Dirt Sheet History: November 2008

Take a trip back to a memorable timeline in sports entertainment with the most important stories reported as fact in the journalistic world of pro wrestling dirt sheets.

Following the timeline of the last Dirt Sheet History looking back at October 2008, we get a glimpse into the top scoops from November of 2008 as we read Dirt Sheet History.

Reminder that you can find all past editions of Dirt Sheet History looking at 2004 through 2007 right here. Now enjoy November 2008.

11/1/2008

* Ric Flair addressed rumors of a possible retirement match in Japan for the annual January Tokyo Dome show. He said there is no truth to the stories. “Absolutely not,” Flair said on whether he’s considering a match in Japan. “That’s just propaganda.” Flair said he wouldn’t want tarnish his retirement match with Shawn Michaels at this year’s WrestleMania.

11/2/2008

* Chris Jericho on Whether He Ever Considered Another Company During His Time Off: “I enjoy working for Vince. If I’m in the wrestling business, I’m working for Vince and nobody else. People ask me if I’m going to TNA or to Japan. Why would I? I work in the major leagues and there’s no reason to go anywhere else. I was really happy to come back when I came back, and Vince was really happy to have me. I feel like I could talk to him a little bit more now as a confidante and someone who, if I don’t like something, will be happy to tell him that. And he knows I’ll do whatever he wants me to do, with my own spin on it and, most of the time if he thinks you’ll really believe it, he’ll go along with it as well.”

11/3/2008

* Kurt Angle and Jeremy Borash are currently negotiating to have their own radio show on Sirius satellite radio.

11/4/2008

* Jim Cornette had some harsh words for the WWE Chairman . “Have you seen the stock market? Vince is not a billionaire any more! He may not even be a millionaire by the time this thing’s over! I will sacrifice every penny I’ve got and cut my neighbour’s lawn to see Vince McMahon a broken man laying in the gutter!”

11/5/2008

* CM Punk told ESPN he was born to be a WWE wrestler even when many close friends told him not to: “A whole bunch of people told me that if I went to WWE, I’d never make it. But it’s like I never heard them. I never listened. To me, I’m exactly where I belong. I feel like I was born to do this. Whatever your walk in life is, you pick what you want to be, then go ahead and be the best one.”

When asked about his wrestling name, Punk said, “I think CM Punk is one of the worst names in the business, but I am what I am. I’m a big fan of unnecessary alliteration. I’m a big comic book nerd, so it always tickled me that everybody’s name is like Peter Parker or Lana Lang. So in wrestling, Duke ‘The Dumpster’ Droese was always a really good bad name.”

11/6/2008

* Paul Heyman has posted his weekly column at the UK Sun website. Once again, Heyman takes WWE and Vince McMahon to task for producing a product that’s out of touch and failing to develop compelling characters and storylines.

Heyman writes, “I am not suggesting turning the shows into post-produced countdown shows, but the manner in which the shows are presented must be addressed. Either take the show, and re-design the pacing, the formatting, even the way the main events are announced and promoted…or change the atmosphere of it to accommodate the pop culture-desirous fanbase that is flocking away from pro wrestling. It’s time for the writing and production staffs that advise Vince to re-acquaint themselves with what popular movements are taking place before WWE further victimises itself by appearing to be out of touch.” He adds, “When key people in WWE actually think HHH and Shawn Michaels are cooler or hipper than Miz and Morrison, then someone needs to put down the bifocals and check out lazik surgery!”

Heyman mentioned that a “tenured and still-paranoid WWE employee” recently told him that he’s going to pitch the idea of WWE bringing in Sean “P. Diddy” Combs in for WrestleMania 25 in Houston. Heyman reacts, “SEAN COMBS??? Hello? For a show in Houston?!!” Heyman suggests WWE should go after who he calls the “Lord and Master of the Houston rap scene”, Chingo Bling. “He’s far more controversial than Combs. Plus, putting Chingo with Rey Mysterio ties Rey into a loyal, rabid fan base that is developing into its very own culture.”

Heyman ends the rant with a plea to WWE, followed by a tongue-in-cheek threat to return to pro wrestling and right the industry’s wrongs. “My advice to the creative decision makers is to wake up, realise your programming is not artistically cutting edge any more, and inject a youthful mindset to compliment your unparalleled and amazing ability to provide multiple hours of content to the networks on a weekly basis. Re-position wrestling/sports entertainment as the coolest, video-game-come-to-life product with the wildest, most clearly defined and enviable characters on television anywhere in the world today. Or I’ll come back into the industry and show you how to do it, just like I did before. Just kidding.”

