Rasslin is CHA CHA LA..LA,LA,LA,LA,LA

[Ultra Peanut]

RAW. IS. FANDANGO!
#AJALL

[Mecca]

Source: FOX Business News

Linda McMahon was on the FOX Business channel this afternoon to discuss WWE's financial strategy moving forward. McMahon said the future of WWE will be expanding their international touring, which will come at the expense of $20 million in budget cuts.

"We are reviewing all of our business lines, going through all of our operational structure, and we will take out $20 million in our operational cost structure next year," McMahon said. "We are looking at at least $20 million operational cost structure cut."

When asked whether the soft economy is a factor in their recent drop in earnings, McMahon said WWE tries to keep ticket prices down and tries to vary which markets they tour in. "We are looking across all of our revenue lines and we're going to keep costs down to manage that bottom line," McMahon said.

In the past week, WWE has released Super Crazy, Chuck Palumbo, Paul London, Kenny Dykstra, Elijah Burke and Lena Yada. Linda McMahon's statement that WWE is looking to cut upto $20 million in ooperational costs ties into several reports out there that more cuts are on the way.

That sounds like alot of people are going to be released...

[Mecca]

The views of Meltzer...

Dykstra: Acted like a dick backstage, especially after Mickie dumped him, jobbed a lot on RAW, and Michael Hayes didn't want to push him - Vince also thought Dykstra had a "swimmer's body".
Burke: Lost in the shuffle, Brian Gewirtz didn't want him on RAW when Shelton Benjamin went to ECW, was a victim of cost cutting.
Yada: Didn't seem to be motivated enough to learn how to wrestle, was stiff when conducting interviews.

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

-- It's interesting to note that Elijah Burke was originally slated to be moved to the Raw brand when Shelton Benjamin moved to ECW late last year, but head Raw writer Brian Gewirtz had no interest in using him and the plan was nixed. Around the same time, WWE had plans for Kofi Kingston to be called up to the main roster, but Gewirtz had no interest in him as well. Also, SmackDown head writer Michael Hayes didn't want him either, hence his move to ECW upon his debut.

In another interesting trivia note, Elijah Burke was originally tapped to be part of the Spirit Squad, but turned the spot down. He believed the gimmick would kill his career, so he decided to wait longer to be called up to WWE. As it turned out, considering what happened with pretty much everyone on the team, he lasted longer than everyone sans Nic Nemeth (a.k.a. Dolph Ziggler) and Kenny Dykstra, who was ironically cut the same day. Burke was called up to the SmackDown roster in a pairing with Sylvester Terkay in the summer of 2006 and with the exception of Kenny Dykstra, the Spirit Squad members were sent back down to developmental by the end of the year. Around the same time, Burke really started to get noticed in WWE and he soon became the leader of the "New Breed."

Some believed Burke had small attitude issues, but several people felt he was great with promos, and as a result, had potential to be a money star in the future. Hence, he became the lead heel of the "New Breed." However, the angle eventually ran its course and the company apparently gave up on him. Even though he was considered to be a success in his role with the "New Breed," nobody could give a good reason as to why he wasn't being used anymore, even those directly involved in the creative process.

All of the recent cuts were part of WWE's decision to release talent not being used as a result of the company's cost cutting directive. Burke had not been used since May and there were obviously no plans to use him anytime soon, hence his dismissal from the company

['Hamas' Jenkins]

http://kurtangleskeet.ytmnd.com/

[Ultra Peanut]

head Raw writer Brian Gewirtz had no interest in using him and the plan was nixed.

I hate you so much, Brian Gewirtz. I hope you die cold and alone.

Originally Posted by Mecca

I've seen some speculation that Elijah's appearance on Ghost Hunters hurt him, mainly because he was absolutely shooting on how the diva's suck and how the diva search is a complete joke.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by Ultra Peanut

I don't know that you can tar WWE with that brush. Even the "old guard" on top of Raw (Cena, Orton, Batista, Jericho) has either not been around that long or hasn't been around in a while, and guys like Punk, Kofi, Priceless, Santino, and Cryme Tyme are all getting a significant amount of screen time. Elsewhere, there's MVP, Miz and Morrison, Evan Bourne (pre-injury), Ron Killings, Mike "Do the" Knox, The Brian Kendrick and Zeke... all have been getting some decent degree of push over the past year or so.

It's not like Jeff Hardy and Vladimir Kozlov have been headlining PPVs for very long.

Punk's disappeared (although he's fighting Orton on Raw apparently), Kofi hasn't been on TV, Priceless has been humiliated repeatedly lately, Santino just lost his title (how they use him now I have no idea, I guess he's Beth's valet). Not much to say with Cryme Tyme.

MVPs getting a biblical burial, Miz and Morrison are getting the 'pushed this week, punked the next' treatment, Bourne was getting pushed, Kendrick got repeatedly jobbed by Hun-Tor in his one main event.

We'll see what they do with Killings, he's been around about to the point where they decide to stop pushing a guy and bury him.

Kozlov is awful. But he's big, so they're pushing him. Go figure.

Most or all of the guys you mention are going to be career midcarders, at the best. Who are they pushing as main-eventers?

[Mecca]

I personally enjoy how the WWE fires guys like Burke while I'm subjected to shit like Kozlov.

[Ultra Peanut]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Most or all of the guys you mention are going to be career midcarders, at the best. Who are they pushing as main-eventers?

Punk, Morrison, MVP, the Hardies, and Priceless all look well on their way to being fixtures over the next decade, regardless of the ebb or flow they're currently experiencing. I don't think Kofi's going to have as much staying power, sadly, but there's a chance he evolves his gimmick I guess. You can't expect them to just drop guys into the main event and go over everyone clean all of a sudden.

