As we’ve been reporting here on the site, the recent surprise retirement of Edge has left the SmackDown brand in dire need of a top baby face. This is one of the main factors that led Vince McMahon to move this year’s WWE Draft from June to this Monday night’s episode of RAW.
WWE officials have discussed moving Alberto Del Rio to Raw during next Monday’s WWE Draft as he is currently penciled to headline SummerSlam against John Cena. It has also been broached for Del Rio move to the brand as World Heavyweight Champion, with The Miz, as WWE Champion, heading to SmackDown.
With that being said, the identities of who gets moved are constantly changing.
The entire mid-card, with Cody Rhodes, The Nexus, The Corre, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre and R-Truth specifically cited, are also strong candidates to change brands during the Draft.
COMMENT BELOW: We want to know who YOU think should switch brands at Monday’s Draft! If you are not already a member of SEScoops.com, REGISTER NOWand comment below!
— The Raw crew concludes their near two-week long international tour today and tomorrow in Qatar. The shows, however, will be without the “Sexy, Smart and Powerful” WWE Divas as they are prohibited from wearing clothing that doesn’t cover their legs or shoulders in public. Qatar is an Islamic country with strict dress laws.
Eve Torres and The Bella Twins, among others, have already flown back to the United States.
— Michael Cole had his Extreme Rules tag team partner, Jack Swagger, join him as a woman, who looked vaguely like the Queen of England, enter the ring and knight him on this week’s episode of Raw. The entire segment was cut from the encore telecast on Sky Sports in the UK, as well as most references to it.
This was not the only segment cut from the replay as R-Truth smoking a cigarette was also edited out.
— Donald Moore (a/k/a Dr. Cable Jones), who was released from his developmental contract with WWE in November, is considering resuming his wrestling career on the independent scene after undergoing major shoulder surgery. (Thanks to Don Tintle)
– There are already plans for a sixth Fast and Furious movie, which will likely see The Rock return to the franchise. Fast Five premiers in theaters next weekend.
– Former WWE announcer and current ESPN news correspondent Jonathan Coachman has contacted The Rock and said that he may be at RAW next Monday (5/2) from Miami.
– In an interesting bit of trivia … the WWE Championship ladder match at at Extreme Rules between Christian and Alberto Del Rio is believed to be only the second time in company history where a match guarantees that someone will become World Champion for the first time. In the rare cases when there’s a vacated title on the line, at least one of the contenders has been WWE champion before. The only other WWE match when two superstars battled for a vacant WWE championship was on March 27th, 1988 – when Randy Savage defeated Ted DiBiase in the title tournament finals at WrestleMania 4.
– Jim Ross’ BBQ sauce business seems to be doing well since WWE’s shop website started carrying the products as Ross noted on Twitter this week that their online business is up almost 200% from last year. WWE’s shop website takes domestic and international orders from fans and then places the order with JR. JR noted that they just received their biggest order ever from WWE’s shop website.
– It’s been determined that Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal cord that causes pressure on the spinal cord) is what ultimately led to the end of Edge’s WWE career. The condition is usually genetic and typically does not cause problems for people until they reach their 70’s. It is what also ended Steve Austin’s career.
With spinal stenosis, the risk of paralysis from taking a bad bump is high – and any type of regular in-ring performing would accelerate potential health problems and adversely affect the performer’s overall qualify of life.
For both Edge and Steve Austin, there is risk of their health problems worsening even after they leave wrestling – but retirement will hoefully allow both men to recover enough to live normal lives.
– Jim Ross wrote the following on Twitter this week after being with Awesome Kong in Las Vegas for the CAC Reunion convention:
“Awesome Kong can become a big star in the near future. Lots of charisma. Natural badass. I believe in her.”
– Speaking of Kong, word coming out of WWE is that even though they trademarked the name Kharma, she may not use it after all. The name she will use in WWE is still up int he air.
