Time for the first installment of our weekly look at the big winners and losers in the pro wrestling industry over the past seven days. Away we go!
WHO'S HOT
WWE & MyNetwork TV: After Smackdown was unceremoniously dropped by CW Network, WWE managed to sign a deal that will net them the same amount of money, put them in more homes, and possibly bring them a better timeslot. MyNetwork managed to grab a new flagship program that will actually show up in the Nielsens (unlike "Paradise Hotel 2"). This is a huge win-win situation for everyone involved.
ROH wrestling fans: They've taken a lot of abuse over the past week, but Ring of Honor is one promotion where fan reaction matters. Last week, the so-called "ROH robots" took exception to the Larry Sweeney-Alison Danger sports entertainment storyline at the 6th Anniversary show. As a result, Larry Sweeney's talk show is probably deader than Jim Fullington's nuts. Try to get that sort of speedy reaction from WWE's booking committee, or TNA's.
Brock Lesnar: The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion may have lost his exciting UFC matchup against Frank Mir, but that effort was still good enough to net Mister F-5, the man with a career MMA record of 1-1, a lucrative meeting with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Mark Coleman this summer. Based on this sort of booking, one would think UFC was a worked sport like boxing.
Jay Lethal: Despite the best, or worst, efforts of the TNA creative crew, Black Machismo is still over with the proud one percent of America that watches TNA. Lethal will be defending his TNA X Division title on Sunday in one of the few matches that might actually be worth checking out, and his current angle with Sonjay Dutt and So Cal Val is one of the more entertaining things on TNA Impact every week.
WHO'S NOT
Hulk Hogan: Five months ago, Hulk Hogan was on top of the world as the host of NBC's "American Gladiators". Here in March 2008, the Hulkster has been exiled from upcoming episodes of the "Hogan Knows Best" reality show he helped create. The National Enquirer has slammed Hulk for allegedly leaving his wife for his daughter's best friend. His soon to be ex-wife, Linda, is after Hogan's money. Worst of all, Hulk has turned into the Dennis Stamp of WrestleMania: unable to get himself booked and whining about it.
Kurt Angle: Back in November 2006, TNA Impact made its primetime debut on Spike TV and drew a 1.0. If that number sounds familiar to anyone, it's because TNA drew the exact same 1.0 on Thursday night. Of course, that hasn't stopped the Olympic gold medalist from making grandstanding MMA challenges and giving out false information about the success of TNA during every mainstream interview. Worse yet, his character has been mishandled in Orlando to the point where wrestling fans are switching channels during his television matches. Someone needs to rein Kurt in before a local talk show host embarrasses him by pointing out that TNA World Champion Kurt Angle isn't as big a ratings draw as ECW World Champion Chavo Guerrero.
Big Show: Floyd Mayweather gets a ton of publicity for the main event match at WrestleMania, plus a payoff of "twenty million dollars". Big Show gets to have a lousy match with a skinny fake boxer. That hardly seems fair. Heck, there's no telling why WWE would put Show in the ring before WrestleMania at all, given how many clunkers Paul Wight wrestled in as a regular part of the WWE roster for eight years.
Finlay vs. JBL: I know this match has received months of buildup from the crack WWE creative team, and nothing builds up heat like a heel beating the crap out of an innocent midget, but is there any way we could go back to the days when WrestleMania matches were fought over shampoo commercials?
LATEST PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER #1039 (17 PAGES)
This issue begins with a cover story by Wade Keller who attended Brock Lesnar's first UFC victory on Saturday night in the semi-main event in front of a record-setting crowd in his hometown. Keller's BBL looks at Lesnar's place in MMA and in what ways he seems more comfortable than ever... Bruce Mitchell's Memo examines the dilemma of Chris Benoit and the Hall of Fame... Sean Radican reviews the two latest TNA DVD releases... In-depth coverage of the TNA Hard Justice PPV including Keller's match report with star ratings and the newsletter-exclusive Roundtable Reviews... Jason Powell's "Page 2 Buzz" with scoops and insider analysis... WWE Newswire, TNA Newswire, and ROH Newswire with insider news, big story analysis, and notebook tidbits... Plus Keller's reports on Raw, Smackdown, and Impact, the Top 5 Stories of the Week, and more....
