Wrestling Discussion: WWE, TNA, ECW, etc.

[Q Steph]

What's the situation with Melina/Batisa/Booker/Sharmell? Is this a love quad? I've read that Melina and one of her Nitro boys were suspended and are dating. But I also read she was seeing Batista and got into a fight w/ Sharmell.

I hope ECW will truly be its own brand.

I can't wait to get the WW 22 DVD.

I just finished watching the Rise & Fall of ECW. So sad. I'm glad it's back!

[Ryan]

ECW will be it's own brand. They will have a time slot on the Sci-Fi Network (also owned by NBC universal). It is expected they will have a 13 week trial run.

The whole Batista/Booker T situation was about some tension between the two. The locker room was already angry that Batista was openly against being moved to SD b/c he considered it to be the "B" show. He would praise RAW and bash SD. His ego also got a bit too big after becoming champion. During the SummerSlam Commercial Shoot, he mentioned how the ratings have dropped since he's been injured (which is true. They went down almost a an entire rating point. Over a million lost. However, since Rey's been champ the numbers have been improving again). Anyways, lots of frustration came out during the shoot and Batista made a comment that pissed off Booker.

Batista mentioned something about Booker living off his WCW career instead of making a new one in the WWE. This pissed off Booker b/c he's been in the business for over 20 years and told Batista that he doesn't know a damn thing about wrestling. They got into a REAL fight.

Dunno much about the Melina/Sharmell fight, except that Melina's been a real bitch lately. It started when she began dating Batista and has continued into her relationship with John Hennigan (Johnny Nitro). Since they've been dating, he's been keeping to himself. One thing the WWE guys pride themselves in doing is having a strong relationship with each other backstage. Both Melina/Nitro were taken to "court" backstage and their attitudes were addressed.

It is rumored that Nitro/Melina will be moved to RAW. Mercury will be taking some time off for some personal problems and will more than likely be a part of the ECW brand (he used to be in ECW).

[Danni]

Rumor has it that the Batista/Booker T fight is just a work. I don't believe the Batista/Melina relationship since Batista is married, and Melina's been with Nitro since they were down in OVW. Mick Foley actually had a blog stating that the belief that Melina's some arrogant stuck up !@#$%^&*] is unfounded. He thinks that she's a very shy girl, and the other wrestlers mistake her shyness with arrogance.

[Q Steph]

Thanks guys for the gossip!

[Ryan]

Batista and his wife have been separated for a while now. He and Melina had a relationship during the separation. They have reconciled.

[Danni]

Wait, so when did Melina and Nitro start their relationship? I thought that was while they were down in OVW.

[Q Steph]

Wrestling is such a soap opera.

WWE should address Stephanie's pregnancy and announce that HHH is the Daddy if they're pitting HHH v. Vince.

Raw was actually fresh and good last night. Mick finally made a complete turn. It's hard for the crowd to hate him.

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There was a backstage incident at a Smackdown house show over the weekend between Melina and Sharmell. This was a by product of the incident between Batista and Booker T.

One of the reasons, though not the main reason for the heat between Booker and Batista is Melina's close relationship with Batista. Melina also reportedly has an attitude and was taken to wrestler's court and given a hard time over that at one point. Batista has let it be known on more than one occasion that he isn't happy that Melina has heat with some on the roster.

Johnson reports the incident as a "huge, screaming pull apart fight" that took place between Melina and Sharmell. JBL was involved, trying to stop it and bring peace between the two. BTW, in the fight between Booker T and Batista, many sources have said that it was Booker who had the upper hand.

Some wrestlers are saying that Batista and Melina are WAY too close, especially given the fact that Melina is involved romantically with another "one of the guys", that being Johnny Nitro.

John Laurenitis had a talk last night at the Smackdown tapings with the entire roster regarding these incidents.

-PWInsider

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Multiple sources say that Booker T got the better of Batista in their fight, to the point that some say Booker "dominated" and it was "one-sided," and that Booker clearly had the edge in terms of street fighting experience. "The only shot Batista got in was a sucker punch as they were being pulled apart," says one WWE wrestler.

A number of people say the fight definitely started over Booker taking exception with Batista showing sign of having an attitude and carrying himself like he is above others. One defender of Batista says that he watched how other top guys carry themselves, and felt it was best to emulate them, and that just because he's good at "presenting himself like a champion," some guys interpret that as him being aloof. The locker room, though, is said to be almost 100 percent behind Booker and he has become somewhat of a locker room hero. One current Smackdown wrestler says, "Everyone thinks Batista got a big head over the last year."

