So guys this is not one of the entries where I comment at length on the shows I've seen or updates I've read on Raw/ECW/SD that I missed last week, or any of that; it's 9pm, and I just got in from a much needed week's vacation that I enjoyed, and I'm thrilled (basically) to be catching up on my wrestling news. Too much to talk about all of it in detail though, so I'm going to be all over the map in this entry to touch on the basics of the last week, and will be back in full swing next week with my reax to Raw and hopefully the other programs, In This Very Ring along with my very capable cohost and dear husband Ari, and my comments on the wrestling news as it goes on. The major events of this week however:
- I must start with my condolences to the family of Walter "Killer" Kowalski who died this week at the age of 81. As well as being one of the best villains in the sport himself, he is perhaps even better known for having trained some true luminaries in the sport - most notable Triple H. His family made the difficult decision last week to take him off of life support after months in a nursing home due to knee problems, and a recent heart attack. My thoughts are with the Kowalskis at this time. He will be missed.
- John Cena out indefinitely with a neck injury: John Cena had neck surgery this week and will be off WWE programming for the forseeable future. He has been replaced in the Raw Championship Scramble by Rey Mysterio Jr. Also on Raw, Shawn Michaels returned and has a match with Chris Jericho at Unforgiven.
- ECW will also be having a championship scramble, featuring Mark Henry defending his title vs. Matt Hardy, the Miz, Chavo Guerrero, and Finlay. NOW I believe the Championship Scramble setup is overkill - three of them? I suppose at twenty minutes each that kills an hour of show time before you even factor in entrances ... but the wrestlers will have to go above and beyond to keep an interest in a format we will see three times throughout the night. I don't doubt they can do it, given the participants in all three matches - it will just be interesting to see how. I also certainly hope this is a night where they space the title matches out over the card, instead of stacking them at the end.
- And Smackdown? It doesn't sound like it was its strongest offering in recent months - the show is suffering without Edge, and Vicki Guerrero plays an unlikeable victim in trying to avoid the Undertaker's wrath. Good wrestling on the program, with Triple H facing Shelton Benjamin and Jeff Hardy vs. MVP, but weak follow-up to key storylines - bring back Edge!
- In legal news: Mick Foley denies having completed any done deals with TNA, despite PW Torch's Wade Keller breaking the news that he had; also, WWE's lawyer, in an unusual move, discusses their defense to the independent contractor status - that it has always been in place, that these wrestlers agreed to that status and are only challenging it now while not under contract, and the IRS has never questioned the status through the years of its existence in wrestling. Perhaps more telling than Jerry McDevitt outlining WWE's case is the fact he is commenting publicly at all, given WWE's penchant to NOT comment on legal issues until cases have been dealt with.
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