The Happy-Go-Sucky Wrestling Report: 4.09.08

Posted by Steve Sullivan on 04.09.2008

My very own Mike Knox conspiracy theory, Samoa Joe vs. Sting, Flair turns down a new WWE job, Backlash's main event and Big Daddy V is sent home to lose some weight.

I'm not going to compare the good or bad in this because frankly, it's just all Go Sucky here. I'm really curious yet I really dread the outcome of this investigation. Fox 5 in Atlanta reported a story Monday that a homeowner found a box of steroids and needles, along with a WWE contract and WWE Wellness memo that is being linked to ECW talent Mike Knox.

I'd like to think that this was something Mike Knox was doing prior to WWE's Wellness policy, hence why he had the memo in the bag. But his contract in a separate box with the steroids as well really raises a red flag for me and it's kind of caused me to come up with some conspiracy theories.

Knox lived in the house with other former Developmental talent Ryan O'Reilly and Derrick Neikirk. All 3 wrestled for Deep South Wrestling when DSW was still a developmental center for WWE. Mike Knox was actually one of the first developmental talents from DSW to make it to the WWE roster, debuting on ECW as Kelly Kelly's jealous boyfriend. In fact, to my memory, there are only a couple other wrestlers from DSW that made it to the WWE roster, with those two being Festus and United States champion MVP.

So what does this say to me? I find it a bit odd that Knox would keep a copy of his WWE contract, explaining who he was and what he did, in a duffle bag full of illegal drugs. If the Chris Benoit tragedy taught us anything, it's to expect anything from anyone. Could this been an act out of jealousy? O'Reilly and Neikirk never made it to the WWE roster. O'Reilly left with his girlfriend after she had just debuted because they didn't want to be a part. Derrick Neikirk was released from his contract a couple of months ago after...oh well would ya take a look at this.

Derrick Neikirk was released from his developmental contract following a Wellness violation.

It's possible that this was a set up. Possibly out of jealousy. Jealousy can make you do some really messed up things to other people. Is it possible that Neikirk was jealous of Knox and set this up as they moved out of the house? Or is it possible that Neikirk and Knox were both hiding something together? Both are plausible.

One way or the other, no matter how you look at it or no matter who gets the blame, this is yet another bruise of the overgrown biceps for the WWE. With another steroid scandal, a possible criminal case, the legal case that will follow the fireworks incident, and the lingering sting of Benoit's murder case, things are looking bad not just for the WWE, but for wrestling in general. The more cases like this, no matter how insignificant the talent may be, whether it's a low profile wrestler like Knox, or a developmental talent like Neikirk or O'Reilly, the worse this is going to get. And the worse that it gets, the more pressure the industry will get from Congress. Wrestling, like baseball, is already limping across a busy interstate, and one more wrong run in with mainstream traffic could mean the end of professional wrestling as we know it.

As for Mike Knox, well, at least he can continue the rest of his life knowing that he was the first person to lay down for C.M. Punk in the WWE.

And somewhere, Robbie McCallister is doing cartwheels.

News: The rumored Bound For Glory main event is to be Samoa Joe vs. Sting.

Happy: Just the fact that Samoa Joe is getting the push he deserves is enough to make this a happy story for me, but to be headlining as champion in TNA's version of Wrestlemania against one of wrestling's icons is really big. On top of that, if Joe is champion and facing Sting at Bound for Glory in October, then that means that Joe will have had either a 6 month TNA World Title reign, or multiple reigns. If this is the case, then TNA seems to be taking a step in the right direction by allowing original talent to carry the company.

On top of the long or multiple title reign, Samoa Joe would likely also be playing a heel. This would certainly make for some interesting storylines and the opportunity for TNA to make a super heel among the fans. Heel champions and face chases are always a lot more interesting and exciting for fans, this of course given that TNA can quit confusing its fans with sudden heel/face changes.

Go Sucky: The last couple of Bound for Glory events have all featured Sting in the main event and have all featured him winning the TNA title, only to lose it a short while later. As much as I like Sting, he's becoming the John Cena of TNA. On top of that, TNA's horrible booking over the last year has already seen this match if I'm not mistaken and unless TNA can come up with a really CREATIVE, and UNIQUE way of hyping this match, it doesn't seem as exciting as it should be.

