'Raw' turning to Rhodes as GM
December 11, 2005
BY BLACKJACK BROWN
To nobody's surprise, ''Raw'' GM Eric Bischoff was fired on Monday night, and even less of a surprise was Vince McMahon dropping the ax at the very end of ''Raw'' to generate interest in the following week's show. The WWE has teased many possible replacements, including Shane and Stephanie McMahon, Bret Hart, Mick Foley and Steve Austin, but as of this weekend all indications are that Dusty Rhodes will be given the role as the one to take ''Raw'' into 2006.
Dusty held the same role in TNA Wrestling earlier in the year and was a compelling figure for the promotion. Clearly, the best part of Rhodes' hiring will be that he comes in as a fan favorite. That will be a welcome change of pace considering the WWE has been forcing the ''evil GM'' angle for years and years.
Look for "The American Dream'' to cross paths with Triple H, Edge and Kurt Angle in the coming months -- and a battle with old-school rival Ric Flair wouldn't be bad, either.
As for Bischoff, he is not sitting still. In fact, I hear he has been in talks with Jamal about a return to the WWE and will bring back the ''3 Minute Warning'' tag team in the coming weeks.
AROUND THE RING: Linda McMahon has been giving signs that being the CEO of a major company is taking its toll. Working side-by-side with her husband can't be easy because he is a tireless worker -- but in reality, how long does she need to work with tens of millions in the bank? ... Sounds like the recent heart scare has convinced Kevin Nash to hang up the tights for good. Nash, a successful actor, doesn't really need to push things physically. ... TNA has confirmed Bobby ''The Brain'' Heenan will return to color commentary at the ''Turning Point'' pay-per-view. ... Christy Hemme was released last week, and the driving force -- as usual -- was money. Hemme was given an offer much lower than the $250,000 she made in her first year. She has vowed to continue in professional wrestling.
December 11, 2005
BY BLACKJACK BROWN
To nobody's surprise, ''Raw'' GM Eric Bischoff was fired on Monday night, and even less of a surprise was Vince McMahon dropping the ax at the very end of ''Raw'' to generate interest in the following week's show. The WWE has teased many possible replacements, including Shane and Stephanie McMahon, Bret Hart, Mick Foley and Steve Austin, but as of this weekend all indications are that Dusty Rhodes will be given the role as the one to take ''Raw'' into 2006.
Dusty held the same role in TNA Wrestling earlier in the year and was a compelling figure for the promotion. Clearly, the best part of Rhodes' hiring will be that he comes in as a fan favorite. That will be a welcome change of pace considering the WWE has been forcing the ''evil GM'' angle for years and years.
Look for "The American Dream'' to cross paths with Triple H, Edge and Kurt Angle in the coming months -- and a battle with old-school rival Ric Flair wouldn't be bad, either.
As for Bischoff, he is not sitting still. In fact, I hear he has been in talks with Jamal about a return to the WWE and will bring back the ''3 Minute Warning'' tag team in the coming weeks.
AROUND THE RING: Linda McMahon has been giving signs that being the CEO of a major company is taking its toll. Working side-by-side with her husband can't be easy because he is a tireless worker -- but in reality, how long does she need to work with tens of millions in the bank? ... Sounds like the recent heart scare has convinced Kevin Nash to hang up the tights for good. Nash, a successful actor, doesn't really need to push things physically. ... TNA has confirmed Bobby ''The Brain'' Heenan will return to color commentary at the ''Turning Point'' pay-per-view. ... Christy Hemme was released last week, and the driving force -- as usual -- was money. Hemme was given an offer much lower than the $250,000 she made in her first year. She has vowed to continue in professional wrestling.
