Hailey's Newsies Issue 29 - June 7th 2009

I Love Money : WWE

Tazz def. JTG with Tazzmission (CP def. Hailey)
Shad def. John Cena with Samoan Drop (Hailey def. Cynbitch)
JBL def. Mr. Kennedy with Clothesline From Hell (Serial def. Cynbitch)
Big Show def. Finlay with Chokeslam (NCD def. Mia)
Randy Orton def. Layla with Punt Kick (Hailey def. Blue)
John Morrison def. Victoria with Running Calf Kick (Cynbitch def. NCD)

Nash Discusses Clique Members

In a recent interview with SLAM! Sports, Kevin Nash revealed some details on his current relationship with former members of the infamous Clique backstage group that ruled WWE for a couple of years.

The following is what he had to say about his relationship with the other four wrestlers.

• Shawn Michaels - Kevin Nash and Shawn Michaels have maintained a very close relationship.
  
• Triple H - Kevin Nash and Triple H are still close friends. However, with Triple H's demanding schedule (running WWE and taking care of kids), they don't get to talk much.
  
• Scott Hall - Kevin Nash has been in contact with Scott Hall lately. However, he wasn't very willing to give up any updates on his recent condition.
  
• Sean Waltman - Kevin Nash states that he has not spoken to Sean Waltman in a while. A while back, he helped get Sean Waltman into a rehab center.
  

Bagwell Discusses Return Rumors

Over the last few weeks, there have been several reports about Buff Bagwell returning to the professional wrestling spotlight.

In a recent newspaper interview, Buff Bagwell addressed the rumors and shed some lights on things.

When asked about the rumors of him signing with TNA soon, he had the following to say.

Quote:

"I don't know who started them, but (the rumors) are totally false. I have not been contacted by TNA. If they did call, I'd answer (even if it was collect) and listen."

On the possibility of signing with WWE, Buff Bagwell stated the following.

Quote:

"I'd love to join them so much I'd work for free!"

Buff Bagwell continues to work shows on the independent wrestling circuit. He also makes appearances at wrestling conventions.

Verbal Jabs From Taz

In a recent blog on Facebook, Taz took some verbal jabs that appear to be a shot at WWE.

The former ECW World Heavyweight Champion recently wrote about how he was anticipating his debut in TNA. The following is what he had to say.

Quote:

"In closing, the prison sentence is almost done!! Cant wait!!"

The wait has obviously been annoying him because he wants to start working for TNA immediately. The belief is that Taz felt restricted by what he was allowed to do in WWE.

Taz is expected to make his debut soon as the mentor for Samoa Joe.

Mr Kennedy Released

Wrestling fans have forever been debating which wrestler is going to be the next one to move up to the next level and become a main event wrestler in WWE.
A lot of names have come up in these discussions.
Some are a bit of a stretch (Dolph Ziggler, Kenny Dykstra, etc). However, the two names that constantly comes up that actually had some credibility are MVP and Mr Kennedy.
Both men possess enough in-ring skills to move up to the next level. The WWE scene has never been one that required wrestlers to be on the same level as in-ring greats like Ricky Steamboat, Dean Malenko, or Bret Hart.
In terms of working the mic, both are the best of the lot. There's not too many midcard wrestlers out there in WWE that can entertain as well as these two guys could on the mic.
These are the two guys that are waiting in line with tickets to the main event in their hands.
The only person left in that line right now is MVP. The reason that he's alone is because Mr Kennedy has been surprising released from the company.

There's some question marks that surround Mr Kennedy's release from the company. There's more questions than answers right now.
What is known is that Mr Kennedy was released from the company on May 29, 2009. That's less than a week after he returned from an injury to participate in a 10 man tag team match on Raw.
The rest of the information that is floating around out there isn't as sure.

Those that are blindly loyal to WWE were quick to dismiss Mr Kennedy by citing that he was too injury prone for the company to keep around.
Reports surfaced that Mr Kennedy injured his wrists during that 10 man tag team match on Raw last week. However, Mr Kennedy released a video online where he is shown shaking his wrists repeatedly to prove that he was not injured.
Even if you're injury prone, WWE will more than likely keep you around if they feel that you can draw money for the company. Just take a look at Batista and Randy Orton. Both men were deemed to be "injury prone" earlier in their careers as well.
The logical belief is that there is a lot more to the release than what we know of right now.

