Dirt Sheet History: September 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 August 2008, we get a glimpse into the top scoops from September 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 September 2008.

9/1/2008

* The creative team discussed the subject of Undertaker‘s WrestleMania winning streak last week during a booking meeting. They believe it should only be ended by a superstar on the rise, not an established star. The general feeling is that it will never end but Vince McMahon isn’t completely opposed to it. If it’s ever going to end, he doesn’t want to waste it on a “maybe” star, only someone that everyone can agree on being a top star in the company for a number of years.

Some officials are leery on who to use in the role due to the likes of Brock Lesnar & Bobby Lashley bolting from WWE. In regards to who can possibly end the streak, a few names have been discussed, but nobody everyone can agree on.

However, the name most talked about was none other than Ted DiBiase as they believe he can be the next Randy Orton. McMahon is said to be very high on him, but doesn’t feel it could be done by next year with him. One long-term idea brought up is that a few years from now, DiBiase’s father can be brought in because he storyline introduced Undertaker to WWE.

9/2/2008

* MVP upset management following a recent incident in which he made a derogatory comment to one of the drug testing monitors who watches the WWE performers while they submit urine samples.

Following the implementation of the WWE Wellness policy a few years ago, some wrestlers were submitting fake urine samples to beat the drug tests. One wrestler was eventually caught cheating in WWE developmental wrestler Afa Anoa’i, Jr. As a result, Anoa’i was suspended by WWE for 30 days, on March 20, 2008, as cheating is an obvious violation of the WWE’s Wellness policy. Following the incident, WWE instituted a new rule in which the performers have to be bare from their chest down to their knees while giving urine in front of a doctor to make sure they’re not cheating. A number of the wrestlers are grouchy to the monitors as you would imagine. However, MVP went too far in what he said to one of them.

MVP asked the monitor if he graduated from college. The monitor said yet. MVP then insulted him, saying something along the lines of, “So you went to school for four years to watch people’s (expletive)?”

The monitor promptly complained to WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis as well as Bruce Prichard. Soon after, Laurinaitis indirectly addressed the matter in locker room meeting, instructing talent to be respectful of the testers and to not harass them. People aware of the MVP incident felt it was obvious that the meeting was held due to it.

Since the incident, MVP has been getting the cold shoulder from a few officials. Suddenly, the word backstage is that he doesn’t know how to work as a heel to get heat. At last week’s SmackDown/ECW tapings in Pittsburgh, Shelton Benjamin – who’s been in-and-out of favor with WWE officials for a number of years – was given high praise in that he knows to work as an effective heel. They liked his smiling facials after he laid out MVP with his “Paydirt” finisher and more so later in the show after clocking Triple H with a belt.

9/3/2008

* Radio hosts were doing some research on Mickie James when interviewing her and they discovered some nude photos she did in the past (for Legshow magazine). They then ask her about it and she doesn’t seem to know what to say as she stumbles on her words a lot in her response to the question. James tries to dodge the question at first, but eventually remarks, “It’s kind of hard to say, like I may I have done, I did some different stuff in my past but I don’t think that makes or breaks who I am today.” The hosts then talk about it more and Mickie says, “Alright we have to move on.” The interview concludes a few seconds later

9/4/2008

* There are some rumors going around that WWE could release Mr. Kennedy once his current contract expires. A source close to Kennedy believes there is something to the speculation, reports ProWrestling.NET. Kennedy is said to have lost his confidence as he is constantly being pulled in different directions by various officials. This has caused him to second guess himself. Kennedy will be out four to six months following shoulder surgery.

9/5/2008

* While we can’t confirm that there is a deal in place, WWE talent head John Laurinaitis is pushing to bring back Sid Vicious, 48,  to the company. In recent weeks he has been praising him a lot and pushing for his return to the creative team. Laurinaitis is looking to sign him and get him a good spot in the company.

During the weekend of last year’s SummerSlam, Laurinaitis was in town and scouted Sid Vicious at an indy show in New Jersey. Laurinaitis asked him if he would be able to pass a Wellness test, and Sid basically implied that he wouldn’t be able to. That was pretty much the end of his possible comeback, until all these rumors started popping up.

9/6/2008

* On a recent edition of WWE 24/7’s Legends Roundtable show, Jerry Lawler said he purposely broke Paul Heyman‘s jaw back in 1988. When asked about it, Heyman responded, “Well, he broke my jaw BEFORE the scaffold match. He’s always taken liberties with other people, especially those who by the nature of the situation had to place some trust in him. F*** him. I don’t spend any time in my life thinking about him. He’s in the past where he belongs. And no, I’m not surprised he’s still talking about me. If half HIS locker room banged MY wife, I guess I’d hold a grudge, too.”