WWE is taping Friday’s episode of Smackdown today from the London O2 Arena in London, England.
* Michael Cole comes out to occupy The Cole Mine which features a royal looking gold and burgundy throne by it. Josh Mathews and Booker T follow.
* The World Heavyweight Championship belt is suspended above the ring.
* The show opens with a Edge video package followed by a rundown of the Extreme Rules lineup. On tonight’s show, Big Show & Kane will face Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel for the WWE Tag Team Championship and Kofi Kingston will face Wade Barrett for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
* Sir Michael Cole comes out to the British National Anthem to a ton of heat.
* Cody Rhodes comes out with three men wearing suits with one pushing a shopping cart. In the cart there are paper bags. Rhodes instructs his posse to hand out the bags to the crowd because they all need them. Everyone on the front row is given a brown paper back to put over their head. Rhodes cuts a heel promo which leads to his Wrestlemania XXVII rematch with Rey Mysterio.
* Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio. Winner via reversed powerbomb into a sit down pin, Rey Mysterio. After the match, Rhodes beats him down and they brawl on the outside. Cody finally gets the upper hand after a lengthy battle and puts a paper bag over Mysterio’s head.
* Michael Cole introduces Jack Swagger after footage from his Knighting Ceremony from this week’s WWE Raw airs.
* Jack Swagger vs. Trent Barreta. Swagger makes him tap out in the ankle lock in a squash match.
* Big Show and Kane are shown walking backstage to the ring as their match for the WWE Tag Team Championship is up next.
* The new Awesome Kong vignette airs.
* For the WWE Tag Team Championship, Big Show & Kane vs. Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel w/Ezekiel Jackson. Winners & new WWE Tag Team Champions, Big Show & Kane. They got the win after miss-communication from The Corre.
* Backstage, The Corre argue and Ezekiel Jackson blames Heath Slater. Slater pushes Justin Gabriel.* Drew McIntyre vs. Chris Masters. Winner after hitting the Future Shock DDT, Drew McIntyre
* Wade Barrett b. Kofi Kingston to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Ezekiel Jackson came out with Barrett but when he nearly cost him the match by accidentally clotheslining him, Barrett banished him to backstage.
* Alberto Del Rio hosts a retirement party for Edge. He comes out and unveils his gifts to the Rated R Superstar… A grandfather clock, adult diapers and the love of his life Lita. Out comes a very obese lady posing as Lita. Del Rio also says he got him a new ride. Ricardo Rodriguez drives a mobile scooter out to an Edge-like entrance. Del Rio tells Brodus Clay to attack Edge (who is on the ramp) but as Clay goes up the ramp Christian is hiding under the ring with a ladder. He attacks Clay on the ramp then takes out Del Rio. Christian gets in the ring with the ladder and grabs the World Heavyweight Championship from up top. Edge applauds from the ramp to end the show.
— Vickie Guerrero introduced the “new and improved” Dolph Ziggler on Monday’s episode of Raw as he unveiled a freshly trimmed head of brown hair just before facing Evan Bourne.
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion is not thrilled with his new ‘do as he wrote the following on his personal Facebook account the morning after the show: “I feel like ‘bender’ from Futurama, when they chopped off his antenna….”
— Tyler Reks is in action on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars as he faces JTG. Also featured is Maryse vs. Natalya and Mark Henry vs. Ted DiBiase.
The episode is available here.
— Alicia Fox has replaced Melina on the last leg of Raw’s ongoing tour of Europe. The brand’s tour concludes Saturday in Doha, Qatar.
According to ESPN the Magazine, UFC star Brock Lesnar made $5.3 million from fighting in 2010.
Lesnar is getting paid huge money to crush his opponents in the ring – and that’s because when he’s fighting on a UFC event, it’s virtually guaranteed to be a blockbuster success.
In 2010, Brock Lesnar joined Mike Tyson as the only fighters to ever draw over 1 million pay-per-view buys in a single year. Tyson actually did it three times in 1996.