Reports have surfaced that Randy Orton and Mr Kennedy were involved in a backstage altercation after Raw last week.
While it wasn't a heated argument, the two did exchange words with one another. The word is that Randy Orton was trying to lecture Mr Kennedy about being careless in the ring.
Some are speculating that Randy Orton might have used his backstage powers to get Mr Kennedy released. However, I would like to think that Vince McMahon would be smarter than to do that.
If that is proven to be the case, then Randy Orton made a selfish move by eliminating another potential main event wrestler, which is something that WWE deseperately needs right now.

Ric Flair Back In The Ring

For much of the past few weeks, the debate has raged on as to whether or not Ric Flair should return to the wrestling ring after such a heralded exit at Wrestlemania 24.
Some wrestling fans would love to see the Nature Boy back in the ring because he's still one of the most entertaining guys around. Others, though, don't want to tarnish the retirement ceremony.
On this week's episode of Raw, Ric Flair finally returned to the wrestling ring. Of course, it was done in a way that won't stop wrestling fans from continuing the debate on his full time return.
Instead of being involved in an actual wrestling match, WWE and Ric Flair circumvented things by having him involved in an "unsanctioned" brawl with Randy Orton.
To be totally honest, that was a pretty clever way to make the return happen without being an official return.

Quite frankly, WWE hit a home run by having Ric Flair and Randy Orton engaging in a brawl to end the final episode of Raw before the Extreme Rules pay per view.
It accomplished quite a bit of things.

• Test The Waters
  Even the people that don't want to see Ric Flair return to the wrestling ring are curious to see just how it would be. Since this wasn't an "official" return to the ring, it provides fans with a taste of what could possibly happen in a few weeks.
  
• Establishes Heel Heat For Randy Orton
  With Ric Flair being such a historic figure in the business, having him being viciously assaulted by Randy Orton is a smart business move to do before a pay per view. Randy Orton enters Extreme Rules with a lot more heel heat. People are going to pay money to see him lose.
  
• Establishes Support For Batista
  WWE put the spotlight on the real life relationship between Batista and Ric Flair. They used that to generate some emotion with the fans. There's going to be more support for Batista now to tear apart Randy Orton at Extreme Rules.
  

On Tuesday morning, wrestling fans are still going to be debating whether or not Ric Flair will actually return to the wrestling ring.
Things are changing by the day, but here's what we all know as of today.
Ric Flair has recently started leaning against returning to WWE as an active performer. The change in tone could stem from the fact that others may be against him tarnishing the retirement ceremony that he was given.
However, that doesn't mean that Ric Flair is done as an active competitor.
Word has it that Ric Flair has decided that he's going to be working matches overseas as opposed to doing so in the United States.
Personally, I don't think that it's all that much different from working matches in the United States. However, if the man wants to work matches, then he's earned the right to do so.

Samoa Joe Injured

Samoa Joe has suffered some injuries over the last few days.

Through his official Twitter account, Samoa Joe informed wrestling fans that he had suffered a tear in his triceps. The former TNA World Heavyweight Champion also has some broken fingers as well prior to this injury.

There is no official word yet on whether or not Samoa Joe will be forced to miss time away from the ring. The severity of the injuries have not been completely revealed.

Why Was Mr Kennedy Released?

Mr Kennedy was unceremoniously released from WWE on May 29, 2009 after spending four years in the company.
He was widely regarded as a future main event wrestler by wrestling fans from all around. The talent was there. So was the potential.
Unfortunately, though, that potential was never reached. We'll never know just how effective Mr Kennedy could have been as a main event wrestler in WWE.
Wrestling fans were left with question marks hanging above their heads for the last few days. There's just so many rumors out there as to why the former WWE United States Heavyweight Champion was let go.

