Odds on Who Killed Vince McMahon

The storyline that has created a buzz is going to move a ton faster than the WWE wanted it to, but trust me, it's going to at least create some interesting questions before it's all said and done. Based on the old "Dallas" drama of the 1980's, the question of "who did it" come up again, this time in the world of pro wrestling.

This time we do know that no matter what, there is no way that we will never see Vince McMahon again on television. He owns the product, runs the product, and has the ego the size of Texas, so him being off TV for an extended amount of time is not going to happen. So that leads us to the storyline we have before us - Who Killed Vince McMahon. Or at least, Who Tried to Kill Vince McMahon?

The suspects are few and far between. Let me explain. The person(s) that have to have been behind the act almost for sure has to be a heel. It's not in the job description of a face to be an attempted murder. So that leads us to pretty much within reason take out just about all the faces of the company, minus any that have it in them to be close to turning heel.

Here then, are my logical choices to close out what has been an interesting, not a successful mind you, but interesting storyline put forth by the WWE:

1. Jonathan Coachman - The assistant to Vince McMahon does have a lot to gain with him gone. Just like last night on RAW, he basically gets to run the show, and with Vince out of the way, Coach basically becomes the GM of the show, which we all know he would like to be. Plus if he did do it, his character takes on a whole new persona, one that could lead him to being a manager of a heel faction or trying to be the GM of another show. Odds he did it: 5-2

2. Shane McMahon - Yes, Vince's pride and joy also has much to gain with daddy being out of the way. Of course it would make Shane the instant major heel of the company, plus, just like Coach, he gains total control. Shane and Vince have had their battles over the years, and even recently you could see some tension between them during the whole Bobby Lashley angle. Yeah, I could see Shane trying to kill his own father, why not? Odds he did it: 4-1

3. Eric Bishoff - Who better to try and take out Vince than the man that McMahon fired as RAW GM, and has embaressed time after time on TV? Bishoff would do it simply out of spite, and he doesn't have anything to really gain from the move, other than just pure revenge, and the knowledge that he ended the life of the man who ran WCW out of business. Would make for an interesting storyline. Odds he did it: 6-1

4. Paul Heyman - Everything we said about Bischoff can basically be repeated here. Vince supported Paul for years in ECW, but then once the company went under, he mocked Paul for years in the storylines of WWE. Plus he stopped Paul from running the new ECW back in December when he removed him from power. This could be a no-brainer. Odds he did it: 6-1

5. Stephanie McMahon - This one is pretty much a long shot, but Steph has been off TV for sometime, and unless there is a deal in place where she wants to get back on TV, this would be the storyline to do it. Again, a long shot, but this one would be the out of left field, curveball that the WWE can throw sometimes.
Odds she did it: 10-1

6. Hulk Hogan - Now THIS would be the ultimate curveball, but one that would generate monster ratings, for at least a few weeks. We know that Hogan and Vince hate each other (storyline and for real), and if they could for real settle their differences, this would possibly be the curveball and storyline of the year. Can't see it - but hey, never say never. Odds he did it: 50-1

7. DX - Along with this would come some sort of character change, and since DX was red hot before HHH got hurt, then HBK got hurt, this is very unlikely. Of course it is worth mentioning that they don't like Vince, and while as I said, murder is not on a faces trait list, this one would make sense from the standpoint they don't like Vince. Just I can't see it. Odds they did it: 100-1

RAW Ratings Equal Another Storyline Shift

The ratings for last nights RAW is in, and the fact the company drew over a 4 share is a sign that the panic they may have had in regard to the McMahon Death storyline can be put to rest for now. Reports say that the backstage mood for SmackDown/ECW is up today, and that now the writers are back to the mode of wanting to possibly drag out the McMahon storyline for awhile.

There was discussion that the "killer" would be revealed at the Great American Bash in July in San Jose. What better way to get the buy rate for that event up? Looks like since that is only a month away, the 3-hour RAW on Monday night coming up may go a long way in pointing us into the direction of how long the storyline will last.

The talk on our SHOUTBOX seems to have also turned a bit, and many think that will end up being a deal where Vince killed himself. I can tell you that as of now, that is not in the plans of the storyline. While its a great thought, it's also a way to watch wrestling fans leave in a hurry if they reveal that Vince offed himself. Not going to happen.

Bottom line is they have not yet decided who in fact was the killer. The decision could be a tough one, as the person they put the murder on will have to be put in a major role in the company, as it has basically become the top storyline in the company, and will stay that way until they "solve" the crime, and Vince comes back.