9/7/2008

* The ABC affiliate out of Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina is reporting that Ric Flair‘s youngest daughter Ashley Fliehr (2015 NXT’s Charlotte) was arrested and charged with assault on a law enforcement officer in Chapel Hill over the weekend.

Officers reported to a parking lot in an apartment complex after concerned neighbors heard a commotion outside.

The story notes that officers found Ric Flair, his daughter and an unidentified 22-year-old man (who may be her boyfriend). According to the report, the three were involved in some sort of altercation in which Flair was left bruised and bloodied. Flair declined to press charges.

Ashley is accused of kicking a police officer. Police used a taser gun on her as a result.

9/8/2008

* “Macho Man” Randy Savage, who wrestled on nine out of the first ten WrestleManias and came away with the WWF Championship on two of them, will not be a character available to play on the upcoming “Legends of Wrestlemania” video game, which is scheduled for release next March.

At Vince McMahon‘s discretion, a few big names were excluded from the game for one reason or another, most notably Randy Savage and Mick Foley. Sources say THQ officials were most unhappy about not being able to feature Savage and Foley in the game. At least in Foley’s case, he was originally scheduled to appear in the game, but following his departure from WWE a few weeks ago, McMahon made the decision to pull his character.

9/10/2008

* Last week’s Consequences Creed vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir match on Impact lost an astounding 340,000 viewers, which is the biggest viewership loss of the year, if not in Impact ratings history.

9/11/2008

* TNA officials are hoping that Impact lands a 1.2 rating over the next few weeks what with the arrival of Mick Foley as well as the build for the Sting/Jeff Jarrett program.

9/13/2008

*  In an interview with SLAM Wrestling, Kurt Angle was critical of TNA going overboard on the number of gimmick matches the company holds. “I believe pay-per-view matches should be straight up, one-on-one,” Angle said.

“One on one, or tag on tag, nobody else involved, no run-ins, no gimmicks. I feel TNA sometimes thinks we’re being innovative by having matches that are gimmicks.” Angle then gives examples. “Like on one pay-per-view, we had a cage match with weapons, and a Last Man Standing match, and a New Jersey Street Fight. We don’t need to have gimmick matches. We have the talent to have great wrestling matches. That’s why we are different than WWE. We have amazing wrestlers that can put on incredible matches.”

Angle believes TNA will one day be on the same level as WWE. “But within four to six years, we will be comparable to them as far as ratings. As far as value of the company, we’re getting there. If, God forbid, Jeff and Mrs. Carter wanted to sell the company right now, it’s worth a lot of money. I think eventually the company will be almost every bit as valuable as WWE.”

9/14/2008

* Jim Ross once again teased about a Steve Austin return in his recent blog:

Stone Cold’s Return: For those of you that are interested and in the spirit of perpetrating more rumors, Stone Cold is reportedly in awesome, physical condition as he prepares for his film role which will apparently be physically demanding. No, this doesn’t mean that Austin is returning to the ring any time soon. Or does it??

9/15/2008

* At Friday night’s Raw brand house show in Texarkana, Arkansas, WWE road agent Arn Anderson, who was sitting by the entrance, was sleeping on and off during the event.

9/16/2008

* Some people in WWE feel John Morrison doesn’t know hot to generate real heat, thus explaining why he hasn’t received a huge push in the company. A few have criticized him for acting “too goofy” with his character and going more for laughs than boos.

9/17/2008

* Batista has openly expressed frustration with his push over the past several months and has seriously considered taking time off as a result. He is upset with WWE’s booking and feels that the company does not portray him as being in the top tier of performers. Some people backstage felt that Batista’s clean win over John Cena at SummerSlam was an attempt to pacify him. Despite that high-profile win, Batista remains unhappy.

9/18/2008

* Jeff Hardy was involved in a serious incident on Wednesday morning at Nashville International Airport. We now have new details on this developing story.

Jeff Hardy was set to depart Nashville International Airport on Wednesday morning and head back home to North Carolina along with brother Matt Hardy and Gregory Helms. All 3 men boarded the plane, however for reasons still unknown, several police officers boarded the plane before it departed and escorted Jeff Hardy off the flight.

Hardy was not handcuffed in front of the other passengers but was clearly being “escorted” off the plane. After he was back in the airport terminal, Hardy made a phone call before police took him away.

9/19/2008

* Tennessean.com has revealed details regarding Jeff Hardy‘s incident at a Nashville airport yesterday.

Hardy was denied boarding a Southwest Airline flight to his home in North Carolina after appearing intoxicated at the Nashville International Airport’s Southwest gate, according to Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz.

An employee reported Hardy’s suspicious behavior and he was denied entry to the flight. Hardy was not arrested and was offered to take a later flight.

