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Former ECW champion Bobby Lashley, who featured prominently in WWE storylines just over a year ago, prior to a career-interrupting injury, has returned to the pro ring, but not for WWE. Instead, Lashley made an appearance recently at Booker T’s PWA promotion out of Houston; word is, he only made an appearance and did not wrestle in the show.

Beyond that, babydolls, word on the street has it that Lashley is considering following in the footsteps of Ken Shamrock and Brock Lesnar and turning to ultimate fighting/MMA, rather than going back to pro wrestling. If so, down the road, it would be a nice card to see Lesnar and Lashley hook up in the MMA ring.

People washing their hands in a glass sink shouldn’t throw… stones? Whatever; the point is that there are some big changes on the way for ECW that could conceivably improve that show’s standing in the ratings.

Traditionally, ECW tapings have been the “warm-up act” for Smackdown shows, ever since the WWE brought ECW back a couple years ago. However, the company recently unveiled a plan to move ECW tapings from Tuesday nights with the Smackdown brand to Monday nights with the Raw brand.

There are some natural fallouts of this strategy, of course. First, it means curtains for WWE Heat. Second, it means more cameos on ECW tapings by Raw-branded WWE superstars, and fewer by Smackdown-branded superstars.

This is a huge hit against the Smackdown brand; not only is it moving from The CW this fall to MyNetworkTV, a huge step down, but it is losing the extra draw the ECW brand brought to its tapings. While details like two ECW superstars currently holding the Smackdown-branded WWE tag team titles are sure to be worked out before the switch is made, one can only hope that the switch will also means Raw and ECW won’t brand-blend to the extent that Smackdown and ECW did.

For me, that diluted both brands. I’d hate to see RAW dragged down that path. No start-date has been announced just yet.

After working out and hitting the ellipticals, RVD… Rob Van Dam… is finally headed back to the pro wrestling ring, though not for WWE and, surprisingly, not for TNA, either.

Instead, RVD will be appearing in a taping for Nu-Wrestling Evolution. The show will be taped in the Canary Islands. NWE is a minor pro circuit that mostly works Spanish-language territories. Other one-time WWE talent currently featured on NWE cards include Rikiski (wrestling now as Kishi), Jackie Gayda, and Juvi Guerrerra. Ultimate Warrior will also soon be added to their roster.

It’s certainly not the big-time, but only time will tell if RVD can build on the appearance and work his way back to either WWE or TNA.

In the wake of Monday’s Raw, the WWE has announced that William Regal, who plays the role of Raw general manager and who won the King of the Ring tournament about a month ago, has been suspended for 60 days by WWE for violating the Fed’s Wellness Policy.

The WWE must have known the decision it was about to make when Raw went on the air Monday, because they booked Regal to lose a “loser leaves Raw” match against Mr. Kennedy. The match provides a storyline reason for Regal’s absence.

Exact details of Regal’s violation are not known.

In the past, Regal did battle substance abuse problems and had apparently cleaned his act up for the past several years. Whether this suspension is a result of a relapse or an unrelated violation is not known at this time.

Meanwhile, on Raw, McMahon teased the return of “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase to WWE, as possibly the next GM of Raw. Of course, a few years ago, after “firing” Eric Bischoff, McMahon teased Dusty Rhodes as a possible next Raw GM, but that tease never paid off, so it’s entirely possible the DiBiase cameo is a head-fake by McMahon to buy time while he ponders his options for replacing Regal as GM, either in the short or long term.

A short run by DiBiase as Raw GM would be quite a bit of run, though perhaps not quite as much fun as shower chairs. However, I expect that the ultimate choice will either be an uninspiring temporary measure, like Coach or Shane McMahon, or perhaps a test-run for a long-term replacement by, perhaps, Ric Flair in a pure GM role.

It should be noted that DiBiase does have a son learning the trade in one of WWE’s developmental territories.

Just saw Judgment Day and the Shawn Michaels-Chris Jericho match had to be the “highlight reel” match of the night for me, personally. I recognized what they were trying to replicate right away, which is one of those action-filled, tons of near-falls type of matches like the classic Flair-Steamboat match, or the equally-classic WrestleMania 3 Savage-Steamboat match of years gone by.

The great thing is they told a great storyline in the ring through wrestling and ring psychology, rather than a series of high spots, so classic fans like myself can appreciate it as a tribute to the way wrestlnig was done in the pre-WrestleMania era. The old AWA standby champ, Nick Bockwinkle, was one of the best at this style of match, and Michaels was around in the latter days of the AWA, so he knew Bockwinkle, at least in passing. Jericho, a student of the game, wasn’t wrestling yet back then, but as I recall, when he was the Undisputed WWE champ, his style of “heel champ” had a distinct Nick Bockwinkle tribute feel to it.

So if you missed the PPV, bubba, stretch out on your foam mattress and buy the replay, because that was one match worth the price of viewing, for sure. The two title matches (Orton v. Triple H and Edge v. Taker) were also top-notch efforts by the top talents from both brands.

