ProWrestlingViews.com

With his contract expiring soon, Christian Cage is expected to leave TNA and return to the WWE in the coming months, according to online sources. While one might expect one or two Orlando vacations to break up the monotony between his last TNA match and his first match back to WWE, the leap is one that is certainly expected.

If he makes the leap, Christian would be only the second wrestler to leave WWE for TNA, only to return; thus far, Jeff Hardy is the only other superstar to do so. Christian would draw initial interest if he were sent to SmackDown to feud with former partner and SmackDown tentpole wrestler Edge. However, after that initial push, it will be interesting to see if Christian stays near the top of WWE’s project list, or falls by the wayside.

Of course, while Cage is hoping to return to WWE, there’s no official word on the company’s interest in bringing him back at this stage of his career. Time will tell.

Former WWE announcer Jack Reynolds passed away late last week. Reynolds was a WWE announcer just prior to the era in which WWE became a coast-to-coast brand name. He did the announcing on WWE All-Star Wrestling in the early 80s, then was the original host of Prime Time Wrestling on USA, a show that preceded the WWE Raw era.

Reynolds was not a major part of the WWE picture by the time WrestleMania and Hulkamania swept the nation with digital signage, so only long-time East Coast fans are probably familiar with Reynolds work. This is especially true due to the fact that by the time WWE went coast-to-coast, the typical broadcast teams consisted of folks like Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse Ventura, Gene Okerlund and and a young Vince McMahon.

Still, Reynolds was a key figure during the time leading up to pro wrestling’s big boom in the 1980s. Those who remember him are sure to miss him.

The writing had been on the wall for a while.

First, he was separated from tag partner Trevor Murdoch, who was released by WWE. Then, after being reinvented as Chris Jericho’s protege, Lance Cade disappeared from WWE TV for a while. Last Tuesday, the hammer finally fell: WWE released Lance Cade.

While Cade never really got over with the audience, and thus this news is probably going to be about as interesting as the latest developments in acne treatments, the real item of interest here is a transparency question.

The WWE never really stated directly why Cade was released. However, Jim Ross, on his blog, dropped hints, detailing enough of the circumstances about events leading up to Cade’s release that suggest the real reason is a violation of the WWE’s Wellness Policy.

About a year ago, in the wake of the Benoit Family Tragedy, WWE made it very public that they would soon be much more transparent when employees are released for Wellness Policy violations. Now, a year later, it seems the company may be slipping back into its old method of covering over the actual circumstances.

That’s unfortunate, as it reduces public trust in WWE and allows performers to remain in denial about possible problems they may be facing in their lives.

Let’s hope that if Cade is facing certain behind-the-scenes problems, he will face them down directly and get his life back on a positive and healthy track.

WWE Raw will air its 800th episode tonight and that leaves one wondering what the Fed will dream up to celebrate. Right now, the only announced match is between JBL and Batista.

That’s a promo on diet pills if you ask me; for an 800th episode, they ought to have a lot more than that in store.

And by the time Raw hits the air tonight, I’m sure they will.

The airport incident involving WWE superstar Jeff Hardy has kind of been sorted out and clarified. According to online reports and news sources, Hardy was indeed detained at a Nashville airport, being denied boarding onto a flight because airport staff believed he “appeared intoxicated.”

Hardy has faced two strikes in the WWE Wellness Policy, and a third strike would lead directly to a major penalty, including suspension. However, contrary to some reports, there was no altercation over the incident and Hardy remained cooperative during the entire time.

Although the airline offered an alternative flight later on, Hardy made other arrangements to get to where he was going. Perhaps if he’d stayed at Laughlin hotels, he would have appeared more rested and none of this would have occurred.

Well, at least there was not enough to the incident to trigger a third strike in Jeff’s Wellness Policy; he’s a high-energy, very promotable talent with the ability to wear a major belt sometime soon. Let’s hope he stays smart and out of trouble, so that nothing messes up his momentum.

The first RAW with Chris Jericho as champion went very well; the last time Jericho held singles gold in WWE was at WrestleMania 18, when he dropped the strap to Triple-H. That’s a long drought, although he did take a couple years off for his music career before returning earlier this year.

Last time he held championship gold, Jericho was the first and so far remains the only WWE undisputed champion. Whether Jericho is positioned as a transitional champion, or whether WWE is prepared to line up a host of promotional pens and other products promoting Jericho as the WWE standard-bearer, only time will tell, but he’s certainly a deserving worker.