While Lesnar’s heavyweight annual income looks great, it pales in comparison to boxing champion Manny Pacquiao who took home a staggering $32 million in 2010.
On the surface, this looks boxing look like a far more lucrative sport for potential fighters to get into. By that standard, guys like Lesnar, Georges St. Pierre should be making much more than Lesnar made in 2010. MMA promoters argue that MMA has dozens of fighters that make over $500,000 a year, while there are only a handful of boxers making big money.
Credit to John Benoit and PWInsider.com for the following TNA iMPACT! tapings results, set to air on Thursday, April 28th on Spike:
* Impact opens with Karen and Jeff Jarrett coming out. Karen demands all the Knockouts come out as she is sure one of them was Kurt Angle’s mistress. She goes down the Knockouts one by one and comes down to Velvet Sky. She rips apart Sky, who goes to slap Karen but Jeff ends up taking the slap. Winter and Angelina Love go after Velvet…
* Angelina Love defeated Velvet Sky via submission when Sky passed out to a Love submission. Love was doing the trance deal where nothing hurt her when Sky was on the offense.
* Anarquia defeated Chris Sabin. Mexican America worked over Sabin until the returning Alex Shelley made the save. Mexican America noted they were going to celebrate Cinco del Mayo next week.
* Gunner defeated Christopher Daniels.
* Backstage Sting destroys Mr. Anderson’s truck and leaves his bat in the windshield before leaving.
* Crimson vs. Samoa Joe ended in a no contest when Abyss attacked Crimson and laid him out with a Black Hole Slam.
* New TNA Knockouts champion Mickie James cuts a promo dedicating her title win to the fans and thanks them for their support.
* TNA champion Sting defeated Bully Ray and Mr. Anderson. Great match with all three getting a decent amount of offense in. Bully Ray played his ultra heel great in this match. Bully used a steel pipe on Sting after a ref bump. AJ Styles came out and attacked Ray. Sting used the pipe on Ray and scored the pin.
Monday Night Mayhem with Stacy Keibler
Hosts: The Big Mosh and “The Chairman of the Board” Todd Vincent
Report by Paterson.
Airs every Monday at 7:00 P.M. (EST)
Show available at MondayNightMayhem.com.
Her thoughts on guest-starring on this week’s episode of WWE Tough Enough & whether or not she sees this as the first step in returning to the WWE in the near future: “For right now, this is something I did with them, but I don’t have any plans for wrestling officially and coming back & being on the road every week. It was so great to be back in the family, and seeing everybody, and to watch these kids. It’s really fun to see them so eager to become a part of this business.”
The experience of working again & teaming up with Trish Stratus on Tough Enough: “It was so fun, and it brought back a lot of memories. It’s been a couple of years since we worked together. We spent so much time on the road together traveling & working. It was just really great to catch up and just have fun with each other.”
How she defines the era she was a part of in the WWE Divas division & why she would “like to do something together” in the future with her fellow WWE Diva alumni: “I feel like we were all part of an era that was a really special time in wrestling, and I feel so lucky to be there then. It was just so much fun, with excitement & energy going on. With Vince buying WCW, it was an important transitional moment for the business, and I’m very lucky I was a part of it. I saw Torrie (Wilson) the other day, and I think we would all like to do something together. It would be so fun to feel that energy, and be together, and do something fun.”
Former WWE star Sean “X-Pac” Waltman feels John Morrison should apologize for his unprofessional conduct towards Trish Stratus at WrestleMania XXVII.
“I think he should be ashamed,” Waltman wrote on Twitter. “I think he owes Trish a public apology, and deserves to be in doghouse. Total bullshit.”
He continued, “I lost a lot of respect for Morrison over that. He may not care, but he f’n should.”
The former WWE Women’s Champion stated during a radio interview two weeks ago that Morrison gave her the cold shoulder during their post-match celebration. She also said that he rejected her suggestions during pre-match planning.
