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 B TEEZY Hello! Let's check the news.

RAW:

This was a pretty good show, I thought. It's also the first Raw in weeks that I've seen all of prior to writing this update. Coincidence? I think not.

The Chris Benoit development is great and super and fantastic and drastically improves the state of Raw. Assuming, of course, he's been moved to Raw, which surely seems to be the case but I guess you never know. But his mere presence ups the"good match" possibilities from the roster by about 93%, and the angle with Flair and Eddie was just delightful. It also sets up interesting possibilities for trades to explain why Benoit was moved to Raw.

Also making me gleeful like a young girl in a cotton sun dress was the Booker T situation. Last week I'd given up on the hopes of a big face turn, but this week it appears to be fully in motion. And how about that main event? Quite a contest. I also enjoyed the Brock/Dudley affair... just squashing guys isn't going to work anymore, and the fans were totally behind Bubba as he tried to get the win.

I hope next week doesn't suck!

IN THE NEWZ:

  • The biggest (and only?) news of the week would be that they've finally decided to split the writing teams in half and have individual groups covering both Raw and Smackdown. Comedy legend Brian Gerwertz will head up Raw, while Paul Heyman and possibly Michael Hayes will head up Smackdown. Hayes was reported early on as being involved, but 1wrestling says he won't be in charge as he's also an agent.

    Both guys will be the point men who report to Vince. And Stephanie McMahon will still be... doing something, I dunno what.

  • The Jarrett's NWA group has announced more talent signings. Jerry Lynn joins AJ Styles, Ken Shamrock, and Jeff Jarrett as the notable wrestling names already announced. Now bring on the skanks! They've also signed Francine and Electra of ECW fame, Ryan Shamrock of WWF and WCW fame, Bobcat of Ho that won the Hardcore title fame, and Vanessa of no fame.

  • WWE Confidental debuted this week. Mean Gene was hangin' and bangin', Trish gave a tour of her awesome house, and Shawn Michaels admitted he knew about Montreal prior to the match finish. It was quite a show.

    CREDIT TO THE TORCH:

    There's no news like Torch news!

  • The British Bulldog died. The Smith family has seen Davey, his sister, and his mother all die in the past few years. Over the last few years he'd made a big recovery from being hospitalized in grave condition with spinal infections after the Warrior trapdoor business to making a WWF comeback, but his injuries got him hooked on painkillers. The WWF put him in rehab, but later suspended and released him after criminal charges were filed (which he beat) regarding the Hart family feud.

    He'd wrestled just a few days before his death, teaming with his 16-year old son Harry at an indy show. He was 39.

  • Erich Kulas, famous for being carved up by New Jack, died at age 22. His father found him dead in his room when he went to get Erich for a hospital appointment. Kulas had been in and out of the hospital in recent months with post-operative health problems including infections. The cause of death was not yet known. Steven Kulas, his father, told the Torch that he'd prefer not to discuss what ailed Erich, but he did say the death was unrelated to anything that happened in his ECW match.

  • Alex Rizzo, famous for being a Big Dick, died at age 35. Prior to his death, Rizzo had complained to family members that he was having trouble urinating. His doctor had prescribed him the painkiller Oxycotin to ease the pain of a recent broken neck that he got in an automobile accident. Rizzo contacted his doctor and explained his peeing problem, but the doctor assured him it was just a side-effect of the drug.

    Rizzo's sister suggested he drink some cranberry juice and went to the store to buy some. She returned and gave him the juice and Rizzo asked her to leave the room because he wasn't feeling well. He drank the juice and apparently got up to go to the bathroom, but he never made it that far and dropped dead on the floor. An autopsy was done but the results weren't available at press time.

    His ex-wife Donna Adamo (Electra) said the family believes either his liver, kidneys, or both failed. Rizzo had a 12-year old daughter with Electra and a 4-year old son with another woman.

    Electra gave the Torch a career bio on him. He left ECW after "a falling out" with Paul Heyman and worked in XPW, where he also trained guys. "He wasn't Chris Benoit in the ring, but he knew garbage wrestling," she said. After XPW he went back east and wrestled in Boston. A year ago he was in a serious motorcycle accident; Electra says he actually died but the doctors were able to bring him back. Then 6 months ago he was in another accident that left him with a broken neck.

    She says the accidents left him with a serious prescription drug habit, but his parents convinced him to enter rehab and he was clean for the last few months of his life. He wanted to get back into wrestling, but she doesn't know if that would have happened... he'd lost over 100 pounds after his second accident. He'd also been suffering from seizures after the broken neck.

  • WWE bought back their stock from NBC and made about $2.3 million from it.

  • The XWF hopes to announce their TV deal by the end of the month. An XWF official tells the Torch that they've had successful meetings with TV executives and they have a potential deal in place. John Flood and the other executives who negotiated the deal have taken it to Walter Frank and the other owners in Texas for final approval. If the deal is approved, the company will announce it before the end of the month.

  • Missy Hyatt made a few big drunken whore scenes recently, including one at Big Dick Dudley's funeral. Electra had requested that Missy not attended the funeral, but Missy refused and so Electra herself didn't go. Apparently, after seeing family members leave small mementos in the casket, Missy insisted on leaving a nude picture of herself inside also. Finally one of Rizzo's sister's boyfriends convinced Missy that it wouldn't be in good taste.

    And over the weekend at an indy show that was dedicated to Rizzo, Missy was asked to leave by the NY State Athletic Commission because she didn't have an athletic license. She got upset and started arguing with one of the Commission officials who was backstage, and eventually the promoter of the show had security toss her out. She then called the police and made a complaint against the official.

  • Jerry Jarrett, in a Torch Talk interview, said that Vince Russo is not being paid or being used for his creative services, but he can't say that will never happen.

    CLOSING OF THE WEEK:

    That's all I have to say. Bye!

    Seadawg
    [slash] wrestling

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