In this edition I will be doing my normal features as well a brand new feature entitled “Remember Me”. In this segment I will pick a random wrestler who seemed to disappear off the face of the earth and find out what they are doing nowadays.  I am going to bring you this in addition to my other features and some random ramblings once a month and I’ll also do a separate post with my traditional monthly predictions; so with that said, lets get started…

As it’s coming up to that time of the year where the WWE normally starts releasing Superstars, they’ve already started by off loading some names from FCW, so it wouldn’t surprise me to start seeing some others go. With the Monday Night Wars back it may be less likely for the WWE to release in fear that they will appear on TNA but what I want to do is name some of the people I believe will be next out the door.  There is no doubt there are others people will feel should be released and will no doubt question mine, but these are just my opinions. I would like to note that I did have Eric Escobar on this list but at the time of writing he was actually released so I’ve since removed him.

Jimmy Wang Yang

Jimmy’s been around for quite some time and has a few suspension notches on his belt. Jimmy was in his element with the cruiserweight division but sadly that division is no more. A move to ECW would be a smart move for him along with a new gimmick but if the WWE don’t see that as an option then Jimmy may be sent packing.

Luke Gallows

Luke Gallows or Festus currently has a straight edge gimmick running along with CM Punk. The thing with this is if the WWE ever want Punk to be taken seriously as a singles competitor then he needs to do it alone. Luke will help in gaining Punk some heat before he’s pushed once again. Luke will then be worthless as in my opinion his ring work along with mic work isn’t very good. He’s got that big body guard size thing going on for him but once he’s helped in a story or two I can’t see any further use for him.

Layla

Layla seems to be the jobber of Women’s Division, especially on Smackdown. The amount of time she’s been in the WWE compared to other diva’s and hasn’t improved is the main reason for being on my list. It’s not just her wrestling ability but also her backstage promo’s that are lacking. There’s no doubt she could work great in a managerial role, but seeing the WWE don’t have much use for that sort of thing anymore I reckon she could be on the way out unless she improves dramatically.

Slam Master J

The other half of biscuits and gravy with a terrible gimmick that was trying to hang onto the coat tails of Cryme Tyme. Poor Jesse has talent but if he doesn’t go back to FCW and get repackaged then there no reason for him to stay around unless a weekly jobber is needed. Jesse being second generation may be his only saving grace.

Shad

The WWE have a habit of breaking up tag teams after a certain amount of time no matter how good they are as a team. Cryme Tyme is no exception, a great team but I think JTG is the better of the two. He can carry the Cryme Tyme gimmick all by himself while Shad who has gained some heat in the last year is less adaptable than his partner. JTG himself said recently that he would like to see some IC gold this year. Maybe a program involving the two eventually resulting in Shad’s release…

Primo

It must run in the family but it’s been brought up over the last few months that Primo isn’t happy with his position on Raw. Carlito did the same a few years back but at least Carlito has that superstar feel. They have to understand that they aren’t in Mexico anymore and they have to go with the flow. Carlito can adapt but has proven to be lazy as well as being known for stating his opinion. If Primo wants to continue with a similar attitude then he will be shown the door. The only thing is though, if Primo goes? Does Carlito go? I’m sure TNA would love that.

Paul Burchill

I was debating whether or not to put Paul into this because I actually like his work, but then again I like some of the work from a few of the above, however that doesn’t mean that they are safe from the chopping block. At this moment in time Paul Burchill isn’t on any show since losing to the Hurricane. Katie Lea has shown up to compete in the Diva’s tournament but Paul is no where to be seen. To be honest I can’t see them doing much with Paul and if he couldn’t succeed on ECW then I doubt he’s going to achieve something on Raw or Smackdown, unless they turn him into a pirate again.

Dolph Ziggler

Real Name: Nicholas Theodore Nemeth

Date of Birth: July 27th, 1980 (age 29)

WWE Debut: Jan 2006 w/The Spirit Squad

Dolph Ziggler the character has only been gracing our screens since September of 2008, but the man behind Dolph Ziggler has been a part of the WWE since 2006 as part of the infamous Spirit Squad. At the time the majority that watched including myself thought that Kenny Doane was the only talent within the Spirit Squad that would ever amount to anything, since then Kenny got too big for his boots and was shown the door while Nick took it on the chin, went back to OVW and later FCW, got himself repackaged as Dolph Ziggler. Nick has done a great job in making the Dolph Ziggler character memorable. Any wrestler can be given any gimmick but the gimmick given has to click with the person in order for the audience to buy into it.

Dolph Ziggler reminds me an awful lot like the late great “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, although Dolph is a long way off being anything like Curt in relation to all round ability, I still get that Mr. Perfect feeling when he’s in the ring that catches my interest. It may just be the fine tuning of his skills and mic work that Dolph needs to truly excel to the next level.

Working with the likes of John Morrison makes for a good match but working with the likes of Mysterio and Kane gives Dolph the much-needed experience that is essential before he can move on. Nick wants to learn and is willing to do whatever is thrown at him, I can see an Intercontinental or US title in his future depending on which brand he ends up on. I’d like to see him grow more on Smackdown and work on and off with some of the bigger names so he can learn and show us what he can do when given the opportunity.

Mantaur

Real Name: Michael Hallick

Date of Birth: September 23rd, 1968 (age 41)

WWF/E Debut: Jan 1995

Height: 6,1

Weight: 401 Pounds

Michael Hallick is best known for his Mantaur character that he portrayed during two stints during 1995 and 1996 within the WWF.

Upon debuting, Mantaur acquired Jim Cornette as a manager and had only one PPV match, this was at the 1995 Royal Rumble where he lasted 10 mins before eventually being eliminated by Lex Luger. Mantaur also featured in a 1st Round match for the 1995 King of the Ring where he lost to Bob Holly and also appeared as a lumberjack during a match between Sycho Sid and Diesel at In Your House 2. After his return; Mantaur featured as Goldust’s bodyguard at his last WWF PPV, In Your House 7.

Michael Hallick’s only wrestling championship came during 1997 with USWA (United States Wrestling Association) where he won the Unified World Heavyweight Championship under the name Tank; incidentally Hallick lost the title seven days later to Jerry Lawler.

Hallick worked for various companies and on the indie circuit until 2005; he now works as a repo man in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.

Good Idea

* Putting Rey Mysterio back into the Main Event Picture!!!!!

Bad Idea

* Not pushing the Hart Dynasty!

This is the break-down of how I see things at the moment. As I said in the previous blog, I am taking a lot of things into consideration; overness (both as a heel and face), backstage goings on and general performances both in the ring and on the mic. Previous positions are in brackets…

Until next time peeps..this has been another edition of the Shooting Star Press.

Regards,

Edgedogg