The six-person diva tag match proved ECW is more in need of cat supplies than it is in need of Mike Adamle’s incompetent announcing services, but the real mystery surrounding ECW last night was why The Miz is suddenly getting such a strong push from the Fed.

C.M. Punk, the golden boy of the ECW promotion since its WWE-powered relaunch, and since WrestleMania, the new Mr. Money In the Bank, punked out to The Miz in an almost meaningless, six-minute match to open, rather than close, the broadcast.

The former Real World reality star, Miz’s star has been on the rise a lot lately… but at Punk’s expense? That rooster just don’t crow!

Randy Orton’s old entrance music was catchy, immediately recognizable and fun; much like the car crash sounds that trigger Mick Foley’s entrance, the shattering glass that triggers Stone Cold Steve Austin’s entrance, or the “You Think You Know Me” whisper that precedes Edge’s theme song, Orton had a terrific entrance theme.

But, of course, WWE is planning on releasing another soundtrack soon, so away they go with changing up some of the wrestler’s theme songs and Orton is the latest victim of a very bad new theme song that will have Raw’s top heel running for the nearest self defense products from all the catcalls it will earn him… and not in a good way.

My vote is to dump Orton’s new theme song immediately, and go back to the standard right away. Much like some of the awful theme song changes they’ve tried to foist on Triple H and Undertaker over the years, this one just is not an improvement. It’s generic and forgettable and needs to disappear. Some entrance themes, like HBK’s, simply never ought to change.

I hate to say it, but I’m already bored with the whole King Regal bit. While it made for a nice shocking moment the first time Regal ended Raw early, mid-match, the whole ongoing bit of turning out the ring lights and stopping good promos and good matches (while the bad ones seem to still go on uninterrupted) has quickly worn thin.

Regal’s power trip is about as intriguing as a natural acne treatment video to a senior citizen, and it’s ruining important moments in the Raw broadcast. The most blatent example of this from last night’s Raw was when Regal shut down the first promo Jeff Hardy has cut since returning from a two-month suspension related to the WWE’s Wellness Policy.

That was an important moment in re-establishing Hardy’s character, so having it cut off was more than just an angle; it cheated the crowd. Wherever this is headed with Regal, it needs to be over soon, since this is not creating the good type of “nasty villain” heat, but is actually resulting in viewer apathy, since it seems like any time a promo or match gets interesting, they pull the “Regal cuts the power” angle.

Drop it, fast, Vince!

Mrs. Foley’s baby boy is back in the WWE; this time, he’s not promoting a book or taking chairshots to put some young superstar over. Instead, Mick is the new SmackDown color commentator, filling in a role that has been in turmoil since JBL un-retired and returned to the wrestling ring as an in-ring competitor.

You don’t have to worry about going through laptop rental to get a glimpse of Foley anymore, as he is on-air two hours a week on the WWE Smackdown broadcast. Foley’s role as SmackDown commentator is an unexpected turn; the company has tried out Mike Adamle, among others, in that role, all to mixed reviews.

But Foley is legit on color commentary, and brings with him a fan base that may boost SmackDown’s ratings a notch. He has remained on Raw’s roster of “retired superstars” for the past several years and whenever he’s done a one-week cameo, it has been on that broadcast that he has appeared.

Although I’d hoped Foley would return as an announcer one day, I always kind of expected it would be on Raw; his presence on SmackDown immediately makes that broadcast, despite its under-talented roster, more intriguing.

WWE star Chris Jericho deserves more than the minor spotlight he’s receiving on Monday Night Raw so far. His cross-brand fued with MVP was hot, but Jericho is someone who deserves a bit more of a shot at a title that’s not of the USA/International variety.

As a veteran, Jericho exemplifies good mic skills combined with an electrifying personality and decent, if not exactly spectacular, matt skills. Sure, he’s no John Cena, but the best thing the company could do right now is rest Cena from the main event spotlight and rebuild his character in a way that might reduce the booing. Sort of like the effect of keepnig the blinds closed during the nasty winter months so that when you open them again in the spring, you appreciate the sunshine and the look of the outside a bit more than you did before.

Meanwhile, with Triple H the current champion, he needs some fresh faces to challenge him and Triple H-Jericho is a fued that hasn’t been overplayed much; in fact, the two have rarely been opponents. Here’s hoping someone with some sense finally gives Jericho an extended push instead of having him get slapped around as part of other wrestlers’ fueds in The Highlight Reel.

Talk about trying to RAM a screwjob down our throats? While I was thrilled to see the King of the Ring return a couple weeks ago, and on a free Raw broadcast, no less, I was vastly disappointed with the booking.

While King of the Ring has often been used to anoint the WWE’s next big heel, all it was used for this time around was to further the career of a well-past-his-prime wrestler and Raw general manager, William Regal. Regal didn’t need the King of the Ring crown to get over with the crowd; he’s been around long enough that he’s as over as he’s going to get.