With so many rumors floating out there, it's really difficult to truly pinpoint the exact reason why such a popular superstar is unemployed right now.
However, what is known is that the situation must have been pretty serious.
WWE just doesn't release wrestlers that has potential to make money for the company. This isn't the same thing as the company releasing D-Lo Brown, Chris Masters, or Kenny Dykstra.
Plus, the company wouldn't be so quick to release a wrestler that could make a huge impact for a competing company such as TNA.
Word going around right now is that Mr Kennedy is not welcomed back to WWE. Vince McMahon has reportedly given explicit orders to his crew to not contact Mr Kennedy again.
Not too many wrestlers are placed on that list. Mr Kennedy's situation backstage must have been pretty serious.

A lot of wrestling fans are quick to point the fingers at Randy Orton for using his backstage stroke to get Mr Kennedy fired from the company.
The third generation star reportedly used his political powers a few months ago to convince WWE to have Manu removed from his Legacy stable; he was also released from his WWE contract as well.
However, Randy Orton wasn't the only one that wasn't a fan of Mr Kennedy and his work.
Other wrestlers are said to have bashed him as well to management. Rumor has it that at least 2 other main event wrestlers have been criticizing Mr Kennedy.

Mr Kennedy is well aware of what is being said about him on the internet. He knows that his reputation is being tarnished on a daily basis.
The former Money in the Bank winner even went as far as to release a hilarious home video to dispel the reports that he injured himself again in his return match on Raw.
The situation is obviously bothering him.
With this much anger behind him, Mr Kennedy could use it as motivation to become a main event wrestler in TNA.
Mr Kennedy has mentioned that he's trying to get some shows booked in Japan. However, in the long term, the best thing for his career would be a jump to TNA so that he can be given a second chance.

Contract Status for Raven & Douglas

Raven and Shane Douglas have not signed long term contracts with TNA.

The former ECW stars have signed a short term deal that will enable them to work TNA iMPACT! tapings and the Slammiversary pay per view.

The two were brought into the company because TNA wanted to have former wrestlers who were involved with the company during the early years be a part of the Slammiversary pay per view.

The company will then evaluate Raven and Shane Douglas after the Slammiversary pay per view. If the company feels that they can be productive in the long term, then they will offer them a long term contract.

There are talks that TNA is considering both wrestlers as possible heel managers as well. Unless Shane Douglas gets into shape in the next few weeks, it's highly unlikely that TNA would keep him around as a wrestler.

Mickie's New Career

Mickie James is pursuing a career in the music industry.

The 4 time former WWE Women's Champion is currently working on a demo to show to music executives. Mickie James has written several country songs on her own.

As of right now, she does not have plans on leaving WWE to pursue the music career. She will continue to do both for the time being. However, it wouldn't come as a complete surprise to see her leave if her music career does blow up.

Flair Looking For Work

Ric Flair is currently looking for more work.

The former NWA World Heavyweight Champion has instructed his representatives to pursue more jobs across the country. Ric Flair is looking to do work as a spokesperson or motivational speaker for various corporations.

Ric Flair, who is represented by the Gillespie Agency, has done work for Coca Cola and Wal Mart in the past.

The Gillespie Agency was recently instructed by Ric Flair to start heavily marketing him. The company has sent out quite a bit of marketing material recently, so Ric Flair should start getting some offers very soon.

The belief is that Ric Flair is hoping to make more money in this manner since he isn't coming back to wrestle for WWE. The Nature Boy will still make appearances for WWE, and he's actively pursuing wrestling gigs in other countries.

Chris Masters Returns

While it caused a lot of anguish for people in WWE (and the Denver Nuggets organization), the Denver Debacle ended up being a good thing for at least one person.
Since WWE was kicked out of the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, the company had to make a last minute move to tape their weekly television shows in Los Angeles instead.
While the company was there in Los Angeles, Chris Masters (real name Chris Mordetzky) was given the opportunity to speak with Vince McMahon for about an hour.
The meeting went extremely well as Chris Masters immediately notified independent wrestling promoters that he had no choice but to cancel his appearances since he was returning to WWE.
On June 4, 2009, it became official. WWE signed Chris Masters to a contract. He will be returning to the company very shortly.