11/7/2008

* On a radio show, Rory Karpf surprised by recalling a story on attending a college party with the one and only Stephanie McMahon several years ago. In reference to Stephanie, Rory said, “She smoked weed the entire night.”

11/8/2008

* Kurt Angle regarding his controversial comments about Jeff Jarrett‘s wife who died of cancer: “I said that I lost my world championship, I lost my gold medal and I lost my wife. But I’m not the only one to lose their wife… Jeff didn’t know I was going to say that. When I got backstage, I was ready to fight. I figured he was going to come up to me and he was going to be really pissed.

But I didn’t see Jeff. I didn’t know how he responded that night. I didn’t mean anything personally to Jill, God rest her soul. It’s just that Jeff and I were going at it, and it seemed like the right thing to say at the right time to get some good heat. The fans, all of our wonderful, tremendous, great fans, sympathize with Jeff for everything he’s gone through. And to throw that in like that, it was like, ‘What an a**hole to say something like that.’ You know? So I actually thought Jeff would want to fight me. But he if wanted to fight me, he’s in for quite a hell of a fight. I was ready for him to jump me. So I was getting ready. Jeff and I don’t see eye to eye. A lot of stuff you see on TV is very transparent on how we feel about each other.”

11/10/2008

* Scott Hall, accompanied by the Insane Clown Posse, briefly sat ringside at last night’s Turning Point pay-per-view in Orlando, Florida. They appeared in the front row during the Rhino vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir match. Mike Tenay only referred to them as “familiar faces” and the camera generally avoided them. All attention was turned to Hall as he settled in the front row with ICP, with the crowd chanting “Razor” and throwing up Wolfpac signs while Rhino was making his comeback in the match. Bashir taunted Hall from ringside, as did Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley in the following match. The group left by the time of the Christian Cage vs. Booker T match.

Following their appearance, Hall and ICP went backstage. Hall was soon asked to leave as he was drunk. Also, Hall did not have company approval to be at ringside during that match, although officials were aware he was in the building before he went to ringside.

11/11/2008

* WWE officials are reportedly fed up with certain wrestlers who continually failed marijuana tests.

In recent weeks, a couple of wrestlers were told outright to stop using now and warned them discipline for use is going to get a lot more serious soon.

One wrestler in particular has failed for pot 11 or 12 times and his push of not that long ago was stopped. Another planned push for the wrestler has been slowed down.

11/12/2008

* World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of SmackDown Superstar Kenny Dykstra and ECW’s Elijah Burke and Lena Yada. WWE wishes them the best in all future endeavors.

11/13/2008

* Reader Chris Sousa-Phipps sent in the following:

Hi Guys,

I took my family to see WWE Smackdown at the O2 house show in London on Monday and felt compelled to write about Triple H. I have never been a great fan of his and I know many people have questioned the reasons behind his position within the company. However he gained great respect for me on Monday night after his disqualification win over Kozlov. After the match he played with the crowd etc…. On his way back though, he stopped, climbed up a wall and over a barrier to shake hands and high five the disabled people in the disabled section. This for me speaks volume about Triple H the man, which does not get reported often enough.

11/14/2008

* Jim Ross spilled some gossip in his recent blog about the Divas of Smackdown. Ross said: “Did you know that WWE Divas have backstage “Kliques” and that there is a pecking order as to who gets in the make-up chair first and can stay the longest? Things aren’t always what they seem, ladies and gentlemen, amongst the lovely ladies of Friday Night SmackDown.”

11/15/2008

* Vince McMahon and John Cena were spotted in the front row of the AC/DC rock concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

11/17/2008

* “Macho Man” Randy Savage was at the movie premiere for Disney’s new animated film “Bolt!”, which hits theaters this Friday. He did some voice acting for the movie. Savage, who last wrestled back in 2004 for TNA, showed up in all black with a big white beard, black sun glasses and a black cowboy hat.

11/18/2008

* Regarding the recent release of Paul London, he had been in the dog house for quite some time, ever since he smiled during the live shot right before Vince McMahon’s explosion angle in June 2007.

11/20/2008

* The latest issue of WWE Magazine features an interview with SmackDown wrestler The Brian Kendrick. When asked what his holiday wish is, he makes an interesting quote. Kendrick said, “A world without laws. I don’t like the idea of people telling you that that there’s a right way to live and wrong way to live, and that’s what laws do.”