There was also a very personal comment that Booker made, but it sounds as if it came during a heated exchange after they were pulled apart, and it did not cause the fight to begin.

There is a track record of Batista making public comments that give insight into what rubs the Smackdown locker room the wrong way.

He told the UK Sun last year, before he was moved to Smackdown in the Draft Lottery, regarding a Raw-Smackdown rivalry: "I don't consider it a rivalry at all. We're a better show, period. There's no comparison. I feel for Smackdown, I just don't know what's going on over there. I try to watch the shows but, for me, they're hard to sit through. And that really makes me sick as it should be a top show. I've watched their tapings live and it seems like a lot of the guys couldn't care less. There's a lack of passion and pride. They need the stress of a live show on them, like we have. A lot of them think: 'Oh, it's taped. If I mess up, we'll just redo it.' They're more worried about where they're going after the show, which also makes me sick because it means they're not there to work."

In a follow-up interview with the UK Sun, he was asked if he got heat for those comments. He said: "Oh yes - tons of heat! I got lectured by Vince McMahon, The Undertaker, and all the way down. I had good friends who just turned on me. Well, I thought they were good friends. Some of them are not with the company now. But I spoke from my heart then and I still feel that today. Maybe I chose the wrong forum to voice that opinion, but I was speaking from the heart. When we were having that discussion we were talking about the competition between Raw and Smackdown. I didn't mention anybody on Raw, but there were guys on Raw I had the same sentiment about - who were absolutely lazy, had no passion, and I thought should not be there. The same goes now. I'm putting my foot in my mouth again, but I still think there are guys on both shows who are lazy, couldn't care less, and show no dedication. But we're slowly weeding those guys out. I want everybody in this company to work as hard as me, Triple H, and The Undertaker do. I want them to sack the guys who lack the passion for this business and this company; I don't want them to be part of my show. Some of the guys who I think should be on their way out the door are still being given opportunities to shine, and it's up to them to take the bull by the horns and show that they really want to be out there."

Regarding JBL, he said: "It was very difficult (working with him) and I was a little disappointed with our matches. JBL and I have absolutely zero chemistry. Enough said about that."

He also spoke out about TNA and specifically A.J. Styles: "I've actually not ever watched any of their shows. I saw a press conference that they did, which I wasn't very impressed with. I've also seen clips of their car wreck matches with A.J. Styles doing his stunts. That's not wrestling. Wrestling is storytelling. But at the same time, I have friends in TNA and I wish them the best. Those type of matches definitely have their place, it's just not my thing. I also welcome the competition, which I think can only be good for the wrestling business." (When Samoa Joe was asked about it in his Live Journal, he said: "Ehh its not even worth it, I hope your opinion of others made you feel better about yourself.")

There is no word yet on whether either was formally disciplined for the fight, but there were people in the company who felt it was deserved and inevitable so there were no accusations of double-standards in the future.

WWE.com interviewed Batista about the fight the day after it interviewed Booker T. He said: "We had to get past this. It had been brewing for a long time. It's over. We will agree to disagree. We won't be friends, but we will work together. I can promise you we won't cause problems... Some guys say I've been running around claiming to be the top-money draw in the company, that I'm carrying the WWE on my back. I never said anything like this; the rumors break my heart. I would never disrespect guys like Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H with comments like these. I am not a Prick!... I want to move on, it's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can't wait to get back to work again."

The criticism among wrestlers isn't that Batista has been comparing himself to Undertaker, Michaels, and Triple H; it's that he thinks he's just one level below them, but a level above almost everyone else by virtue of being a main eventer now and tight with Triple H dating back to the Evolution days. The feeling on Batista is that he was shot to the top in part because of Brock Lesnar's unexpected departure and a lack of depth on the roster, but that he hasn't been around nearly long enough or shown many signs of being a strong draw on his own (not to mention his inability to carry anyone to a great match on his own) to believe he "earned" his spot. The heat is on Batista for not showing more humility compared to guys who have been around much longer, are more durable, have better matches, but just don't have the "look" he has, thus weren't given a chance at his top tier position.

-PWTorch.com

Here's some info from PWTorch:

Although many industry professionals were sure that the Booker T-Batista brawl at a WWE photo shoot was all but planned. It is now apparent that the fight between the two was in fact legit. It all, according to sources, started after a small argument, but ended in the two former World Champions coming to blows.

Certainly Booker and Batista will be punished how ever management sees fit. More than likely, they’ll be fined. Nonetheless, expect WWE to spin the situation and capitalize on the heat.

