Professional wrestling thread

Meltzer's take:

It should be noted that in toxicology testing, for testosterone cypionate, the drug Dr. Phil Astin had prescribed for Benoit, to show up, a shot would likely have had to have been taken after the Friday morning before his death.

While the report will create the so-called "final answer," for the media and general public, it really won't prove anything one way or the other. If Benoit had taken a shot in his last days, it doesn't prove steroids caused the murders. If he showed no steroids in his system, it doesn't mean he wasn't on steroids at the time (which also wouldn't mean for certain one way or another what level of factor, if any, they were in the murders).

 

Meltzer's been beating that drum pretty consistently for a while, which is understandable. The chances of getting a Scooby Doo-esque clear and free explaination of what happened that weekend, with no witnesses and no clear timeline of Benoit's final days before the murders, are pretty slim. But everyone likes a simple and sexy answer, and that's steroids. Problem is, even if you could prove beyond any reasonable doubt that steroids had nothing to do -- directly or indirectly -- with Benoit's actions, it's obvious from everything reported that the "wellness policy" has holes big enough for Big Daddy V to waddle through.

 

You know what the WWE could use right now? More bad news! And here it is! From the Dave:

Edge has a torn pectoral muscle from taking a bad bump during the Mardi Gras angle on the Smackdown show that aired on Friday. He is out for an undetermined length of time, depending upon whether he goes in for surgery and just tries to have it heal from rehab. He was particularly bummed over the timing of the injury because the plan was a long reign as champion and top star on the brand.

The plan as of yesterday, which still could be changed today, was for a Battle Royal to determine the new champion. The winner of the Battle Royal will make their first title defense on Sunday's Great American Bash in San Jose.

 

Dammit MM, you beat me to it.

Three top choices for the next champ: Mark Henry (ugh), Matt Hardy (eh) and Batista (been there, done that, don't want to do it again).

 

Perhaps Rey Rey's return in the battle royal is the opening he'd need? Why doesn't Triple H enter it and win it and go to Smackdown for a bit? Or, perhaps they'll let Kennedy move back to SD and win the title back since the Money in the Bank thing had to be squashed.

Either way, it does suck for Edge because he's definitely a guy to carry SD right now.

 

Isn't Trips still on the shelf? I don't think he'll be cleared to wrestle for another couple of weeks.

Rey Rey's name has been thrown around as a possibility, but that's pretty slim.

 

AP story just moving on the Benoit toxicology report:

Investigators said Tuesday they had found steroids and other drugs in the body of pro wrestler Chris Benoit, who killed his wife and young son last month before hanging himself.

Also found in Benoit were the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and the painkiller hydrocodone, according to a statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI said Benoit tested negative for blood alcohol.

 

When is the Undertaker supposed to return?

 

They have three options:

1. Give the belt to Kane, since he's already scheduled for the GAB title match Sunday, which buys them a little time to find someone to put in the match with him. But then they'd have to figure out who to make the No. 1 contender pretty much immediately, since tonight's Smackdown taping is the go-home TV show. Maybe have Kane win the battle royale, then have the Batista-Great Khali match open the GAB, with the winner (Batista, I'd assume) to get the title shot later that night.

2. Have Batista or Khali win the title tonight and make that the title match on Sunday. Put Kane in with Mark Henry or something.

3. Switch someone from Raw, which they've already done twice for title vacancies due to injury (Kurt Angle when Batista was out, Edge recently when Undertaker was out). Most logical route: Kennedy, who should be healthy by now, is a hot name, has probably ingratiated himself with the upper management with his defense of WWE/wrestling in the wake of Benoit, has a storyline out to get into the match (Edge screwed him out of his Money in the Bank briefcase, so he gets this as a concession), and has a ready-made feud with Edge when he comes back.

 

I vote for Option 3.

 

I second the vote for No. 3.

Kennedy is the uncrowned champion anyway...

 

Option 3 is the best, for sure. Still, I went to the same college as Glen Jacobs, so I wouldn't mind seeing Kane get the title. I believe the only other time he had a top title, he held it for less than a day (from Sunday PPV to next-day RAW).

Batista's had it, and I'm tired of him as champ. Mark Henry -- no thanks. Matt Hardy -- would get a big pop if he got it, and I'd rather have him as champ over Batista or Henry, but I don't see it happening.

So hopefully it'll be Kennedy.