This is even more true in the wake of his long feud with Shawn Michaels; over the past several PPV events, Michaels and Jericho have consistently put on the match of the night, and Unforgiven was no exception to that rule; they hit a highlight that will almost certainly number among both men’s top five matches of their careers.

While it remains to be seen exactly which way WWE is going to be going with Jericho as champion, the thing that does remain clear is that he certainly is wearing the title well so far. Next week’s cage match against CM Punk will be a sight to behold.

The Shawn Michaels-Chris Jericho match in tonight’s show isn’t merely a match of the year contender, but it’s a match about which free audio books will someday be composed.

Using up a generous 27-minute slot, the match had the feeling of being the main event, even though it was only the third match of the night. The action, energy, and in-ring psychology were all top-notch, and the resolution put a grand capper on this feud that’s been brewing ever since WrestleMania.

Color this viewer impressed; this one could stand the test of time quite well against matches like Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage at WrestleMania III, or whatever one of your own favorite matches might be.

WWE typically does this once every few months or so; they company has announced the release of several workers from their WWE contracts. The list includes:

1) Braden Walker (f/k/a Chris Harris)
2) Nunzio
3) James Curtis
4) Shannon Moore
5) Domino,
6) Big Daddy V
7) referee Nick Patrick

Add Mick Foley’s non-renewal coming up, and that’s a significant number of folks on the bus out of town. One would think they needed a couple of these guys in order to make sure they don’t fall into TNA hands. But better to have WWE trim talent like someone on Anoretix, than to have WWE retain too much talent, overextend their budget and then decide to can the whole deal, I guess.

I was among the first to make the observation, but others are now starting to catch on; the WWE Attitude era, typified by The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and others, is now over. With John “The Champ Is Here” Cena writing “JBL is poopy!” at a face taunt against a heel, it’s clear that WWE is subtlely changing their branding from the over-excesses of the Attitude era to a more family-friendly atmosphere is a welcome move for those of us who remember watching WWE as kids and being able to see an episode without an overdose of mature-rated content throughout the program.

Sure, back then WWE’s sponsors were mainly made of up acne treatment providers, but I think they’ve started to realize how many young kids watch their shows, especially given how many of their events are sponsored by videogame makers.

WWE Attitude was fun while it lasted; but I’m glad to see the company returning to a less risque product.

SmackDown’s Mr. Kennedy was injured recently and could be out of action anywhere from six weeks to six months, according to his own official Web site. The should injury involves a torn labrum.

With this sort of injury, six weeks of evaluation and physical therapy could correct the problem; if that doesn’t work, Kennedy will undergo surgery to repair the labrum and the recovery time from that is four to six months following the procedure.

While it may require some rather delicate surgical equipment rather than a bunch of air tools, the one thing Kennedy remains sure of is his desire to return to the ring as soon as he’s healed up.

I don’t think it’s hype when Ric Flair said that his parting of the ways with WWE was amicable, or that his goal was to stop relying on WWE to “prop him up,” but that he wanted to build his own name and reputation as a brand unto itself.

Flair is apparently not interested in a return to the wrestling ring upon his release, but is looking to explore other avenues of generating revenue and becoming a business man capable of “standing on his own” without the help of the McMahon family and WWE.

Hopefully, Flair will follow through with his plan and start making announcements about his next achievements soon; after the send-off Flair received at WrestleMania last spring, it would be a shame to see Flair sign with TNA or some other promotion in a vain attempt to extend his in-ring career.

Flair’s not some acne-ridden kid anymore; at 59, it’s time he pursued something new, like he was talking about, and he certainly has the skills to do well in other fields.

A few years ago, Flair played around with the idea of running for public office in North Carolina as a Republican; that would seem to be a potential course of action for Flair and would re-define his post-wrestling career.

Last year, MVP was diagnosed with a potentially-fatal heart condition that was unearthed in testing conducted via the WWE Wellness Program. MVP credits that test with saving his life and says the condition has been corrected and he is back to 100-percent health.

Although MVP is hoping to land a spot or two in upcoming WWE Films movies, he’s not looking to pull a Dwayne Johnson and leave WWE for films any time soon. “WWE is my passion, so leaving the WWE to become a full-time actor, that’s not something I’m looking at right now,” MVP said in a press release.

Sure is good to see MVP praising WWE for catching a heart condition rather than the program catching a WWE superstar perusing a list of best diet pills.