Of all the possible endings for the latest edition of the King of the Ring event, giving the crown to William Regal after stacking the events and matchups in his own favor, was perhaps the worst of all possible endings, save except for an ending that would have put the crown on Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

Did anyone catch Lawler’s opening blunder? It was typical but still kind of amusing when he exclaimed, “Everyone here is erect — electrifyed by…” Amusing bit; maybe Lawler needs a dose or two of Orovo, though.

The PPV lead off with two of the best wrestlers still on the Smackdown brand; Matt Hardy versus MVP. Hardy’s an old hand in WWE terms, but a solid worker now in his solo career; and MVP is a solid up-and-comer with a gimmick that won’t get in the way of him someday reaching the top of a future PPV card. Good match to represent the Smackdown brand.

Mick Foley was less than great, though, filling in for Coach, calling Matt Hardy, Matt Hardly. Hardy’s surprising win over MVP was a fun and thrilling finish, but doesn’t really take much shine off MVP’s rising star, even though it put the US Title on Hardy. However, I suspect MVP is being groomed to move up and take on Undertaker soon for the World Heavyweight Championship, so getting the US Title off him was a necessary move.

Next up was Kane vs. Chavo Guerrero for the ECW Title. Kane’s a completely uninspiring champion and Guerrero’s no better an option, so this made for a really boring match. Giving this match over 10 minutes to play out really cut against Kane’s dominating title win at WrestleMania, in which he bested the same opponent in well under a minute. Whatever. Vince, mend fences with Paul Heyman and make ECW matter again. Please.

Now it’s back to the SmackDown-Raw cross-brand match up with Raw’s Big Show taking on SmackDown’s Great Khali. Two giants is always a fun concept match, and these are two of the biggest men in the pro ring today. It’s also a smart match for WWE to use to advance Show’s return after the high-profile boxer vs. wrestler match at WrestleMania, when Show took on Floyd Mayweather.

The “battle of the head-butts” was a rather boring way to start the match, and the crowd wasn’t loving it, to be sure. There was even a “BO-RING” chant gong at one point. Khali was allowed to dominate most of the six-minute-or-so match, with Show pulling off only a couple really successful moves; a bodyslam, which he blew on his first attempt; and a reversal out of a chokeslam for a chokeslam of his own. Typical big-man matchup, but Show was given the win after jobbing to the under-160-pound Floyd Mayweather at WrestleMania last month.

The Batista-HBK match, with Chris Jericho as the special guest referee, was the first real stamp of Raw on the Backlash PPV, since both HBK and Jericho are Raw guys and most of this storyline played out on Raw. This match was a great antidote to Show-Khali, as it was a much higher-energy, faster-paced match.

It was nice to see this match get over 25 minutes of ring-time to develop, although the ending was unexpected; Michaels came down wrong on a move and seemed to get a real knee injury, but then unexpectedly got up and delivered a Superkick with the injured knee being the support leg for the Superkick move. If this is a real knee injury, that was am impressive moment on Michaels’ part; if it was a sell-job, Michaels did great at playing possum. Either way, it was good to see Michaels get the best of the overrated Batista.

The 10-woman diva tag match was quick fun, which is all one could expect of a non-title women’s match, since not all the women are of equal ring-skill. At least it game Mickie James a nice spotlight.

The Undertaker-Edge match was next, with Taker defending the title he won at WrestleMania, against the same opponent from whom he won it. The rubber match concept is great for fued-building, but SmackDown’s not doing itself any favors by not injecting fresh blood into the title picture. Taker’s always reliable and Edge is an electrifying, polarizing personality, but more faces are needed at the top. Hopefully, MVP will soon be added to the mix, now that his US Title isn’t in the way. Having Taker win the rematch in virtually the same way he won the title intially pretty much puts a cap on their rivalry for a while and should open a path for new opponents to face off with Taker. Nice 12-minute or so match, not counting the entrances.

Finally, it was main event time and it’s a good one; a four-way match with elimination rules, one of my favorite stips since it doesn’t take one fluke pinfall to end it. Triple H, Orton, Cena and JBL makes for a rock-solid main event and fortunately, even though this PPV was Smackdown-heavy, it was this Raw-branded match that was given the top spot for a change, and deservedly so.

The 30 minutes given to the match to develop was terrific, and the match lived up to expectations for me. With four of the top workers in the biz in the same match, there was no weak spot, really. Cena brought the most energy to the match, fighting hard and fast and clean to show both his desire and momentum. He earned the first elimination, forcing JBL to tap out.

So it was a disappointment when Orton entered immediately afterward, delivered a kick to the head and speedily sent Cena packing for another night. That left just Orton and Triple H to settle things one-on-one, which was disappointing, since I wanted to see more three-corner action before we got to the second elimination.

Oh well.

As we all know by now, after earning his legitimacy with a WrestleMania win, WWE ended Orton’s reign with an entertaining, but fairly predictable title change to Triple H. HHH has been working hard and patiently since his return from injury, and the victory makes him a 12-time champion, which helps push him toward Flair territory (16 times).

With the summer PPV season upon us, I expect Triple H will reign at least through SummerSlam, but by then it should be up for grabs as the company starts to map out its road to next spring’s WrestleMania. All in all, not a bad PPV.