11/21/2008

* Maryse hasn’t been featured too much on SmackDown as of late due to backstage heat with Michelle McCool. The two SmackDown Divas recently had some sort of altercation backstage.

11/22/2008

* In August 2007, Mr. Kennedy went on a media blitz in the UK promoting WWE. He proclaimed to a number of outlets that WWE stopped his steroid use in November 2005 because of the company’s Wellness Policy and that his job was worth more than an extra ten pounds of muscle mass.

One of the media outlets he talked to was the Daily Star, and he proclaimed to them as well that he didn’t use steroids. Of course, Kennedy was suspended by his employer a mere two weeks later as he was one of the WWE Superstars named in the mail-order performance enhancing drug scandal, alongside John Morrison, Edge, Chavo Guerrero, Gregory Helms, Charlie Haas, Umaga, William Regal, Funaki, Booker T and Chris Masters. Kennedy reportedly received anastrozole (to ward off developmental of breast tissue), somatropin (Growth hormone), and testosterone (anabolic steroid) between October 2006 and February 2007 (when the company was shut down by authorities).

The Daily Star had a chance to catch up with Kennedy, and the person behind their last story on him talked to him again. The writer confronted him about his past comments and asked Kennedy to explain himself.

“Overall I made a mistake. I’m sorry for it, I’m trying to move on and get past it,” Kennedy said. “I would love to sit down with you for two or three hours and explain things.

“I was on a time schedule, so I would omit certain parts that I did not deem necessary. There is a lot more to it than what was said. It’s something I feel passionately about. I believe wrestling has changed, and of course it’s still apparent because I hear stories about the past, and how things were in the 80s. They are funny now, but at the time it was horrific, what happened on the road, and all the unethical things people did.”

11/23/2008

* As seen on Raw last week, Stephanie McMahon wore glasses. For what it’s worth, she does not wear the glasses backstage, so it’s all part of her look for television.

11/24/2008

* According to a post this morning on TMZ.com, World Wrestling Entertainment’s legal team has sent former performer Ed Leslie a cease-and-desist letter requesting that he stop using his recognizable Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake ring name. WWE claims they own the trademark to the name and said Leslie stopped using it when he worked for World Championship Wrestling during the Nineties.

11/25/2008

* In a rematch of the main event at WWF SummerSlam 1995, Kevin Nash wrestled Big Daddy V at an NWA event in Canada over the weekend.

11/26/2008

* Paul Heyman has posted an article at the UK Sun website commenting on WWE’s “ill-conceived” Jeff Hardy hospitalization storyline over the weekend, which he says is downright bad for business.

After stating that it would be “rather hypocritical” for him to point fingers about whether a storyline crossed any lines, Heyman asks, “What was so wrong about the storyline? Was it that WWE has blurred the line on its own in-house website, which is where news like Eddie Guerrero‘s death or the Chris Benoit family tragedy has been first broken? Was it the eerie feeling some people had on the morning of a big show, hearing about a top star being found unconscious in a hotel, invoking memories of Eddie and even Brian Pillman? We’re back to the issue of ‘taste’”

Heyman adds, “For some people, the manner in which WWE presented this storyline twist was just revolting. The callous view taken by WWE chairman Vince McMahon and those around him, not even taking into account how brazenly insensitive this storyline may be viewed, is yet another in a long line of demonstrations by McMahon that getting people talking is paramount.”

Heyman continues to discuss the other reasons WWE simply viewed as “low brow” entertainment and unable to secure coveted advertising partners

11/28/2008

* Batista was a guest on the WJFK radio morning show this morning and revealed that he dated Kelly Kelly a few months ago. “She’s just a young girl,” he said. “She was a little immature for a 21 year-old.” He said their age difference was the main reason the relationship didn’t last. Batista also said he became star struck when he saw 58-year-old actress Morgan Fairchild at the Democratic National Convention earlier this year. “Hey, I’m old, man,” he said when the hosts laughed at him.

Batista also stated that he was once stuck in a limosine with Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan. Batista said it was an “uncomfortable” situation for him to be in. “They started touching on a few things and I thought, ‘Man, I wish I wasn’t here.’” He added that he accidentally offended Hogan once by doing a bad impersonation of him while being interviewed on ESPN.

– Tune back in next time for more Dirt Sheet History as we continue 2008.

Stories are credited from Rajah, PWTorch, PWInsider and The Wrestling Observer. Month name photo art is by Phillip Martin.

All past editions of Dirt Sheet History are found here.