Company sources indicate that he and/or his girlfriend Melina believe Stratus took the WrestleMania spot away from the Diva regular, hence Morrison’s behavior towards her.
Those on Morrison’s side say as he was laying out the match with Stratus, she was insisting that her trademark spots be featured, which led to his resentment. The complaint was that Stratus wanted to be the “star” of the match when its intention was for Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi to garner mainstream attention for WWE. Also, the match was also under extreme time constraints and Morrison should have been treated as a rising star as opposed to “just another guy.”
While Stratus is generally regarded well behind the scenes, she has had her share of detractors over the years. She was not popular during her early years in the promotion and there have been complaints of her being arrogant, self-centered and phony. Former WWE announcer Kevin Kelly, who worked with Stratus from 2000 to 2003, was particularly negative towards her during a 2007 “shoot” interview and alleged that she engaged in a sexual relationship with Vince McMahon. Stratus also received a lot of heat from WWE officials for refusing to participate in the 25-Diva Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXV. She reportedly declined working the match because she was not guaranteed she would win. More recently, Stratus drew the ire of numerous Divas as they believe she “took their spots” at WrestleMania XXVII.
Seldom seen WWE talent Harry Smith (a/k/a David Hart Smith) apparently has plans to cross over from professional wrestling to mixed martial arts. His mother, Diana Smith, wrote on Twitter that he plans on following his father and grandfather’s trail as a shoot fighter.
“My son Harry Smith is quite the shoot fighter, does everyone know that?” she wrote. “He is following in his dad Davey’s and Grandfather Stu’s footsteps.”
Diana also believes he is good enough to compete in a premiere mixed martial arts organization today.
“I actually think my son Harry Smith could compete in Pride, MMA/UFC now as a high level wrestler, he’s honestly that good! Ask Josh Barnett.”
Barnett, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, said last year in an interview that he has been training the WWE Superstar in catch wrestling. Smith can be seen sparring with Barnett in the DVD seminar W.A.R. Catch Wrestling: Lessons in Catch-As-Catch-Can with Billy Robinson.
CagesideSeats.com reported last month that Smith became an assistant coach in the Scientific Wrestling certification program under Catch-As-Catch-Can-Wrestling legend Billy Robinson. Smith earned the designation after logging over 100 hours of training with Robinson and receiving his approval to teach his concepts.
Robinson stated to Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer that if he personally trained Smith for 18 months, he could win the UFC Heavyweight Championship—he was that impressed by him in the time they sparred.
Smith, however, remains under contract to WWE, which prohibits him from joining a mixed martial arts organization. While no indication has been given that the third generation wrestler is leaving WWE, his future prospects with the entertainment empire appear grim as he finds himself in a bigger rut than his 2007-2008 stint on the main roster where he primarily competed on WWE Heat. Sans an appearance in the 22-Man Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXVII, Smith has not competed in over two months; his last match occurred on the February 17, 2011 episode of WWE Superstars. Even further, Smith has not competed in a match on Monday Night Raw in nearly six months. He last appeared on the program on December 6, 2010, which saw him lose to former tag team partner Tyson Kidd in a blow off match. He was then laid out by Kidd’s short-lived bodyguard Jackson Andrews.
— Britani Knight, a women’s wrestler from the UK, is denying online reports that she has signed a contract with WWE.
Knight wrote on her Facebook page today: “Woahhh thanks the congratulations but i dont even know whats going on yet! Hopefully though guys fingers crossed!”
Knight, who currently reigns as the Pro-Wrestling: EVE Champion, participated in a tryout before WWE officials this week. She also had a tryout with WWE last November.
— WWE Monday Night Raw on July 18, 2011 will be held at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
— WWE is holding a live event on July 22, 2011 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. Tickets go on sale May 21, 2011.
The UK Sun has published a new interview with WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart, which you can read here in its entirety. One of the more interesting quotes was about WWE eliminating the word “wrestling” from the company name and on television.
