Flair & WWE Part WaysThe much anticipated return of Ric Flair to WWE has ended.
Wrestling fans spent weeks debating whether or not it would be proper for Ric Flair to come out of retirement and start wrestling for WWE again. Well, those debates started heating up even more when Ric Flair did officially agree to return to the company.
At the very least, Ric Flair was scheduled to be a regular on-screen performer for the company. WWE released some false rumors on to the internet that hinted that he was going to become the general manager of Raw. However, it was a move that fans were really looking forward to.
It wasn't still entirely clear as to whether or not Ric Flair was going to be wrestling as we well.
Wrestling fans will probably never know since Ric Flair and WWE have decided to no longer go through with the deal.
Ric Flair is said to be seriously wanting to return to a wrestling ring. If he wasn't able to do that for WWE, then he was going to seek other opportunities to do so. There have been several offers from wrestling promotions from other parts of the world to have the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion working matches.
With that in mind, WWE decided that it would be best to terminate the deal. The company really wanted more control over Ric Flair's schedule. If he was going to be working for them, it had to be a full time commitment, which was something that Ric Flair was worried about. The former leader of the Four Horsemen previously had left the company because he wanted more control of his own schedule.
Warrior Bashes Michael JacksonDays after legendary musician Michael Jackson passed away, several wrestlers gave their feedback on how much he meant to them. Chris Jericho, in particular, was deeply saddened by the loss of Michael Jackson. Other wrestlers shared their memories and provided fond words.
Warrior (formerly known as the Ultimate Warrior) was not included in that group. In fact, he had some pretty harsh words about Michael Jackson and his death. The following is what he had to say through his official blog.
Quote:
"I imagine all the crying about the death of this recent drug-soused entertainment freak has most to do with the unfortunate inconvenience that the other drug-soused entertainment freaks now face. They will have to look for another local, safe and reputable babysitter. No longer will they be able to drop their kids off down the street at Jacko's to be watched for the afternoon and spend some play time with his own kids." | "I imagine all the crying about the death of this recent drug-soused entertainment freak has most to do with the unfortunate inconvenience that the other drug-soused entertainment freaks now face. They will have to look for another local, safe and reputable babysitter. No longer will they be able to drop their kids off down the street at Jacko's to be watched for the afternoon and spend some play time with his own kids." |
The former WWE Heavyweight Champion has been known to make controversial comments throughout the years (including some pretty harsh words towards the gay community).
Taz responds to FrancineThe war of words between two former ECW Originals is heating up.
Francine, one of the most memorable performers from the original ECW, recently ran a charity wrestling event featuring many of the former ECW wrestlers. One of the former ECW stars that she invited to attend the event was Taz.
Taz, however, did not attend the event. So, during the event, Francine took the opportunity to call out Taz and bash him for not attending the charity event.
When word got back to Taz, he felt the desire to respond to these shots. He stated that he wanted to spend his 90 day "no compete" period with his family, knowing that he's going to have to be on the road once he starts up with TNA. He stated that there were other invited ECW wrestlers that did not attend. Taz also stated that he has donated money in the past to this particular charity.
Edge and Jericho Win Tag TitlesWhen the Bash pay per view started, Chris Jericho was advertised to defend the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Rey Mysterio. Edge wasn't even advertised for a match despite being one of the biggest stars in the company.
By the end of the pay per view, though, both men are in possession of two championship belts each.
WWE decided to pull a swerve and add a third team to the tag team title match at the Bash. They pulled an even bigger swerve when it was revealed that Edge & Chris Jericho would be teaming together.
The two managed to pick up the win against Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase and Carlito & Primo Colon.
Edge & Chris Jericho are now your Unified Tag Team Champions.
This is a brilliant move on so many levels.
For one, it makes the Unified Tag Team Championship meaningful again. Carlito & Primo Colon did absolutely nothing to elevate the championship because management didn't put any of the spotlight on them.
Edge & Chris Jericho are guys that can't avoid the spotlight because they're just so talented. Having the belts in their possession means that it will receive the spotlight as well.
Secondly, this allows Edge & Chris Jericho to have something to do while they're out of the World Heavyweight Championship scene. It doesn't hurt to have main event wrestlers stepping away from the title picture for a bit.