As for Joe possibly becoming a heel, I don't think I like that either. Joe has the "it factor" to be a heel, but TNA needs to push him as the main face of this company. Yes guys like Robert Roode, AJ Styles, James Storm, and Kaz are fantastic talent for TNA and will be big stars in their own right someday, but Joe is the man that can seperate TNA from WWE and give them a fresher, more unique look. It would take a lot to turn Samoa Joe heel and even still, his fanbase will still be larger than TNA would want for a heel.

News: Dusty Rhodes leaves the WWE Creative team to head booking over Florida Championship Wrestling.

Happy: Dusty is getting what he wants by getting off the crazy travel schedule. Not to mention that Dusty was trying to save ECW from certain doom, which in essence, probably would have meant his own doom as well.

With Dusty booking and working with all the n00bs, we are given a feeling of hope. A feeling of hope that the future stars of the WWE may learn how to speak on a microphone. Dusty was and still is one of the best wrestlers to ever put a microphone in front of his mouth. If he can teach 2 out of every 10 people who get a WWE developmental contract how to give an effective and entertaining promo, the WWE will soon build a good strong roster in the future. And now that the entire developmental roster is under one roof (even though I'm still sad they left OVW), every single wrestler under developmental contract has the chance to learn something useful and effective in today's professional wrestling.

Go Sucky: Now someone else is going to have to head up ECW. I was actually starting to enjoy ECW a bit more than I had in the past. I know the ratings haven't really improved and neither have the talent either, but the show itself is actually getting a bit better on its entertainment levels. Not much, but just slightly. I really like the Kane title run right now and like even more that Kane and the Undertaker are running both the ECW and Smackdown shows as champions. But I digress.

The job now is to fill this role with someone who can make the show even more entertaining and better in order to raise ECW's ratings and secure another contract on Sci-Fi or another network in the future. Rumor has it that Micheal Hayes, who also is writing Smackdown, will take over the job, but many are worried he may burn out. So things will be fairly interesting to see how the WWE handles this situation.

News: Matt Bentley has reported to FCW and had a match on Smackdown, losing to Vladimir Kozslov.

I didn't even know Bentley had left TNA until I saw him on Smackdown last Friday! Imagine my surprise and confusion when I saw him show up on Smackdown. Anyway, he was obviously a lost cause in TNA and will likely be a lost cause in the WWE too since the Cruiserweight title has been officially retired. But at least as a developmental talent, Bentley has the chance to learn something from WWE trainers and improve himself, before doing the same exact thing Kaz did just a year or so ago, and head back to TNA.

It's an unfortunate situation but without the Cruiserweight Title, there is no longer a need for small guys in the WWE. Even Rey Mysterio looks to be heading toward the end of his career. Guys like Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore are caught in tag team purgatory, and Jamie Noble has fallen off the face of the earth, again.

Speaking of which, since Hornswaggle was stripped of the Cruiserweight Championship for being a McMahon, shouldn't he get it back now since he's not actually a McMahon? Just a thought!


News: Ric Flair turned down an announcer's gig with the WWE.

Happy: I have to say I'm torn over this. I'm really glad that he's taking some well deserved time off for himself while remaining a big part of the WWE by being a good will ambassador. Since Flair turned down this gig, that will leave him available for a managing gig on down the road. I think Flair as a manager is a far more suitable gig for him than a spot on the announce table. I can't imagine hearing 20,000 "Whooo's" in a two hour span. For example, if Ric Flair were doing color commentary with Michael Cole on Smackdown, it might sound something like this:

Cole: Shannon Moore tags in to Jimmy Wang Yang!

Flair: Woooooo! Look at him come in there Cole! Woooooo!

Cole: Wang dropkicks Hawkins. Another dropkick for Ryder!

Flair: Wooooo!

Cole: Wang going up top. Hey Ric, did you know that Jimmy Wang Yang's grandmother is named...

Flair: Woooooo!

