Every Tuesday and Friday we give you the scoop on what's happening in and out of the wrestling ring.

Oh, my heck.

Chairshots
5-28-02

Raw Thoughts
I'm happy to say that it was a very good Raw this week. While it had flaws (Goldust + Big Show = Zzzzz), most of it was more than entertaining.

Brock Lesnar had his most complete match to date against Bubba Ray Dudley. The guy looks pretty good. With some more experience, he could really be the next big thing.

I like how focused the NWO is now. They clearly have a goal and they are winning matches. They are still a few weeks away from being any serious threat to anyone but I'm liking what I see.

Benoit rules. What rules even more is the way the WWE is starting to push the younger stars like RVD, Benoit and Guerrero. Wasn't it great to see the Intercontinental Championship defended in the main event rather than the opening match? Suddenly the title means something again.

Nice work by the writing team incorporating Molly's previous relationship with Spike rather than just assuming that everyone remembers. While Spike and Regal aren't really high on my list of favorite wrestlers, if they are going to be wrestling, I'd like some reason for it.

Undertaker is doing what Hogan should have with his title reign. He's helping to get the younger stars over. Last week he battled RVD and this week RVD is in the main event. This week Undertaker gave Tommy Dreamer a reason to be on TV. Could Dreamer actually have a match on Raw next week? Oh my heck, what a concept.

And last, the ladder match kicked booty. Easily the best Raw match we've seen in ages. Was it hotshotting by the WWE to give away such a big match on free TV? Of course it was, but they needed to do it. With ratings sliding, Raw needs to recapture the fans with big matches and clever plotlines. Last night was a step in the right direction.

Hawk Returns
Wondering where Hawk from Tough Enough 2 went after quitting the show 2 weeks ago? Well, look no further, as he has his very own crappy website where you can find out all about him. I only mention it because it's so bad, it's funny. Check it out.

Mysterio Update
Rey Mysterio Jr. worked his first match for WWE developmental territory HWA last week in Cincinnati, OH. It was a tag match with Spanky, and together they beat B.J. Whitmer & Chad Collyer at the weekly Tuesday Showcase event. He is not expected to debut in the WWE until next month. We can only hope Spanky and B.J. never see the light of the WWE camera with names like those.

Wrestling Games 0wn J00
I spent part of last week in L.A. at E3, where I got to preview a lot of upcoming wrestling games, including the sequel to Legends of Wrestling. While the first one wasn't that great for anything other than the nostalgia factor, Acclaim promises more this time around. Legends of Wrestling 2 will debut in November for the X-Box, PS2 and Game Cube. They have added legendary wrestlers Hulk Hogan, Andre "The Giant", Rowdy Roddy Piper, Ted Diabase, Tito Santana, Bruno Sammartino, Sid Vicious, "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy, The Road Warriors, British Bulldogs, Nasty Boys, Rock-n-Roll Express and more. You will also be able to wrestle in 6- and 8-man Elimination matches, Cage matches, Battle Royal, Ladder matches, Table matches and 3- and 4-way matches.

You can find out more information here.

I intend to have a more robust E3 report later this week.

Of Course Shawn Knew
WWE Confidential debuted on Saturday night and featured a shoot interview with Shawn Michaels. In it, Michaels finally admitted that he had forehand knowledge of the infamous Bret Hart "Montreal Screw Job." Well, duh…

Davey Boy Smith Update
The Calgary Sun has reported that the British Columbia regional coroner feels that Davey Boy Smith's heart failure was brought on by steroid use. That is only the preliminary report. The official toxicology will confirm or deny that in two weeks.

Oddly, Smith did a shoot interview online the day before he died. In the interview he talks about his painkiller addiction, the reasons for his 1992 departure from the WWF, and his desire to return to action for one last run. It's an okay interview that's just spooky to read considering he died the next day. Check it out.

Wrestling with Spider-Man
Spider-Man's Tangled Web #14 will arrive in stores this Thursday. The issue is written by Brian Azzarello and WWE star Raven, looking at Spider-Man's brief career as a pro-wrestler and focusing on his opponent, Crusher Hogan. Raven was brought in as a co-writer because of his wrestling background and love of comics. Spider-Man's Tangled Web will be 40 pages with a $2.99 cover price.

Russo Update
Former WWF and WCW head writer Vince Russo has written an "insider" book on WWE, currently titled "Welcome To Bizarro Land." The book chronicles his rise through the WWF. It promises an uncensored look at the backstage workings of the WWF and a first hand look at Vince McMahon. Look for it soon if you care.

Ross Report
Jim Ross updated the fans last Friday with his weekly Ross Report. While it was mostly a list of injury updates, Ross did say, "Simply put, we are not providing the product our fans want to see." He goes on to detail how the WWE will go about changing that but it was nice to hear someone finally admit what we fans have known for months. Here's a recap of the rest of the news.

Undertaker is working despite re-aggravating injuries in his SI joint and lower back.

Spike Dudley suffered whiplash and stinger type symptoms following his match last Monday. He should be ok and work WWE shows this weekend.

DDP has still not decided if he is going to return to the ring. (Wait J.R., I thought he said he was going to come back. I'd better get on the Diamond Hotline.)

J.R. mentioned that Rey Misterio, Nova, and Kanyon all had good matches in the WWE developmental territory recently.

He talked about how "Prototype" John Cena is one of the top prospects WWE has.

Raven has stepped away from announcing and will focus on wrestling.

Dawn Marie and Kim Neilson have potential but still need some work.

Hurricane will continue to work despite pain in his shoulder.

A small fracture has opened up in Triple H's knee, but he can keep working as long as he can tolerate the pain.

The Rock has a small tear in his PCL. He will need to have therapy on it for a few weeks. (Like we were going to notice his absence.)

Edge is working despite having a bruised fibula.

Hulk Hogan is having pains in his SI joint and lower back.

Following his June 6th checkup, Mike Awesome will likely be sent down to Cincinnati for training.

Kane is still having therapy on his torn bicep at home.

Rhyno is having pains in his back as he recovers from neck surgery. He will have it checked out this Thursday.

Jazz will start therapy on her knee this week.

Ratings
Last week's Smackdown finished with a 3.6 rating. Not good considering the lack of network competition. Raw ratings are delayed due to the holiday weekend.

NWA Gets New Recruits
Jerry Jarrett's NWA revival continues as the announced this week that they have signed former ECW world champion and former WWF light heavyweight champion, Jerry Lynn. The NWA also recently announced that they have signed a plethora of ladies including Francine, Elektra, Alicia (Ryan Shamrock), Bobcat, and Vanessa.

NWA - Total Nonstop Action pay per view will debut on June 19th for $9.95. A new champion will be crowned that night since the NWA stripped Dan Severn of the title due to prior shoot fighting commitment. Announcers for the event will be Don West, Ed Ferrera (former Russo lacky) and Mike Tenay (former WCW announcer). A few more big names and I may have to check this pay per view out.

Competition or Two Headed Monster?
The WWE and Vince McMahon have decided to assign separate writing crews to script Raw and Smackdown each week. Since the roster split, the same crew had been in charge of writing both shows. The Raw team will be headed by Brian Gewertz and Smackdown will be headed by Paul Heyman and Michael Hayes. Stephanie McMahon will continue to oversee the writing process for both shows, but will apparently allow each team to put their personal stamp on each show.

While I'd rather see a new team put in place rather than splitting the old, sucky team in half, it's a good move. Hopefully each show will have its own identity and competition between the two teams can lead to higher quality shows.

Michael Goodson