There's plenty of different options that WWE has for Chris Masters in the company.
The former OVW star has never really been someone that could stand on his own as a main event wrestler, so you can rule that out. He needs more credibility before he can take on that role.
The best fit for Chris Masters is to be involved in a tag team or a stable.
Chris Masters is slightly above average on the mic, but it's not to the point where he can dazzle wrestling fans with his words.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to put Chris Masters with Randy Orton. The two have a real life friendship, and Chris Masters could play the role of enforcer for the group despite not being a second generation star.
Chris Masters also has a close relationship with Carlito as well in real life. Pairing Chris Masters up with someone like Brian Kendrick could give the tag team division some quality depth.
There's plenty of ways for WWE to use Chris Masters. He doesn't need to be used as a midcard wrestler who aimlessly does matches with random local wrestlers.

It's no secret that Chris Masters has had issues with drugs in the past.
During his previous tenure with the company, Chris Masters violated the WWE substance abuse and drug policy not just once, but twice.
After the second suspension, the company decided tha it would be best if they parted ways with Chris Masters. He was promptly released on November 8, 2007.
There were some whispers during that time that the company was releasing him with the intention of eventually bringing him back in the future.
Vince McMahon is a huge fan of Chris Masters' body and appearance.
In order to return, it's a pretty good guess that Chris Masters has been off of drugs (the belief is that his violation stemmed from steroid abuse).
It is uncertain at this point if Chris Masters' previous two drug violations would count against him now, though.

McMahon On Cena's Heel Turn

One of the writers recently suggested a heel turn for John Cena, and Vince McMahon ended up blasting him for even suggesting such a thing.

The WWE Chairman was said to be quite upset with the suggestion of turning John Cena, who happens to be one of the best merchandise sellers in the company, into a heel.

Vince McMahon was said to have ripped the writer verbally in front of the other creative team members.

There are those within the company that believe that Vince McMahon should have at least listened to the idea and not berated the writer for suggesting it. However, very few are going to call out Vince McMahon for doing that.

TNA Changing Strategy

TNA is currently discussing plans to change how the company runs house shows.

Rather than going after the big markets, the company could be shifting their attention towards the smaller towns across the country. After some extensive research, the company has discovered that they make more money in the smaller towns.

One of the main reasons why TNA is able to make more profit in smaller towns is because the costs of running shows (renting the arena, advertising the show, hiring workers, etc) in smaller town is much less.

Another reason why TNA is able to draw more money in smaller towns is because people there aren't generally accustomed to seeing big events coming into town. There's plenty of towns across the country that WWE never ventures to.

Another change in plans is that TNA is thinking about doing multiple shows by separating the wrestlers into two groups.

There's more than enough wrestlers on the roster for TNA to fill out two shows. Plus, the company would not be opposed to signing more wrestlers as long as there's a spot for them on the house shows.

Flair Causes Major Problems for ROH

Ric Flair's decision to sign a contract with WWE has caused quite the headache for Ring of Honor.

The longtime leader of the Four Horsemen recently decided to leave Ring of Honor in order to return to WWE. Ric Flair had an agreement with the 7 year old company to make special appearances and play an on-screen character.

The 2 time former WWE Heavyweight Champion signed on for some ROH appearances while he was awaiting a contract with WWE. Vince McMahon delayed the contract signing because he was occupied with the situation with the Pepsi Center (affectionately called "the Denver Debacle").

Once the contract was officially signed, Ric Flair had to pull out of the deal.

Since they believed that Ric Flair would be at these shows, both ROH and HDNet heavily promoted his appearance. When he dropped out, it left the two companies in a major jam.

In a related note, the wrestlers that were on the show were quite disappointed as well. A lot of these guys looked up to Ric Flair, and they were looking forward to being on the same show as the Nature Boy.

Hardy Upset About Kennedy's Release

While reports are going around that a handful of wrestlers were not fans of Mr Kennedy, at least one main event wrestler was supportive of him.

Jeff Hardy, a close friend of Mr Kennedy, recently spoke out about the departure.

The Charismatic Enigma stated that he was saddened by the departure. He also stated that he feels that Mr Kennedy is quite talented. Jeff Hardy was shocked when he heard about the release.