Cole: That's right!

Ok, that was corny but you get the picture. There's a reason why I write a column on the internet rather than for Smackdown. Although I'm not really that far off....

Regardless, Ric Flair is going to bring more to the WWE by giving a rub to a young up and comer by being his manager more than he could ever do by piggybacking Michael Cole.

Go Sucky: Flair didn't feel he would be good enough to be a WWE announcer. I have to say that while he might not be as good as Lawler, JR, or even Joey Styles, he'd make a far more entertaining announcer than Jonathan Coachman. I think it would be a role that Flair really could grow into, plus, allow him to be a part of the show and allow fans the chance to still get their fill of the Nature Boy.

News: Former WWE and TNA star Andrew "Test" Martin was arrested Sunday for a DUI.

What is the defination of irony you ask? When a man named "Test" fails a test.

Test really hasn't done himself any favors with this, despite the fact that he is retired. At such a young age, Test had a lot of space to return to wrestling if he chose too. I think he has burned way too many bridges to ever consider making a comeback with any company now. WWE doesn't want him. TNA didn't like him, even though he really liked them. He constantly puts his foot in his mouth. My prediction for Test is that he will become the next Damien Demonto and come up with a ton of weird YouTube videos shooting on wrestling.

If only he had married Stephanie....


News: Randy Orton vs. JBL. vs. Triple H vs. John Cena for the WWE title will be the main event at Backlash.

Happy: Anytime a heel has to face several opponents in a multi man match, it gets Buyrates. Even though Raw was booked awful this week in order to get this match to happen, it's still going to be an interesting match for WWE fans.

I'm actually really curious to see how the WWE books this match. JBL seems like the odd guy out in this match, yet in a way, he almost seems like a favorite the win this when you way the off camera scenario. First, Orton and his wife are expecting the birth of their first child in July. Triple H and Stephanie are also expecting soon too. And John Cena is currently in the middle of filming another movie. JBL of course, is a bit busy with his Fox News show, but has the least distractions of all 4. I'd really enjoy seeing a JBL/Triple H feud for the title. I always hoped to see the match when both were champions on Raw and Smackdown respectively but to have them both fight for the WWE Title would be a lot of fun.

Go Sucky: It seems like this has been done before. Now when did this happen. Oh, that's right, last year! It was John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Title with Cena as the champ. Cena retained and I fully expect for Orton to retain as well. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

Given that Orton surprised everyone by retaining at Wrestlemania, they can blow it all away by having him lose on Backlash. Worse yet, they can have him lose the title by him not even getting pinned. That's the classic WWE feud set up. "I never got pinned. I never lost the title. Blah Blah Blah." With Raw's ratings rapidly slipping and an upcoming scandal on the horizon, WWE needs to do something and needs to do something quick and ORIGINAL to save itself. I'm really hoping to see Orton retain or JBL win and set up a feud with Triple H, but I have a horrible feeling that "The Champ" Is About To Return.

News: Reports are spreading about that the WWE has sent Big Daddy V home to lose some weight. There are some health concerns in regards to him and his weight.

I know a lot of people don't like Big Daddy V, but I see a lot of potential in the character. I'm taken back to the early 90's when Yokozuna was probably the biggest (no pun intended) heel in the WWF. He was a big guy. A lot of people didn't like him. Yet he became one of my favorite big guys ever to wrestle.

Unfortunately Yokozuna passed away at a very young age after Vince sent him home to lose some weight. In the end, it was in fact his weight that would be a factor in his untimely death.

I really hope this isn't the case for Big Daddy V. Hopefully V can get himself in shape, lose a little weight and be a lot easier on our eyes when those man boobs clap together after a big splash. With Kane as the ECW champion, Big Daddy V really has the opportunity to get on the main event scene on ECW if he can take care of himself first.

And with that my friends I leave you. Just as a reminder, if you're currently moving or about to move, make sure to check your attics and basements. If you are currently hiding a copy of Playboy that features Chyna on the cover, go ahead and get rid of it now. If it is found, it can and will be used against you.

Until next week my friends, may your lives be Happy...or Go Sucky!