Besides Ric, The Hurricane came to see what turned out to be the real state championship match in the semifinals a few days earlier when they knocked off an unbeaten school that was No. 1.

 

Paul Birchall, a bodybuilder looking guy from the U.K. (I guess they haven't gotten a look at James Thompson yet) and Antonio Thomas from the Northeast have been signed to developmental deals, as has William Jones, who wrestled years ago in ECW as Chilly Willy before enlisting in the army when ECW folded and fighting in Iraq, getting wounded, and getting several medals. Jones is already in OVW but hasn't debuted on TV. Jones is a little old to get started in WWE, as he's about 36 years old. Nick Mitchell, who was cut from Tough Enough as low man in voting on 11/9, was offered a developmental contract and a start date in Louisville.

 

Among those backstage at Raw in Austin were Debra Marshall (ex-wife of Steve Austin and Steve McMichael). Marshall is now 44, but was described as still looking good, but looking as if she'd had some facial work done. If you want to know the way Marshall was viewed when she was there, while nobody was sympathetic to Steve Austin when he was arrested and was punished for beating her, nobody was also surprised she would drive a man at least to the brink of wanting to do so. She was said to be trying to get back in. Also backstage at Raw was Ultimo Dragon.

 

10/25 Raw TV tapings drew 4,550 in Des Moines. 10/26 Smackdown tapings in Omaha drew 3,700. Actual gates from last weekend were 10/30 in Evansville for Raw did 1,900 in the new 14,000 seat building. 10/31 Smackdown in Louisville drew 2,100, which is bad because this summer, the OVW big Friday night shows at the amusement park were doing 1,200 to 1,800, usually with just one or two big WWE names. 10/31 Raw in Champaign, IL drew 1,800. 11/1 Smackdown in Cape Girardeau drew 1,400.

 

11/5 Raw house show in Laredo drew 3,500. We didn't get an estimate for the 11/6 Smackdown in Miami. The estimate for the Raw show on 11/6 in Monterrey, Mexico was 8,000. Hopefully we'll have the real number next week. 11/7 Smackdown in Fort Myers did an estimated 2,800. 11/7 Raw in Hidalgo, TX, drew a nearly full house of 6,000, which is the best medium-market house show crowd since, well, probably the last time they were in Hidalgo and sold out. 11/8 Raw TV tapings in Austin drew 4,300.

[Guest Super Leather]

Thanks a lot for posting this stuff, I appreciate it and I know most other folks on here feel the same way. It makes me wish I had an extra $90 lying around, otherwise I'd get a subscription myself.

[JoeDirt 0]

If you want to know the way Marshall was viewed when she was there, while nobody was sympathetic to Steve Austin when he was arrested and was punished for beating her, nobody was also surprised she would drive a man at least to the brink of wanting to do so.

I thought this was funny.

 

Thanks for posting, S.D.

[Eclipse 0]

FROZEN NAZI!!?!?

 

This could have topped Katie Vick.....TENFOLD.

[Guest Fook_Theta]

Ultimo Dragon was backstage? So they're going to pull the trigger on Asai(?) unmasking then.. Shameful.

[Chuck Woolery 0]

Antonio Thomas?

 

... Jesus Christ, WWE is fucked. I dug Antonio, he's a good enough guy, but as a wrestler? Ick.

[Guest TroughOfMantaur]

SD, thanks for taking the time to post all this stuff for so long. Guys, do you think we could start a PayPal fund to keep the news coming? I'm also too poor to put up 90 bucks for a new subscription, but I figured if we pooled into a PayPal account, we could keep the news coming....if SD was cool with it, or if another one of us wanted to take over posting duty.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Its a shame about the Mordecai, he wasn't good (still green), but I was really digging the character.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

The Frozen Nazi.. awwwwwwwwwwyeah

[dubq 0]

Chehak has no pro wrestling background, but has a long list of TV writing credits on such shows at VIP with Pam Anderson (a wonderfully written show)...

Please tell me that's internet-sarcasm.

[Guest Mordecai's Cathedral]

Chehak has no pro wrestling background, but has a long list of TV writing credits on such shows at VIP with Pam Anderson (a wonderfully written show)...

Please tell me that's internet-sarcasm.

 

I couldn't help thinking the same thing when I read that. But god damn, why is it so hard to hire a writer who actually knows something about wrestling?

[Zetterberg is God 0]

It's a shame that it's coming to an end, but thanks SD for all the Observer news. It was much appreciated.

[Vanhalen 0]

Paul Birchall, a bodybuilder looking guy from the U.K.

LOL You can really see the research that was done here

 

Seriously tho, the rest of it was a good read.

[JoeDirt 0]

SD, thanks for taking the time to post all this stuff for so long. Guys, do you think we could start a PayPal fund to keep the news coming? I'm also too poor to put up 90 bucks for a new subscription, but I figured if we pooled into a PayPal account, we could keep the news coming....if SD was cool with it, or if another one of us wanted to take over posting duty.

If we could get 90 people to put in one dollar on paypal...

[King Cucaracha 0]

Paul Birchall, a bodybuilder looking guy from the U.K.

LOL You can really see the research that was done here

Well, he wrestles in Britain, so he can't be that important.

 

[Guest LooneyTune]

So Holly stiffed Cool and threw him by his hair...is ANYONE surprised? Ultimo Dragon backstage is a good and bad thing. It means he'll be back soon, but it also means he'll probably get a one month push, lose a mask vs. title match, and get pushed for 5 weeks unmasked and fired.

[Jericho2000Mark 0]

Thanks for the Observer tidbits, I really appreciate it.

[Mole 0]

Yes, thanks for posting SD.

 

WON will be at top of my X-Mas list this year.