In the locker room, Booker T is looked at as a good guy. Batista is known to be a Triple H “suck up” and some what aloof after his big title push. There was said to be problems even before he made a name for himself in WWE. Stemming before the Evolution days, Batista was known to be a bit cocky. While training in Ohio Valley Wrestling, he was often vocal about certain training techniques. Arguing that due to his age and level of development, most techniques didn’t

apply to him.

Booker T is known as a stand up guy backstage. He is a down to earth guy and of course is respected with so much seniority in the business over most of the wrestlers backstage. He is often spotted with small groups of friends after events or just hanging out with the boys back in his hotel room.

Booker and Batista wrote about the incident on WWE.com. They used both real and unreal aspects of the story, as mandated, so that writers can later spin this into an actual angle on WWE TV. Booker’s real life wife and current WWE valet, Sharmell, was said top have gotten involved in the incident as well, verbally, at the end of the scuffle.

Other close sources in WWE say that Batista hadn’t been seen in a while since he’s recovering from an injury and he isn’t quite the draw many let on he is. So for Batista this may have been a “respect” issue, while for Booker it was more of a “respect where respect is due” issue.

[dipsetla]

Joey Mercury has been sent to drug rehab effective immediately and he will be out of action indefinitely. Besides all the heat Melina and Johnny Nitro have, that was one of the reasons as to why MNM split up the way they did. Also, Mercury was supposedly the "glue" of the team, and basically the point man in regards to laying out most of their matches.

Another possible culprit of WWE's drug testing procedures is none other than Chris Masters. There is a good chance that Masters will be taken off the road for an indefinite period of time. There is no specific reason as to why he may be taken off the road, however, it was said that "your first guess would be the correct guess."

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

[Q Steph]

Thanks for the uodate. It seems obvious Masters was juicing up.

Orlando Bloom got fired as well. Reading between the lines, I think it's because he's gay. I dunno.

I never cared for M&M.

I can't think if Batista the same way again now that I know he cheats on his cancer stricken wife.

I'm sure all of you know this, but if you shop on WWE Shopzone, the prices of all the merchandise is reduced DRAMTICALLY. I went to the store to pick up the Mania DVD and it was $35.00. Normally, I'd just soend the cash, but I only had $30 on me. So, I got online and went to the website; Mania & the CD is only 24.00. And the Taker DVD set is only $18.00.

[Q Steph]

From DeclarationofIndependents.net:

Update on Orlando Jordan

The DOI is able to confirm that Orlando Jordan was released from the WWE due to having his personal life interfere with his professional life, as he let both worlds collide.

For the past several months, Orlando Jordan brought a young man into WWE locker rooms, and travelled with this young man on the road. The DOI was not able to confirm how old this young man was, but there are rumors that the young man was under the age of 18.

Orlando brought this young man everywhere, including to Wrestlemania and at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. One DOI source, close to the situation, told the DOI that Orlando was told not to bring this young man into the locker room by WWE officials. Despite the warning, Orlando still brought this young man into WWE locker rooms, which essentially breaks kayfabe. It also shows that Orlando did not respect his WWE bosses, as he disobeyed the request.

While the WWE could possibly face a huge lawsuit if the firing was about Orlando's sexuality, that simply wasn't the case. As you can tell, the WWE released Orlando for unprofessional conduct.

Orlando was trained by Rocky Johnson and made a name for himself in the Maryland area, before signing with the WWE. It remains to be seen if he'll return to the Maryland indy scene. There is no word if TNA is interested in Orlando right now.

www.declarationofindepend...ordan.html

[dipsetla]

The are rumors floating around that the WWE locker room is starting to feel that the whole Batista/Booker T fight was fake and them getting ready to start an angle between the two. sn't Batista returning next month? I'll find it and post it later but I'm out 4 now. family reunion today.

[Q Steph]

Have fun at the reunion. The WWE is desperate if they're faking fights.

[theresaethan414]

Batista will return in 38 days. I believe it's from the date of SD airs. I read it in a spoiler.

[Q Steph]

Thanks for the info on Batista. Although, I don't like him anymore.

I'm in love w/ HHH all over again. He is so damn sexy. I hope Stephanie returns and tells Vince that HHH is her baby Daddy.

Who is Kane #2? Dude was horrible.

[Ryan]

Wow......poor Lilian Garcia. She got knocked off the ring apron while Charlie Hass was runing into the ring. You could hear her screaming in pain during most of the match. the announcers tried to ignore it but when the fans began chanting her name, they had to address it.