Wednesday News and Notes Around the Ring

Four days away from the next WWE PPV, and it's as if no one really knows, nor cares about it. A shame that a PPV that actually may have a solid match or two is simply being buried right now by one of the most ridiclous angles in years in the "death" of Vince McMahon. Last night's ECW show solved the mystery of who will be in the ECW Title match, and that will be Chris Benoit vs C.M. Punk. I am sold now on the fact that Benoit is going over, and that was/is the selling point for him to make the move to ECW in the first place. Hopefully a Benoit title win will give the belt a little taste of legit, and hopefully he will be allowed to hold it for awhile.

Wrestling Observer reports today that there is a column called "Sportsbiz" at CNBC.com that rips apart the company for the McMahon storyline. It basically goes on to say that the company is being irresponsible to shareholders for the storyline, pretending that McMahon is dead. A shareholder speaks in the column about an email he sent to the company telling them they are being "reckless with investors money." You have to wonder how much of this backlash they are willing to take before they move the storyline ahead and get it over with. Of course if the RAW ratings stay as strong for the three-hour show this week as last, I think as written yesterday that we are in for a long saga that may go for a few months.

Jerry "The King" Lawler had charges filed against him today after an incident at Sam's Town Friday night when reports say that "The King" allegedly punched Sal Corrente a few times. Reports say that Jerry hit Sal after he thought that Sal had hit a fan.

Here is the latest Vengence Card for Sunday in Sold Out Houston:
* WWE Championship Challenge Match - John Cena vs. Booker T vs. Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley vs. Bobby Lashley
* World Heavyweight Champion Edge vs. Batista (Last Chance Match)
* Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella vs. Umaga
* United States Champion MVP vs. Ric Flair
* World Tag Team Champions Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch vs. The Hardys
* Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero vs. Jimmy Wang Yang
* Women's Champion Melina vs. Candice Michelle
* ECW Title Match - Chris Benoit vs. CM Punk

I have to say I have more than a few conversations with wrestling fans over the last two days about the disrespect they gave to Sherri Martel on Monday night with about the weakest tribute to a passing star that they have had in a long time. Other than about a 5 second basic black screen with a pic of Martel and telling us of her passing, they basically ignored the whole thing. So sad, considering if we were not in the midst of the stupid McMahon storyline we for sure would have had a video tribute. Instead, they just went ahead and almost made it like it didn't happen.

Get Set Fans - McMahon Death Storyline Set to Last for Sometime

The focus on the company three days after the RAW Draft in PA still centers on the "death" of Vince McMahon, as well as the ongoing investigation of what took place in the limo that exploded outside the arena. The WWE website continues to push that the Fed's are doing their own investigation, and the line of real and storyline seems to be getting confused in the minds of quite a few, as the real FBI got calls in PA on Tuesday and Wednesday asking about if the show was indeed real.

The real FBI released a statement saying they knew nothing about a car bombing, and if there was anything like that for real, they would have been on the scene and would for real be doing an investigation. So in other words, everything that the company is putting on their site, along with the continued insistence of an "investigation" is simply a storyline that is sure to stretch out for quite awhile.

No McMahon has yet to speak, and they did a story on the site yesterday with a family rep coming out and saying that in the spirit of Vince that the show "will go on," and that they family is not ready to talk. You can bet that once they do, they will play up the emotional ploy of having them on RAW, likely in a last segment, making a speech about what a great man Vince was. I would bet at this point you'd see Shane making that speech, since he is the one that has been on TV the most of the McMahon clan as of late. I expect that speech to be within the next 2-3 weeks.

It will be interesting to see how fast they get back to the storylines of the draft, as well as to the wrestling on the shows. I don't see it this week on SmackDown, as I am sure they will do the McMahon tribute, sort of like what they did on ECW. That along with the new draft choices (Torrie, Ric Flair, Khali) will highlight the SmackDown show.

The quicker they get back to the in-ring product, the better. Of course it will be painful to watch week after week the saga of "Who Killed Mr.McMahon," and as you can see by our poll, the results are mixed, with many thinking it might be Coachman, or possibly DX, or even Hulk Hogan, which would be quite the storyline.

As for now, be braced for the ongoing saga of Vince and the investigation of who did what. Much in the storyline on the drama Dallas years ago of "Who killed J.R." this one is going to last for awhile. I for one hope that the ride is not as bumpy as the countless McMahon storylines in the past. Posted by Matt Loede at 7:25 AM | Permalink

Wrestle the competition to win your own WWE Dream Job

According to thousands of guys vying for a dream job opportunity in a nationwide contest working for the WWE, is a guy’s most desired dream job – beating out testing exotic cars or finding the next hot cover model. Out of six fantasy jobs, working in the world of wrestling is the clear front runner in the Speed Stick 24/7 Dream Jobs contest aimed at helping people get a glimpse into some of the most competitive industry jobs.

The WWE is the most sought after career (56%), generating more than half of the entries and a wide lead over other popular choices. Maxim model scout and Car Domain exotic test car driver follow with 15% and 10% respectively.