With these guys in this role, they can be used to elevate the midcard wrestlers on the roster.
If WWE was interested in actually pushing Cryme Tyme, then they can be thrown in a tag team title feud with Edge & Chris Jericho. Imagine how hilarious Edge & Chris Jericho can be in this situation.
Plus, with the duo being the tag team champions, that means that they can now be used on all three brands. An appearance in ECW to taunt real life friend Christian could provide a mark out moment for fans who have been waiting for that to happen.
With WWE going with the decision to make CM Punk a full blown heel, the company knew that they needed to have another big heel attraction to go along with the Straight Edge Superstar.
It doesn't get much bigger than the combination of Chris Jericho & Edge. You're talking about two of the most entertaining heels in the business.
If CM Punk's title programs aren't really pulling in the audience, then WWE can always lean on Chris Jericho & Edge to come through on their end.
Nothing against CM Punk. He's an extremely talented performer (quite underrated, in fact). However, he simply doesn't have the drawing power of Edge & Chris Jericho does yet.
In order for WWE to be able to take a risk on a world champion that isn't quite there yet (in terms of drawing power), they're going to need a strong secondary act to go along with it.
Edge Discusses Working With Christian AgainEdge feels that if WWE is going to have him working with Christian, then it needs to happen sooner rather than later.
In a recent radio interview, Edge was asked about the possibility of working with his childhood friend Christian, who recently returned to WWE after a couple of years down in TNA. Since the two have been in the same company again, wrestling fans have been begging for an on-screen reunion to take place.
Edge stated that a reunion (whether it's as a tag team or as enemies) needs to take place soon. He knows that there are still enough fans in the audience that remembers their history together. He also hopes that those fans will tell the younger fans about their history together as well.
The fear is that the reunion is going to take too long to take place that it ends up happening without much momentum at all.
Lilian Garcia to Leave WWEIn 1975, Howard Finkel became the first ever employee for the World Wide Wrestling Federation, the company that was owned and operated by Vince McMahon Sr.
For the next 25 years, he was known as the voice of WWE. His announcing duties with the company made him familiar to every single wrestling fan on the planet.
When he was ready to step down from his role, the company knew how big of a pair of shoes that he was leaving behind for someone to replace. Regardless of how well the next person would do, there was going to be some initial resentment from fans who had grown accustomed to Howard Finkel.
A lot of people fear change and instantaneously show resentment towards it.
As expected, Lilian Garcia was not immediately welcomed with open arms by wrestling fans. Every mistake that she made was magnified by the fear of change that the audience had lingering inside of them.
After a while, though, people began warming up to Lilian Garcia. She started becoming a beloved character through the years. Those years kept counting up. The diva/announcer has been with the company for an entire decade now.
The company had already taken steps towards replacing Lilian Garcia well before the internet wrestling community knew about her departure.
When she informed the company that she was leaving, WWE immediately went out and placed some ads on various employment websites. They clearly stated that they were looking for a new ring announcer.
Based on the ad, it's quite obvious that WWE is looking for a female ring announcer that is also easy on the eyes. One of the added value of Lilian Garcia was that she is attractive enough for the company to use in photoshoots.
Since people in general are afraid of change, you can be sure that the new ring announcer (whoever she may be) will be faced with some resentment during the first few months of her tenure.
It is then up the new ring announcer to try to win over the fans like Lilian Garcia did.
Through her official website, Lilian Garcia has announced to wrestling fans that she will be leaving WWE when her contract expires later on this year.
Lilian Garcia's official reason for her departure is that she is ready to move on to the next phase in her life.
The New York City resident stated that she wanted to focus more on her music career. She also plans on getting married this year. In order to do both of those things, she's going to need more time.
A couple of wrestling fans have already began to wonder if she would show up in TNA. It's not entirely out of the question. The company could choose to hire her for pay per view appearances, which would mean that she's only required to work once a month.
When you're building a brand, it helps to have familiar faces for your customer base to associate with.
Lilian Garcia isn't just a familiar face, but she's also a familiar voice now with wrestling fans.
Source : WrestlingRevealed 