The two developed a close friendship throughout the years. The two traveled together on the road, often sharing a rental car and hotel room.

Jeff Hardy's Contract Status

See that big gray thing over there in the corner of the room? Yeah, that's an elephant. Some people are trying to ignore that elephant.
In case you're not very good with English idioms, the phrase "elephant in the room" means that there's something to painfully obvious that is being ignored.
The elephant in the room in this situation is the contract status of Jeff Hardy.
You see, every wrestling fan knows that Jeff Hardy's contract with WWE is coming close to an end soon (approximately 2 months).
Everyone also knows that he's seriously considering leaving the company so that he can have some time to himself and to pursue his other interests.
However, not everyone is willing to talk about the situation. Some are hopeful that if they don't talk about it, it just won't happen.
Those of us that live in reality know that's not the case.

Unless he has a major change of heart, Jeff Hardy is still intent on leaving WWE in August.
There, it's been said.
While the fanatics believe that "Jeff Hardy would never leave us because he loves us too much", the realists know that he's a human being. He has wants and needs like all of us.
And, right now, he wants and needs some time off from the hectic WWE schedule.
Like it or not, Jeff Hardy is a person that has a lot of interests outside of professional wrestling. He doesn't want a life that is entirely consumed by the business.
Personally, I can't fault him for that.
So, Jeff Hardy is definitely going to leave WWE. Just how long he'll be gone is the big mystery.
One thing for sure is that WWE is giving Jeff Hardy quite a bit of leeway to make his decision. He has admitted that the company is not putting pressure on him to decide immediately.

WWE has plans right now for Jeff Hardy's departure. They also have plans in case he decides to stick around.
As of right now, the company expects Jeff Hardy to take a break after the upcoming The Bash (formerly known as the Great American Bash) pay per view.
The writers have also been instructed to come up with something for Summerslam in case Jeff Hardy has a change of heart. The event is one of the biggest ones of the year, and the company would love to have the Charismatic Enigma around.
With Jeff Hardy sticking around for at least another month, it wouldn't be entirely out of the question for them to put the title on him at Extreme Rules.
Doing so would cause quite a buzz within the internet wrestling community. Many would assume that Jeff Hardy has signed another contract since the company put the title on him.
People would talk, and that's what WWE wants.

Power 25 Divas

24 - Michelle McCool
The former Divas Champion may not have been the one that picked up the pin in the Six-Diva Tag Team Match on SmackDown, but she did enough to ensure that her team could achieve victory.

21 - Maryse
In tag team action on Raw, the Divas Champion teamed with Beth Phoenix to defeat Kelly Kelly & Mickie James. The French Diva proved she is the definition of a true Diva: Sexy. Smart. Powerful.

20 - Hart Dynasty : Smith, Natalya & Kidd
The Hart Dynasty's week may have been split with a win on "WWE Superstars" and a loss on ECW, but they are certainly proving that their heritage will make them a force to be reckoned with.

18 - Melina
Luckily for the Women's Champion, she keeps her spot at No. 18 this week. But, if she is pinned again next week - whether in singles or tag team action - Melina won't be nearly as fortunate.

I Love Money : WWE

Battle Royal to become PayMaster.
Tazz vs. Shad vs. JBL vs. Big Show vs. Randy Orton vs. John Morrison
(CP vs. Hailey vs. Serial vs. NCD vs. Hailey vs. Cynbitch)

Tazz eliminates John Morrison
Big Show eliminates Randy Orton
Tazz eliminates JBL
Big Show eliminates Shad
Tazz eliminates Big Show

CP is the new PayMaster!!!

Battle Royal for Bottom 3
JTG vs. John Cena vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Finlay vs. Layla vs. Victoria
(Hailey vs. Cynbitch vs. Cynbitch vs. Mia vs. Blue vs. NCD)

John Cena eliminates Mr. Kennedy
Layla eliminates Finlay
John Cena eliminates Layla
Victoria eliminates JTG
John Cena elimiantes Victoria

Mr. Kennedy, Finlay & Layla are in danger!

I will message CP and next week, we will have another eliminated person.

Source : WrestlingRevealed