Hart explains that no matter what you call the company – WWE will always be about wrestling – and takes a swipe at Hulk Hogan in the process (it’s hard to resist):
“I’m kind of scratching my head about that. I don’t know that it makes any difference. Wrestling is wrestling. Call it whatever name you want, it’s still wrestling. I think WWE is synonymous with wrestling. If WWE doesn’t stand for World Wrestling Entertainment then what does it stand for?”
“It may be a case of Vince trying to monopolise wrestling even more than he has. I think a lot of the wrestlers today, judging by the styles they have, they are wrestlers. They are not bodybuilders or powerlifters or strongmen like in the days of Hulk Hogan, where it was more the look. The young stars today don’t want to be Hulk Hogan. They want to be Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels.
John Morrison was interviewed by The Miami Herald this week. Here are some highlights of what Morrison said about:
Recent Changes to His Character: “I think the main reason people take me more seriously now is my beard. I think that is the thing that has made the John Morrison character turn the corner and become looked at as a title contender. As someone people see or could see me in the ring with John Cena, The Rock and Steve Austin, even The Miz. I can’t believe I just said that, but The Miz is there. He is the WWE champion. All those guys were or are at the top for a reason. The more serious attitude, the aggression and the anger is something Johnny Nitro never had and John Morrison had been lacking prior to this year. I think I tapped into some very real things as would any method actor would.”
Climing The Ranks in WWE: “When you get into sports entertainment, your goal is to become WWE champion. How do you get that? That is like asking someone how to get a promotion. There are a lot of answers, but there is no clear cut, ‘This is what you got to do.’
“It’s frustrating. I see myself as a perfectionist, an almost obsessive compulsive workout fiend. The things I can control I give a hundred percent all the time. I workout, pay attention and study. I do all that stuff. To not be able to achieve the level of success I want, dreamed of as a kid and feel I deserve is part of what really led me to show that aggressive streak and show that anger and frustration in the ring. It’s something that is real. It’s something that is really happening to me.”
WrestleMania 28 from Miami: “I love Miami. I’m stoked that we are going there next year. If we are not going to be in Los Angeles, we may as well be in Miami. I love the sun. Next year I hope and expect to be main eventing WrestleMania. I want to come in as WWE champion or world champion or be involved in a WWE championship or world championship match.”
The ratings are in for Monday’s episodes of Tough Enough (Week 3) and WWE RAW from London, England.
– Monday night’s episode of WWE Tough Enough scored a 1.53 rating with 2,196,000 viewers. This is down from the previous week’s 1.81 rating and is the lowest rating for Tough Enough so far.
– This week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW scored a 3.1 cable rating with 4.7 million viewers. This is down from last week’s 3.45 rating.
Overall, Tough Enough could be alright settling in around a 1.5 .. RAW is back down to pre-WrestleMania numbers, a sign that some of the excitement has died down – especially with much of the big name talent (Rock, Austin, Trish) that helped RAW inch closer to the elusive 4.0 mark around ‘Mania time.
— WWE ordered O2 Arena security to confiscate all signs from fans relating to Zack Ryder at yesterday’s Monday Night Raw taping at in London, England.
The Raw Superstar has been encouraging fans to bring Ryder related signs to WWE events, such as “Broski of the Week.” He often goes on Twitter acknowledging Ryder signs shown on television. He asked for an image of the “Zack Ryder = Ratings” sign that briefly appeared on Raw. That too was confiscated.
Ryder was backstage at last night’s show, but was not used.
— Regarding next Monday’s 2011 WWE Draft, changes are not expected to go into effect until May 2, the night after Extreme Rules.
Creative has overhauled the script for the May 2 Raw due to panicking and bumping the annual Draft from June to next week.
— WWE developmental wrestler Maxine celebrates her 25th birthday today. The former NXT contestant currently reigns as the General Manager of FCW.
