ProWrestlingViews.com

Archive for September, 2009

In a Slam Wrestling interview, John Cena revealed which young superstars he suspects will form the future of WWE. His favorites include: The Miz, John Morrison, Sheamus, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Jr., and Kofi Kingston.

I’ll give Cena Morrison, Rhodes and DiBiase… but The Miz needs a more serious persona to succeed at the top of the card, Sheamus has too much to prove yet, and Kingston just doesn’t seem to have that “star charisma” that the best WWE superstars possess by the barrel-full.

While the office supply of young talent is there, I would say that if Cena is right about half those guys, he’s not doing bad. Morrison’s almost too much of a veteran to be included in that lineup, but seems to be on a career path that could mirror Edge. Meanwhile, it would be hard to imagine Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. NOT headlining a WrestleMania about five years or so down the line.

The first film was a vehicle for John Cena, but the WWE Films sequel, The Marine 2, will star Legacy member Ted DiBiase Jr., it has been revealed. Footage of the new flick is making its way around the usual Internet sites, from IGN.com to YouTube.

While DiBiase is just old enough to no longer need a natural acne treatment every day, he’s certainly being given a big boost by being highlighted in this film. Apparently the McMahon family has faith in this kid. And that’s a good thing, as the stars of tomorrow need to be built today, while the stars of today are still at the top of their game.

Next week’s guest host of WWE Raw will be Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, it was announced on tonight’s Raw broadcast. Whether he or his teammates are the beneficiaries of the best diet pills or not, the Steelers are off to a disappointing 1-2 start so far this season, so the distraction might not be the most welcome thing for Roethlisberger’s coach.

Also, the Steelers will be playing a Sunday night game head-to-head with WWE’s scheduled PPV event, Hell In a Cell, and Big Ben will be hosting when his NFL employers are airing a Monday Night game opposite the Raw broadcast. Oh well, sports entertainment makes strange bedfellows. And anyone’s gotta be better than Al Sharpton.

Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon, wife of WWE owner Vince McMahon, resigned from the WWE recently to run against Democratic incumbent Senator Chris Dodd in Connecticut. McMahon, who is running as a Republican, will have to beat back a couple of other GOP hopefuls before she is ensured of facing off with Dodd, but with her name recognition, winning the party endorsement is not seen as too big a hurdle at this point.

McMahon is expected to run as a fiscal conservative and a government spending fat burner, but if she runs also as a social conservative, it may prove a hard sell to a public largely unaware of her on-screen roles on WWE.

In her WWE persona, McMahon has often played the cuckolded wife to husband Vince’s flagrant philandering ways, and that just includes the sketches that can be repeated in relatively socially-acceptable terms. Far more challenging will be defending the general content of WWE programming, a line of attack Dodd’s campaign is almost certain to leverage against the GOP challenger.

However, if Linda McMahon can focus on her fiscal experience turning WWE into a multi-billion-dollar company and how she plans to bring fiscal restraint to Washington, compared to Dodd’s tax-and-spend record, she could stand a chance. Word is McMahon plans to spend up to $30 million of her own personal fortune on the campaign, and will take little to no public money in seeking elective office.

McMahon has not run for public office prior to this campaign; she will rely on her private-sector experience in WWE to prove her qualifications as a leader. And that $30 million war chest may be enough to put pressure on the incumbency advantage Dodd enjoys.

The WWE is being intentionally vague about Jeff Hardy’s future with the company. That’s because Hardy’s at the end of his current contract and has not decided whether to re-sign or not. There’s no immediate plans for him to sign with TNA, and yet there’s also no immediate plans for him to return to WWE.

Basically, Hardy needed some time off and by not re-signing, he’s getting it. Of course, there’s always the risk that he won’t be welcomed back but Hardy has gone away – even to rival TNA – and come back before. If he signs with TNA again, he might not be back in WWE again, but if he simply takes some time off and then comes back – similar to what The Undertaker does – then it could work in his favor.

No, Hardy’s not taking any Branson vacations or anything. He has had some personal troubles. But to the best of my understanding, mostly he just wants some time away from the grind. Hard to blame him for that.

Everyone in WWE tv stands to get some praise for how WWE Raw has been performing this summer. According to a recent USA Network press release, Raw averaged a 5.72 Nielsen during this summer, which would make this the highest-rated summer in WWE Raw history since 2001, just shortly after WWE acquired WCW.

These numbers reflect a multi-year rebuilding period from that time; with a fresh injection of young talent and second- and third-generation superstars now nearing their prime, WWE has completed its rebuilding period that began at the end of the Attitude era, when Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock both scaled back their involvement and eased into retirement; Austin left due to accumulated injuries while Dwayne Johnson left to become a legit Hollywood action star.