I mean, just recently Miz-N-Morrison had DX at their mercy and lost due to arrogance rather than lack of ability. Just because these promising midcarders aren't all being booked like main eventers now doesn't mean they aren't being groomed for it.

And again, Randy Orton is 28. John Cena is 31. Edge is 35. It's not like the main event scene is going to be wiped clean in the next couple of years.

[Ultra Peanut]

HAWWWDY! YOU HAVEN'T BWOKEN MWEEE! I'M STILL STANDING!

['Hamas' Jenkins]

[Ultra Peanut]

Look on this work, ye Mighty, and despair!

It's really very simple....

A wrestler called Sharkboy kept wrestling through injuries till he went into a coma at his fish themed house surrounded by his fish wife and children. The sound of broken glass healed his body and made him think he was Stone Cold Steve Austin.... but a shark!

A reerun called Eric Young is a jerk to his friends, costing them titles, opportunities, money and prestige.

A wrestler called Curry Man pretends to be Japanese by affecting a horrendously racist accent and wearing a plate of curry on his head.

All three of these guys are faces, and formed a team together called The Prince Justice Brotherhood.

There's a monster called Chris Abyss Parks-Mitchell Park who used to be a pain-loving monster but then went to an insane asylum after which he became a milkman.

There's a huge female wrestler called Awesome Kong who is one of the best female wrestlers in the world today and destroyed everyone in TNA until she was beaten by a complete nobody generic blond who proceeded to do nothing with her title for several months before Kong just went ahead and beat her again.

There's a terrorist who had the sound of a plane crashing into a building for his theme music. His gimmick is that he's a terrorist and he wants to kill Americans and America.

There's an Indian guy who constantly told his best friend he meant to steal his fiance, got made his best man, ruined his wedding, openly admitted he was trying to bang the fiance, so the fiance got angry at the other guy for overreacting, then turned on the other guy and went with the Indian. The other guy, by the way, is a black dude who thinks he is The Macho Man.

There's a couple of females whose original gimmick was that they were porno stars or sluts or something, offering to suck cock everywhere they went. Now they brutalize people by putting a paper bag over their head. Their older sister recently joined them in this.

There's a tall male slut and a little dude and a skank who pretend to play music on Guitar Hero guitars.

The world's most boring man and a drunk redneck run around beating minorities with whips and laughing about how rich they are.

There's a manchild called AJ Styles who doesn't know what the hell is going on with his life.

There's a fat stupid guy called Samoa Joe who was the World Champion. He told Kevin Nash (who was past his prime in 2000, eight years ago) that he was a useless old man. Nash decided to be his best friend, then the next week they were enemies (and talked about as if that had always been the way) and then the next week friends, with Nash openly telling everyone he meant to turn on Joe. He then spent weeks deriding Joe, telling him he was a loser, openly saying he meant to turn on him and he was going to **** him out of the title. Then he disappeared for a couple of weeks, came back, then ****ed Joe out of the title. Joe was shocked.

Former WWE main eventer/World Heavyweight Champion Booker T has started talking with a Nigerian Accent with absolutely no explanation.

Sting (who was an aging veteran in 1996) has a contract that says he only has to work Impact every so often, and some PPVs, but no house shows. He beat Samoa Joe for the title by cheating in his first match back in month, winning at Bound for Glory as he has the last three years in a row. He is supposed to be a heel but has just gone ahead and kept cutting face promos.

Jeff Jarrett (a midcarder with potential in WWF back in the mid-90s) came back after a couple of years absence, told Kurt Angle that Kurt was the best wrestler who ever lived, said he had two years of ring rust and no training and didn't want to wrestle anymore.... then accepted a match with Angle and beat him.

The latest main storyline is a reformation of the Millionaire's Club angle that was run at the end of WCW's life, shortly before the former world leader in Wrestling was bought out lock, stock and barrel by Vince McMahon for exactly $47.... which Vince never bothered to pay. It features Kevin Nash, Kurt Angle, Booker T and Sting, and they have promised to dominate the show and make sure they're the ones at the top no matter what because they're old so they deserve it. Former WWE star Christian has been forced into a match where, if he loses, he will be forced to join this club of guys looking out for each other and putting each other into the top spots.

Mick Foley, a wrestler who was at the top of wrestling during its hottest phase and yet can't possibly be worth more than a few hundred thousand dollars at the absolute maximum (dude has a wife, house, and four kids) is apparently wealthy enough to buy a significant number of TNA shares and become the new authority figure.

And deep at the heart of it all, sitting in his own personal hell and suffering through all of this with a thumping vein in his forehead, is Jim Cornette.

Dying for our sins.

[BigRock]

With Mike Adamle out, questions are swirling about Raw. To kick off Raw tonight, the entire roster of Superstars will have a chance to ask questions in "Stephanie McMahon's Raw Superstar Forum". Who will step up to the mic first?

HEY STEPH! OL' HACKSAW HERE. I WAS JUST WONDERIN'... WHUT'S YER POLICY ON MOTORBOATIN'?

BBBBBBBBUHHPUHH
BBBBBBBBUHHPUHH
BBBBBBBBUHHPUHH

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by BigRock

HEY STEPH! OL' HACKSAW HERE. I WAS JUST WONDERIN'... WHUT'S YER POLICY ON MOTORBOATIN'?

BBBBBBBBUHHPUHH
BBBBBBBBUHHPUHH
BBBBBBBBUHHPUHH

He's bringing the dildo blender!

[Ultra Peanut]

Acorn, yousa terrified of the rapping singing of Santino!

[Ultra Peanut]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Morrison stole the SCM again! That was awesome.

[Ultra Peanut]

Dolph Ziggler vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan at Survivor Series! Book it!