On Monday’s episode of RAW, John Morrison called out R-Truth for being out of shape due to his habit of smoking cigarettes. Morrison defeated Truth and took his spot in the WWE title match at Extreme Rules, leading to a beat on Morrison by R-Truth. R-Truth then got a pack of cigarettes from a fan at ringside and lit up a cigarette, blowing smoke on the beaten body of John Morrison.
According to TMZ.com, the largest anti-tobacco organization in the world is now demanding an apology from WWE for the segment, which they call borderline evil.
Patrick Reynolds, Executive Director of TobaccoFree.org, is demanding a public apology from R-Truth for smoking in front of children on a broadcast that’s promoted as family entertainment. Reynolds told TMZ.com:
“For him to smoke in front of [children] is irresponsible. At best, it’s thoughtless, and at worst, if he calculated appealing to kids by posing as a bad-boy outlaw, it’s evil.”
In response, WWE issued the following statement to TMZ.com:
“The negative effect smoking has on one’s health and physical performance was a part of a storyline on last night’s Monday Night Raw. Negative depictions of tobacco use on television are not unusual and can be seen on other TV-PG shows.”
What do you think about the situation? COMMENT BELOW and tell us if WWE should apologize for R-Truth’s smoking on RAW.
WWE issued a press release on Monday afternoon announcing this year’s WWE Draft will be taking place next week on RAW. As part of the announcement, WWE speculated about the ramifications of possible talent trades we could see next Monday night – including John Cena moving to SmackDown and Rey Mysterio on RAW.
This week, an email was sent out by North Carolina’s Greensboro Coliseum to fans who are attending the April 26th SmackDown taping (the night after the WWE draft) – and John Cena is being advertised for the show.
Cena does make occasional appearances on SmackDown, so there might not be bigger implications to Cena appearing on SmackDown the night after the Draft.
— Sting surprised a lot of people by stating during a recent interview with The Daily Star that he was offered a match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVII as well as a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame. People within WWE have said that there were no formal talks between Sting and the organization. They also say that Sting was not offered a match against The Undertaker, but there was informal talk regarding a legends contract and a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, TNA Wrestling sources believe Sting was telling the truth on WWE’s interest level.
— WWE has released the first-ever digital issue of WWE Magazine. It features exclusive wallpapers, vintage vignettes, an interactive quiz and a real-time fan poll. It costs 99 cents and features The Undertaker on the cover. A preview is available here.
— WWE returns to the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 4:00 p.m.
— WWE announced Tuesday morning via Joey Styles that Randy Orton will face CM Punk in a Last Man Standing Match Sunday at Extreme Rules.
Orton cleanly defeated Punk in a fifteen minute match last night on Raw. It was a re-match from their bout at WrestleMania, which was also won by Orton.
— After R-Truth mercilessly attacked John Morrison last night on Raw, the WWE Superstar grabbed cigarettes from an audience member and blew smoke in Morrison’s face. Earlier, The Shaman of Sexy derided his former tag team partner for his smoking habit and challenged him for his position in the title match at Extreme Rules, which he won.
R-Truth’s bit with the cigarettes did not air during the Raw broadcast in the UK.
— Kofi Kingston’s was advertised for yesterday’s SmackDown live event in Liverpool, but did not compete. He did, however, appear alongside the SmackDown roster, who entered the arena to congratulate Edge after saying farewell.
— Former WWE star Jim Neidhart was arrested yesterday for driving without a license and for operating an unregistered vehicle after being pulled over at 1800 Orient Road in Tampa, Florida. He was released after paying a $750 surety bond.
— Former WWE Divas Champion Jillian Hall returns to the ring for Family Wrestling Entertainment in Brooklyn, New York on May 14 at St. Finbar’s Gym. She will face TNA Knockout Winter in her return match. Tickets are on sale at fwewrestling.com. Eric Young will also be on hand for the event.
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson” appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! tonight on ABC.
