This n That

So ITVR won't be up this week - sorry guys it has just gotten away from us. But I promise it will be back next week, on time and as good as ever. Thanks again so much for your patience.

Meanwhile though there's been plenty to talk about in wrestling this week! Let's start with ...

WWE TELEVISION

• Raw was actually stronger than it's been in a long time. Vicki Guerrero has been named interim general manager of Raw while Stephanie McMahon is out injured, and her promo with Edge and John Cena was fabulous. Their appearance on Smackdown, as well, also worked. Chris Jericho continued his desecration of legends by beating up Ricky Steamboat (who will be inducted this year into the Hall of Fame by Ric Flair, by the way); good work from both of them. Shawn Michaels will face Vladimir Kozlov for the right to fight the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, which is interesting and which I hope Shawn wins (unless he's to be in th Money in the Bank Ladder Match - the first participant of which is CM Punk, as of this show). Overall a really, really good show, and the Legacy's act of being scared of Triple H, and his beatdown of them at the end of Raw, was also great, although harkening back to the days when the Triple One dominated Monday nights, and was often the last sight we'd see as Raw went off the air). Nonetheless great show; my only concern is for the nasty bump Jamie Noble took; and I wish him a rapid recovery as he seemed to be getting something of a push going into Wrestlemania.
  
• Smackdown was very intimately tied to Raw, as it has been these last few weeks: John Cena's appearance on SD to challenge Edge and Vicki Guerrero again worked; it was nice to see him make a rare appearance on the blue brand. It was also interesting to see Vladimir Kozlov beat the Undertaker here - that tells me that he won't be facing Taker at Mania as I doubt they'd give that match away for free, but it still makes him look strong as he heads into losing to Shawn Michaels next week. The Hardys not fighting this week would usually tick me off, as an advertised match the WWE swerved, but (1) it should never have been offered on free TV in the first place, and (2) go figure, but the Boyz saved that disappointment with some excellent mic/acting work from both of them. I can't wait for these two to face off at the Granddaddy of them All, WM 25.

More important though, there have been some major ...

OFFSCREEN HAPPENINGS

• Probably the biggest news here is that the Independent Contractor case that several ex-employees (oops ... contractors) had filed against the WWE. For those not familiar with the suit, or WWE's employment methods, wrestlers are not considered employees of the company (which would provide them with a more stable position, benefits, a salary even if injured, etc.). They are independent contractors, which means they are basically responsible for themselves. Which would be well and good, if it weren't for the fact WWE is very tight about those contracts; you work for WWE? You don't make appearances anywhere else, or make money outside of their auspices without their permission, etc. You don't work on your own schedule and make your own deals. You are effectively an employee. On that front, given this was a potential first step towards job security, benefits, and a better working environment for wrestlers, this was a sad week for wrestling.
• I mentioned Ric Flair's birthday a couple entries ago - the day after was his son Reid's 21st birthday. I can only imagine the partying being done by the Flair family with two such important milestone birthdays, considering the reputation of good ole Naitch.
• Lastly, in a WTF story, John Graziano's father was arrested this week. Graziano, for those who don't remember, was the Iraq veteran in the car with Nick Hogan when he crashed it; he's been in a vegetative state in hospital ever since. Well his father was arrested this week and charged with attempting to put a hit out on both his wife and Linda Hogan. Wow ... perhaps the Hogans' assessment of the Graziano family wasn't so far off after all. As if this situation could get any worse or more tragic.

And that's it - before signing off however I want to recommend an interview with Bret Hart that was conducted last week. Very interesting stuff, in which he discusses his relationship with Vince McMahon, his role in helping the younger generation of his family coming up in the business, his book, and his openness to talking now to Shawn Michaels about Montreal at this stage in his life. A very good listen which can be found on the Elevation Radio Show at blogtalkradio.com - check it out.