“He was very cooperative and there was no altercation,” Mainz said. “There was no need to get police.”

Hardy declined the airline’s offer and made other arrangements.

9/20/2008

* During Randy Orton‘s media blitz of the U.K. last month, Power Slam conducted an interview with him. During the interview, Orton’s asked if he was happy that Triple H got drafted to SmackDown. Suffice it to say, Orton was. Orton also noted a comment Umaga told him backstage during the night of the draft regarding moving away from Triple H when he was drafted to SmackDown (but before he found out Triple H was moving to). And you won’t believe what Orton has to say on Triple H.

Here is what Orton said in the interview:

PS: Have you been keeping track of WWE storyline developments during your absence?

Orton: “Oh, definitely, yeah. Not SmackDown as much. I’ve caught a few episodes. The whole Edge marriage thing… I don’t know: I’m not into that. But I’ll watch the matches whenever I get a chance. I’ll watch some of the guys, like Umaga and Carlito, who are good friends of mine. Triple H not so much. But still, I like to watch what’s going on. I’m interested to see (HHH’s) match with The Great Khali at SummerSlam.”

PS: Were you glad when Triple H was Drafted to SmackDown?

Orton: “I was at the Draft (on June 23) after I got hurt. I was in the locker room watching the backstage monitor. I was hoping to get traded (from Raw to SmackDown). Actually, it’s funny because Umaga just got traded to SmackDown. He was like, “Man, you know what? At least I haven’t got to be around Triple H no more.” So (Umaga) goes to SmackDown and I’m like, “Yeah … F–k you!” The last Draft pick’s Triple H and I’m like (punches the air), “Yes! Oh, my God!” Yes, yes, yes!” I went right up to Umaga and I was, like, “You’ve got to deal with it now!” It was my favourite Draft pick, to be honest with you. And we got Rey Mysterio, we got Kane, Batista. I’ve got history with those guys.”

9/21/2008

* Batista on Hollywood Aspirations: “I do have a few offers that I may follow up on. I want to branch into the mainstream media. Hopefully, that’ll be my legacy.”

9/22/2008

* After blogging a few weeks ago that he was getting the “itch” to return to the pro wrestling industry, negotiations continue between Eric Bischoff and cable network CMT regarding the creation of a new wrestling promotion.

Bischoff, who is working with CMT on Hulk Hogan‘s new Celebrity Championship Wrestling reality show, has pitched the idea of focusing a new promotion around Bill Goldberg and Hulk Hogan. Brooke Hogan recently blogged that her father is getting back into ring shape and Bill Goldberg recently stated that he is doing the same.

9/23/2008

* Bubba the Love Sponge said on his radio show that Kurt Angle and Karen Angle are getting a divorce.

9/25/2008

* Randy Orton said some more controversial things in a recent interview.

Q: When you captured the World title aged 24 at SummerSlam 2004, you became the youngest ever holder of a major WWF/WWE singles title. Do you think any of the newcomers will beat your record?

A: “That’s a good question. I’m trying to think of the age of everybody. Cody and Teddy are young, right? Kenny Dykstra (who’s 22) I knocked him out in Australia, actually one time. He was drinking and thought that he would f–k with me, and I warned him and slapped him so hard in the temple that I knocked him out. I never liked him at all. And everyone always told him, “You’re the next Randy Orton.” And you know what? F–k that. Make your own name. What does that mean anyway? I slapped the s–t out of Kenny Dykstra. And I don’t even know where he is right now.

9/26/2008

* At a TNA taping a few weeks ago, Frank Trigg was backstage and saw a guy he recognized from a gym in Southern California he goes to who has the nickname “Real Estate Steve” because he owns a lot of property in the area. Trigg had no idea why “Real Estate Steve” was there until he saw him talking with Kurt Angle. He thought perhaps Kurt had flown him in to talk about buying a house in Southern California. Later that day, Trigg saw “Real Estate Steve” walking around backstage with his face painted as Sting.

9/27/2008

* TNA is interested in acquiring Ric Flair as they have sent out feelers through part-time announcer Hermie Sadler, who runs the UWF indy promotion, which often books TNA talent. However, Flair signed a one-year non-compete clause when he got his release from WWE with it pretty much meaning that he couldn’t jump to TNA.

9/29/2008

* The TNA website posted a note saying that Jeff Jarrett is angry over recent comments made by Kurt Angle about TNA in the UK (with SunSport, where Angle criticized TNA for going overboard on the number of gimmick matches, run-ins & confusing stipulations and he’s pushing for an end to it. The preview for this week’s Impact says Jarrett will publicly address Angle’s controversial comments on this week’s show.

– 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.