So what has guys all excited about working at the WWE?

First-hand experience behind the scenes with the WWE and their Superstars
WWE Magazine / Superstar or Diva assistant at a photo shoot and get your picture taken with the featured star
Honorary time keeper for a WWE match
Help prepare for one of the WWE’s pay-per-view events
Serve as Fan Ambassador addressing mail and phone calls from WWE fans
Entire WWE job experience recorded and streamed around the globe on WWE.com

Applications for the Speed Stick Dream Job Contest will be accepted through July 20, 2007 on www.guymennen.com. While browsing through the Web site, don’t forget to play the interactive games. Wrestling fanatics can have some fun thumb wrestling their computer at http://www.guymennen.com/wwegame.html.

ECW 6/12

Wow. That is about all I can say about last night's RAW, which changed the face of the company for what could be some time. They finally listened to the masses and got rid of the Mr.McMahon character, but of course did it in such an extreme way that I am sure we will see it again down the road. They also did the draft, and we ended up with 10 wrestlers changing brands, and other than Bobby Lashley coming back to RAW, the rest were mostly wrestlers that we could easily see move brands.

Let's start with the draft. The premise was that each match on the show was between two wrestlers from different brands, and whatever wrestler won the match, their brand would get a draft choice. The wrestlers that moved are as follows:

Khali from RAW to SmackDown
Boogeyman from SmackDown to ECW
King Booker from SmackDown to RAW
Chris Benoit from SmackDown to ECW
Torrie Wilson from RAW to SmackDown
Chris Masters from RAW to SmackDown
Bobby Lashley from ECW to RAW
Ric Flair from RAW to SmackDown
Snitsky from ECW to RAW
Mr.Kennedy from SmackDown to RAW

Most of the above picks were not exactly earth shattering, with just Booker, Benoit, Lashley, and Kennedy in my opinion being anything more than mid-card wrestlers. On the surface, to me SmackDown gets weaker, losing Boogeyman, Booker, Benoit, and Kenndy and adding Khali, Wilson, Masters and Flair. No question they will do some tweaking with that to make SmackDown better in some fashion in the next week or two. There is already word that more draft picks will come about Wednesday, however they do that is unknown.

As for RAW, the rich get richer if you will, as the premiere show on WWE gets better with Booker, Lashley, Snitsky and Kennedy. They lose Khali, Flair, Masters and Wilson, none of which are going to be missed all that much. As for ECW, they will need a new champion (Benoit?) since Lashley is leaving, and they also lose Snitsky to RAW, while gaining Benoit and Boogeyman.

The matches on the show were pretty good, with a hot start with Edge and Cena going at it, with Edge winning via countout to earn the right for the first pick, which was Khali. They also had a solid short match later in the night with Benoit and Lashley, and many thought it was a sign of things to come as Benoit then was drafted to ECW. Little did we know that would be Lashley's last ECW match, as he then was drafted later on to RAW.

The night also revolved around the Mr.McMahon Appreciation night, which saw tons of old wrestlers, announcers and managers talk about Vince. Just about everyone outside Bobby Heenen slammed Vince, including the shocking return of Bret Hart. Funny though in a way that Hart, along with Jesse Ventura looked like they either had aged a TON since we last saw them, or their interviews were done the moment they rolled out of bed.

Roddy Piper did a solid cut up on Vince, and it was good to see that he appears to be in good health. The other shock of the night is the wrestling return for Mick Foley, who will be a in "Championship Challenge" match for the WWE Title at Vengence with Cena, Booker, Orton, and Lashley. More tributes came from Dusty Rhodes, Gene Okerlund, Iron Shiek, Jimmy Snuka, Bob Costas, Donald Trump, Mark Cuban, and Snoop Dogg.

The 3-hour show ended with what I have been begging for recently, as a wacked out Vince came to the ring, and simply said - "Thank you." He then walked in the back, past tons of wrestlers and then even old ring announcer Howard Finkel and then old stooges Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco. McMahon then strolled into his limo, which was waiting outside, only for it to blow up - therefore putting a fitting end to a character that has dominated WWE television for about the last 10 years.

Of course keeping with the storyline, WWE.com is acting as if the incident it real, and even quoting firefighters at the scene. Fret not, as all it is was a great way to write off a character that has been getting way too long in the tooth for too long. Hopefully the company will move on, and we won't have weeks upon weeks of Mr.McMahon tributes and updates on who bombed the limo. Frankly, who cares who did it, it was just a solid way to end the character.

wrestling

Da Sharpshooters Ep. 175 - One Night Stand

Brock competes in MMA, Johnny not so devine, Cena finds The Truth, DVD's, Deeper South Wrestling, The Rock separates, SNME, Impact Report, Smackdown Report, One Night Stand preview, and last but not least Listener Feedback. Hope you enjoy.