— WWE is holding an event on November 11, 2011 at the O2 Arena in London, England. Tickets go on sale April 20, 2011.
– Teenage independent wrestlers Zak and Britani Knight are getting tryouts with WWE at the SmackDown tapings from London today. They are brother and sister and their parents have been involved in the UK wrestling scene for years. This will be the second evaluation for Britani, who had a tryout with WWE back in November of 2010.
– WWE announced today in a press release that they will reveal their 2011 first quarter financial results on May 5th. Vince McMahon will host a conference call that morning at 11am.
– After yesterday’s RAW tapings from London, John Cena and Randy Orton beat CM Punk and The Miz in the dark main event. A fan who was at the show said that Punk and The Miz goofed off for most of the match, with Punk hiding in the Cole Mine and doing a splash ala Earthquake.
– WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels is now available through Encore Sports for acting, commercials, print ads, endorsements, licensing deals, autograph signings, public speaking, corporate events or other appearances. For serious business inquiries, e-mail Luke Munson at lmunson@encoresports.com.
– WWE Hall of Famer Sunny has changed her Twitter name to @WWEHOFerSunny.
– WWE’s shop website has released a new Tough Enough Shielded t-shirt and new Bring It elbow pads for The Rock.
– WWE is holding an event on November 11th, 2011 at the O2 Arena in London, England. Tickets go on sale April 20th, 2011. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
With the dust starting to settle following Edge’s surprise retirement, new details are coming in regarding Edge’s final days as an active competitor and what’s next for the Rated R Superstar.
In the months leading up to WrestleMania 27, Edge had been suffering increasing numbness in his arms and hands as well as periods of uncontrollable trembling. Based on the findings of the medical tests that ultimately led to Edge’s career being cut short, it’s nothing short of alarming that Edge was booked for a ladder match in 2 weeks when doctors now say that one bad bump could have left him paralyzed or worse.
Very few people knew of the severity of the situation and virtually nobody had any idea that WrestleMania 27 would be the end of Edge’s storied career.
From what we’re hearing, WWE creative had storylines written for Edge through and beyond Extreme Rules on May 1st. The announcement of Edge’s retirement came as a shock to almost everyone in the company. The news of Edge’s MRI results and mandatory retirement was not public knowledge until the crew showed up for RAW last Monday, just hours before Edge broke the news on live television.
Edge’s final WWE match came after the April 5th SmackDown tapings in Charlotte, North Carolina. Edge, in street clothes, teamed with Christian, Big Show, Rey Mysterio and Triple H to defeat the team of Alberto Del Rio and The Corre.
Edge is currently with the WWE crew overseas for the WrestleMania Revenge tour and has been doing retirement speeches at the live events. Edge has been telling fans that when the decision was made for him to retire last week, WWE wanted to pull him from the tour but he insisted that he go anyway to say goodbye to the fans.
– WWE will tape Friday’s epiosde of SmackDown this afternoon from the O2 Arena in London, England. Confirmed for SmackDown is a WrestleMania Rematch with Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio and a retirement party for Edge hosted by Alberto Del Rio.
WWE will also tape NXT today from London. We will have live spoiler coverage around 3pm EST today.
– Prior to Monday’s taped episode of WWE RAW aired on the USA Network, R-Truth post the following spoiler on his Twitter account:
“Being mr nice guy got me no where! I lost my chance to become WWE champion! Wait’al they get a load of me!”
When his Twitter followers began complaining that he spoiled RAW, Truth deleted the deleted the tweet. Oops! Spoiling a big angle on RAW is a good way for Truth to get heel heat.
– Jim Ross wrote the following comments on Twitter after last night’s RAW:
“Well….not exactly what I had in mind tonight from London. However, paybacks are hell. Ham & egg announcers knocking me are laughable.
“As Chris Farley said in Tommy Boy, ‘Me need sleepy.’ Extreme Rules tag will be bowling shoe ugly but it will be fun…I hope.”