Episode 175 - One Night Stand


DS174 - Concussion

Da Sharpshooters Ep. 174 - Concussion
1:44:58

Even more reasons for the draft, Two moves no longer allowed, Bret Hart finds a new promotion, Raw Report, ECW Report, listener feedback, and you find out who we can't stand all in episode 174. Also, I made a mistake in the intro this is really 174.

Episode 174 - Concussion

DS173 - Screensaver


Da Sharpshooters Ep. 173 - Screensaver
1:49:19

Jarrett wife passes away, Kurt Angle and MMA, Lesnar's Opponent, Cage extension, TNA Morale, Rave signs, Raw special, Khali new manager, Scotty 2 Hotty farewell, TNA Report, Smackdown Report, Listener Feedback all in this loaded screensaver episode.

Episode 173 - Screensaver
DS172 - Cheaters


Da Sharpshooters Ep. 172 - Cheaters
1:39:34 Total Time

Judgment Day Results, Helms update, WWE Development, Foley making reality, Brock Lesnar and MMA, New Energy drink, Blackberry be gone, and the Great Khali accuses us of cheating also in this episode.

Episode 172 - Cheaters


Da Sharpshooters Ep. 171 - Judgment Day
Approx: 2:12:13

Sacrifice fallout, WWE cleans up, Sabu is done but what about RVD, More injuries plague WWE, TNA Report, and the Smackdown Report with a Judgment Day preview. We are so happy to back and everything is back to normal. On a side note Vito was release also and we just failed to mention that. Hope you enjoy the show we will see you Tuesday.

Episode 171 - Judgment Day

Hey everyone just wanted to let you know that we are going to take a week off. We do not normally do this but this week has been hectic and my fiance was admitted to the hospital on Thursday. She is doing better but they are still performing test to figure out what is exactly wrong with her. It's really hard to focus on wrestling right now so instead of doing an half ass show we just decided it would be best to take off a week. Keep me in your prayers and we will be back next week.

Eric

Da Sharpshooters Episode 170 - Stunner Shades
Approx Time: 1:20:10

Money in the bank is cashed in, Orton may move again, New home for WWE 24/7, Divas new dress code, MVP talks about his past, A Night in Memphis, Random TNA notes, Raw Report, ECW Report, and last but not least Listener Feedback all packed into episode 170 "Stunner Shades"

Episode 170 - Stunner Shades

DS169 - Logic


Da Sharpshooters Episode 169 - Logic

Where is the logic in TNA. Sting informs Angle that he has no reason to team with Angle because he is already the #1 contender. Angle resorts to playground language and called Sting another word for a cat. That put him over the edge like telling Mick Foley that WWE sucks. I am still trying to comprehend that and that is one of the many things we discuss in the following episode. Along with TNA we talk about someone new coming to the pay per view market, RVD and his future, and our usual recaps.

Episode 169 - Logic

DS168 - Competition

Da Sharpshooters Ep. 168 - Competition

Finally, after searching for weeks Khali figured out what competition was. Upon his discovery he decided to take three key factors that stood in his way for true competition. He finally understands what it means to have a title around your waist is that you get a reaction from the crowd. Beside discussion Khali great discovery we talk about the fallout from backlash and Miss Jackie loses something very important at the Impact tapings, and much much more.

Episode 168 - Competition

DS167 - Backlash

Da Sharpshooters Ep. 167 - Backlash

It is time for Backlash. This is actually a pay per view that we are going to pay for. The card is a fairly decent and it is handling the fallout from Wrestlemania. In this episode we discuss the future of Mick Foley. The punishment that may be handed out to Randy Orton. Final farewells in ROH, and our normal recaps of all the shows. Hope you enjoy.

Episode 167 - Backlash


DS166 - 56 Minutes


Da Sharpshooters Ep. 166 - 56 Minutes

Really, What more can be said? Apparently, the UK brings out the best in the WWE because they shocked the world Monday night. What started off as a mediocre show ended with I can't believe they gave that away for free. Sometimes, it just feels good to get something that wasn't advertised, but did this match hurt the pay per view? I really can't answer that but if its intention was to spark interest in the pay per view well it did. Hopefully, you would enjoy this episode and to let you know we are going longer than 56 minutes.

Click here for episode 166 - 56 Minutes




Da Sharpshooters Ep. 165 - YEAH

Wow, this is the first episode we have done not being in the same room. Honestly, you would not even notice it if I did not say it, but that is not important. In this episode we discuss numerous things in the world of wrestling. From wrestlers being sent home and suspended to companies shutting down. Of course we have listener feedback and a lot of it might we add. Hopefully, everyone enjoys the YEAH episode and we will see you next time.